ASSURE Multimedia Lesson Plan

ASSURE Model Instructional Plan

Lesson Title: Cereal Nutrition and Natural Resources

Grade Level: Grade 7

Analyze Learners

Learners' General Characteristics:

This lesson plan is designed for 7th grade students enrolled at V.S.A. Benavente Middle School. The schools student population is comprised of varying ethnicities which include Chamorro, Filipino, Chuukese, other Pacific Islander, other East and Southeast Asian,, white/Non-Hispanic, and other or mixed ethnicites. At 55%, over half the students are English language learners and 6% are eligible to receive special education services. During the school year 2013-2014, seventy-three percent of the students were eligible for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. There is no recent update on the percentage for the school year 2014-2015. For the social studies portion of the Standards Based Assessment (SBA), fifty-three percent of the students are ranked proficient or advanced during the school year 2014-2015. Learning styles and academic abilities vary.

Entry Characteristics:
The students in this class are familiar with using a computer and accessing the internet. They are also familiar with different brands of cereal and can read nutrition labels. Students have experience in cooperative learning groups.

Learning Styles:

• Visual: 30%
• Auditory: 30%
• Kinesthetic: 40%

State Objectives:

This lesson corresponds with Guam Department of Education Social Studies Grade 7 Standard 5, Economics, in which students learn about the concepts of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and resources.

7.5.1: Identify types of natural, human, and capital resources and explain their significance, including the following:

• Their influence on patterns of economic activity and land use
• Perspectives and consequences regarding the use of resources

Objectives:

• Students will be able to collect data and make a visual graph of the sodium, fat, and sugar found in different cereal nutrition labels.
• Students will compare and contrast the nutrients found in the different cereals.
• Students will research on the nutrients of salt and sugar including: where and how it is made and the history of the natural resources in that particular place.
• Students will each write a reflection on what they have learned about how people make and consume the natural resources of salt and sugar.

Select Methods, Media, and Materials:

Methods:
Students will work in groups of 4 or 5 members for this project.

Media:
Video: How to read a nutrition label
Video: How to create a Bar Graph
Video: Brief introduction to the Earth's natural resources

Materials:

• Computer
• Internet
• Projector
• Google Spreadsheet
• Handouts of cereal box nutrition labels (Froot Loops, Raisin  Bran, Frosted Flakes)

Utilize Methods Media, and Materials

Prepare the Materials:
Prior the the class meeting, the teacher will meet with librarian or computer lab technician to reserve computers for the class to use. All computers will be connected to the internet.

Prepare the Environment:
Desks are to be arranged into groups to allow for group work. They are also to be arranged so that each student is able to see the board when videos or demonstrations are projected. Groups will not be allowed to use computers until data collection is complete.

Prepare the Learner:
Students will be informed about the project at least a week in advance. At that time, students are also introduced to natural resources with the Crash Course youtube video. Students will be encouraged to think of more natural resources when they are at home.

Media:
Video: Resources: Welcome to the Neighborhood - Crash Course Kids #2.1 - This video briefs students on what natural resources are and why they are important to the earth and its people. It discusses the natural resources and processes involved in making a cake, which can also be applied to the production of box of cereal.
How to read a nutrition label - Students are allowed to refer to this video to understand the parts of a nutrition label.
How to make a bar graph - This shows students how to create a bar graph with Google Spreadsheet.

Methods:
Cooperative Learning Groups. This project will take place over the course of two days. Students will be in groups of 4 - 5. One student will be assigned leader and designate duties. One student will be in charge of collecting data for one nutrient. (One will do sodium, one will do sugar, etc.) Once all data is collected, the video of how to make bar graphs will be shown. Students will then input their data into a new spreadsheet file and create bar graphs. Students will compare the nutrients found in the three cereals. Next, students are to focus on the natural resources that are used in making cereal. The are to research the location of the resources, how it is made, a history of the resources in that region as well as the effects of production has on the region's people. They will work together to gather this information. From this information, each student will write a short paper about what they have learned about natural resources which will be turned in the following day.

