Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: Opinion Writing

Content Area: ELA- Writing
Grade Level(s): 5th
Content Standard Addressed:
ELAGSE5W1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Technology Standard Addressed:

Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others
and working effectively in teams locally and globally. Students:

a. use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in
ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity:

KidPub
URL(s) to support the lesson:
https://www.kidpub.com
Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity in your
classroom (Minimum 2 paragraph overview):
I think online learning activities can be incorporated into the classroom in a variety of ways. For this activity,
students will write an opinion piece, supporting their point of view with reasons. They’ve already had
experience with writing opinion pieces, so they know the organization of the paper and what it should look
like. Their prompt will be “Should school be year-round?” Students will have to come up with an stance on
the topic, then support their stance with reasons why they believe this way. After students complete their
writing, they will share their opinion writing on KidPub, a publishing website for students to share writing and
talk more about writing. This will allow students to share their writing with an audience that cares about their
writing and allows them to get their point of view out for other peers and teachers to see.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a classroom?
Chromebook/Computer/iPad
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: KidPub allows students to share their work on a publishing site where other peers and
teachers outside of their school can read and respond to their writing. This gives students an audience
who cares about what they write.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or producing original
products as a result of engaging in a project): Students are creating their own original work based on
the knowledge they’ve learned in class.

c. Higher-order thinking: Students achieve the highest order of thinking, which is create because they
are creating their own piece of writing using their own opinions on a topic.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product: KidPub is a
publishing website for writing, so the students and teachers on there care about writing and enjoy
talking about it with others.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☐ Applying ☐ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the best level)

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration

☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL:

Ball chairs can be used for students who have a hard time sitting still while they write. Text can be enlarged
and bolded for students with visual impairments. Rollerball mice can be used for students who have trouble
controlling their motor skills and can’t operate a standard mouse.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
I could make sure I have an internet permission form from all of the parents in my classroom. I could also
make sure to go over proper internet safety with my class and model this behavior by not giving out personal
information or sharing personal work on the internet.
Reflective Practice:
I think this activity would be really fun for students because they get to share their writing with
people outside of the school on a safe publishing website. This activity could be done without technology, but
it wouldn’t allow students to reach a higher LoTi level because they wouldn’t be able to share their oringial
work people outside of their school. I think the topic would be fun for students to write about and this activity
could be used throughout the school year so students can see the progress they’ve made with their opinion
writing.

Spring 2018_SJB