Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name Temetka Jairrels

Position 2nd Grade Teacher

School/District Hendricks Elementary / Cobb County

Grade Level(s) 2nd

Content Area Science

Time line 3 weeks

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please
put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that
indicate which standards were addressed.
Science:
S2L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of
different living organisms.
Students will ask questions to determine the sequence of events in the life cycle of
one of common animals such as a mammal, bird, amphibian, or insect. For the
purpose of this lesson, students will focus on the life cycle of a butterfly.

Students will also investigate and develop models to illustrate their knowledge of
the life cycle of a butterfly. They will gather, evaluate, and then communicate this
information using technology.

Writing:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts
and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or
section.
Students will write an informational paragraph explaining what happens during the
life cycle of a butterfly. They will use facts in this informative explanation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.6
With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to
produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
Content Standards

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 1.1 Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and
demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning
sciences.
1.2 Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct
knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning
experiences for themselves and others.
1.3 Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct
knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning
NETS*S Standards: experiences for themselves and others.

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

This life cycle lesson is for students to be able to obtain information about the life cycle of various animals. They
will also need to communicate this information to others. The writing component incorporates writing skills such as
sequence, stating facts, and using transitional words. The project is to use digital tools to show their overall
understanding of life cycles.
First, students accessed a class Padlet. The Padlet was used as an introduction to life cycles. I created the Padlet
to be used as a digital KWL (Know / Want to know / Learn) graphic organizer to activate students’ prior knowledge
about life cycles, to share what they wanted to know, and to share what they have learned.
Next, students participated in interactive lessons using Nearpod about the life cycles of a butterfly, frog, and
chicken. The lessons introduced students to the different stages of these animals’ life cycle. I incorporated
collaboration boards, poll questions, multiple choice, and 360-degree images. I did one Nearpod a day, so that we
could focus on one life cycle at a time.
After the life cycle lessons, students were put into groups of 3. As a group, they chose one of the life cycles to
research further. They used the website EPIC to access e-books about their animal of choice. They filled in a
graphic organizer with their research information. They then used their research to write an informational text
about their animal’s life cycle. During writing, we rewatched videos and reviewed the expectations of informational
writing.
Finally, the groups used digital tools to create an audio and visual of their life cycle. They used the iMovie app
along with a greenscreen to create their informational video. They then used the Stop Motion app to record a step
by step visual of their animal’s life cycle using their own illustrations.

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and should have many acceptable answers.

How can I ask questions to determine the sequence of a life cycle?

What are the stages of the life cycle of a butterfly? Frog? Chicken?
What is a life cycle?
How do animals change through their life cycle?
How do I use facts to write an informational text?
How do I use transitional words to show sequence?

This lesson is based on a Second grade Science standard. The students will need to have prior knowledge of
writing an informational text with transitional words.

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess

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what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment
and/or rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.

After students filled in the “Know” part of the KWL Padlet graphic organizer, I used that to assess students’ prior
knowledge of life cycles. I was able to use this information to put students into the groups that they worked in. In
the Nearpod lesson, I included different features to assess students’ knowledge while we worked through the
Nearpod. One of the features I used for this was the open-ended question activity. After a few slides, I posed
questions about the information we discussed. Students had to type a response. It gave me a chance to assess
who really understood and could elaborate on their answers. Another feature I used was the quiz. This feature is
great for assessing students. I used this at the end of the lesson to check for overall understanding. Also at the
end of the lesson, I added a poll question to get students’ feedback.
For the informational writing, I used a rubric to grade students on their research and their final piece. Students
were given a checklist to keep them on track with what they needed to meet and exceed the standard.
Since this was a group project, I made to sure to make notes about the things I observed while the students were
working. I also like to question students while they work to see if they can explain what they are doing and why
they are doing it. It gave them instant feedback and I could let them know what they needed to correct.
The video was also an assessment. I used a rubric to grade the groups on their video. As part of the standard,
they must be able to explain and model the life cycles. Once the videos and instructions are completed then a
summative assessment was given on life cycles.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resources—online student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc—help elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

