Blended Learning Lesson Plan

Lesson Title:
Which is Which? This or That?
Objectives:
TWSBAT describe characteristics of plants and animals to help classify plants as flowering or
nonflowering and animals as vertebrate or invertebrate.
TWSBAT categorize flowering or nonflowering plants, as well as vertebrate or nonvertebrate
animals based on the characteristics provided.
TSWBAT recognize the difference between plants that are flowering or nonflowering and
animals that are vertebrate or invertebrate.
State Standards:
4.L.5A.1: Obtain and communicate information about the characteristics of plants and animals to
develop models which classify plants as flowering or nonflowering and animals as vertebrate or
invertebrate.
Context:
This lesson is for a 4th grade class teaching about the characteristics and differences of plants that
are flowering or nonflowering and animals that are vertebrate or invertebrate. I am teaching this
lesson because it is important for students to understand the different characteristics of the living
things on Earth. For this large unit, Characteristics and Growth of Organisms, this is the first
lesson that the students will be taught. Before this unit, the students learned about Forms of
Energy. Any previous knowledge that the students will be bringing into the lesson will be any
information that they might already know from past grades. The students will need to describe,
categorize, and recognize the characteristics and classifications of plants and animals because
they will eventually have to know the development of an organism’s classification. The students
will have to understand that each classification group develops differently. In the larger unit, the
next lesson that follows this current lesson is analyzing and interpreting data from observations
and measurements to compare the stages of development of different seed plants.
Data:
For this lesson, students will be grouped randomly, by assigning each student a number. The
hypothetical data that these groups are solely based on is counting and assigning a number from
1-3. By doing this technique, all students will be able to work with different people and make
more connections throughout the classroom. For future groupings and teachings, data will be
collected from this lesson by observation. As the teacher, I will observe how each group interacts
with one another. If the members of the group are very talkative, too social, and cannot get their
work done, I will make reminder not to put certain students together in the future.
Materials:
Part of Lesson Materials Needed
 Computer and Smart Board for lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQgoohs330
Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzD7sMIS9Pk&t=24s
 Science notebook and pencils
 T-Chart graphic organizer
 Pencils
Teacher Directed
 Tape
 Science notebook
 Blank sheet of paper
 Pencils
Collaborative Station
 Coloring utensils
 Science notebook
 iPad app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/classify-
Independent Digital it/id911484593
 Science notebook
 Computer and Smart Board
Closure
 iPads: https://kahoot.it/

