Ed Tech Lesson Plan

Brief Description

In this lesson, students will determine the best way to present our annual sixth grade orientation to the fifth graders. Students will need to determine what information needs to be included and how to present it. Students will have a variety of technology tools at their disposal to aid in the decision-making and presenting process.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

6T-E1. Determine when technology is useful and select and use the appropriate tools and technology resources to solve problems

Academic Standards

VP-E2. Plan, develop and produce a visual presentation, using a variety of media such as videos, films, newspapers, magazines and computer images

Objectives

Academic

Students will design a presentation for sixth grade orientation.

Technological

Students will decide what technology tools are appropriate to solve and present a given problem

Pre-Requisite Technology Skills

Students will need to be familiar with various technology applications and devices, including digital still and video cameras, scanners, word processing, design and presentation applications.

Materials

Technology tools that should be available for students:

Digital camera
Video camera
Scanner
Microsoft PowerPoint or similar presentation program
Microsoft Publisher or similar publishing program
Microsoft Word or similar word processing program
iMovie or similar video editing program

Students will also need access to at least one multimedia computer. A small lab would be preferable.

Accommodations for Special Needs

Special needs students will be accommodated in a variety of ways. Students will be placed in groups for the duration of the lesson. The teacher needs to take care to create groups that will support special needs students. Students who need text read to them will have this option (either by a peer or the teacher). Students who need to dictate instead of write will also have that option. It might be best for special needs students to be less involved in the writing portion and perhaps more involved in the graphic design element, if that is a strength for the student. Advanced students may be challenged by incorporating multiple technologies into their solutions and being “experts” in a specific technology to help the other students.

Procedures

At the end of every school year, the incoming sixth graders go through a “Sixth Grade Orientation” to let them know what to expect in their first year of middle school. Who better to design the orientation than current sixth grade students?

1. Working in groups of three or four, students will need to determine the following:
a. What needs to be included in an orientation for new sixth graders? Students will need to take into consideration the following items: changing classes, lockers, the teachers, our “coupon” system for behavior management, increased homework
b. What is the best method for communicating that method?
2. Students will then be able to create a presentation to share with the class that will demonstrate their solution to the problem. Possible solutions include, but are certainly not limited to: a PowerPoint presentation with digital pictures and text describing what it is like to be in sixth grade, a brochure with the same information, a video detailing a day in the life of a sixth grader.
3. This lesson will need to be done over many days to allow for time to develop and produce a solution. The planning sessions will take several days, then time will need to be allotted for creation of the final project. This time could vary dramatically depending on the type of project selected. Teachers should have a series of deadlines for the various stages of the project (plan due, project completed, presentation due). Teachers may also want to have another project going on at the same time that students who complete their projects sooner can be engaged in. Teachers need to be sure to secure all necessary technology tools beforehand.
4. At the end, groups will present their solutions to the class. Students will vote on the best presentations to be used for the actual sixth grade orientation. The number of winning presentations will depend on the nature of the presentations. For instance, students may decide that a brochure, PowerPoint presentation, and a movie are all appropriate and should be used.
5. The winning presentations will be used during sixth grade orientation with the fifth graders.

Assessment

Students will present their solutions to the class. They will be assessed based on the following rubric.

	Excels	Average	Needs Improvement
Presents all major areas of concern	5 – Included all major areas of concern and even some others.	3 – Included almost all of the major areas of concern.	1 – Did not include all major areas of concern.
Effective use of technology	5 – Used multiple technologies to present information.	3 – Used at least one technology.	1 – Did not use technology.
Organization	5 – Presentation has a logical beginning, middle, and end.	3 – Presentation is somewhat organized.	1 – Presentation is unorganized, or is missing beginning, middle, or end.
Scoring	A=13-15 B=11 C=9 D=5-7 F=3

Students will also vote on what they think is the best, or most effective, presentation. This (or these) will be presented to the fifth graders at sixth grade orientation. In order to be fair, students also use the above rubric to judge the presentations.

Teacher Name: Liesl Mitchell
Site: Coronado K-8
Date Submitted: April 16, 2003