A. Target Students
This lesson is targeted for young students such as pre-k and kindergarten to aid in developing letter recognition and identifying parts of a sentence.  This lesson is helpful to all young children such as ELL students, children with intellectual and learning disabilities and special needs.

B. Environment
This lesson will be most beneficial given in a regular classroom with access to technology.  An iPad is advised for this lesson.

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C. Summary of Lesson
By using an app called Nearpod, students will be actively learning and engaging in activities to strengthen their letter recognition.  The lesson will be given to each child on an iPad. We will be focusing on letter recognition and identifying parts of a sentence.  I will provide the students with a short warm up activity which will entail an interactive slideshow.  Then the students will indulge in an individual lesson which will include short quizzes and interactive games.  At the end of the lesson, students will be asked to complete an exit slip demonstrating what they have learned.

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D. Alabama Content Standards Addressed
1. With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. [W.K.6]

2. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

3. Begin to demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.K.2]

a. Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I. [L.K.2a]

b. Recognize and name end punctuation. [L.K.2b]

c. Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). [L.K.2c]

d. Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships. [L.K.2d]

 

E. ISTE Technology Foundations Standards for Students Addressed
1. Select and use applications effectively and productively

2. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
 

F. Student objectives for the lesson
Upon the completion of the lesson, students should be able to:

    - Illustrate letters

    - Identify lower and upper case letters

    - Differentiate lower letters from upper case letters

    - Develop basic reading and writing skills

    - Identify starting and ending words of a sentence 

    - Recognition of the parts of a sentence

 

G. Length of the lesson activity
Depending on the prior knowledge of letter recognition and Nearpod, this lesson should last around 30 minutes.  If the children have no prior use of these, then the lesson might take longer.

H. Preparation
Nearpod must be downloaded on the teacher’s computer as well as each individual students device.  Also, the lessons are already created but you have to download the lesson plan into your files stored in Nearpod!  The students will be asked to fill out an exit slip before moving to another subject; therefore, the slips will need to be printed ahead of time!

 

I. Plan and schedule of activities 

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• Warm-Up- The warm-up will be a pre-downloaded activity that the students will do on their iPad.  The activity will be done through the Nearpod app.  I will help students find the app and get ready to start the warm up. The students will practice saying their ABC’s to each other.  The partners will go back and forth reading, identifying and singing their ABC’s. Then the students will be asked question regarding their name and the letters that make up their name.  I will display the Nearpod lesson on my computer so all of the students can see.

• Directed Instruction- Now that the warm up is finished, the students will engage in another pre-downloaded lesson titled Concepts of Print: Sentences.  I will show the students how to access this activity in Nearpod.  Make sure to go over all of the concepts that are going to be discussed in this activity.  Elaborate on any topics that you think your students might struggle with before hand to make the activity run smoothly and more effectively.

• Guided Instruction- This phase will require me to demonstrate some of the interactive slides to the students so they can get a feel of what the activity entails.  If there is any new material presented in the lesson I will make sure to provide extra materials in needed.  Next, I will allow the students to begin the lesson.  Together, we will read all of the instructions and slowly walk through the slides.

• Independent Instruction-  Now the students should be prepared enough to start going at their on own pace.  I will walk around and assist any student that needs help.  The students will be prompted by a short quiz that is built into the lesson which they will do individually.

• Wrap-Up- Students will be given an exit slip.  An exit slip requires the students to answer questions about what they have learned but also allows the opportunity to ask questions if something was unclear to them.

 

J. List of materials needed

• Nearpod friendly technology (ipad, smart phone, etc.)

• Exit Slip

• Pencil

 

K. Assessment
The assessment will take place through the exit slips.  The following questions could be asked to ensure the learning objectives were met:

 - Illustrate letters: Ask students to write several letters.

- Identify lower and upper case letters: Write any letter in lower and upper case form.

- Differentiate lower letters from upper case letters: Circle the lower case letters.

- Develop basic reading and writing skills: Can you write your name using upper and lower case letters.

- Identify starting and ending words of a sentence/ - Recognition of the parts of a sentence: Circle the first word in the sentence and underline the last word in the sentence. (The dog walked home.)

 

L. Adaptations
The text could incorporate both English and Spanish for ELL students.  I believe students with disabilities could do this exercise exactly how it is.  The only thing I would suggest is maybe giving them extra time and more one on one times.

 

M. Justification

Children learn when they are having fun.  Technology, for this generation, is nothing new for them.  Some children are more familiar than I am with technology.  Children love new things, right?  So does it make sense to stick to books and paper? No!  We have to find ways for students to enjoy school because thats when they will learn. 

 

O. Modification

The lesson activity was found on Nearpod!  I incorporated the exit slips.