Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Animals on every continent

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 1st grade
Content Standard Addressed: SS1G3 Locate major topographical features of the earth’s surface.
a. Locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia.
b. Locate the major oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean.
c. Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts).

Technology Standard Addressed: Standard 4- Innovative Designer

Selected Technology Tool: PowerPoint

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

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: Provide learners with as much discretion and autonomy by allowing the kids to choose
the animals they want to include and the colors and layout of their digital book
Representation: Vary the display of information in a flexible format by narrating the complete digital
books for students with vision impairment
Action and Expression: Use a web application, such as PowerPoint, to allow students to show their skills and
fluency on the topic

Lesson idea implementation:

This lesson idea will be a supplemental project for the students to complete that goes along with
learning about the Continents. After the students have been taught the names and locations of the
continents this project is a fun way to further memorize the continents. We want to ensure that the
students have a full grasp on continents first because using this lesson as an introduction to the
standard would not work as much as it being a fun addition to the lesson. The students will be
instructed on how to create a digital book through PowerPoint and asked to find two animals from
each continent, find pictures of that animal, and write the name and put the picture into their book.
If there are not enough computers in the classroom for this project, you will have to set up computer
lab days. When the students are looking for the pictures of animals, make sure to monitor the sites
they are using, and they are safe searching. This activity might take up to 4 days, depending on how
fast the students find animals and put together their book, and how often you can obtain the
computer lab. After they have completed their digital books, I will look them over for creativity,
effort, and some accuracy.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
The final product can be used to differentiates from learning by giving another view to the
continents. See where all the animals that students might have heard of or even seen opens their
eyes more to how different and diverse every continent can be. As a conclusion for the lesson the
students will present their digital books to the class, showing their classmates what they discovered
about the continents. If you want to display the digital books on the class blog that is a great idea so
that students can easily accesses that information or show off their book to their family, however it
is important to obtain written consent from their parent first before uploading. The students will
receive verbal feedback on how they did on their digital books and how they could improve the next
time if we were to make digital books again.

Reflective Practice:
As stated above this project is perfect for showing another view of looking at the difference of the
continents. The students can think about how far animals they might have seen are far away from
their original home. If you wanted to expand on this project your class can talk about why and how
the animals thrive on that continent. It ties in perfectly with learning about the different landforms
and how those animals survive better in that environment. For example, your students can learn
how polar bears bodies are made for a certain climate and equipped of the artic more then a black
bear. If you wanted to bring in another technology tool, you could expand this project to Excel
software and make a chart comparing the animals in each continent. Your students can investigate
how the landform, weather, and environment effect what kind of animals live in that area and notice
a pattern. There findings along with their eBook can be uploaded onto the classroom for people to
access for educational purposes.

Spring 2018_SJB