Basic Productivity Presentation Tool

Lesson Idea

Lesson Idea Name: Point of View- You’re an animal

Grade Level/Content Area: 4th grade Science/ELA
Content Standard Addressed:

S4L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy
within an ecosystem.

ELAGSE4W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

ISTE Technology Standard Addressed:
1.3 Knowledge Constructor: 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.
What would you like students to know and
be able to do by the end of this lesson:
By the end of this lesson, students should be
able to write a narrative from the point of
view of an animal. They will address the roles
of the organism while writing a narrative that
uses descriptive details and event sequences.

What is the student learning goal for this lesson idea?

The students will write a narrative from the point of view of an animal to express the role
that animal plays in its ecosystem.
Selected Instructional Software Tool: PowerPoint
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): N/A

Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering X Understanding X Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating X Creating

How will this lesson be implemented? Check all that apply.

X Teacher-directed: There is no student voice and choice in the activities. Students are guided by the
teacher's direction and expectations.

☐ Student-Led: Students are given voice and choice in the activities. They may select the topic for
presentation and/or determine the tool they will use to meet the learning goal. Products of
learning will be uniquely designed. Teacher simply facilitates the learning in a lesson like this.

☐ Project-based and/or Publishable: Students are completing projects to demonstrate their learning
and the projects can be shared outside of the classroom. This objective could be reached by
displaying the project on the school’s morning newscast, posting the project to the classroom
 Basic Productivity Presentation Tool
Lesson Idea

blog, presenting it to another class, or publishing it via an outside source.

Lesson idea implementation:

In this activity, students will be writing a narrative from the point of view of an animal in an
ecosystem. This activity works on ELA standards as well as Science standards. The narrative
should address the role the chosen organism plays in its ecosystem.

To introduce the activity, I will show students a recording of a digital story that I created. This
story is an example of the kind of narrative students will be writing.
https://youtu.be/r8vMOVWs_ns

Students will then have time to brainstorm ideas and conduct research on their chosen
organism. While students are working on this, I will walk around and answer questions and
conference with students about their ideas. Following the brainstorming and research phase
students will use PowerPoint to create their story.

Students will have the choice to present their story to the class by reading aloud to the class
or pre-recording like the example they were shown.

The lesson will conclude with a whole class discussion. We will make connections between
the roles different organisms play in their ecosystem. We will also discuss how point of view
impacts a narrative.
Managing engagement: Describe a way to use this technology in a way that gets students
actively involved in authentic tasks and contexts?
This will be an activity that students work on independently. I will facilitate this activity by
having checkpoints where we take breaks as a class and discuss the progress we are making
on our work. We will take brain breaks because researching and composing can be a lengthy
process.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This activity is supportive of the learning needs of all students. The video example of a digital
narrative was created using PowerPoint. The narrative was read aloud while there was easy
to read text. There were pictures that supported main ideas on each slide to aid students
with comprehension. When students begin to write their own narrative, they will also be
using PowerPoint. PowerPoint includes immersive reader which can help students write and
revise their narratives. Students will be able to choose the organism they decide to write
about which will support engagement because they will research/write about something they
are interested in. Lastly, students will have the choice to orally present their narrative or pre-
 Basic Productivity Presentation Tool
Lesson Idea

record their presentation like the example they were shown. This supports multiple means of
representation.
Reflecting on enhanced learning:
I think this activity will engage students because they get to choose the organism they are
writing about. I look forward to seeing the students finished narrative presentations because
the students get to be creative in expressing their knowledge.