Finish Final Project: Check!

Yesterday I completed my activities with my 'students' on Edmodo.  We had a discussion and they completed an online quiz on Monarch butterflies.  They had a lot of fun...at one point my oldest niece said "Hey, it's like we're texting!"  After exploring Edmodo and trying out some of the features, I think this is a tool I am going to try out in my classroom.  I know there are so many other features that I'm not familiar with yet and am excited to continue learning all about it!

o    Title: Monarch Butterfly Unit Utilizing Edmodo

o    Concept

• During first quarter, the second grade completes a unit on Monarch butterflies as a science exit outcome.  The unit is integrated into the language arts block.  An online Web 2.0 tool called Edmodo will be used to guide discussions between students and as a way to administer an assessment following the unit. 

o    General Goal(s)

• The primary goal of this unit is to meet the first quarter science exit outcome on lifecycles.
• A secondary goal of this unit is to introduce the students to Edmodo and allow them to become more familiar with the program in order to utilize it within other units and lessons throughout the year. 

o    Specific Learning Outcomes

• The students will be able to explain each of the four stages in the lifecycle of a butterfly.
• The students will be able to write short expository paragraphs using facts and information learned about Monarch butterflies.
• The students will be able to transfer this information to a future unit of study where they will have to compare and contrast insects and arachnids.
• The students will be able to log-in to Edmodo.
• The students will be able to blog with their classmates and answer and discuss questions related to the theme of the unit.
• The students will be able to take a quiz on Edmodo.

o    Characteristics of your Learners

• This unit is designed for a regular education second grade class.  The unit will be taught during the early part of first quarter.  Because it will be taught during the language arts block, a majority of the special education students will probably be out of the room. 

o    Required Materials

• Multiple copies of nonfiction books about Monarch caterpillars/butterflies
• Multiple student computers/tablets
• Access to Internet (including Edmodo)
• Pencils and writing paper

o    Introduction to the Activity

• This unit is designed to last for multiple days during the reading and writing portion of the day.  This specific activity, however, only covers the portion of the unit that incorporates Edmodo.  The students will have already read several nonfiction books on Monarch butterflies, completed numerous class discussions and assignments, and watched on-line educational video clips on the topic.
• On this particular day, the students will be divided into four small groups-each group will be completing a separate literacy activity related to the topic of butterflies. The groups will rotate until everyone has completed each of the four activities.  This lesson plan explains the step-by-step procedures for the teacher-led group using Edmodo. 

o    Step-By-Step Procedures

• The first step in this activity will be to walk the students through logging in to the Edmodo site.  Prior to the lesson, I will have collected permission slips from parents, created accounts for each student, and written user names and passwords on notecards for each student.  I will show the students the icon on the desktop that will take them directly to Edmodo, where to type their username and password, and where to click to login. 
• Next I will explain that we will only be using two features on Edmodo for this lesson, but that there are numerous other features we will be using throughout the school year.  The features we will be using today are the quiz and the newsfeed.  First I will show the students where to click to take the quiz.  This quiz will actually be the end of the unit test, covering all of the information in the unit.  There will be a variety of short-answer, multiple choice, and matching questions.  Because this is the first test they will be taking in this format, I will have them do it in a small group while I circulate, observe, and answer questions. 
• Once all of the students have completed the quiz, I will show where I posted a comment on the newsfeed.  The comment will act as a prompt for the students to brainstorm a list of facts that they could use to write an expository paragraph about butterflies.  They will add to the list that their classmates and I have started.  I will ask each of them to add at least one comment to my post and to try not to repeat any of the ideas already listed. 
• Next, I will explain that after everyone has had a chance to take the quiz and contribute to the brainstormed list of facts, we will come together as a whole class and use the list to fill out graphic organizers.  They will later use these graphic organizers to write a six or more sentence paragraph on Monarch butterflies. 

o    Assessment

• Formal: I will use the results of the online quiz as well as the written paragraph as a formal assessment to the butterfly unit.  The online quiz is a combination of short-answer, multiple choice, and matching questions.  Each student will receive a score based on the number of correct responses given.  Edmodo automatically grades the quiz and reports the score to me.  I will use a rubric to assess the paragraphs written.  The students will be graded primarily on the content, however, some points will be awarded for mechanics, sentence structure, and organization. 
• Informal: I will informally assess the use of the Edmodo site using a checklist.  First, I will look to see that each student participated by replying to the brainstorming post.  I will also take notes as far as the ease of use of the program and things to change or improve upon for future use.

o    Conclusion

• Following this activity, the students will be familiar with the Edmodo site.  They will be able to log in independently and know how to take quizzes online.  If this activity is successful, I would plan to use it again and incorporate more features of the site.  For example, I could assign discussions and poll questions as homework.  A majority of the students would be able to complete it at home, and for those who could not, I would provide time either at the end of the day or before school the next morning.  Another way to extend on this activity would be to load or create graphic organizers for the students to complete online rather than by pencil and paper.  The students could then type their paragraphs directly on the computer from time to time rather than always writing them out by hand.