Corina Hill

http://corinahill.weebly.com/
EDU-225
05/02/2015

Raft Card Example:

Row 1

ROLE (student)
A DJ of a science

AUDIENCE
Your favorite

FORMAT
An informative

TOPIC
Have you ever

radio station

radio station

podcast report

wondered what a

listeners

drop of water feels

like as it travels
through the water
cycle?

Objective:
You will be able to describe how a drop of water travels through the steps of the water cycle.
Student Role:
A DJ of a science radio station
Audience:
Your favorite radio station listeners
Format:
An informative podcast report
Topic:
Have you ever wondered what a drop of water feels like as it travels through the water cycle?

Directions:
1. Visit The Water Cycle: A Guide for Students to learn more about the water cycle.
2. Use a storyboard worksheet to map out your script.

3. Type your script so it is easy to read.

4. Practice reading your script aloud until you feel you can read it fluently and with
expression.
5. Create a Voki at Voki.com. Build a suitable avatar for this project.
6. Read and record your script as the Vokis voice.
Resources:
Websites to visit:
Water Cycle Diagram
http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/watercycle/
Water Education
http://www.watereducation.utah.gov/watercycle/water_cycle.asp
The Hydrological Cycle
http://www.sciencecourseware.com/eec/GlobalWarming/Tutorials/HydrologicalCycle/
The Water Cycle
http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/ecosystems/water-cycle.htm
The Global Hydrological Cycle
http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp58/5802001.html
Assessment:
Prepare a 1-minute script for a radio segment to explain how a drop of water travels through the
steps of the water cycle.
You will receive up to 25 points for each of the following: written script, storyboard, Voki, and
recorded script.

Raft Card 1:

Row 1

ROLE (student)
Safety Blogger

AUDIENCE
Your blog

FORMAT
Online blog post

followers

TOPIC
Give tips on how
to be safe while on
the internet, also
give examples of
what it means to
be a good digital
citizen.

Objective: You should be able to explain the importance of online safety and explain what you
have learned about what it means to be a good digital citizen.
Student Role: Safety blogger
Audience: Your blog followers
Format: Online blog post
Topic: Give tips on how to be safe while on the internet, also give examples of what it means to
be a good digital citizen.

Directions:
1. Review what you have learned about internet safety and digital citizenship on
brainpop.com
2. Log onto your google drive account and create a new document
3. Pretend that you are a safety blogger talking about internet safety
4. Write 3 paragraphs about tips you would give on being a safe digital citizen

5. Your paragraphs should be 4 sentences each. An introduction, a tip, an explanation, and

how it effects digital citizenship.
6. Spell check your blog post
7. Share your completed post with your classmates and teacher
Resources:
https://www.brainpop.com/technology/digitalcitizenship/
https://www.google.com/drive/

Assessment:
Create a 3 paragraph blog post over the course of the week, giving tips to your readers on
how to remain safe and be a good digital citizen while online. Each paragraph must have at least
4 sentences each and be spell checked. Each paragraph is worth up to 20 points.

Raft Card 2:

Row 2

ROLE (student)
Game Maker

AUDIENCE
Your friends or

FORMAT
Informational

TOPIC
Make a game in

classmates

Game

which each player

is a different
animal in the food
chain.

Objective: Demonstrate what you know about the food chain by creating a game to teach others
what you learned
Student Role: Game maker
Audience: Friends or classmates
Format: informational game
Topic: Make a game in which each player is a different organism in the food chain.

Directions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Review the resources bellow

Create a game to teach about the food chain in an ecosystem near you
Your game can be a board game, card game, or an active game like you might play in P.E.
Your game should have between 4-6 players and include clear rules and directions
Include at least one producer, one herbivore, one omnivore and one carnivore
Your game should only take between 10 and 15 minutes to play

7. Be creative and have fun!

Resources:
Food chain video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pasB5FxhVUk&noredirect=1
Ecosystem and food chain video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRhdDs91aas
Food chain diagram
http://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/what-is-a-foodchain.html

Assessment:
Create a game to teach your friends or classmates what you have learned about
ecosystems and their food chains. You will be graded on the content of your game (Does it
accurately depict the natural food chain of an ecosystem near you?) and the clearness of your
rules and directions (Can your classmates understand the rules? Is it easy to play?). This
assignment is worth 50 points.

Raft Card 3:

Row 3

ROLE (student)
Book Critic

AUDIENCE
Your classmates

FORMAT
Poster Board

TOPIC
Create a poster

Presentation

board presentation
from the point of
view of a book
critic on the book
you have been
reading in class.

Objective: Demonstrate your understanding of the book you have chosen and explain your
opinion of this book using solid reasoning.
Student Role: Book Critic
Audience: Your classmates
Format: Poster Board Presentation
Topic: Create a poster board presentation from the point of view of a book critic on the book you
have been reading in class.