Procedures:
Introduction (25 minutes):
This lesson will be the finale lesson of the day. After lunch and recess, the students will come
back into the classroom and have a seat at their assigned seat. Once seated, I will begin the
lesson on the Smart Board. To start, I will ask the group to brainstorm any prior knowledge they
might have about the classifications of plants and animals with the other students around them.
Following the brainstorm, I will start the lesson about the difference between vertebrate and
invertebrate animals and flowering and nonflowering plants. I will first explain to the class what
a vertebrate animal is and what different groups make up vertebrates. After the vertebrates, I will
go into detail about invertebrate animals and the animals that make up that classification. Once I
have discussed both vertebrate and invertebrate, I will show a YouTube clip for more
understanding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQgoohs330). When the clip is over, I will
move on to the overview of plants, explaining the differences between flowering and
nonflowering plants. Along with descriptions, I will provide the students with examples of each
classification. Similar to the classification of animals, the students will watch a short clip about
plants (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzD7sMIS9Pk&t=24s). During the entire lesson,
each student will be filling in their notes from their science notebooks (with pencil). Once I am
finished with the lesson, I will explain what is expected of each group at each station. After
explaining, I will number off the students from 1-3, assigning each number a specific group to
start the rotations. By numbering off, it allows every student in the classroom to work with
different students. I will then say, “break,” and the students will move to the assigned rotation to
start the blended learning because they are aware that when I say “break,” they are to start and
complete their assignments and tasks.
Teacher Directed (15 minutes):
At the teacher directed station, I will do a quick overview of what we learned during the main
lesson, the differences between classifications in animals and plants. After the brief review, I will
hand each student in the group a T-Chart graphic organizer for them to fill out with me and as a
group. This worksheet will be front and back, both sides having a T-Chart graphic organizer. I
will instruct the students at this group to choose one side of the paper to be for animals and the
opposite side to be for plants. After they have decided which side is which, I will let the students
vote for which organism to start with. On the animal side, the students will be asked to place
vertebrate in one column and invertebrate in the other. Similarly, on the plant side, the students
will label the first column with flowering and the other with nonflowering. Once everything has
been labeled, the students will work together as a group, along with the assistance of myself, to
differentiate the characteristics that make up each classification. The students will also give a
few examples in each classification. Once the sheet is filled out, the students will fold the
worksheet in half (hamburger style) and place the worksheet, with tape, into their notebooks for
them to study in the future.
Collaborative (15 minutes):
During the collaborative station, the students will be directed to select 1 partner within the group
(odd numbers in the group may change the number of partners working together). After selecting
a partner, the students will be instructed to sketch and color an animal and plant of their choice.
One partner will choose any animal to draw while the other partner will select a plant the
corresponding animal might eat (if students cannot decide who will do which part of the
assignment, they will be asked to do one round of Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide). Once the
partners have figured out which plant and animal the are going to sketch, they will take a blank
sheet of paper that will be provided and do a quick sketch of the plant or animal. On their paper,
using their notebooks for help, students must include which animal or plant they chose to draw,
the classification (vertebrate/invertebrate, flowering/nonflowering), and the group within that
that classification (mammal, amphibian, insect, etc.). Students must also list the characteristics of
the plant or animal that make it whichever classification they have chosen. Once all these parts
are included, the students may take the remaining time they have to color their drawings. The
students will be asked to place their name, along with their partners name somewhere on the
paper, for this will be taken up for a classwork grade.
Independent Digital (15 minutes):
At the independent digital station, students will be asked to use their iPads. On the iPads, there is
an app called Classify It! (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/classify-it/id911484593). The students
will spend their 15 minutes independently on this app. Within the app, the students will be able
to get more practice with classifying and grouping which animals are vertebrate or invertebrate
and plants that are flowering or nonflowering. There are multiple levels within this app so the
students should not be working on anything else during this independent digital time. There are
also different facts about the animals and plants given on the app if the students are interested in
reading those.
Closure (10 minutes):
At the end of the blended learning lesson, the students will be asked to place all their materials
back were they found them and will turn in their drawings to the assigned classwork box for
grading. Once this is completed, students will return to their desks with an iPad. When every
student is sitting quietly, I will place the Kahoot code on the Smart Board (https://kahoot.it/). The
entire class will join the Kahoot and we will play one round for a final review of what was taught
for the day. When the game is complete, students will be asked to return and plug in their iPad.
After this, the students will pack up any materials that they need to take home and will sit quietly
at their desk until dismissal. During this waiting time, the students are free to ask any last-minute
questions they might have about the classifications of plants and animals.
Rationale:
1. Classify It! (app)
I chose to use this piece of multimedia because it was perfect for what was being taught
in the lesson. It is a great tool for students to classify and understand the different types of
animals and plants. This app supports the student learning because it allows extra practice
for students who need a better grasp on how to classify animals and plants. This app also
offers extra fun facts about each animal and plant that students might be interested in.
Classify It! Supports the standards and objectives of this lesson because it allows the
student to categorize plants and animals based on characteristics provided. I know that
this app is of high quality because it was created by the American Association of the
Advancement of Science, it has a 4 out of 5 rating in the app store, it has an organized
layout, and it is free for all users! This multimedia choice differentiates instruction for all
learners because it allows each student to work at their own pace. The app is not a race
and allows students to comprehend what is being taught.

2. Kahoot (app/website)
I chose to use this piece of multimedia for this lesson because it was involving for all
students. This app/website supports students learning because it allows every student in
the classroom to participate while getting review at the same time. Kahoot supports and
standards and objectives because anyone with an account can make a quiz exactly how
they want, which mean you can add any questions or problems that are necessary for the
standard and objectives you want to meet. The app/website is of high quality because it is
easy to access, it is free, and it allows anyone given the code to participate. This
multimedia choice differentiates instruction for all learners because it gives those who are
competitive outside of school a chance to feel that excitement in school.

3. YouTube (app/website)
I chose to use this piece of multimedia because it is a well-known tool and is always great
to use in a lesson for better and clearer understanding. This app/website supports student
learning, objectives, and the standard because anyone can look up specific topics and find
videos that can do a better job of explaining and teaching based on the search. On
YouTube, you can be very specific so you can find a great video to better explain the
objectives and standards that you are trying to get across. I know that this app/website is
of high quality because the layout is organized, it easy to access, and it is free for any
user. This multimedia choice can differentiate instruction for all learners because there
are different settings that you can personalize to make it accessible to you. For example,
someone can turn on the closed captions to read during the video instead of listening, if
that’s what they prefer.