Online Projects, Collaboration Sites, and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Template

Name: Iliana Bettis Alderfer

Grade Level: 2ND
Content Area: Science
Standards Addressed: S2L1.a
Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a mammal such
as a cat or dog or classroom pet; a bird such as a chicken; an amphibian such as a frog; and
an insect such as a butterfly.
Title of Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:
DiscoveryEducation.org
Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle video
Monarch Butterfly Migration Path video
Glogster / Padlet /
URL of Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4inl7f7oyhlt5bt/MONARCH%20BUTTERFLY%20LIFE%20C
YCLE%20TLC_Natural_C2_2Mb.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/niey78m11lx48iq/MONARCH%20BUTTERFLY%20MIGRATI
ON%20PATH%20LIFE_Insects_C_2Mb%282%29.mp4?dl=0
Describe how you would use the Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing
Opportunity in your classroom:

This particular lesson plan deals with two distinct portions. The first part
meets the Second grade standard pertaining to the sequence of the life cycle
of a common animal to our area. I chose the Monarch Butterfly. This
portion did not direction involve the online project. However, in order to
further engage the students, and to take my content lesson to a higher
learning standard, I decided to incorporate a couple of short video clips that
I found on a UDL site, DiscoveryEducation.org. The first video dealt
specifically with the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly. I decided to use
that short clip as my 'hook' for this 'flipped' lesson. Prior to beginning this
content standard lesson, the students were assigned a ‘flipped classroom
lesson, which involved watching the Discovery Education video, The
Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle. Upon returning to class the following day,
and reviewing what the students had watcher on the short video (formative
assessment) the students were advised that they would be working in their

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groups and that, within each group, the students would need to research the
different stages of the Monarch Butterfly’s life cycle, using standards based
websites such as BrainPop Jr. The following day, each group’s members
would then share their researched information with the rest of the
group. Each group would then analyze and combine all of their
information in order to create one complete life cycle of the Monarch
butterfly. Working together, the group would then create a ‘board’ using
technology tools such as Glogster or Padlet. Included on their 'board' would
be a link to any website(s) (e.g.: BrainPop Jr.) that they used while
researching their particular stage in the butterfly cycle. Once each group’s
‘boards’ were complete, the individual groups would be allowed to present
their 'board' to the class (formative assessment). Subsequently, all ‘boards’
would be uploaded onto our class blog to share with their parents, as well as
being available for further review from any student needing to review the
life cycle information.
At this point, the students would further enhance our lesson by taking our
life cycle projects, along with our forthcoming migration information, to
the JourneyNorth.org website. There, my students would get to be the
scientists and would begin the process of tracking the migration paths of the
Monarch butterfly, using the DiscoveryEducation.org map that had ‘live’
updates of the paths of the Monarch butterflies. The culmination to this
enhancement of our original lesson plan will be when the Monarchs safely
make it to their destination in Mexico. There, they will spend the next four
to five months huddled together with the thousands of other Monarchs, in
an attempt to ward off the chilly temperatures by sharing body heat as they
remain in a dormant state of hibernation. Upon waking up from their long
hibernation, the Monarch will return north as they conclude the final phase
of their life cycle.
This lesson content is student directed and affords the students to have a
voice and choice in their research. Additionally, the students will be
conducting and analyzing their research as they apply their learning to real
world professions. Further, the students will be collaborating with, and
sharing, their published results with students from all over the world!

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Together, the technology tools and online projects succeed in raising the
content lesson plan to a much higher order of thinking skills, along with
higher LoTi levels and the ISTE-S.

What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity

in a classroom?
BrainPop; BrainPop Jr; Quizlet; Edublogs; Glogster; Padlet; Corkboard;
DiscoveryEducation ; JourneyNorth; (for researching; for creating ‘board’; for content
standard related videos; for online project; and, for class blog.

Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of
them may not be addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high
LoTi Level.):
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and
often beyond their school:
Using JourneyNorth.org, the students get to become the scientists as they
research the migration path of the Monarch butterflies. The students are
collaborating and sharing research with students that can quite possibly be
from anywhere in the world. Their research is published and shared with an
audience that is interested in that particular research.
b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (collecting original data
and or producing original products as a result of engaging in the project):
The student-centered learning occurs as they work and collaborate amongst
themselves. Because of the very nature of the project (research migration
paths; analyzing; formulating opinions; collaborating with other individuals
outside their class), the students have both ‘voice’ and ‘choice’ in the project.
c. Higher-order thinking:
d. The higher-order thinking comes into play because they are not simply
remember information; they are analyzing the information that has evolved
with the projects, as the Monarchs choose their specific migration paths.
They analyze this data and then compare it to when and where they were
sited. The information is then compared to previous years in order to
discover whether the butterflies are on target; are behind or ahead of
schedule. Then, they are also taking into account the seasonal weather
conditions to hypothesis if the weather is playing an integral part in the
Monarch’s behaviors. Some of the Monarchs are coming from as far away as
Canada; others are migrating from within Mexico itself. The migration paths
do not follow one specific route; some exit the U.S. through Texas, while
others exit through Georgia. After the students have analyzed their
information and hypothesized on their initial findings, they then publish
their information online, where it is shared with students far beyond their
classroom. All of the above factors contribute into engaging the student and
enriching the content learning standards. Students are not simply inputting
information, but are analyzing and summarizing their results prior to
publishing. This creates a higher-order of learning skills. Because the
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 information and process is all technology based, it increases the ISTE-S and
LoTi levels of 6-Refinement; and an ISTE-S level of Global Collaborator.
e. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about
their product:
It is by working on authentic issues , linked to a an actual real-world
problem/issue (Monarch migration and the hazards they face along their
journey) and, the collaboration and sharing of information beyond the
classroom and collaboration globally that bump up the higher order thinking
skills substantially. Additionally, through the online collaboration globally,
along with the authentic research that raises the LoTi and ISTE-S level.

Bloom’s Level of Critical Thinking Required (check all that apply):

See http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating
Creating
What Level of Technology Implementation best describes this learning activity and Why?
LoTi level 6 – Refinement (authentic problems related to an identified real-world problem
or issue. And, The technology is successfully used for product developmentand
information queries.
How could you implement this proposed learning experience and still comply with your
district’s Internet Safety and Student Privacy policies?
By having taught the students online etiquette and safety; by not using their real names or
releasing any personal information; by having the sight available through an established
link, (rather than browsing the Internet); by having the sites password protected; by
diligently monitoring all information that the students plant to upload online; and, by
following the rules and set forth by the district’s safety and privacy rules (FERPA / CIPA).