Directions:
1. Review your chosen book.
2. Use a large poster board to make a presentation on your book
3. Be creative and use pictures

4. Write a short script for yourself to use to review your book

5. In the style of a book critic, explain to your audience why they should or should not read
this book (use solid reasoning)
6. Include the intended audience of the book (who was this book written for?)
7. Rate your book out of 5 stars
8. Present to the class on Friday (7 minutes each, so use your time wisely)
Resources:
Use Your Book!
Book Report and Review Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z68F5qUacq0

Assessment:
Make a poster board presentation on your chosen book and present it to the class. You
will be graded on how complete and accurate your report is. You will also receive points for
creativity, presentation and academic thinking in the review section of your presentation. This
assignment is worth 150 points total.

Entry 3: Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Introduction (4-6 sentences)
Differentiating instruction through the use of technology is a fairly new idea in education and
is growing day by day. New tools come out daily and though it may be difficult for both the
educators and their students to keep up, using technology gives educators the opportunity to
teach to a student rather than at them. This is important because it helps to involve students in
their own learning and allows them different options for their individual learning path. No
student learns exactly the same way, but with the use of technology new doors open and new
content and presentation becomes available. Technology allows the educator to reach students on
a more relatable level when used appropriately and should be used to do just that.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction (300-400 words)
Interactive white boards: These tools can be used in tandem with any internet and
software resource one might use individually. This includes programs like brainpop.com for
interactive learning and instruction, or gonoodle.com for interactive brain breaks and videos.
With the IWB a student is getting a more interactive experience than would otherwise be allotted
to them. Aside from greater enjoyment of learning, students report on the contribution of the
IWB to their learning process, particularly on greater understanding of the material, (MannyIkan, Dagan, Berger-Tikochinski, & Zorman, (2011)) With this tool it would seem that students
are more engaged and excited to be learning. This is a great example of teaching TO a student
rather than at them.
Edmark reading software: Edmark reading software is a fantastic tool for younger
students and special education needs. This tool is a student centered reading program that teaches

sight words and patterns through repetition and context. This tool gradually builds on basic skills
by adding more information bit by bit. This program is not just about memorization however. It
also teaches basic comprehension by presenting different pictures and asking the student to
match the correct picture to the sentence given. lessons are programmed so that new words
are introduced in relatively errorless fashion, thus making the program applicable for even the
slowest, most easily discouraged students. (Andersen, Licht, Ullmann, Buck, & Redd, (1979))
Though it is an older program it is still in use and very efficient for what it is.
Pebblego.com : Pebble Go is a fantastic tool for introducing independent research for
younger grades. Pebble Go has several options for the young researcher and is formatted for
individual grades with both style and content. The articles are grade specific so there is rarely an
article that is too advanced or too complex for the individual. Pebble Go also offers audio options
so that students can listen to articles as they read them for the full experience and take away.
Pros and Cons (150-250 words)
Technology in education, as new as it is, has its bugs and bumps in the road, just as it has
its major ups and advantages. The biggest con may be that students take for granted the things
many of us never had in the past. This means that they may not be able to function efficiently
without these new technologies. Another con may be that teachers are often less than prepared to
use these new technologies without taking the time to reeducate themselves. This becomes
problematic because technology often evolves so fast that we as educators may have a hard time
keeping up. That being said technology in the classroom has opened new avenues of education
for teachers and students. We now have access to new content and more targeted lesson plans,
including interactive lessons and videos designed for specific grades and ages. Students seem to

learn better when they are presented with information in more than one way.
Concluding Paragraph (4-6 sentences)
In summation, no matter the pros and cons, technology is here to stay and has opened many new
doors for both educators and students alike. We as educators have a responsibility to educate
ourselves on the best ways to reach are students where they are currently. As we educate
ourselves we are better equipped to lead the new generation and give them the skills they will
need in our technology based world and workforce. As we teach these skills we are also
responsible for teaching safe and appropriate use. The ISTE standards now include digital
citizenship for a reason and we must teach accordingly.

References:
Manny-Ikan, E., Tikochinski, T. B., Zorman, R., & Dagan, O. (2011). Using the
Interactive White Board in Teaching and Learning - An Evaluation of the SMART

CLASSROOM Pilot Project. Interdisciplinary Journal Of E-Learning & Learning Objects, 7249273. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=70423570&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Andersen, B. L., Licht, B. G., Ullmann, R. K., Buck, S. T., & Redd, W. H. (1979).
Paraprofessional Reading Tutors: Assessment of the Edmark Reading Program and Flexible
Teaching. American Journal of Community Psychology,7(6), 689699. doi:10.1007/BF00891971
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722384/