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Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template without guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name
Taylor Beckwith
Position

4th Grade Teacher

School/District

Lewis Elementary in Excelsior Springs School District

E-mail

tbeckwith@estigers.k12.mo.us

Phone
Grade Level(s)

4th Grade

Content Area

Writing and Digital Citizenship

Title of Lesson

Digital Citizenship Superhero Blogs

Time line

3 Lessons of 40 Minutes

Essential Questions (and your thoughts on the other questions)

What is digital citizenship?
Why digital citizenship is important in todays society?
What can you do to compose a clear and coherent piece of writing?
How does social media help or hurt us?

Standards

W.4.4. and W 4.6

Content Standards:
NETS*S Standards:

ISTE Standards for students 2 and 5

Overview or Project Sketch

Students will be learning aspects of what makes a digital citizenship superhero. Students will be composing a
superhero persona based upon the discussions had in class over digital citizenship superheroes. In composing
this persona students will need to write a clear and coherent explanation of their superhero and their digital
citizenship super powers. How do they help patrol the web and ensure safety of others? Students will then blog
this paragraph and comment on each others posts practicing what they have learned regarding digital citizenship.

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Assessment
Students final blog posts will be their assessment for this lesson. I will be looking at their blog posts and grading
how clear and coherent their writing is as well as how well they used the digital tool of Kidblog.org to portray their
superhero persona through technology. Students will also be commenting on each others posts. This will be used
as an assessment of the understanding of being a responsible digital citizen and adding to the technological and
global society. Each student will be required to comment on three other posts so I will have a large sampling for
assessment. Students who need differentiation will be able to use iPad tools such as the speak text feature, as well
as spell check to help them to compose their piece. All students will be graded on the same rubric which will grade
how well students get their message across using their writing as well as the social media tool of Kidblog.org.
Resources
Students will first need their writing binders to compose their drafts of their superhero personas. They will then
need their iPads to publish their writing. In order to do this, students will be using the social media blog site of
Kidblog.org. The use of the student iPads and kidblog are essential to students completing these tasks. Without
them the students would not be able to participate in the social media aspect of the lesson. In order to fully
understand being digital citizen students need to actually participate in the process. Students will also be watching
the common sense media YouTube video titled Super Digital Citizen. This will help spark conversations in the
class about what makes a super digital citizen. Students will need to have prior knowledge of using kidblog prior
to completing this lesson.
Instructional Plan
Preparation
Students already have their iPads and have used kidblog prior to this lesson. This knowledge and basic
understanding of using these tools must be in place. Students will have been introduced to the superhero theme
for the building this year. They have sparked their interest with this theme already with multiple items and
activities around the building so far this year. Some students may have difficulties with basic writing skills or using
the technology and this should be prepared for ahead of time. What tools will you be using in order to assist
these students if necessary?
Management
Students will be completing this lesson in the classroom. They will be using their writing binders and iPads which
are readily available to them in the classroom. This will be an independent activity and each student will produce
their own piece of writing and post it on kidblog.

Instruction and Activities

The instructional strategies that I will be using in this lesson are modeling, setting objectives and providing
feedback, as well as using technology and web tools. Each of these strategies will provide students with the
understandings of what is expected at each step in this lesson as well as allow them to understand how well they
have completed their task. My job will change as the lesson goes on. In the early stages of the lesson I will act as a
modeler for how to compose clear and coherent writing as well as how to transfer that onto a social media site. I will
act as a leader for discussion involving digital citizenship as well as a facilitator of discussion when students are
able to carry it themselves. Students will be participating in commenting on each others pieces of writing, and this
will allow them to collaborate with each other and participate in the social media community. I will also be
commenting so that students can understand and see how it looks, and feel that I am part of this community too.
Students will keep their motivation for writing through the use of kidblog. This motivation will help them to compose
a clear and coherent piece of writing as well as revise and edit that writing with a goal in mind.

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Differentiation
Students will IEPs in writing will receive their accommodations through this lesson. Students who struggle with
writing will be allowed the use of a dictionary or thesaurus, organizers to help them compose their writing, and the
use of anchor charts and texts. Students in need of enrichment in writing will be pushed to incorporate 4.0 skills
for clear and coherent writing. Students who need help using the technology will be allowed the use the speak text
tool and spell check. Students in need of enrichment will be pushed to comment on more than 3 posts as well as
compose longer pieces of writing. This entire lesson allows students to be creative in making their digital
citizenship super hero persona. This is differentiation in itself.
Closure and Reflection
Providing feedback on others writing on kidblog will allow students to reflect upon their work as well as the work
of others. I will also ask students to share in a discussion format how this helped them to understand digital
citizenship as well as social media. This discussion will allow me to understand what changes need to made for
future lessons and what steps need to be taken moving forward teaching digital citizenship. In looking at
students pieces of writing I will be able to assess their understanding of composing clear and coherent writing as
well as being a digital citizen super hero.

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