Ann Poole Animal Classifications Language Arts and Science Third Grade Two Week Duration Phase 1: Reflect on technological pedagogical knowledge. For my project, I want to integrate science with language arts as much as possible, while still using the science book. These are the two subjects that I teach. The other language arts/science teacher and I often comment on how our students struggle with the concept of main idea and supporting details. I would like to incorporate main ideas with supporting details using the nonfiction aspect of the science book and creating student generated PowerPoint presentations that include this information. In relationship to the TPACK model (Roblyer & Doering, 2010), I feel very comfortable with the technological knowledge and the content knowledge. I am struggling some with the pedagogical knowledge in the sense that our students are still struggling to master this skill. I believe once I am able to move toward the center of the model, I will be able to deliver my instruction more effectively while still incorporating technology into the lesson. Phase II: Determine relative advantage. After reviewing Phase I, I have realized that main idea and supporting details have been a struggle with my students possibly because of the material being used. After considering previous short cycle assessment data, main idea and supporting details always seems to be an area where students struggle. The students are always excited about science and usually have many questions surrounding the topic at hand. I hope that by integrating the science and technology into the lesson, main idea and supporting details will begin to come alive for my students. By displaying main idea and supporting details in a PowerPoint presentation, it is my goal that students will be able to pick these ideas and details out of the text more fluently. Phase III: Decide on objectives and assessments. I know that the goals for this unit will focus on informational text and creating a simple PowerPoint presentation. The following outcomes, objectives, and assessments are important for this lesson: Outcome: Skills in creating a PowerPoint presentation. Objectives: Students will create a presentation accurately including a topic’s main idea and supporting details. Assessment: A checklist of criteria with step by step directions for creating a presentation and including correct information. Outcome: Main idea and supporting details. Objectives: Students will demonstrate the ability to identify the main idea and its supporting details from a given topic and preparing a PowerPoint presentation of selected information. Assessment: A rubric to assess the content and workability of the PowerPoint presentation. Outcome: Knowledge about reading applications and understanding informational text. Objectives: Students will demonstrate that they have learned and remembered main ideas and supporting details from the lessons in the science book by scoring at least a 75% on a comprehension quiz. Assessment: Multiple choice, short answer, and extended response quiz on main idea and supporting details using topics from the science book. Feedback: Feedback will be provided throughout the entire project. According to Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock (2001), one of the most generalizable strategies a teacher can use is to provide students with feedback relative to how well they are doing. Marzano et al. also states that the feedback should be “corrective”, timely, specific to a criterion, and that students can effectively provide some of their own feedback. Phase IV: Design integration strategies. After learning main idea and supporting details, students will develop a PowerPoint presentation as they discuss the current science topic. The duration of this project is two weeks. The timeline is as follows: Days 1-2: Reviewing main idea and supporting detail: After introducing the project, we will complete various graphic organizers using www.fcrr.org. The graphic organizers will be completed from previous science lessons to demonstrate a main idea and its supporting details. The first will be done as a whole group and then students will be divided into cooperative groups of four to complete another example. Marzano (2007) states that small groups can enhance the processing of new information because interacting in groups provides students with multiple reference points and allows each student to see how others process information. Day 3: Assigning major topic to small groups: For this particular project, each group will be assigned an animal classification: mammal, bird, fish, reptile, or amphibian. Each animal classification will only be used once per classroom. Students will be given a chance to read through their respective pages in the science book. Students will also be instructed to discuss the main idea and supporting details of the topic. Days 4-5: Identify main idea/supporting details and rough draft of PowerPoint: Each group will be provided a graphic organizer to identify the main idea and supporting details of the animal classification that has been assigned to their group. Marzano et al. states that graphic organizers combine the linguistic mode in that students use words and phrases, and the nonlinguistic mode in that they use symbols and arrows to represent relationships. Each cooperative group will rotate to me at the reading table so that I can monitor progress and assist where needed. Students will only be required to include three slides in their presentation. With an ActivBoard installed in the classroom, I am able to conduct a tutorial of PowerPoint before using the program. Since I teach the third grade, chances are, I am the first teacher to attempt a student generated PowerPoint presentation. The ActivBoard will display the program in the front of the room and we can practice creating a simple presentation together. To begin their rough draft, students will be given three blank sheets of white paper to write notes of what they would like to include in their presentation. Days 6-8: Creating PowerPoint presentations: Each cooperative group will be using their graphic organizer and rough draft to create the PowerPoint presentation. Since this is new, I will be monitoring the process very closely and providing assistance as needed. The students will be using computers in the classroom. Day 9: Giving PowerPoint presentations: Each group presents their PowerPoint and the class discusses the content. Day 10: Comprehension quiz: The multiple choice, short answer, and extended response quiz is given on the final day of the project covering main idea and supporting details of the animal classifications presented. Phase V: Prepare the instructional environment. To prepare for this project, I had to create: A checklist of criteria with step by step directions for using PowerPoint. A rubric for the content and workability of the presentation. A comprehension quiz including multiple choice, short answer, and extended response questions. A quick tutorial for creating a simple PowerPoint presentation. This includes showing how to add text, images, creating a new slide, and saving the file. The presentation does not have to be complex. Graphic organizers for showing main idea and supporting details. Small cooperative groups. Phase VI: Evaluate and review. My school district has recently provided some professional development using Dr. Robert Marzano’s research based instructional strategies. Marzano et al. have examined decades of research findings to distill the results into nine broad teaching strategies that have positive effects on student learning: Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition Homework and practice Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Questions, cues, and advance organizers In this lesson, I have included the following strategies: reinforcing effort and providing recognition during small group meetings, nonlinguistic representations with graphic organizers, cooperative learning with small groups, setting objectives and providing feedback, questions from the assessment, and cues from the PowerPoint tutorial. After completing the project, I will be able to evaluate the students’ understanding of the content and evaluate the objectives I set in the beginning. I will be able to see if the students can handle creating a PowerPoint presentation with minimal difficulty or if more guidance is needed. The quiz results will also be able to tell me if the students were able to understand main idea and supporting details or if further attention is needed with this standard. Upon completion of the project, I will be able to see what worked well and what needs adjustment. The teacher can also print the thumbnail images of each PowerPoint presentation and we could glue them in our daily journals. Some sample graphic organizers from www.fcrr.org follow: Some sample questions from the comprehension quiz: Using information from your reading selection, list three things that mammals have in common. a. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ b. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ c. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ This is a paragraph from your science book. Fish are animals that live their whole lives in water. Like young amphibians, fish have gills. The gills are on each side of a fish’s head. The gills take in oxygen as water moves over them. What is the main idea of this paragraph? A. what fish eat B. how fish breathe in water C. how fish sleep References Marzano, R. J. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2010). Teaching with the basic three software tools: Word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs. In K. Canton, M. Kriener, & G. Erb ( Eds.), Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (pp. 49-61). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. www.fcrr.org