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