Phase 2: Implementation of the Lesson

IMPLEMENTATION 

Procedures:

1. First we will gather in a group to discuss what they already know about deserts and forests.  If the students need some guiding questions to get started, I will help them with that by asking if they have ever visited the desert and what kind of plants and animals do you see there?
2. After we talk a little about each ecosystem, I will introduce the book about the desert.  As we read the books about the forest and the desert, I will be sure to point out specific plants and animals that are in that ecosystem.  During the book I will also ask if the students have seen any of the wildlife in our own ecosystem (the forest) to compare the two.
3. After our books are read, I will explain that as a whole group we will be creating the forest ecosystem.  We will do this in Pixie and I will be putting in the animals and plants that the students tell me.  I will be using questions to guide them on what to add and ask them what types of plants and animals they see when they go outside in Flagstaff.
4. After the students go back to their seats with their computer, I will instruct them to open Pixie, which is a program they have all used before.  I will go over specific directions on what they are to use in Pixie and what they need to create.  These include: using the stickers to locate different animals and plants, using the coloring tools to had extra detail or draw animals, plants, or other features, and using the text box if they can write in specific details (or I can help with that).
5. While the students are working, I will be walking around asking them questions to prompt their thinking about the ecosystem the chose.  I will also help guide them on what to do next if they appear to be struggling.
6. As the students complete their ecosystem of the desert, I will help them label the different plants and animals they have included in their ecosystem.  When they are all finished, we will print out their ecosystems to display in the classroom.

Technology Integration:

Students will be using technology to create their final product to show what they have learned.  Their entire ecosystem that they create will be on their own ecosystem using Pixie and the tools provided in that program.

Differentiated Instruction: 

• Cognitive Delays: For these students, I will have created a Pixie page that already has the different animals and plants for the ecosystem that they want to create.  They will then need to drag the different animals and plants to spots where they think they belong since they will be scattered on the page.
• Gifted: For these students, I will have them type in the names of the different animals, plants, and other features they used.
• ELL: For these students, I will pair them up with another student that speaks their first language and English, or a student that will "nurture" them along the way and help them out if and when they need it.  Each student will still create their own Pixie page. 

REFLECT ON...

Designing Instruction: 

• I have chosen these instructional methods because I think children, especially young children, learn through books.  They are able to hear the story and see the pictures which tends to stick in their memory, especially since their will be a discussion along with it. I am also allowing my students to use Pixie because it is simple for them to use, but allows them to be creative and create what they want using a blank page.
• My instructional methods align with best practices for my students because I am implementing reading along with the science lesson.  Students should be reading and applying what they know along with investigating to make science instruction meaningful within the classroom.
• I am engaging students with higher order thinking by allowing them to show what they have learned by creating their own desert ecosystem.  They can either use what they have learned in the book about the desert or think about what they have seen when they visited the desert.
• My integration of technology with this lesson allows for best practice because it allows them to be a little more creative instead of just drawing a picture of it.  They can use Google to look up images of the real animals and plants and it allows for a better visual of what is actually in these ecosystems.  They can also conduct their own research if needed on these ecosystems to learn more about them.