Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Comparing Stars

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): Fourth Grade

Content Standard Addressed: S4E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare
and contrast the physical attributes of stars and planets
Technology Standard Addressed: ISTE Standard 3a. Plan and employ effective research strategies
to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits

Selected Technology Tool: PowerPoint

Blooms Taxonomy Level(s):

Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating

Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

Level 1: Awareness Level 2: Exploration Level 3: Infusion Level 4: Integration

Level 5: Expansion Level 6: Refinement

Lesson idea implementation:

This lesson is to model a presentation the students are going to create. The students will have
previously been learning that stars may look brighter or dimmer due to distance from Earth. They now
will be able to explore just how far away some stars are. The teacher will introduce the lesson by
reading the presentation and post it online. This presentation is the model for the final project the
students will create. The students will watch the presentation in class then be placed into groups. The
groups will be able to choose a constellation of their choice and use research strategies to become an
expert on the stars of the constellation they choose. The students will then have 3 days of science
classes to research their stars, locate them, and find their distance from Earth. This will allow students
to compare how far their stars are from each other and analyze which are closest or farthest away.
Once the students have collected their data, they will have 3 days of science to create a presentation
modeled after this one.
Students will be assessed by the information in their presentation and their ability to deliver
that information in a way the class can understand. I would use a rubric, given to students before they
begin, to grade from. By providing a rubric, the students know exactly what I am looking for. The
project will conclude with an author walk where the groups can share their work with the classroom.
This project could be brought to a higher level by uploading the students work to the classroom blog
and allowing other students to add information that they find to the projects.

Summer 2017_SJB