LESSON PLAN

Primary / Junior Lesson Plan

Date: March 13, 2016
Subject (s):
Science & Language

Intended Student
Outcomes

Grade: 1

Lesson & Unit: Structures

and Mechanisms (Building
Bridges)

Media Literacy Overall Expectations:

1. demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts;
2. identify some media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques
associated with them are used to create meaning;
3. create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using
appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques
Understanding Structures and Mechanisms Overall Expectations:
1. investigate structures that are built for a specific purpose to see how their
design and materials suit the purpose;
2. demonstrate an understanding with objects and structures have observable
characteristics and are made from materials with specific properties that
determine how they are used
Language Specific Expectations:
1.1: Purpose and Audience
identify the purpose and intended audience of some simple media texts
2.1: Form
identify some of the elements and characteristics of a few simple media
forms
3.1: Purpose and Audience
identify the topic, purpose, and audience for media texts they plan to create
3.4: Producing Media Texts
produce some short media texts for specific purposes and audiences, using a
few simple media forms and appropriate conventions and techniques
Science Specific Expectations:
Developing Investigation and Communication Skills
2.2: investigate characteristics of various objects and structures, using their senses
2.3: investigate, through experimentation, the properties of various materials
2.6: use a variety of forms to communicate with different audiences and for a variety
of purposes
Understanding Basic Concepts
3.1: describe objects as things that are made of one or more materials
3.4: describe the function/purpose of the observable characteristics of various objects
and structures, using information gathered through their senses
3.5: identify the materials that make up objects and structures
3.8: list different kinds of fasteners, and describe the uses of each
Student Learning Goals(s):
Responsibility: I can participate with my classmates not share the parts of our
projectnot let one person do more work than someone else.
Organization: When I am working, I am able to follow instructions carefully so I do
not miss any steps.

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Collaboration: I am able to work with my classmates in a group, so each of us is able
to have an equal chance to have a part in the project.
Rubric

Assessment
Rationale

Motivation/Anticipatory
Set
(Minds On)

Action On

This lesson is important to the wellbeing of students experience by going

beyond the traditional classroom teaching straight out from a book.
Teachers can go beyond the regurgitation of what they have taught students,
by now adding a technological spin on things. Students are able to use the
information they gained purposely, interactively, and creatively.
Technology in the classroom enables to the use of a more interactive
educational toolwhich offers a dynamic experience to the learning and
development of students.
Using technology allows students to look at their learning differently, rather
than just through the writing processtechnology encourages students to
use their higher-order thinking skills to develop a piece of work that
represents the knowledge they have attained.
Throughout this lesson, the technology aspect will be introduced by students
through the use of technology devices of iPads, cameras, computers, video
recorders, tablets, smart boards, etc.
This lesson will establish the boundary about of differentiated learning can
be achieved and is acknowledged through the many learners whom are found
right inside the classroom.
Starting off the lesson, there will be several different pictures of structures
(ex. Buildings, bridges, schools, houses, towers, etc.), taped on the white
board at students level so they are able to see all of them.
Each structural picture will be looked at thoroughly (ex. The different shapes
they havesquare, oval, rectangle, triangle; the length of the structures
tall, short, wide, etc.), by doing this the students will begin to identify the
similar and different elements structures have with one anotherthey are not
all universal and look the same.
After looking at several pictures, the students have gained some insight on
the use of mechanisms, the structural elements of buildings around the
neighbourhood (structures students have seen before).
Students will be offered the opportunity of replicating their own bridges.
They are able to use the pictures of the bridges that were analyzed at the
beginning of the lesson to determine what shape and formation they wish
their group bridges to look like.
Applying technology to students thinking and creativity skills, students are
going to access Google drawings on a Notebook (signed out from the
library) to work on. With Google drawings, students can take the part of
architects and design blueprints of their bridges (with the intention of
making more than on blueprint).
Experimenting with Google drawings, students can maximize their learning
through the technology resource it is offering them to get into a deeper
context of the process and stages it takes to build a structure (just as
professionals go through).
As an ending product, students will be given the opportunity to present their
building process through a comic strip, YouTube video, and/or Slow motion
moviemaker.
Students will be asked to choose their best blueprint of their bridge
In groups, students will determine the types of materials, fasteners, and
objects from their blueprint and label each element of the structure they

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designed.
If students do not know what fasteners are, as a whole group we can research
on the Google engine to find out what fasteners are, and which ones will
work more efficiently than others.
With Google Drawings, students are able to share their blueprints with the
teachertherefore, by doing this the teacher will convert each blueprint in a
PDF format resulting in her transforming the drawings into a Flipping
Book. Although, the technology aspect is suppose to be more studentdirected, the teacher is there for extra support, therefore this creation will be
made by the teacher and then the students are able to access the flipping
book whenever and wherever they are (ex. At home with parents to see their
work, in the library when creating their bridge designs, etc.).
Once the transformation of the flipping book is created, students are able to
dive into the process of making their drawings come to life.
As mentioned before, for an ending product students are asked to choose
from a comic strip, YouTube video, Slow-motion moviemaker to represent
the process they underwent to create their bridges.
Each student will have access to an iPad, camera record to document each
unique stage their bridge undergoes to eventually get to their final product.

