Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools

Lesson Idea Name: Classes Favorite Weather

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 1st Grade
Content Standard Addressed: S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather
patterns.

Technology Standard Addressed: Empowered Learner and Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool:

☒ Blog ☐ Wiki ☐ Other: Website Creation Tool (list):

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): https://ayackee.edublogs.org

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: Students are able to give the class a little bit of information about themselves. They can also
share it with their parents because it is on the classroom blog for their parents to listen to and then the
students can share what was their favorite type of weather. Students are given choice to pick their favorite
type of weather.
Representation: Students will be given information in the class that I will later post on the class page to help
the parents understand what the students have learned. Videos, anchor charts, and pictures of weather are
going to be posted around the room for the students to conduct research on after the lesson is taught.
Action and Expression: The students will be using technology to access the game plan for the day and to also
watch the videos about weather. If the students would like to later post their work to the blog, with parent
permission, that could be done as well

Lesson idea implementation:

For this activity, it will be a centers rotation about weather. Students will have time during their center to
do a gallery walk to look for different videos, anchor charts and pictures about different weather types. They
will need to select their favorite type of weather to create a drawing of. If the students want to add
something to their pictures that they know is at home or just wish to spend extra time on their drawings they
are welcome to take it home but do have time to get it done in class. As a lesson wrap up the whole class will
take a poll on the type of weather that is their favorite. To jump back into our science lesson on the next day
the students will present their drawings to their peers and tell why that specific weather is their favorite.
The final product allows students to share with the class something about them that others may not have
known and it also gives a connection to the students that enjoy the same type of weather. To give the
students a little more of a challenge, I would provide them with a word bank and ask them write what makes
that weather their favorite. The word bank may include adjectives they might not use a lot including: breezy,
steaming, shivering, freezing, soothing, etc. Student feedback will be a completion grade of all the centers
and their understanding of weather.

Summer 2017_SJB
 Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools
Importance of technology: Technology allows this lesson to be placed in a center where the students are
able to do the work independently but still receive the guidance from their teacher. While this activity could
still be done without technology, it would take me away from whatever small group that I am working with
and make this have to be explained by me to each group.

Internet Safety and Student Privacy:

To minimize risk to my student, I will pull up my classroom blog for the students to use at the science center.
To make parents feel more comfortable, they also have access to my classroom blog and for the parents who
refuse the internet, I can pull the audio file up for the student to listen to without being on the blog.
Administration will also be given my blog and encouraged to check-in often to see what our class has going
on. Of course, we will follow internet safety when accessing anything on the web and make sure to have
signed parent permission forms for anyone on the blog.

Reflective Practice: I think this is a great centers lesson that I would implement towards the middle of a
science unit on weather. To add more technology to this lesson, if tablets are available, the students could
create their drawings of weather on them to add to a classroom gallery to share with their classmates.
Another option is to post a poll online for the students to pick their weather that would automatically
generate the data for me.

Summer 2017_SJB