During the lesson, the students were engaged with different tech tools and websites to enhance their learning
experience. First, the Padlet was used to “hook” the students and activate prior their prior knowledge about life
cycles. The students were already familiar with Padlet and how to access it with a QR code. Padlet was used as a
digital KWL graphic organizer. The students added their K (Know) on the Padlet page first.
I used YouTube for an introduction video to life cycles. The videos helped students to generate more questions for
the W (What do you want to learn?) Padlet graphic organizer. Students had to use prior knowledge from a
previous reading standard about asking and answering questions to help with how to generate questions.
The Nearpod lessons was used by the teacher and students. I presented the lesson LIVE, and students were able
to join the lessons. Students were already familiar with how to join a lesson and interact with the various tools I
incorporated. The Nearpod provided the information that they needed to know and in a way that benefited all
learners. There were visuals, audio, collaboration board, poll questions, etc.
EPIC is a website with free e-books for students to read. They used EPIC to research either a frogs, butterfly, or
chicken’s life cycle for their project. They researched facts and recorded them on a graphic organizer. I gave a
brief lesson about copyright and instructed students on how to give an author credit for their work. Students were
already familiar with how to search for books on EPIC and how to access the website with a QR code.
The final project was for the groups to create an informational life cycle video. First, they recorded themselves in
front of a greenscreen reading their informational text. Then put that video into iMovie. They then used the Stop
Motion app to show a step by step visual of the life cycle using their own illustrations. The Stop Motion video was
added to their iMovie as well.

Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can
you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)

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Prior to the lesson, I prepared the life cycle Nearpod lessons. Nearpod has a library of lessons that is already
made which can be edited to fit the needs of my classroom. When creating the Nearpod, I had to think about the
different needs of my students. For example, important vocabulary is introduced in the lesson using visuals. The
visuals are for ELL students and visual learners. I also had to consider the reading abilities of my students as well
while planning for the lesson. I incorporated tools such as audio to help students that may need assistance with
reading the materials.
Also, I created a collection on EPIC that students could use for their research. I was able to share that lesson with
students. The books on EPIC are various reading levels and it has “read to” feature for some of the books. This
feature allows them to listen to book. It was helpful to students read words that they do not know.
Students had already been instructed on writing informational text using transitional words. They have had
previous lessons about researching for information and using facts in their writing.
Since the students will be working in groups, we had several conversations previously about how to work with
others and how to settle conflict. In primary, students sometimes do not collaborate well and that can make group
activities difficult. It is very helpful to have scenario lessons on how group work should look and how it should not
look.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.

Students had access to Padlet during the whole lesson. For time management, students wrote their knowledge of
life cycles on an index card the previous day. That saved time when they put that information into the Padlet. It
also gave a chance to edit their writing. They also did this for the “W” part of the KWL. The Nearpod lessons was
given whole group. Students had access to an iPad cart with enough iPads for the entire class. It was a 1:1 model
resulting in equitable access for all students.
Students worked in groups of threes. Students were able to communicate and collaborate with each other about
the information research and the final product video. I was able to work with students more efficiently and
effectively by moving around the room. Providing QR codes for students to scan to access the websites was a
way to manage the student’s independence during work time. I have QR codes posted on my classroom walls. I
also searched for books on EPIC and put them in library. I then shared the library with my students so that they
could find resources a little easier.
For troubleshooting, students should already know techniques for apps that may freeze or crash. Students new
that if they were having trouble with their iPad, then they could swap it with another one from the cart. During the
video making process, we discussed how to record and delete videos. For management, we had a built-in
rehearsal day. On that day, groups rehearsed reading their informational text. They also worked on drawing their
images and practicing with the props for the Stop Motion video.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities – Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge
and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other
and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?

