Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: What Plants and Animals Need to Survive

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 1st grade
Content Standard Addressed: S1L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the basic needs
of plants and animals. b. Ask questions to compare and contrast the basic needs of plants (air, water, light,
and nutrients) and animals (air, water, food, and shelter).

Technology Standard Addressed: 3- Knowledge Construct

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:

☒ Infusion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.

☐ Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-
driven. Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.
☐ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning
newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

Using PowerPoint allows teachers to meet the needs of all students. For visual learners, you can incorporate
creative pictures, charts, and graphs. The voice over option allows teachers to accommodate auditory
learners or students who are visually impaired. If teachers are using PowerPoint to have students display
information and present it to the class, they are able to work on it outside of class because it is a web-based,
mobile tool. This allows students to explore a variety of representation and expression tools when they are
working on classroom assignments.

Lesson idea implementation:

To begin the lesson, the teacher will explain to the students that they will be discussing what plants and
animals need to survive and how they differ from each other. They will then pass out a printed version of the
presentation the students are getting ready to watch. Considering this is a whole class presentation, teachers
want to ensure that all students can view the content at any time throughout the video. The teacher will then
play the voiced over PowerPoint presentation while the students listen or follow along with their physical
copy. After the video, the teacher will write a list with three different titles, “Animals”, “Plants”, and “Both”.
These were the same three titles on the Venn Diagram at the end of the presentation. There will be six
pictures on the right side of the list representing food, air, water, shelter, nutrients, and sunlight. The teacher
will choose students to come up and place the pictures under the corresponding titles.
SBooker, 2020
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

I will conclude the lesson by asking the students to discuss with their table groups how animals and plants are
the same and different. What things do they need to survive? What things to plants need that animals do
not? Why do they need these things to survive? This lesson will allow the students to move around the room,
collaborate with their classmates, and use the high-tech tools in the room. The lesson should take the
students 15-20 minutes to complete, while leaving room for any further questions or discussions they may
have at the end. I could extend this lesson by having the students complete an individual picture sort or have
them create their own Venn Diagram. This skill would be new to first graders, therefore creating their own
would be much needed practice. The teacher will be able to provide feedback to the students verbally
throughout the lesson, while also observing the students while watching the presentation.

Reflective Practice:

By using the voice over option on PowerPoint, I was able to meet the needs of a wide variety of students.
Students were able to watch a video of the presentation, rather than hearing me lecture. By giving them a
copy of the presentation, they had all the information they needed throughout the entire lesson. They would
also be able to revisit the information at any time. This lesson was an introductory activity, that explained the
bare minimum of what plants and animals need to survive. To further extend this lesson, I would have the
students create a group model of either a plant or animal and have them label the items they need to survive.
Under each label, the students will write a sentence or two describing the importance of this object and why
the plant/animal needs it for survival.

SBooker, 2020