Instructional Software

Lesson Idea Name: What is my moral?

Content Area: English/Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 3rd

Content Standard Addressed:

ELAGSE3RL2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the
central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Technology Standard Addressed:
ISTE-3: Knowledge Conductors

Selected Technology Tool:

- BrainPOP
- Comic Creator
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):
https://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/theme/ (BrainPOP)
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/ (Comic Creator)
Type of Instructional Software:
☐ Drill and Practice ☒ Tutorial ☒ Simulation ☒ Instructional Game ☐ e-books/e-references

Features of this software (check all that apply):

☐ Assessment Monitoring/Reporting
☐ Allows teacher to create customized lessons for students
☒ Multi-user or collaborative functions with others in the class (Comic Creator)
☐ Multi-user or collaborative with others outside the class
☒ Accessible to students beyond the school day
☒ Accessible via mobile devices
☒ Multiple languages
☒ Safety, security and/or privacy features

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the one best level)
☐ Level 1: Awareness ☒ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This lesson could address the Universal Design for Learning principles to extend and support the
learning experiences for all student by allowing students to use audio recordings of the fables to the students
that need to hear and follow along with the story. Moreover, the teacher could provide IBook copies of the
fables for students that need to have the text enlarged or different background settings (e.g. brightness, word
font, etc.) to read the text.

Lesson idea implementation:

“What is the moral to my fable?” this is a lesson about students using their detective-like skills to
determine the moral of a fable from around the world. The students will be collaborating with a classmate to

Spring 2018_SJB
 Instructional Software
identify the morals of two fables, assigned to their group. First, the teacher will have the student watch a
video (from BrainPOP) to review what theme and moral are. * Then, the students will create a visual
presentation comparing and contrasting the themes of the two stories, using key details provided in the text.
The key details may include the setting, characters, and/or plot found in each fable. The teacher, will be the
facilitator during this lesson, by keeping the groups of students focused and on task, guiding them in the right
direction (when they seem confused or lost), and providing feedback on their visual presentation (as they
work on it). Hence, the students learning will be assessed by peer group evaluations and a rubric, so that the
students can see how they can improve their work through feedback provided by the teacher (using the
rubric) and their peers (how their material informed their audience).
This lesson will take 60 minutes to complete because the students will need to have time to read both
fables, collaborate with their group about their ideas, and create a short visual presentation stating their
groups ideas. The final product (visual presentation) will be used to differentiate/ inform learning by allowing
the students to choose their visual method they are going to present with and giving the students the
opportunity to take on a leadership role in teaching the class what they learned about their fables. Thus, you
can extend the students learning by asking the students to create their own story using the theme they
identified in the two fables, assigned to them. Finally, as a final product, the teacher could have a couple of
the students read their fables to the class and see if their classmates can identify the theme is their story.
*If the students forget what theme is at any point within the lesson they can refer to the movie*

Reflective Practice:
The activities that I created impacted student learning because students were called to remembers
key details from each fable, understand the hidden message behind the two fables, and analyze/apply their
knowledge of the setting, characters, and/or plot to compare and contrast the two fables. Moreover, I believe
that since the students are proved with the opportunity to take on a leadership role within the classroom
(presenting their material: visual presentation to the class), they are more likely to take learning the material
as a priority and engage their collaboration/ social skills more seriously (since there is a peer evaluation too).
With this in mind, you could further extend this lesson by having the students write their own story with their
fables theme and create a comic strip, using Comic Creator, then present a couple of the student’s comics to
the classroom (anonymously). Then have the class evaluate whether they were able to identify the theme
presented in the comic. Thus, the students are taking more of a student-centered learning style by creating
works of their own and evaluating the authenticity of their classmate’s work.

Spring 2018_SJB