Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Explores of the New World

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 3rd grade

Content Standard Addressed: SS3H2: Describe European exploration in North America. B. Describe the
accomplishment of John Cabot (England), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Spain), Hernando de Soto (Spain),
Christopher Columbus (Spain), Henry Hudson (The Netherlands), and Jacques Cartier (France).

Technology Standard Addressed:

3. Standard knowledge
a. plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their
intellectual or creative pursuits.
Selected Technology Tool: Timeline

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): n/a

Bloom’s Digital 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): My activity reflects the UDL principles of Engagement. Children will be
engaged with this activity because it is something they get to do on their own and create something unique
on their research. The students will also find engaging the timeline as they can choose the format, theme,
colors and fonts of it. They can also choose what all they what the timeline to have and how they want it to
look like.
Lesson idea implementation: My students would have been learning about the explorers of the New World.
They would have done an activity prior to this discussion on answering the following questions with the
websites provided by the teacher like Nettrekker, etc.
Name of the explorer along with a picture
Where they are from?
Where they travel to?
What was the reason to explore the New World?
Best known for?
The students would have access to their Padlet accounts in which they will create a timeline with the
information they have already found. I will provide them an example of what a timeline looks by making it
with the instructions they need to create their own timeline. The student should take like 20-30 minutes
creating their timelines. As the teacher I will be walking around the classroom to supervise and answer any
questions needed.

SBooker, 2020
 Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
This lesson allows for differentiation as each student gets to do their own research and highlights of
information, they have learned in their unique timeline they will be creating. Every student has the ability to
choose the information, photos and videos they would like to include in their timeline, as well as
personalizing the formats, backgrounds, fonts and colors.

I will be able to assess the students by going to their accounts and providing them with feedback on their
timeline. I can also have a checklist of the specific questions I want answered on the timeline and then on
them creating the timeline as well.
Reflective Practice: I find that my students will learn so much about the six explorers when they are doing
their own research. This activity is also allowing for my students to have choices and opportunities and feel
more engaged in the class. To further extend this lesson, I could extend the standard to another part of it
where it goes deeper into the connections of the explorers and the students would have to do more research.
I could also have the students present their timelines to their peers and have their peers write down one
grow and one glow for at least 5 of their peers. A grow is just something they think their peer could have
done better and follow it with a glow which is something they loved that the peer did on their timeline.

SBooker, 2020