The lesson plan I chose is about the
Rights and Responsibilities of a Citizen. The original lesson only uses
notebooks, the board, and class discussion. The modifications I made here allow
the students to interact with technology in the classroom and also appeals to
students with Multiple Intelligences. The students will first receive a
brief DO NOW quiz about terms (citizen, naturalize, immigrant, resident alien,
civic virtue, patriotism, and jury duty) they studied the previous night for
homework. Instead of giving them a quiz on paper, I can use the computer to
project the questions on the board and have the students right the answers in
their Interactive Notebooks. Not only does it incorporate technology but also
it’s eco-friendly, which a lot of school districts are incorporating. I will
then project the word ‘patriotic’ on the board and have the students think of
words and symbols they associate with the concept. Originally I would only
write the words and symbols on the board. But now by using a program such as
Microsoft Word and a Smartboard I could add the words and symbols and create a
Word Map. The students will use a graphic organizer to organize their thoughts
as well. Students will then be broken into groups and each given a concept
(Obeying Laws, Paying Taxes, Jury Duty, Serve as a Witness, Register for the
Draft, and Voting). Each group will have to complete three tasks: 1. Describe
the responsibility in depth, 2. Describe AT LEAST 3 reasons why this
responsibility is important to the well being of America, 3. Formulate a small
skit that demonstrates an example of this responsibility. The students could
then use computers to create mini presentations of their findings before
presenting them to the class via Smartboard. After all groups presented, the
students will be given a prompt to answer a question: Which of these
responsibilities do you find to be the most important and why? By using their
Interactive Notebooks, the students will organize their notes and answers in
such a way that will be helpful to studying for a future formal assessment.
Adding technology to this lesson not
only incorporates technology into my curriculum, it also helps make
accommodations for different types students. English Language Learners (ELLs)
would benefit from working in groups with other students that could help with
the language struggle/difference. By working in groups, ELLs can ask questions
and also benefit from the informal conversations they are more confortable
with. Often ELLs are overwhelmed by formal lecture language and working with
peers often aids their understanding. Inclusions students could contribute to
the group work in many different ways depending on what their strengths may be.
Often inclusion students appear secluded from the class, especially if they
have an aid. But group work makes sure that they are involved with the rest of
the class. Students who learn better from lessons that incorporate multiple
intelligences will benefit from the visual effects of technology in this
lesson. Seeing the word map on the board appeals to Visual/Spatial intelligent
students, working in groups appeals to Interpersonal intelligent students and
the word web would appeal to the Verbal/Linguistic intelligent.
I can also benefit from using
technology in the classroom. By using different technologies, my lesson is
easier to plan and by using a Smartboard and computer throughout the whole
lesson, I spend less time transitioning between each task. The students in
classrooms today are technologically smart because they grew up with the
current technology boom. Incorporating technology into the normal social
studies curriculum only helps students learn the subject more easily. Students
respond to technological advancements and by keeping yourself abreast of these
advancements is crucial for teachers nowadays. Of course, teachers must be
taught how to use a Smartboard and other technologies, which are skills now
being incorporated into teachers’ professional development workshops. Many
districts don’t use the Smartboard technologies, which is ok because other
technologies can be substituted as long as there is a computer and some type of
projector attached.
This lesson as whole is much more
advanced now that technologies have been incorporated into it. Both my students
and I can benefit from the technological advancements of the lesson and can
better work together to complete the tasks at hand. I will now incorporate the
technology into the lesson the next time I teach it.
