Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Grade Level(s)

8th Grade

Content Area

Mathematics

Time line

November 14-November 18 (One Weeks)

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? )

Content Standards

MGSE8.G.6 Explain a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse.

MGSE8.G.7 Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right
triangles in real-world and mathematical problems in two and three dimensions.

NETS*S Standards:

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students demonstrate
creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes
using technology. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and
resources.

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)
With this lesson I am doing a flipped classroom. A way to monitor what content they use for this I created a
Blendspace with videos they can look at to help them understand the content. Students will explore Blendspace
where the Pythagorean Theorem comes from. This would be an introductory lesson for Pythagorean Theorem.
Through blendspace students will also watch a video explaining how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem.
Following the videos students will have problems to solve applying the Pythagorean Theorem on their own,
students will use Pixiclip to show their work. With this they will also be using an audio feature and explain their
process as they are solving the problem. As they are working on these problems I will be circulating around the
room being on the outlook for any misconceptions. The next day of the lesson as an opening students will
complete a bubble map inputting information that they have learned about Pythagorean Theorem the previous
day using bubbl.us. On this day students will complete a scavenger hunt on Pythagorean Theorem and finding
the missing side. On the following day as an assessment I will have my students create a short story where there
is a problem and solution involving Pythagorean Theorem Once the students have created their story they will
have the choice to act it out and record it using iMovie or making an audio book by using garage band app on the
iPad.

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? What questions can you ask students to help them focus on important aspects of the
topic? What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring to this topic and build on?)

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How can the Pythagorean Theorem be used in the real world?

What observation can be made about the area of squares and a right triangle?
How can what I know about exponents be applied to Pythagorean Theorem?
Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?)
The first formative assessment is the bubble map that the students will be creating using bubbl.us to show what
they learned from exploring the Blendspace on Pythagorean Theorem. I will also be reviewing their Pixiclip to see
the work they did for the problems embedded in Blendspace.The students will be responsible for creating a real
world scenario in the form of a short story that involves the implementation of the Pythagorean Theorem.
Students will work in groups of three. They will have a choice to act out the short story and record it using iMovie
on the iPads or for those students more shy than others they can create an audiobook using garage band
which is also on the iPads. There will be a rubric for the short story project.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resourcesonline student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc.help elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)
Technology supports student learning by showing students that learning does not always have to be pencil and
paper. Students will be utilizing iPads throughout this lesson to go through the Blendspace for the topic, exploring
videos for understanding and having discussions about their observations. Students will utilize Pixicips audio
feature to explain their thought process while solving the problems. Students will become more familiar with
making and editing videos as well as making and editing podcasts using iMovie and Garage Band.

Instructional Plan Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this
lesson? How can you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)
Students have been working solving equations and exponents in previous units to prepare them for this unit.
Students should have an understanding of exponents and solving equations before beginning this unit. Students
are always interested in web tools and giving them this opportunity to use tools they are interested in helps with
student engagement. Students have used these apps previously in class but I will provide a refresher on them if
needed because students may need extra support with the apps when it comes to editing. Students are
encouraged to use the app that comes most natural to them.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
troubleshoot them?

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Students will be working in small groups of three. Students will complete the project in the classroom using the
iPad carts. Each group will have iPad access during each school day for the duration of this lesson. On the days
students are exploring the concept on Blendspace the main issue I can see happening is having wireless
connectivity issues. If this does happen we will have to go through the Blendspace together as a class and instead
of using Pixiclip they would have to work the problems out in their interactive notebook. If there was an issue with
utilizing the apps on the iPad I would allow students to use their own electronic devices as a way to record their
video or podcast. If there is a group that does not have access to an eligible electronic device I would speak with
our Media Specialist and see about using the school video camera.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or creativity
levels of Blooms Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic, relevant, and
meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge and skills?
How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other and others?
How will you facilitate the collaboration?
My role throughout this lesson is a facilitator of learning. I will be assisting students with any technical issues and
helping them with utilizing the different apps. The students will be the explorers when looking into the new topic of
Pythagorean Theorem and building the required knowledge and practice the required skills in order to successfully
create a short story pertaining to the topic. They are responsible for looking at the videos for means of
understanding and not entertainment. Students will be collaborating on their short story and presentation. Every
student in the group will receive feedback from their peers and also the teacher. At the end of the project students
will also do a peer evaluation on each group member. Every student is expected to play an active role in the
project. Students will be taking on the role of an actor, director, and producer when it comes to bringing their short
story to life. Students will be expected to discuss the actual math within their story it has to authentic and also
realistic. Students are to explain the issue that has arose in their story and they are to come up with the solution.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)
My classes consist of gifted/high achieving and general education students. There is a mixture of students so I like
to make sure that the grouping is heterogeneous based on ability level, this was determined based on the previous
unit test grade due to the prior knowledge needed was in the previous unit. Due to students in my class having
different learning styles and also some more outgoing than others I wanted to provide them with a choice of which
app best fits their group. I typically do not allow my students to use calculators but I do know some students may
need it for this topic due to bigger numbers are being used and may take longer for some students to compute the
numbers. Students will also be given a checklist to help them stay on track with their project.

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Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
In what ways was this lesson effective?
What went well and why?
What did not go well and why?
How would you teach this lesson differently?
The closing event will be in the classroom for each period. Students will have the opportunity to solve their peers
problems before continuing on with the story and they will be able to see if their solution is correct. Each period
will vote on which group in their class had the best story, another vote will take place where the students will vote
on each story winner from the different class periods. The winner will present their story on Show what you know
night at the end of the school year. The students will write a reflection on what they learned throughout the entire
process and what they felt was difficult for them. I will give my students the opportunity to give me feedback on
whther or not they though the project was beneficial to them. As we are going through the project will make ote of
things that students had difficulty with, some misconceptions that the students, and things that worked well or were
an absolute flop. This will guide me on what to do the next time I implement this project.

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson?
The lesson went good; I was able to notice that the students needed more assistance with the technology
than I expected. It seems as though my gifted students were able to successfully use the technology
meanwhile my general education students were not as tech savvy even though we have used this before.
This gave students the opportunity to show their creative side which they do not often do in their other classes
they felt as though they had a little sense of freedom. I would have considered collaborating with my school
media specialist and have her come in and show the students different features of the apps and how to best
utilize it. Knowing that the prior knowledge needed was the information from the previous unit helped due to
that information still being fresh on their mind, so I did not get many questions when it came to solving
equations and exponents, so I would suggest to teachers to make sure that the students understand the prior
knowledge needed because it does make things smoother.

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