Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools

Lesson Idea Name:

- Weather Person
Content Area:

- Science
Grade Level(s):

- First Grade
Content Standard Addressed:

S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather patterns.

- Plan and carry out investigations on current weather conditions by observing,

measuring with simple weather instruments (thermometer, wind vane, rain
gauge), and recording weather data (temperature, precipitation, sky conditions,
and weather events) in a periodic journal, on a calendar, and graphically.
Technology Standard Addressed:
- 3- Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool:

☒ Blog ☐ Wiki ☐ Other: Website Creation Tool (list):

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

- http://jessicasnyder0.edublogs.org/flipped-classroom/
- Audacity
Bloom’s 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

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

- UDL is present throughout this whole lesson through the ways that I represented
the content about the students listed below.
Engagement:
The engagement in this lesson is very high. This project allows the students to
choose the weather pattern of their choice. They are then engaged throughout the
project by creating their own blog entry and audio entry. The parents are
engaged through this assessment because they are able to help their students at
home through the use of the flipped classroom.
Representation:

Summer 2017_SJB
 Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools
In this lesson and activity, the students are given access to new content
through the audio recording they create, the examples they are shown in class,
and the flipped classroom activity on their student blogs. Since this assessment is
to be completed at home the students will be able to research the weather pattern
that they choose through videos, textbooks, and different artifacts that they find
on their weather pattern. The information will be represented through their blog
page and the audio that they attach.
Action and Expression:
The students are using technology to express the content that they have
learned and are learning about the weather pattern. They are showing the
information that they have learned through their blog and audio page. In this
assessment the students are given the choice as to what weather pattern that they
want to report on. This allows the students to be interested in the content that
they are creating a project on and eventually presenting.
Lesson idea implementation:
Throughout the unit before this lesson we will be discussing weather
patterns and the different conditions that comes along with weather. I will show
the students an example in class of what I am looking for from them, so they are
able to create connections with what is being asked of them. This project will be
introduced as a summative assessment at the end of the unit.
The students will be asked to create their own blog post about a specific
weather pattern. In this blog post the students will need to include pictures and
an audio post about the specific weather pattern that they have decided on. In the
audio post that they will become the weather person in announcing the weather
report for the weather pattern that they decided upon. This assignment will be
given to the students as a flipped classroom from the blog.
The students will be given a week to finish this summative assessment with
a rubric to guide them upon making them. The students will create their own
blog entry to post it on so the parents can be involved and the students will also
present their assessment to the class. Since the final products are being presented
to the class, it allows the students to hear about the different weather patterns that
there are, which allows them the chance to hear all of this information one more
time before they are given the end of unit test on this content. The students will
gain feedback through the rubric that I will fill out about their project, which will
be given back to the students. The lesson will be concluded with that end of unit
test.
Importance of technology:
- Through implementing my classroom blog, I am able to create a flipped
classroom and allow the students’ parents to be involved throughout this activity
too. This is a great way to allows students to learn and implement content that
they have learned in the classroom, outside of the classroom. Technology that is
implemented allows students that might not be able to hear the content, the
Summer 2017_SJB
 Classroom Blog and Website Creation Tools
ability to read the information and students who are blind the ability to hear the
directions. The blog also allows parents to communicate any questions that they
might have about the assessment that is given to the students.
Inspiration (optional):
- I did not use any inspiration when creating this assessment. This is something
that I thought would be really cool for implementing audio and the classroom
blogs.
Internet Safety and Student Privacy:
- Since I am publishing the work that the students are creating I need to
understand the risk that comes with this. Knowing these risks, I have decided to
take the precaution to password protect the content that the students are posting,
and only giving the password to the parents and the students in the classroom.
For even more protection I will also be paying close attention to all of the
student’s blog posts. The students and the parents will be informed on the actions
that I am taking to protect their children with the information that I am posting to
my blog. If parents are not comfortable with the information that is beinf
published to the classroom blog, even knowing the precautions that I am taking, I
will allow the student to simply present it to the class and opt out of posting it on
their student blog.
Reflective Practice:
- This lesson is a great way for students to get one more chance to work with the
content that they will be assessed on in a unit test. In giving the students a week
to complete this assessment they are able to really put in time and effort for
research on the information that they are presenting in their project. If this lesson
was an introductory lesson to a unit I would have the students begin with finding
a weather podcast that they really liked and wish to use as an inspiration for their
own project.

Summer 2017_SJB