Higher-order Thinking Questions:

6. Creating: Design your own structure using materials you find in your home.
5. Evaluating: Explain why a bridge would not be stable, if there was no support
underneath it?
4. Analyzing: Compare a tower and a bridge. What is the difference between the two?
3. Applying: Show which material(s) would be best to use as a base for a bridge?
2. Understanding: Describe the shape a structure can have?
1. Remembering: Identify where you have seen a structure before?
Provide teaching strategies:
Critical Thinking
Collaborative/Cooperative Learning
Problem-Based Learning
Team-Based Learning
Indicate how students will apply their new knowledge/skill/concept:
By using technology-enhanced strategies in everyday lessons, it allows
students to experience different elements of their learning they may have not
ben exposed to before. Technology might be looked at as a scary element to
use, but teachers should not view it has that. Technology is the future of our
tomorrow, and is going to be constantly used in everyday interactions.
Students as young as 1 year old, intuitively already know how to work a
Smartphonewithout any directed instruction told to them. If an infant is
able to access it so easily, a teacher/educator can most definitely incorporate
such a device in his or her lesson and classroom environment.

Technology can enhance the skills of students through their learning styles.
There are many students who have more of a kinesthetic learning style;
therefore they rather work with visuals that offer the opportunity to be
engaged in a hands-on experience. That is why, it is so important and

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relevant for teachers to such upon each of their students learning styles
Differentiated Learning!

Closure (consolidation)

The element of technology offers students to gain skills through creativity,

actively participating in class discussions, participating in collaborative
groups. As for a knowledge aspect, students are able to make sense of the
connections they are able to achieve through real-life experiences.

Boys and Girls, technology is not only here to help us research things that we want
to learn more about. It is much more than that. Technology allows us to create things
that become interactive, and meets the needs of everyone in the classroom. Not
everyone learns the same way as you, or me, this is why Ms. Zito needs to find
innovative and interesting ways that grasps the attention of those learners. Throughout
our time learning and working on our structures/bridges, we have been able to create
YouTube videos, comic-book strips, and Slow-motion movies to represent the process
you boys and girls have participated in with one another
Students will review the different structures they looked at, in the beginning
with the different printed out pictures.
As an interactive group discussion and extending it to a technological
implementation, the teacher will use her twitter to tweet out different
responses from the students based on their knowledge they learned/gained
about structures, bridges, buildings, etc.
For the tweets, the teacher will create a hash tag that will be able to be seen
from other teachers, educators, and professionals in the twitter atmosphere
and they are able to join in, which can turn into a future twitter chat.
Students will have grasped the concept regarding the development of
structures, and the purpose they served for everyday life (ex. Getting to
work, going to school, transportation, how they are built, what makes them
stable, etc.). This also represents the understanding students have by making
valid connections to self, and to world.
Connection to Self:
Students will be able to ask themselves questions such as: What does this
remind me of? Where have I seen this before? I remember when I was
driving, and my mom told me we were on top of a bridge I learned this in
my class
Connection to World:
Students have many ideas about how the world works, which goes beyond
their own personal experiences they have learned things from. Television
and movies are prime examples that influences students to see things in
which they believe are happening in the world around them.

Having a spin on technology in this lesson opens the floor for students to use
their creative and imagination skills to the next level. They are able to
experiment with a familiar elementnot for a quick game on shapes, but a
fun-filled experience that allows them to document their own collaborative
creations through the lens of a device.
The use of technology has given Differentiated Learning a new outlook on
students achievement. It allows teachers to assist struggling students, and
meet their needs at such an interactive way. What child does not like
technology? Technology is at the disposal for children, why not have fun and
be creative and incorporate into your daily lesson as a teacher.
Through this lesson, it can be extended further by determining whos bridge
is strongerstructurally through the materials they have usedwith that, the
teacher can stand on the bridge and/or to be more friendly, use a car to

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Accommodations/
Modifications

Materials/Equipment/
Technology

N/A

Reflection (complete after

lesson is taught)

determine if the access to cross the bridge is easy or difficult. Prior to do

this, students can make individualized predictions on what they believe is
going to happen.
Making predictions: there are interactive surveys that the teacher can access
on technology devicesthe teacher can create a classroom poll including
each students responsive prediction. Once each test is completed, go back
and form a graph thats prediction was the closet.
Students will be placed into small groups of 2 and 3
Students, who need extra assistance and instruction, will be grouped together
in a smaller interactive group (ex. The three E.L.L students will
collaboratively work together because they are at the same learning level,
therefore they will be able to assist one another without being left behind).
Students with exceptionalities, and language difficulties will be given
visualizations of pictures describing the required instruction (ex. A car
represents the vehicle, a camera to represent recording, a pencil to represent
writing).
The visuals will be simple, clear and easy to understand and distinguish for
students to gain a proper understanding.
The teacher will be walking around in the classroom for extra support for
these students, as well as the current teacher candidate.

Popsicle sticks
Cardboard
Boxes
Glue sticks
Hot glue gun
Straws
Sticks
Tape
Plastic cups
Water bottles/Pop bottles
Paper towel roll
Fabric
Wood pieces/blocks
Scissors
Markers
Construction paper
iPads
Video recorders
Computers
Tablet (ex. Androids, Blackberry Playbook)

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References

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2005). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: Health and
physical education. Queen's Printer of Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting in
Ontario's schools : covering grades 1 to 12. Toronto: Ministry of Education.