Phase I - Designing Instruction (Emily)

Discuss how your instructional design is contextually and logically organized:
The instructional design for our lesson plan is contextually and logically organized because

• It starts off the lesson with an overview of the content that is involved within the lesson plan.
  
• It discusses the reasons for the lesson plan, the objectives that will be met, key vocabulary, and other information that is helpful for somebody to understand the purpose and flow of the lesson plan.
  
• The lesson plan communicates that it is prepared to accommodate those students who may not be able to meet its standards without some form of help (AD/HD Students, ESL students, Blind students).

• It is then presented in chronological order that the activities will be done:

1. What will need to be taught before technology can be used in the lesson (animals, environments, adaptation, meanings of the vocab words).
2. What will be done during the use of technology, and what will be expected of the students during this time (research, PowerPoint, behavior expectations, etc).
3. What the expected outcomes of the lesson will be (information present in the PowerPoint, the presentation of PowerPoint) and how they will be assessed (Rubric, Self Evaluation).

This is logically organized because it first addresses the knowledge that will need to/should be known before, during, and after the lesson. It helps us to identify where in the lesson we are teaching about technology, allowing our students to use technology, and discussing what we discovered while using technology.

The different/various methods that the lesson plan uses to vary instructional methods that meet individual student needs and target higher order thinking skills are:

Varied Instructional Methods/Individual Needs:
Differentiated Instruction:

Modifications for English language learners: Modifications for English Language Learners include the use of pictures and various sheltered instruction techniques such as working in groups and gesturing.
Modifications for special education: For students that are visually impaired a screen magnifier that goes over the computer screen will be available. For students that are AD/HD they are already placed in groups and will be assigned specific tasks to complete in order to help keep them on track. For students that are deaf reading materials will be available. For the presentations an interpreter that uses sign language can be supplied through the special education department.
Modifications for gifted students: Gifted students are encouraged to go above and beyond the minimum requirements of the project. Higher Order Thinking Questions are also used for these students, and other students, to help them think critically about the topic and more in depth.
Modifications for at-risk students: Students that are at-risk have the opportunity to work in groups which can give support for them to complete assignments and feel more comfortable.

Higher Order Thinking Skills:

A few of the higher order thinking skills that are involved in this assignment are:

Asking students to find a specific website, search the website and find an animal, an adaptation for that animal, and how that adaptation helps the animal survive in its environment.

Asking students to use their prior knowledge of PowerPoint, their knowledge about animals, and their knowledge about their environments/adaptations to create a PowerPoint with the following criteria:

• A title page with the name of the habitat, animal, and the name of the groups members

• A picture of the animal in its habitat

• 1 fact about the habitat and 1 adaptation the animal has developed in order to survive in its habitat

-Emily