Instructional Software

Instructional Software
Lesson Idea Name:​ Finding the Main Idea
Content Area:​ English Language Arts
Grade Level(s):​ 3rd

Content Standard Addressed:​ ELAGSE3RI2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and
explain how they support the main idea.

Technology Standard Addressed:​ 3. Knowledge Constructor: c. curate information from digital resources
using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful
connections or conclusions.
Selected Technology Tool: ​Khan Academy Kids

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/cc-3rd-reading-vocab/xaf0c1b5d7010608e:cc-3rd-reading-literature/xaf0
c1b5d7010608e:cc-3rd-rl-key-ideas-and-details/e/main-idea-rl-3.

Type of Instructional Software:

X ​Drill and Practice ​☐​Tutorial ​☐​Simulation ​☐​Instructional Game ​☐​e-books/e-references

Features of this software (check all that apply):

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

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

X​ Remembering ​X​ Understanding ​☐​Applying ​☐​Analyzing ​☐​Evaluating ​☐​Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

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

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): ​Khan Academy Kids is great for use by all students. For one, there is a
feature at the bottom of the page that says, "Choose a language." There were 33 different language options
available in the settings. There is also a section in the settings concerning accessibility. You can click on one or
more of three checkboxes: "hide visually-dependent content," "reduce motion and animations," and "remove
color from videos." This is one component of Universal Design for Learning: Representation. Students can
even draw on the page if this helps them problem-solve. They can use multiple colors to highlight text or circle
certain words they find important.
Lesson idea implementation:​ This lesson is relatively simple and quick and involves students using Khan
Academy Kids to read passages and find the main idea and answer questions abut detail and characters
through multiple-choice questions. If students get something wrong, there is a hint and an explanation for
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 Instructional Software
why the chosen answer was not the best choice. There is an option for students to try again or move
on. Students do this as a review of finding the main idea. Students will have previously worked on finding the
main idea from a text. I will walk around the classroom and help any students who seem to be struggling. This
will probably take 15 minutes to complete. There are 7 practice sets available, but students can do only 3 of
their choosing. Each practice set has 4 multiple-choice questions with a short passage accompanying each.

Student learning can be assessed by students submitting the assignment via Google Classroom. There is a
visible option at the top of the page to upload to either Google Classroom, Facebook, Twitter, or email. The
product can be used to inform learning because I will be able to see what students got right or wrong in order
to be able to continue in future lessons. If students were missing something consistently, this lets me as the
teacher know what needs to be retaught or taught better.
Reflective Practice: ​I think that this activity would be a good reinforcement of previous lessons. Something
that I would do to further the lesson would be to later have students write their own short story or anecdote,
and get a partner to decipher the main idea and supporting details. Technology tools could be used to write a
short story. There are a lot of storybook creating software tools on the internet, and students could get
creative with this.

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