Blended Learning Lesson Plan

Lesson Title:
Understanding Social Situations: Social Cognition

Objectives:
Students will be able to…
Describe attributional explanations of behavior
Explain how experiences shape attitudes and beliefs
Explain how attitudes, biases, and beliefs affect behavior and relationships
State Standards:
Content Standards: (No state standards for psychology)
After concluding this unit, students understand:
Empirical approaches to studying and understanding personality
Assessment of personality
Context:
Prior to understanding behavior and personality, students will study different
environments and situations. The class has already learned biological factors of the brain and
different variations of chemicals affecting one’s behavior, so this is now an additional way one’s
personality can form. The students have already learned the types of behaviors and personalities
there are. This will help them relate to the new material better. They will understand outside
factors affecting personality, such as biases, attitudes, beliefs, and environment. Lesson one will
provide information about those external factors, while lesson two will allow students to apply
their knowledge to various situations.
Data:
In the previous lesson based on internal factors of behavior and personality assessments,
students were placed into groups of 4-5 based on which assessment they were assigned. These
groups will remain the same, keeping the students consistently working with peers they are
comfortable and familiar with. Any alterations made to these groups were made based on the
homework quiz assigned after the previous class, to ensure if certain individuals were struggling,
I am able to focus more on that group. In this lesson, student learning data will be collected
through an exit activity at the end of class.
Materials: List all materials used (i.e. websites, apps, pencils, iPads, computers, worksheets,
diagrams, textbooks, etc.)
Introduction- PowerPoint with the topic for the day, as well as a list of groups projected on the
board. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-powerpoint/id462062816?mt=12)
Teacher Directed- iPad or computer (YouTube link on Google Classroom), notebook and
pen/pencil based on student preference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcsc_EsJmsA)
Collaborative- Paper and pencil, iPad or computer (look up external factors from this website)
(https://www.universalclass.com/articles/self-help/the-factors-of-personality-
traits.htm#:~:text=Personality%20development%20is%20influenced%20by,%2C%20school
%2C%20jobs%2C%20etc.)
Independent Digital- Online worksheet (iPad or computer), completed using the editing tool on
Microsoft Word (https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/glossary-internal-and-external-
character-traits/)
Closure- iPad or computer for exit quiz through Socrative (https://www.socrative.com/)

Procedures:
Introduction (20 minutes):
The lesson will begin with the students in their seats, as I explain the brief recap
of internal factors affecting personality, reminding the students what types of behaviors and
personalities there are. I will then get into the newer material, relating each of those previously
mentioned behaviors and personalities to now external factors rather than internal ones. After
briefly touching on the new material, I will then explain what each group will be doing for the
class period, placing emphasis on the groups that were on the board at the beginning of class. I
will then allow students time to break up into those groups, and once they are situated I will
specify to each individual group how to perform the activity and answer any questions they may
have.

Teacher Directed (15 minutes):

This portion of the lesson will begin by myself giving a brief introduction into the
video the students will be watching, instructing them to take notes however they choose to
ensure their focus and attention. The video link will be posted on the Google Classroom page
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcsc_EsJmsA), so students will use headphones and their
chosen device to access the video and take their own notes. This video gives an overview of
personality psychology, including both internal and external factors affecting personality and
behavior, so while it is reinforcing the new information I presented at the beginning of class, it is
also placing emphasis on what we learned in the previous class once again. After the thirteen-
minute video is complete, I will go around to each group and ask them something new that they
found interesting, as well as answering any questions they had from the new material.

Collaborative (15 minutes):

In this section of the class period, students will play a version of Pictionary within
their small groups. From the website also found on the Google Classroom page
(https://www.universalclass.com/articles/self-help/the-factors-of-personality-
traits.htm#:~:text=Personality%20development%20is%20influenced%20by,%2C%20school
%2C%20jobs%2C%20etc), one student from the group will choose one environmental influence
under the Environmental Influences on Personality heading (cultural factors, family, religion,
school, jobs, environment), and attempt to draw that influence with a time limit of one minute.
The other students in the group will attempt to identify the influence, and after guessing the
correct influence they will then explain how that influence affects one’s behavior and
personality. Each student in the group will have an opportunity to draw an influence as well as an
opportunity to guess the influence and state its effects on personality. This will allow the students
to become more familiar with the different types of external factors that affect personality, as
well as associating a visual image with the definition.

