Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Writing Life Stories

Content Area/Grade(s): Science / 2nd grade
Content Standard Summarized: S2L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of
different living organisms
Students will research and present information on the life cycles of living things.
Technology Standard Addressed: ISTE Standard 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose
or remix digital resources into new creations.
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. All products of learning are unique and
personalized. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator walking around monitoring the student-led
activity.
☒ 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):

The goal of this lesson is to have all students create an e-book that helps them learn and educate others
about the life cycle of an organism. The tools in PowerPoint will help all students achieve this goal. Students
who have difficulty reading or visual impairments can have their books are able to create an e-book that will
be read to them. Those who speak a language other than English can record their e-book in that language and
add subtitles in multiple languages. Students also have the option of using their strengths to enhance their
product, such as adding their own art or videos to their e-book. All these features personalize this lesson and
motivate students to learn in ways that make them feel confident and competent.
Lesson idea implementation:
Students will begin this lesson by discovering living things in their local environment through videos, text, and
exploration outdoors. Students will then choose a local living organism and create an e-book about their life
cycle. Students will be given choice and creative freedom when creating their e-book. They can use
PowerPoint to put together their e-book using words, photos, and videos. They will then record audio for the
e-book in their preferred or home language and subtitles available. These books will be downloaded in an
mp4 file accessible in an app like Google Drive or through a computer. Books will also be printed out and
bound by the media center. Students will share their books with their classmates and the teacher will keep
the e-books stored on a class site for reference. Lesson objectives will be evaluated based on the final product
of their e-book. Offering multiple ways of presenting their work gives students the opportunity to share their
final product and learning with more than just their teacher and classmates. They can take their learning
outside of the classroom and teach others using their own product.
TFrazier, 2021
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Reflective Practice:
This lesson gives students confidence and security in their skills. They can create something that other people
can use to learn more about their topic. They can share their learning with classmates, friends, family,
neighbors, etc. Becoming authors and having their own books printed and read by other people gives
students motivation to learn and makes the lesson more meaningful to the student.

TFrazier, 2021