Audrey Woelper

ITEC 3300
Lesson Idea Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Title Insect Investigations: Exploring Morphology to Classify

Content Area 7th Grade Science Class

Content Standards S7L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate the
diversity of organisms and how they can be compared scientifically.
a. Develop and defend a model that categorizes organisms based on
common characteristics.
b. Evaluate historical models of how organisms were classified based
on physical characteristics and how that led to the six-kingdom
system.
Technology 1.1 Empowered Learner – Students leverage technology to take an
Standards active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in
their learning goals, informed by learning sciences.
1.1.b Customize Learning Environments – Students build networks and
customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning
process.
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.
1.3.b Evaluate Information – Students evaluate the accuracy,
perspective, credibility, and relevance of information, media, data
or other resources.
1.3.c Curate Information – Students curate information from digital
resources using a variety of tools and methods to create
collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections
or conclusions.
1.3.d Explore Real-World Issues – Students build knowledge by
actively exploring real-world issues or problems, developing
ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.
1.4 Innovative Designer – Students use a variety of technologies
within a design process to identify and solve problems by
creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
1.4.a Design Process – Students know and use a deliberate design
process for generation ideas, testing theories, creating innovative
artifacts or solving authentic problems.
1.4.b Design Constraints – Students select and use digital tools to
plan and manage a design process that considers design
constraints and calculated risks.
1.4.c Prototypes – Students develop, test and refine prototypes as
part of a cyclical design process.
1.4.d Open-Ended Problems – Student exhibit a tolerance for
ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-
ended problems.
1.5 Computational Thinker – Students develop and employ
strategies for understanding and solving problems in a way that
leverages the power of technological methods to develop and
test solutions.
1.5.a Problem Definitions – Students formulate problem definitions
suited for technology-assisted methods such as data analysis,
 abstract models and algorithmic thinking in exploring and finding
solutions.
1.5.b Data Sets – Students collect data or identify relevant data sets,
use digitals tools to analyze them and represent data in various
ways to facilitate problem solving and decision-making.
1.5.c Decompose Problems – Students break problems into
component parts, extract key information and develop descriptive
models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-
solving.
1.7 Global Collaborator – Students use digital tools to broaden their
perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with
others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.
1.7.a Global Connections – Students use digital tools to connect with
learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with
them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
1.7.c Project Teams – Student contribute constructively to project
teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively
toward a common goal.

Integrated Technology Interactive Whiteboard, and Bugscope online collaboration site

Reference or https://bugscope.beckman.illinois.edu/overview.html
Supporting Resources ChatGPT was used to help design the article and activity.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating

Levels
Integration Level LoTi 1: Awareness, LoTi 2: Exploration, LoTi 3: Infusion, LoTi 4: Integration

Usage Plan Once students have been introduced to the topic they will be separated into
small groups. Each group will begin a hands-on exploration to collect insects
for their group. Once insects have been collected each group will choose an
insect to prepare and send in to Bugscope. Using this online collaboration site
will have students engage with an electron microscope to record features of
their insects that will help to classify their insects.

Once the insect samples are ready to be viewed the class will login in groups
on their own computers. Students will be able to view their groups’ insect
images and ask questions via the online chat. Students will then use the
information from the microscope and what we learned about insect
morphology to classify their insects. After each group has classified their
insect, we will come together as a class and compare how each group
classified their insects.
Design Features Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience
(note: all of them may not be addressed in the project, but most should be if
you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Students will be working in small groups to collaborate on classifying
their insects. Students will also have access to mentors outside their
classroom during their Bugscope live session.
b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation will be enabled by
student groups collecting their own specimens for the microscopes
and engaging with the mentors during the live session experience to
better understand how to best classify their insects.
c. Higher-order thinking: Students will be planning, constructing, and
producing their own classification of their insects. Students will be
hypothesizing and experimenting with their classification methods.
 Students will also be analyzing their classification and that of other
groups in the classroom.
Universal Design Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation – Pre-teach
Rationale vocabulary in ways that promote connection to the learner’s experience and
prior knowledge. Clarify unfamiliar syntax. Support decoding of text. Present
key concepts in one form of symbolic representation with an alternative form.
Provide visual diagrams. Activate prior knowledge and pre-teach critical
concepts through demonstrations or models. Highlight patterns, critical
features, big ideas and relationships. Emphasize key elements in text,
graphics, diagrams, formulas. Use cues and prompts to draw attention to
critical features. Chunk information into smaller elements. Explicit opportunity
for spaced review and practice.
Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Expression – Use prompts and
scaffolds. Use prompts that embed “stop & think”. Break long-term goals into
reachable short-term objectives. Use checklists and guides for note-taking,
and guided questions for self-monitoring. Composed in multimedia. Provide
alternatives in the requirements for rate, timing, amplitude and range of motor
action necessary to interact with instructional materials.
Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement –Provide opportunity for
collaboration, peer tutoring and support. Vary the degree of freedom for
acceptable performance. Emphasize process effort, improvement in meeting
standards as alternative to external evaluation, performance goals,
competition. Use cooperative learning groups with scaffolded roles and
responsibilities. Prompt learners on how and when to ask peers and/or
teachers for help. Differentiate the degree of difficulty or complexity within
which core activities can be completed. Provide learners with as much
discretion and autonomy as possible by providing choices in the level of
challenge, type of tools used, color, design and layout of the graphics, and
sequence or timing of tasks. Involve learners where and whenever possible,
in setting their own personal academic and behavioral goals. Vary activities
and sources of information so that they can be personalized and
contextualized to learners’ lives. Design activities so that outcomes are
authentic, communicate to real audiences and are purposeful. Provide tasks
that allow for active participation, exploration, and experimentation. Invite
personal response, evaluation and self-reflection to content and activities.
Lesson Idea During the lesson the teacher will provide background information for the
concepts required for the activity through the article “Exploring the Wonders
of Insect Morphology”. During this introductory time the students will be
listening and participating by answering the comprehension questions in their
small groups and participating in classroom discussion of the article. Learning
will be assessed during the introduction time through classroom discussion.
Once the introductory portion of the lesson has concluded the teacher will
then go on to introduce the activity, connecting it to the article explored during
the introduction and ensuring the students know how to appropriately use the
tools as well as how to safely and ethically collet their insect specimens.

The teacher will then lead students on a guided outdoor exploration pointing
out interesting features and offering suggestions on where to find insect
specimens. During this time students will be using their collection kits to
collect insects and explore different environments to collect diverse samples.
Students will be working collaboratively with peers. The teacher will be
circulating through the groups answering questions, encouraging students to
explore different habitats, as well as providing guidance and feedback.

Once the insects have been collected and are ready for viewing via the
Bugscope online collaboration site, students will be provided an explanation
 of the classification charts, with an emphasis on key characteristics used for
classifying insects. The teacher will facilitate group discussions, using guiding
questions and ensuring students are actively participating in the classification
process. Students will be displaying their classification chart for their insects
and participate in a gallery walk. Each group will be expected to complete a
grading rubric for another group with justifications on why they chose what
they chose. The peer rubric will be used in conjunction with the teacher
graded rubrics to determine each groups’ grade for the project. They will also
write a brief reflection connecting the experience with the scientific concepts
learned.

The lessons will be concluded by having students complete a formative

assessment in which students are given a few insects and are required to
classify them using what they learned.

Internet Safety  Administration will be consulted, and the activity will be evaluated to
ensure district security policies are being followed.
 Parents will be informed of the activity and how it will support learning.
Parents will be asked to provide consent for their student’s participation.
 Students will not be permitted to speak with individuals without teacher
moderation.
 Anonymous communication will not be allowed, and students will use
pseudonyms to hide their identity.
 The location and name of the school will not be shared to ensure
anonymity is maintained.
Design Reflection During this lesson students are engaged in hands-on learning which helps to
apply learned concepts to the real-world. This activity also requires students
to use critical thinking skills, by analyzing the morphological features of
insects and categorizing their insect specimens. Incorporating collaboration
with peers also encourages teamwork, and an opportunity for students to
learn how to work with others and build on the ideas of others. This type of
hands-on lesson also helps to spark interest and engagement for students.

Some ideas to further the lessons would be to have students participate in a

research project for one of their insects. Students could explore the life cycle,
habitat, and importance of specific species that they classified.

Students could use a digital journal or blog to complete the above extension
project and publish it to an online community.