Title/Topic:

Terrific Terraiums!

Grade/Level:

Fourth Grade

Related Content
Standards/Objectives:

Arizona State Educational Science Standards 4th Grade

Scientific Testing (Investigating and Modeling)
PO 5. Record data in an organized and appropriate format.
Arizona State Educational Science Standards 4th Grade
Observations, Questions, and Hypothesis
PO 2. Formulate a relevant question through observation that can be tested
by an investigation.

Related Technology
Standards/Objectives:

National Educational Technology Standards for Students

Technology Research Tools
Use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information.
National Educational Technology Standards for Students
Technology Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Tools
Use technology to solve problems and make decisions.

Instructional Activity:

Engagement: Students are introduced to ecosystems and how they are

affected by people and the rest of the environment. Ideas from the class are
involved and a list is composed of possible cause and effect scenarios on
plants, animals and the ecosystem. Students then learn that they will be
conducting a project on the computer and in the classroom involving research
about these factors and experimenting on their own Ecocolumns, a type of
terrarium involving an aquatic layer, plants and animals.
Exploration: The class is broken into groups of three with each group
containing students with different strengths to bring to the project. Strengths
are determined by the teacher through previous observation in class. This lets
students support each other as diverse learners so that they can all reach the
same goals. All students are given fair chances to explore the website and
understand what their goals are for the project overall. If there are any vision
or dexterity impaired students, they can use the computers magnification
feature to help with navigation. When teaching students about the use of the
website I will never take the mouse or keyboard away from them. Instead,
explain using words and gestures and let them learn by doing it themselves
(Arkansas Department of Education, 2013).
Building of the Ecocolumn: Supplies are brought in by students to
demonstrate recycling of household goods like soda bottles. Plants, dirt,
gravel and animals are provided by the teacher (or by parent donation).
Groups use tools to safely construct their Ecocolumn step by step as I
describe them being sure to designate tasks equally among group members.
Once Ecocolumns are finished and cleanup is complete, students return to
their computers for research. They will use their previous observations of their
world and answergarden.ch to formulate and post a question about the effects
of a variable on an ecosystem. Group members must agree on a question
and have it approved by me before posting. Learners with disabilities will
have a chance to fully understand what is being conveyed in their question. I
will give pointers for formulation at all times to provide students with a

meaningful experiment and outcome. Students will use the information from
Answer Garden and their own knowledge to outline an experiment to perform
on their Ecocolumn.
Once an experiment is outlined, students will conduct the experiment by
carefully outlined guidelines, record findings neatly and take digital
photographs of their progress. Each day of the experiment will be conducted
in the same manner where (on rotation) each group member will either
manipulate, record data, or take a photo. Here, ELL students can focus on
key terms like document, record, photograph, etc. I can assess how well
students are recording their data.
Summarize: These results will be compiled into https://www.tikatok.com where
they can make their own story book about what has happened to their
ecosystem contained in their Ecocolumn. Each group is responsible for one
book where each student is responsible for a section of the book.
(Beginning/hypothesis, middle/experimentation, and end/conclusion). I will
ask students to quietly outline their story together and then compose each
section on the computer. I will be walking the floor to see who needs help with
the application. In this process, groups will be asked to come up with solutions
to stop this variable from affecting our ecosystem. This will be an opportunity
for me to see how students are making decisions and how they might solve
problems in the real world. By incorporating all these different techniques and
tools, Differentiated instruction sparks every individuals passion for learning
(Keely, 2010). Books can also be available for parents to view from the
classroom website. We can further discuss how we affect our environment
and how we can minimize the damage we do.

Support for Diverse

Learners:

The National Council of Teachers Mathematics explains understanding

diversity best when they state, The more we understand and respect the
individual's background and strengths, the more we understand their particular
needs (Use of Technology for Project-Based/Problem-Based Learning,
2015). When dealing with diverse learners, I have expressed the methods in
which each student will get a fair chance to review material and that groups
will be composed of students with particular strengths. I believe these are
adequate support methods for diverse learners when working on this group
project.

Resources:

www.weebly.com website creation tool. Contact help.weebly.com for support.

Answergarden.ch information compilation tool. Contact
support.creativeheroes.es for support.
https://www.tikatok.com book creation tool. Contact 1(800)234-5832 for
support.

References:

Arkansas Department of Education. Feb 25, 2013. Use of Technology for

Project-Based/Problem-Based Learning. Retrieved from
http://ideas.aetn.org/stem
Keely, D. May 3, 2010. Tech Fueled Differentiated Instruction Engages
Elementary School Students. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/stwdifferentiated-instruction-technology-elementary-video
National Council of Teachers Mathematics. 2015. Tips on Supporting All
Students: Equity and Diversity. Retrieved from
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=15863