Gillian Werenka

PS1

Mini Unit

Lesson Plan 2

Grade/Subject:3/ Social Unit: Communities in the world Lesson Duration: 50 minutes

General Learning Outcome: examine economic factors that shape communities in other parts of the world by
exploring and reflecting upon the following questions for inquiry.
SPECIFIC
OUTCOMES FROM
ALBERTA
PROGRAM OF
STUDIES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Formative & Summative

ASSESSMENTS (How

(2-3, clear, and measurable)

will you know they met

learning objectives?)

Students will:

(Observations, Key
Questions,
Products/Performances)

What are the

main goods
and services
produced by
the
communities
studied?

Describe the main goods and services that are

produced by a specific community.

What goods
and services
do the
communities
import from
and export to
other parts of
the world?

Determine what goods and services a specific

community imports and exports.

What are the

main forms of
technologies,
transportation,
and
communicatio
n in the
communities?

Describe what technology, transportation, and

communication are used in the community they
research.

The students will do

research on their
countrys goods and
services.
I will observe their
participation in
research.
Students will complete
worksheets which
prompt research.
Kahoot quiz at end.
The students will do
research on their
countrys imports and
exports.
I will observe their
participation in
research.
Students will complete
worksheets which
prompt research.
Kahoot quiz at end.
The students will do
research on their
countrys use of
technology,
transportation, and
communication.
I will observe their
participation in
research.
Students will complete

Gillian Werenka

PS1

Mini Unit

worksheets which
prompt research.
Kahoot quiz at end.
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED
Resource #1: http://minds-in-bloom.com/20-three-minute-brain-breaks/
Resource #2: https://www.whatihavelearnedteaching.com/80-sponge-activities/

MATERIALS/ EQUIPMENT/ SET UP

Smartboard
Handouts for students
Sponge activity created on Kahoot
Computers
Pencils
Devices that run kahoot quizzes

PROCEDURE
Introduction (5-10min.):
Attention Grabber: We will briefly review what we went over last class. I will put our definitions back on the board if
we got rid of them.
Assessment of Prior Knowledge: We will have a friendly competition with a quiz at the beginning of the class if the
technology is there. It would fun to do an online quiz. This would help me know if the students retained the information
that we learned in the previous lesson.
Connection to Curriculum:
Expectations for Learning and Behavior: As previously stated on the last lesson plan, we would go over the rules and
expectations for online behavior. If they misused the technology, we would have to have some discipline about proper
behavior.
Transition to Body: They would stay seated at their desks while I explained what we were going to do that day.
Body (35 min.):

What is the teacher doing?

What are the students doing?

Learning Activity #1: To begin, I would start with pulling up the worksheet that
they are going to be working on the smart board. It would have prompts for
what they are supposed to be researching. They would pair this worksheet with
the key terms that they had already come up with. They can also add more key
words while they research as they come across different topics. I would go over
the worksheet and their procedure in the activity. They would then break into
their pairs and go to work researching their topics. I would instruct them to use
the website sweetsearch.com which is a student friendly search engine. The
technology that the students would be using would be either computers or
laptops. This would depend on the availability of the technology at the school. I
would have either one computer for each pair of students, or one computer for
each student.

As I go over the worksheet

they will be in their seats
following along.
After going over the
worksheet and they
understand what they are
supposed to be doing, I will
tell them that they can now
work with their partner on
the research now.

Formative & Summative Assessments: I would have a raise of hands with a thumb up,
middle, or down on how well they understand the instructions and the purpose of the
assignment. I will continue to observe and help out while they research their countries. I
will make sure that they are on task as I go around and see how they are doing.
Specific Learner Considerations: The students who require fidget toys are welcome to have
them as long as they use them properly while we are going over our worksheets.
Transition to Activity #2: The students will head to their groups to work on their activities.

Learning Activity #2: The students will be researching on their computers their
countries, and the goods and services they produce, imports and exports, and
how they use technology, communication, and transportation. They can use the
worksheet/handout I gave them for reference and structure. They need to make
sure to copy and paste every website they use into a document and print that out

Students can get with their

partners now to start
working on their project.
The students will be
researching with their
partners. They have to be
productive and use their

Gillian Werenka

PS1

Mini Unit

when they are done so they do not plagiarize I will briefly explain that that is
taking other peoples ideas without any recognition- or stealing. To copy and
paste they have to double click the link, right click and click copy, then go into a
document, right click and click paste. I can show them this on the smart board.

technology correctly.

Technology is being used in this research project because the internet is the
largest resource for information that we have in the world. This way, students
can find information that is connected to their subject very easily, and
efficiently. They may not have much prior knowledge of researching, so they
will be able to expand their knowledge on a method that will continue for the
rest of their lives. Using books would also be beneficial to their research project
potentially, but since students live in such a digital world, it is important for
them to know how to work a search engine. They will go on the computer and
go through a student friendly search engine using their key words to find the
information that is needed for their project.
Formative & Summative Assessments: As they are filling out their worksheets I will be able
to see what they are learning. By writing it down, they are helping commit it to memory.
They will turn in all their notes when they finish their product. This would be a formative
assessment, because I will not be grading their notes sheets, but later the content on the
posters that they received from their note sheets.
Specific Learner Considerations
Transition to Activity 3: We will be wrapping up the research, or it may continue for
another day. But they will put their computers away and head to their desks. They would
put away their notes sheets, and if we have time we would play the sponge activity.

