Online

Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Passion and Culture Stories
Content Area: English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 1st Grade

Content Standard Addressed: ELAGSE1W6: With guidance and support from adults, use a variety
of tools to produce and publish writing, including digital tools and collaboration with peers.

Technology Standard Addressed: Creative Communicator: Students communicate clearly and

express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and
digital media appropriate to their goals.

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: The Giraffe Project

URL(s) to support the lesson: http://www.giraffe.org/

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom:
Have the students think about something they are passionate about or something their culture does that no
one else may know about. Giving the students voice and choice for their topic will hopefully motivate them to
do their best and have plenty to say. Then have them jot down ideas and create a graphic organizer for their
story. After they finish brainstorming have the students write out their story.

Then have the students type out their stories and publish them onto the Giraffe Project. Share each student’s
stories with the whole class. Then the students will respond to each story and say something they learned or
a question they may have. The students will be able to access the stories outside the classroom and share
them with their family and/or friends.

What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Computer, phone, iPad, or tablet

Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them may not be
addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond their
school: Students could work together to write a story to publish onto the website.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): The students are coming up with the topic of their story
and are writing it out.

c. Higher-order thinking: Students think about something they are passionate about or something about
their culture and write a story and publish the story onto the website.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: Students
publish their story to the Giraffe Project website for others to view outside of the classroom.


Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
☒ 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

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Having the students record themselves reading the story and having
drawings to go along with the story will help hearing, visual, and English learning students understand their
story.

Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies: I would have
the students publish their stories under a made-up name.
Reflective Practice: I think the students would enjoy writing a story they are passionate about and to share
with others what they are passionate about. You could have the students draw a picture that represents their
story. You could record yourself reading the story and have drawings to go with different parts of the story.

Spring 2018_SJB