Independent Digital (15 minutes):

Students will download the worksheet from Google Classroom, allowing them to
edit the worksheet filling in the blanks. I will also have a paper version printed for students who
would rather hand-write the worksheet rather than edit one on the computer. This worksheet
(https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/glossary-internal-and-external-character-traits/)
includes 4 boxes, a box with a provided word, a box with a provided definition, and then two
blank boxes; one for a visual drawing and another for the student’s own definition. This is a
simple worksheet focusing on different behaviors, but each of these behaviors can be attributed
to different environmental influences on behavior. This helps students who learn better visually
by providing a drawing, as well as students who learn better by definition with one being
provided as well as writing one in their own terms. Whatever definitions are not finished in the
allotted time can be completed on their own time.

Closure (20 minutes):

In the final 20 minutes of class, I will break the students back up into their normal
seating arrangements and give a debriefing of what they learned in class. I will answer any
questions they had, and direct them on the homework assignments posted on Google Classroom.
I will then direct them to their chosen device of an iPad or computer, and have them complete a
10 question exit ticket, to get feedback on the understanding of the lesson. With this being an
individual activity, I will know exactly which students are struggling with the new material, and
if one question has a very low rating in regards to who got it correct, this will help me gauge
what needs to be re-taught or touched upon further in the following class before moving onto a
new lesson.

Rationale:
Online Behavior Worksheet:
This lesson tool while not interactive, provides students with very simple
behaviors they are familiar with, but applying it specifically to the lesson. This worksheet
can be used as a study guide for an upcoming test, and if students chose the online
version of the worksheet it is provided on Google Classroom, so if they wish to
redownload it they can fill it out as many times as they would like, being versatile
between both internal and external factors of that behavior. This worksheet really fit well
with the student learning objective of “Explain how attitudes, biases, and beliefs affect
behavior and relationships”, because by understanding the behavior at hand you can then
look at why an external factor, attitude, bias, or belief caused that behavior and effects
one’s relationships. This multimedia choice differentiated instruction for all learners
because it includes both a visual and written component, incorporating those who learn
better visually as well as those who learn better through definition and language. By
having this available on paper as well, it aids students who may struggle with computer
technology or do not focus well staring at a computer screen.

Introductory PowerPoint:
This choice of multimedia was engaging for students, allowing myself to
introduce the information being focused on in class. By not just throwing the students into their
groups and having them find everything on their own, this PowerPoint prepares them for what
they will be further researching on the rest of the day, allowing them to gauge their focus on the
new material. It is also a nice way to recap the previous lesson, ensuring there are no questions
and there is a full understanding of all the things being discussed. While it isn’t interactive with
students going up to the board, it is a time for students to ask any questions or ask for any
clarification during the short presentation. Projecting this on the Smart Board also aids students
with visual issues.

Personality Psychology Video:

This YouTube video while a little long in length really touches on the current
lesson but the overall unit as well. The video teaches the students about what personality is, and
why it is important to learn about. If we can understand personality and all the factors that
contribute to forming it, it can help us understand others better. It gives a lot of great visuals as
well as verbal and written definition, so it applies to all learning styles of children, as well as
having an option for subtitles for those who are hard of hearing. The reason why I included this
in the teacher directed section of class was because it allowed me to monitor the students, but I
made this individual because it allowed the students to control the volume at which they needed
and could pause it at any point they needed while taking notes. In a projection on the Smart
Board, the students could not work at their own pace as freely and make the accommodations
necessary to aid their learning style.

Factors of Personality Website:

While only one section of this website was used for the class activity, this page
has great information pertaining to all the unit. Students can use this link as a resource to clarify
things they may be unaware of, as well as an additional way to study and review material. The
particular heading I chose for the students included environmental factors they are all familiar
with, and they are also the same environmental factors focused on in the curriculum. This was a
fun, interactive game students were able to play enhancing their knowledge on those given
factors, as well as how they relate to individual behaviors.

Socrative Exit Ticket:

This tool was more useful for me the teacher because it allowed me to gauge the
understanding of each individual student as well as to see what information was missed and
needs to be re-taught. This was also useful for the students, because it allowed them to see what
the main points of the lesson were, and based on the questions they got wrong it shows them
what they need to focus on more while studying.