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I incorporated research-based strategies throughout this student-centered lesson. Strategies such as
differentiation, collaboration, generating questions, brainstorming, etc. First, the Padlet allowed students to
activate prior knowledge and generate questions as a digital KWL graphic organizer. During this time, students
were able to think about what they already know about life cycles in general. The second part allowed student to
generate questions that they have about life cycles after watching introduction videos. The Padlet also was a way
to assess students and grouping them for the project. I was also able to give feedback and clear up any
misunderstanding.
Next, the Nearpod lessons were scaffolded instruction. I used the lessons to build on the students’ knowledge of
life cycles. It introduced them to important vocabulary about life cycles in a student friendly manner. I incorporated
Nearpod features such as collaboration board, open ended questions, quizzes, and poll questions. Using these
features also was a way for me to check for understanding about life cycles during the lessons.
During the research time, the lesson became more student centered. The students collaborated in groups to
research their choice of either the butterfly, frog, or chicken life cycle. They used the website EPIC to research
information, summarize, record that information on a graphic organizer. They collaborated on which facts were
important for their informational text. They had to analyze the information by connecting it together. I encouraged
them to move beyond the remembering and recalling facts of the Blooms Taxonomy. As the groups worked
independently, my role became a facilitator. I provided support and feedback to the groups while I moved around
the room.
Once the groups had researched and analyzed the information, they used it to write an informational text. They
were expected to write three paragraphs (introduction, facts, conclusion) about their life cycle. The final project
was to create video presentation. First, students recorded videos of them reading their informational text. Each
student in the group read a paragraph to hold all members accountable. They recorded their videos in the front of
a green screen and drew a picture for their backgrounds. Then they designed their pieces for the life cycle model
for the Stop Motion video. This part of the project brought in creativity. They designed the props and the
background as well. Using iMovie, they with the teacher’s help, combined the videos into one final product.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

When I differentiate, I think about the specific needs of my students. In the Nearpod, I used visuals, audio, and kid
friendly vocabulary. The Nearpod is also completed with the teacher to aide students with comprehending and
completing the lesson. I was also able to use the responses from the Nearpod to help students that struggled with
their answers.
During the research time, students worked together in groups. I strategically placed the students in groups based
on the Padlet responses but also past classroom performances. I made sure to put a strong reader in each group.
I also thought about personalities and work habits of students to ensure there is a balance. Each student took on
a different job in the groups for accountability. The books on EPIC are levelized and some read the text to
students. This aided in their comprehension of life cycle and helped read unfamiliar words.
During the writing portion of the lesson, I displayed sentence stems to generate ideas for students that may
needed help getting started. I also displayed anchor charts for those students as well. To extend students, they
had an assignment on their reading choice board to create a detailed informational book or fiction book about
butterflies, frogs, or chickens using the app Book Creator.
The video creation was also differentiated. They needed props for their model Stop Motion video. Students that
may not be strong readers or writers were able to contribute by helping design and color the props and
background.

Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? Also answer the following questions?

• How will you know if the students found the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways do you think this lesson will be effective? Why do you think this?

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 • What problems do you anticipate and why?
• How would you design and/or teach this lesson differently if you had more time?)

For this activity, the closing event is the final video product and sharing it with others. Students were able to view
their classmates’ videos and provide feedback about it. I think that this lesson is effective because it gives
students a chance to become an “expert” about one of the life cycles. They enjoy learning new information and
sharing it with others.
The problem that I anticipated was recording the videos. I teach primary, so having them to record in a clear
speaker’s voice would need lots of practice. To help with that, I incorporated “Rehearsal Days” where students
could rehearse reading their informational text and practice moving their props to model the life cycle. Another
problem I anticipated was having strategies for groups when they disagree with each other. Again, primary
students often disagree. To help, they were assigned jobs within the groups and having some explicit instruction
lessons on how to work with others in positive ways.
The next time I design this lesson, I would have students add other facts about the animals in their informational
text and video. I think it would be a great experience for them to create a video similar to National Geographic
Kids. I would give them the scenario that they work for National Geographic Kids and their job is to create a video
about either butterflies, frogs, or chickens.

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.
This lesson is an engaging activity for students. They get to show their knowledge in different ways. Researching
information about life cycles and writing an informational text about it is the “explaining” part of the standard. Then
using their research to “model” the sequence of the life cycle.
My advice to others would be to prepare students for activities like this starting at the beginning of the school year.
Working in groups, using iPads, scanning QR codes, using web tools such as Padlet, etc. I like to introduce these
things along the way during the school year. It is very helpful when the time comes for a more involved lesson
such as this. The practice makes the lesson go more smoothly because students are familiar with all of the parts
from past activities.

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