Multimedia: Audio or Video Lesson Idea

Lesson Idea Name: Life Cycle Podcast

Grade Level/Content Area: 2nd Grade/Science
Content Standard Addressed:
S2L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of different living organisms.

ISTE Technology Standard Addressed:
Creative Communicator- 1.6a Students choose
the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting
the desired objectives of their creatin or
communication.
What would you like students to know and be
able to do by the end of this lesson:
I would like students to know what the life cycle
is, describe how the stages can be different
depending on the organism, and demonstrate
their learning by creating a podcast.

What is the student learning goal for this lesson idea?

Students can communicate their discoveries of life cycles through a podcast.
Selected Instructional Software Tool: Anchor by Spotify

Description of Software: Anchor is a tool to create podcasts. It is an online platform which allows
you to record a podcast through any device. This tool is user friendly, and it is free to use. Anchor
offers a variety of features such as, adding music, cover art, titles, and much more to make every
podcast unique to the creator. Anchor is easy to use and provides easy-to-follow steps. Anchor also
allows users to share their work through links or embed codes.

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable): https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/new

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

How do you plan to implement this lesson and integrate the technology? Check all that apply:

☐ Teacher-led: There is no student voice and choice in the activities. Students are guided by the
teacher's direction and expectations. Learning activities are assigned to the student and mostly
practice based.

☒ Student-Led: Students are given voice and choice in the activities. They may select the topic of
learning and/or determine the tool they will use to meet the learning goal. The teacher facilitates
the learning as the students direct their own learning processes.

☒ Problem-based and/or Publishable: Students are solving problems and completing projects to
demonstrate their learning. Additionally, the projects can be shared outside of the classroom.
(Note: This objective could be reached by displaying the project on the school’s morning newscast,
TFrazier, 2022
 Multimedia: Audio or Video Lesson Idea

posting the project to the classroom blog, presenting it to another class, or publishing it via an
outside source.)
Lesson idea implementation:
Throughout the week, students will have been learning about the life cycles of different organisms.
The students have carried out investigations regarding what the life cycle is and how it varies among
different species. Using the knowledge, they have learned, students will communicate their findings
by creating a podcast episode. They will create their own podcast using the podcasting tool Anchor
by Spotify. At the beginning of the unit, students were told to investigate the differences between
the life cycle of a frog and butterfly, or the differences between the life cycle of mammals and a bird.
With the information they have collected, they will be creating a podcast with their collected
evidence. Students will use laptops and tablets to record, design, and edit their podcasts. I will be
present throughout this time to help students prepare their podcasts. I will provide scaffolding
techniques when necessary. Students will submit their podcasts to me, and I will provide feedback
through the platform which the podcast was submitted, and I will also have one-on-one conferences
with students to discuss feedback as well. I will conclude this lesson by allowing the students to
share their podcasts with the class if they would like to share their work. Once the students have
finished sharing, the lesson will be over.
Managing student learning:
The tool used for this lesson will cause a shift in the behavior of students to move from passive to
active social learners because I will require the students to create a storyboard before they can use
Anchor. I want my students to be thinking and planning what they want to discuss in their podcasts;
therefore, they will be instructed to create a storyboard which will be submitted to me before they
can begin to record their podcast. Through the storyboard, I can see what students need to work on
and I can provide feedback to guide them in the right direction.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Reflection:
This activity supports the UDL framework through engagement and expression. The students will be
actively learning and engaged throughout the lesson. They will be engaged as they are investigating
and gathering information on the different life cycles. Implementing Anchor as the tool they will use
to create their podcast, will keep the students engaged and allows them to express themselves in
their own unique way. The students can choose how they want to set up their podcast. They can
choose the music, design, and anything else they wish to use to make their podcast. In this activity,
there is a lot of creative freedom for the students to decide how they want to express their learning.
When students lead the lesson, they tend to learn better because they oversee their learning.
Reflection:
I believe this activity will positively impact student learning because it makes the lesson more
meaningful and allows the students to take charge in their learning. The students are taking their
work and creating it into something which can be shared with anyone. The podcast they create is
made through their eyes. They can design it in any way they want. I look forward to seeing the
students begin to create their podcasts and how they create them. Every student is different, so I
cannot wait to see what each student can create and how they create their podcast.

TFrazier, 2022
 Multimedia: Audio or Video Lesson Idea

TFrazier, 2022