Lesson Plans Integrating Technology (assignment 2)

The following are three lessons found online that integrate technology. From math to language arts to social studies and science, technology integration can enhance traditional lessons to make concepts and learning more meaningful for students.

1) http://www.microsoft.com/Education/endsmeet.mspx
6/7/8th grade, math, "Making Ends Meet," using Excel spreadsheets

In this lesson plan, middle school students are instructed to develop a budget worksheet using Microsoft Excel. I immediately found this lesson plan useful, as it places students into real-life situations. Budgeting is a reality for all adults, and oftentimes kids as well. After creating a budget worksheet, the students are asked to estimate expenses, create a food budget, and evaluate their final budget. These experiences are valuable for students on many levels, but primarily because they learn how to use commonplace, useful technology (Excel), and begin to understand the reality of monitoring finances as adults.


2) http://www2.cmcss.net/~Tech/IT/grade5/FifAct3.html
5th grade, language arts, "Grammar Gorillas," using Internet games

This lesson plan begins with a “Student Activity Card,” and takes place completely in a computer lab. Students follow instructions on the activity card to complete online tasks. In this case, the kids are directed to the Funbrain web site to play a game called “Grammar Gorillas,” in which they identify parts of speech by clicking on words in a sentence. They learn their scores immediately after the last question so they can evaluate their performance and aim for a better score next time. This type of lesson could be fun for elementary and middle school students.

3) http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bstpract/
4th/5th grade, LA/math/social studies, "A World of Favorites," development/use of web pages

This lesson plan involves worldwide learning. Fourth and fifth graders will develop questionnaires that ask classes around the world about their “favorites.” For example, one of the questions might ask, “What is your favorite food?” Next, the teacher posts the questionnaires to a listserv or web page that will help them gather replies from around the world. After data is gathered, students are asked to develop three web pages, each providing different information about the countries from which they received replies. The purpose is to communicate with students of different cultures and to determine the similarities and differences among them. This appears to be quite a time-consuming lesson, however, the valuable experiences gained seem to outweigh the disadvantages.