Learning Activity #3: Sponge Activity If there is time at the end of the lesson,
I want to play a quick activity to shake up the students brain from researching.
I made a simple kahoot quiz to gather information about what the students were
keeping in their memory. It is not meant to be difficult, just a summative way to
assess my students. The quiz has 5 questions total, and it is about what we have
been learning in class. It is to see if the students are understanding the big
ideas.
Technology has the great feature to be interactive with students in a classroom.
Through kahoot I created a quiz which will help the students see how their
doing personally, and how I can see how theyre doing. It is great for selfreflection. This aspect of technology is really helpful when the students need to
switch tasks for a bit.

The students could stay at

their desk or go to the
carpet, and I would choose
one student to go up to the
front at a time, and
everyone would try to guess
the words, and the student
at the front would put the
letters in the right order. Get
their blood moving!

Formative & Summative Assessments: See if students are knowing the concepts that we
have gone over in class the past couple lessons. Summative assessment on how the students
are doing.
Specific Learner Considerations:
Transition to Closure: The students could stay where they were so we can review what we
learned.

Closure ( 5-7 min.): * Connect your closure with learning objectives*

Consolidation/Assessment of Learning: Have a quick review and students can share with the class something that they
learned from their research today.
Feedback From Students: Hands up scale 1-5 on how today went for them.
Feedback To Students: Let them know what they did a good job with while they were researching, and if there was
something to work on as well. Positive
Transition To Next Lesson: The next lesson we will be doing is the creation of a presentation. This could be in a few
types of formats.

3 Main Questions

Gillian Werenka

PS1

Mini Unit

1) How will the technology enhance student learning? This should provide a useful rationale for using
technology.
Technology will enhance student learning in this situation because it is very important for students to
learn research skills, and the internet is such a good resource for information. If we introduce them to
research skills, and how to sort through information on the internet it makes them better critical thinkers
and have a better digital experience. Students doing this project will be able to figure out all the
information that they need to find out about their countries in one spot. Books are important for
researching as well, but since these students will live in such a digital age it is important that they have
experience and knowledge about information online.
For the sponge activity I think the use of technology makes it more interactive and engaging for all the
students in the classroom. They can all participate, and it is fun to go against the clock and see if you
got the right answer. It gives a lot of students the option to participate with the smart board and get
involved in the classroom. I like kahoot quizzes because they are standard multiple choice tests but with
a fun twist! It gets students excited about learning and taking quizzes.
2) What are the important considerations when integrating this technology (student skills, technology
access, engaging students, etc.)? For instance, consider appropriate classroom climate and structure
issues (management). Think about issues raised in your EdPsych module.
Technology definitely needs to have boundaries in the classroom. Over reliance on the technology can
hurt the classroom, but there is a place for it as long as it is being used productively. A huge
consideration for integrating technology is the access to acceptable technology. If there is a limited
supply, or if it is so outdated that it will not benefit the students then it can be difficult to use it in the
classroom. But, if it is relatively up to date, and there is plenty of technology to be used, then it would be
good to integrate the technology. Another consideration would be the maturity and behavior of the
students while using the technology. I think that technology should be seen as a privilege, and should be
treated as one. Bold guidelines need to be outlined before the use of technology, and the teacher has to
be consistent with the enforcement of previously stated guidelines.
The students skill set for researching probably wouldnt not be big because they are only in third grade,
however, I found that many teachers begin introducing research in this grade. Their specific skill set for
academic researching may be small, but they have probably been searching different topics of interest
for a while outside of class. Students will have to practice searching for key terms, and knowing the
important information in an article and writing that down.
3) Describe any potential downsides or cautions to using the technology or the way in which you will be
using it.
Technology can hinder productivity in the classroom when it is used ineffectively. This can happen with
the students are too off task, and they are on other programs or websites that they should not be on.
This can be difficult to monitor if the students are using laptops in all areas of the classroom. To use
technology in the classroom like that trust must be established between the students and the teacher. If
the students were on sites which they should not be on then it can show badly back onto the teacher
who is responsible of them.
With the smartboard, I think that it can be very distracting, and hype the students up too much so they
will not work on anything else. It could also be a point of conflict if a student is upset that they did not
get an answer correct. This is why I did not add points to the quiz so it is not quite as competitive. If the
students want to try that then maybe on a later quiz we could try points.

Gillian Werenka

PS1

Mini Unit

Lesson Reflections (After you teach):

What went well:

What can be improved upon:

Describe how the students met your lesson objectives: