Technology Lesson Plan

Beginnings

Title of Lesson: Blogging About the Water Cycle

Grade Level: 4

Subject: Science

Time: One hour

Planning Components

Lesson Objectives:

Illustrate and tell about the properties of water as a solid and liquid.

Project Alignment with EALRs, GLEs and ISTE Technology Standards:

EALR:	1. SYSTEMS: The student knows and applies scientific concepts and principles to understand the properties, structures, and changes in physical, earth/space, and living systems.
Component:	1.1. Properties: Understand how properties are used to identify, describe, and categorize substances, materials, and objects and how characteristics are used to categorize living things.
Grade Level Expectation:	1.1.5. Understand physical properties of Earth materials including rocks, soil, water, and air.
NETS:	10. Gather information and communicate with others using telecommunications, with support from teachers, family members, or student partners.

Internet links, Data, Illustrations, and Images:

The Water Cycle
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleplacemat.html
A placemat image for that is kid friendly and shows the life cycle of water.
Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth
http://www.planetguide.net/book/chapter_2/water_cycle.html
Dr. Art has put together lovely flash tools to guide children and help them learn all about the water cycle
Drinking Water & Ground Water
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html
A collection of activities to show kids how the water cycle works.

Instructional Activities:

This is an activity for reflection on a science lesson on the water cycle. It assumes that there are enough computers available for each student to participate on during a one hour session. I’m basing it on how Silver Lake Elementary School’s system works in having a one hour computer class time for 3 rd through 6 th graders each week. They have a projector and enough computers for each student to partipate on.
The instructor prepares the students before they go to the computer room on what activity they are going to participate in. The students would have already opened up an ePals account for blogging, and have a good knowledge on how the water cycle works since we would have already had a couple activities on it already.
When in the computer room, the instructor shows work done by the students on the water cycle they had done separately in groups. Each group was to contribute a story on the life of a water molecule as it goes through a certain stage of the cycle: ocean, land-river, and ground water. The instructor is to put the students work together and present the story as a whole to them. This should last 15 to 20 minutes. Students will be engaged since their own work will be shown and hopefully they will be interested in what the work their friends did as well.
After the story is told, the instructor has students open up their ePals blog, and reminds them to help their neighbors if they are having trouble opening the page. The instructor walks around and makes sure that students are either getting logged on or helping their neighbor.
When the blog page is up, the instructor has students write an entry about a separate part of the water cycle that they had already done in groups. They may choose to write in story like they had done before in groups or inform others on how a separate system works.
Have students work on this for the remainder of class time. The instructor walks around and makes sure that the students are keeping on task.

Project Assessment:

Points	Collaboration	Content	Originality
4	Students were on task during class time. When ahead, they helped their neighbors with any internet questions.	Show 3 examples on how a separate system works.	Student writes on a different system and continues on with their story.
3	Student was on task during class time.	Shows 2 examples on how a separate system works.	Student writes on a separate system. Little sign of connection with original story.
2	Student was on task, but didn’t help when finished.	Shows 1 example on how a separate system works.	Student writes on different system. No connection to original story is apparent.
1	Student focused on neighbor’s work instead of own.	Shows no examples on how a separate system works.	Student writes on the same system or doesn’t write at all.

Project References:

Webb, D. L., & Metha, A. (2003). Foundations of American Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merril Prentice Hall

United States Geological Survey. (2006, October 26). The Water Cycle. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

Education World. (2003, August, 27). Technology Integration Ideas that Word. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech176.shtml