Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Explaining Events

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

Content Standard Addressed:

ELAGSEKW3: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely
linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what
happened.

Technology Standard Addressed: 3—Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool: bubbl.us

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): N/A

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

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

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Engagement: This lesson supports multiple means of Engagement because this is a book that is engaging and
interesting for students on the Kindergarten level. It is likely that students will have background knowledge of
the book because they have probably read the book before. If students have background knowledge, they will
be familiar with the characters, setting, and events that take place in the story.
Representation: This lesson supports multiple means of Representation because audial learners are able to
listen to the story while following along. Visual learners are able to draw pictures and connect ideas on their
concept maps. Students are also able to make connections between different events throughout the story,
demonstrating multiple means of Representation.
Action and Expression: This lesson supports multiple means of Expression because the evaluation methods
allow students to express their thoughts and knowledge in different ways such as concept maps and drawing
timeline events.

Lesson idea implementation:

The teacher will read “The Three Little Pigs” out loud as the students follow along. After the teacher
finishes the book, the class will have a discussion about the characters, settings, main idea, and key details
from the text. Next, the teacher will provide a handout where students will work together to put the events
from the story into the correct order in order to give them extra practice with event sequence. Next, students
will get into pairs and log into computers. Using bubbl.us, students will create a concept map. They will
loosely describe their ideas of the events that took place in the story in an organized way on their concept
map. Students can also use pictures from the Internet in their concept maps for visual reference. This concept
map will be used as a formative assessment for the teacher to ensure that students are able to loosely
describe events that took place. Once all students have completed their concept maps, they can be
Spring 2018_SJB
 Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
embedded into the class website. Next, the teacher will break students up into small groups. Each group will
be assigned a specific event from “The Three Little Pigs” book. Each group will receive a large piece of
construction paper. The group will receive about 10 minutes to draw out the event that they were assigned.
Then, the whole class will come back together and each group will present their drawings and explain their
individual events. The groups will present in chronological order so that the book is being retold by the
students. After each group has presented their drawing, the teacher will create a timeline out of their
drawings and hang it up somewhere in the classroom. In concluding the lesson, the teacher will challenge the
students to return to their concept maps and organize their events in the order in which they occurred
instead of loosely explaining the events.
This activity should take about 45 minutes to complete. Student learning will be assessed through their
concept maps and their drawings of their individual events. I will create a checklist of things to look for when
assessing their concept maps. If students are able to draw/narrate events from the story loosely or in the
order in which they have occurred through their concept maps or drawings, they have demonstrated
achievement of the standard. The final products include the concept maps and their timeline of events from
the story. The concept maps will be used to inform/differentiate learning because even though the maps are
embedded into the website, students can update, make changes, and make improvements to their concept
maps as they discover new details. The timeline is a useful resource for students to look back at when they
are struggling with sequential order. In order to extend student learning to a higher level, I will introduce
them to different components of the story such as the problem, climax, and solution. I will provide feedback
to students about their work using the checklist. I will focus mainly on what students did well, and point out
one thing they could’ve added in order to strengthen their work.

Reflective Practice:
Designing this lesson helped me to see that the activities in this lesson could impact student learning in
several ways. Creating a concept map can help students who might need extra support in organizational skills.
Creating a concept map allows them to get their thoughts out on paper and can be organized by color. This
activity would support English learners as well. Students are able to use pictures in their concept map instead
of words. Technology tools that would further enhance this project would be a timeline tool, a concept map
technology tool, and a creative technology app such as Kidspiration. In order to extend this activity to a LoTi
Level 5, I could reach out to parents and find out if any parents are Construction workers. If so, I could invite
them into the classroom and ask them to read The Three Little Pigs to the class. After reading the book, the
parent could talk about their job with the students and explain that just like the three little pigs, they build
houses. They could ask the students open ended questions such as, “Why do you think their house made of
straw and wood fell down when the wolf blew it? “Why did the house made of bricks not fall down when the
wolf blew it? What is the difference?” This allows students to connect the story to a real life situation in the
community.

Spring 2018_SJB