Integrating technology in PowerPoint format with 3rd grade study of California Wetlands

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Technology Integration Unit Outline
Type only in the gray areas
Name: Tricia Larsen
Project Title: California Wetlands Creatures
Project Subject: Science, Language Arts, Art, Technology
Grade Level(s): 3rd grade
Email address: Armour5@comcast.net
Essential Question: What creatures inhabit the wetlands of California?
Scaffolding What general types of creatures live in/near the wetlands?
Questions: What are the physical characteristics of the creature?
What does each identified creature eat?
What are the predators of the creature?
How does the creature protect itself?
Where specifically in the wetlands habitat does the creature
live?
How does the health of the wetlands affect the creature?
What can impact the health of the wetlands?
Approximate Length of Unit (days, weeks)
5 weeks
Goals:
Students will understand what creatures inhabit the California wetlands and why the
health of the wetlands is important.
Objectives:
Student will be able to identify at least one wetlands inhabitant and important facts about
it.
Student will create a bubble map graphic organizer to organize creature facts.
Student will be able to list 2 reasons why the wetlands are important.
Student will develop a power point presentation on one specific wetlands creature.
Student will add a depiction of their creature to the class wetlands mural.
Unit Summary and Sequence of Events – give details:
Each student will create and present a Power Point with photos/pictures and factual
information about a specific creature inhabiting the California wetlands.
Week 1- Students will listen to brief introduction about wetlands creatures and engage in
classroom discussion. Classroom brainstorming about what impacts wetlands health.
Week 2- Students will go on a fieldtrip to Coyote Hills (East Bay Regional Parks) for
firsthand observation of wetlands fauna, and to participate in a guided tour and discussion
Week 3- Students will conduct their own independent research (books, magazines,
online, park ranger) on a specific wetlands creature. Students will generate a bubble map
to organize creature facts. Students will build a Power Point presentation.
Week 4- Students present the projects to the class
Week 5- Students participate in creating a wetlands mural (paint their creature)
Software and Hardware needed:
Computers with internet connection, Power Point software
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Resource Student: Frontloading of new vocabulary. Picture Cues. Think-Pair-Share

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partnerships. Provide sentence stems to describe wetlands
creature. Check for understanding, extended time on task, one on
one instruction (if needed), instructions or materials read out loud.
Materials can also be modified.
Gifted Student: Create an eBook using portions of class power point
presentations. Take leadership roles in the classroom assignment
to mentor other students or form partnerships.
IDENTIFY STANDARDS – Select two or three standards from each category
and copy/paste them into this document
Specific Teacher Performance Expectations (TPEs):
TPE 1a, Subject-Specific Pedagogical Skills for Multiple Subject Teaching
Assignments
Demonstrate the ability to teach the state-adopted academic content standards for students
in English-Language Arts (K-8).Create a classroom environment where students learn to
read & write, comprehend & compose, appreciate & analyze, & perform & enjoy the
language arts.
TPE 2: Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction
Use progress monitoring at key points during instruction to determine whether students
are progressing adequately toward achieving the frameworks and state-adopted academic
content standards for students. Pace instruction and re-teach content based on evidence
gathered using assessment strategies such as questioning students and examining student
work and products. Anticipate, check for, and address common student misconceptions
and misunderstandings.
TPE 3, Interpretation and Use of Assessments
Understand and use a variety of informal & formal, as well as formative and summative
assessments, to determine students’ progress and plan instruction.
TPE 4: Making Content Accessible
Provide opportunities and adequate time for students to practice and apply what they have
learned. Teach students strategies to read and comprehend a variety of texts and a variety
of information sources, in the subject(s) taught. Encourage student creativity and
imagination.
TPE 5: Student Engagement
Clearly communicate instructional objectives to students. Encourage students to share
and examine points of view during lessons. They use community resources, student
experiences, and applied learning activities to make instruction relevant. Ensure the
active and equitable participation of all students. Extend the intellectual quality of
student thinking by asking stimulating A–10 questions and challenging student ideas.
Candidates teach students to respond to and frame meaningful questions.
TPE 6A: Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Grades K-3
Understand how to create a structured day with opportunities for movement. Design
academic activities that suit the attention span of young learners. Instructional

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activities should connect with the children’s immediate world and personal experiences.
Draw on key content from more than one subject area; and include hands-on experiences
and manipulatives that help students learn. Teach and model norms of social interactions
(e.g., consideration, cooperation, responsibility, empathy). Understand that some children
hold naïve understandings or misconceptions of the world around them. Provide
educational experiences that help students develop more realistic expectations and
understandings of their environment. Make special plans for students who require extra
help in exercising self-control and focus among their peers or who have exceptional
needs or abilities.
TPE9: Instructional Planning
Plan how to explain content clearly and make abstract concepts concrete and meaningful.
TPE 10: Instructional Time
Allocate instructional time to maximize student achievement in relation to state-adopted
academic content standards for students, instructional goals and scheduled academic
tasks. Establish procedures for routine tasks and manage transitions to maximize
instructional time. Based on reflection and consultation, adjust the use of instructional
time to optimize the learning opportunities and outcomes for all students.
TPE 11: Social Environment
Develop and maintain clear expectations for academic and social behavior. Promote
student effort and engagement and create a positive climate for learning. Write and
implement a student discipline plan. Establish rapport with all students and their families
for supporting academic and personal success through caring, respect, and fairness.
Respond appropriately to sensitive issues and classroom discussions. Help students learn
to work responsibly with others and independently. Based on observations of students
and consultation with other teachers, recognize how well the social environment
maximizes academic achievement for all students and makes necessary changes.
Specific CA Content Standards:
LIFE SCIENCES
3.3 Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s
chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in
growth, survival, and reproduction.
b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as
oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
c. Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some
of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are
beneficial.
d. Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and
reproduce; others die or move to new locations.
VISUAL ARTS
2.0 Creative Expression
Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts
Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate

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meaning and intent in original works of art.
Communication and Expression Through Original Works of Art
2.3 Paint or draw a landscape, seascape, or cityscape that shows the illusion of space.
2.4 Create a work of art based on the observation of objects and scenes in daily life,
emphasizing value changes.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
2.0 Reading Comprehension Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate
material. They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed (e.g.,
generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, comparing
information from several sources).
Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1 Use titles, tables of contents, chapter headings, glossaries, and indexes to locate
information in text.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal
information found in, and inferred from, the text.
2.3 Demonstrate comprehension by identifying answers in the text.
2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and modify predictions about forthcoming
information.
2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text.
2.6 Extract appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and
solutions.
2.7 Follow simple multiple-step written instructions (e.g., how to assemble a product or
play a board game).
Specific ISTE Tech Standards for Teachers:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to
facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face
and virtual environments.
Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and
inventiveness.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment
incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.
Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and
resources to promote student learning and creativity.
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative
professional in a global and digital society.

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Teachers demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current
knowledge to new technologies and situations.
Specific ISTE Tech Standards for Students:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products
and processes using technology.
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and
work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual
learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media.
Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve
problems.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry.
Process data and report results.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research,
manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions
using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for
investigation.
Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project.
Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed
decisions.
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology
concepts, systems, and operations.
Understand and use technology systems.
Select and use applications effectively and productively.
Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
REFERENCES – List websites, books, magazines, and other resources
used to collect content information for this unit
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/TPA-files/TPEs-Full-Version.pdf
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

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Life In A Wetland by Allan Fowler
The Magic School Bus Gets Swamped book
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote_hills