Require Learner Participation
Lesson: Cereal Nutrition and Natural Resources	Notes:
Open: How will you start the lesson. Ask the students what they know about nutrients and natural resources.
Introduction of class topic and objectives.	Write objectives on the board and have the students copy the objectives into their notebooks.
Have students get into groups.	Members are assigned randomly.
Learning About the Nutrition Facts Label: Groups will watch the Youtube video on how to read a nutritional label. Then they will be given 3 different cereal nutrition labels. They will examine the Nutrition Facts Label. Students are to write notes in their notebooks on what the terms and definitions of the different nutrients are. They can access the internet for this information.	Video will be shown twice. Be open for questions while students are working.
Data Collection: They will discuss  with their group mates which information from the nutrition label they will need. They will record this information.	Double check each group's data for accuracy.
Creating Bar Graphs:  Students will have gathered their data. Through the use of the projector, students will be shown the video on how to create bar graphs.	Video will be show twice. Ensure that students are following along.
Creating Bar Graphs: After the video, students will be inputting the data for sugar, salt, and fat into three separate graphs for Google Spreadsheet. Show students how to highlight the cells of the Spreadsheet in order to create visual graphs. There is also the option of placing all information into one bar graph for easier analyzing.	Satisfies the 1st and 2nd objectives.
Research about Natural Resources: Introduce the topic of natural resources by stating that sugar and salt are a natural resources. Show them the youtube video.	Video will be shown once.
Research about Natural Resources: Have students do research about one ingredient found in cereal. Gathering information may take up the rest of class time so it will also become homework. Research must include at least some brief information where the natural resources is found, how is it made, the history of the resources in that region.	Satisfies 3rd objective. They are encouraged to organize their findings into outlines.
Reflection of Natural Resources: Students will write a 1-2 page paper on the information of the natural resources they have gathered.	Satisfies 4th objective. Students may read their reflections in class, but is not required.

Evaluate and Revise

Student Performance:

• Student/Group performance will be evaluated on how well they worked with their group members throughout the lesson.
• Bar graphs will be graded using the following rubric.
• Group papers will be evaluated using the following rubric.

Media Effectiveness:

• Was the Youtube video an appropriate chocie? Where students interested and engaged?
• Was the online tool used to create bar graphs easy for all students to use?
• Were the students able to conduct proper and adequate research on the natural resources used in cereals?

Instructor Performance:

• Was the lesson well-planned?
• How did the students respond to the lesson?
• Were the learning objectives met?
• What are some improvements?

Rubric for Creating a Bar Graph

Category	4	3	2	1
Title	Title clearly relates to the information being graphed. It is printed at the top of the graph.	Title relates to the information being graphed and is printed at the top of the graph.	A title is present at the top of the graph.	A title is not present.
Labels	Labels are neat and clear and accurately describe the information presented.	Labels are clear and describe the information presented.	The labels are present, but may not describe the information.	Labels are not present
Units	All units are described and are appropriately sized for the data set.	Most units are described and are appropriately sized for the data set.	All units are described, but are not appropriately sized for the data set.	Units are neither described NOR appropriately sized for the data set.
Accuracy of Bars	All bars are correct size and are easy to use.	All bars are correct size and are easy to see.	All bars are correct size.	Bars are not correct OR extra bars were included.

Rubric for Students' Reflections

Category	4	3	2	1
Depth of Reflection	The reflection is well-developed, organized, and uses purposeful word choice. Has no grammatical errors in usage or conventions that interfere with meaning,	The reflection is developed, quite organized, and uses clear word choice. Has a few, if any, grammatical errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning.	The reflection is unclear. Attempts to use organizational structure. Has some grammatical errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning.	The reflection is very unclear. May be too brief to demonstrate an organizational structure. Has many grammatical errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning.

References:

Enlightened by Ms. Kat: ASSURE Multimedia Lesson Plan: Setting the Bar on Breakfast Cereals. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://enlightenedbymskat.blogspot.com/2015/06/assure-multimedia-lesson-plan-setting.html

Online Educational Game

For this assignment, the class was randomly sorted into groups. My group, recognized as Group Delta, consisted of all secondary education majors with focuses on English, social studies, math, and consumer and family science. We had all found interesting and educational games relating to our subjects. However because all of us had different concentrations, we were stuck wondering which game would be best for the assignment. Ultimately, we followed a process of elimination based on how informative the game was to students and general game players.

We had decided upon the Vocabulary Quiz game. Just as its name suggests, the game tests students knowledge of vocabulary within specific categories. Since the game allowed for different categories, students would be able to learn different and new terms of topics that they already find interesting. Players of the game must choose from four possible options to to find the word that best fills in the blank in the sentences. This method is helpful because students hear words all the time so they can apply what they know to the sentences. If the student does not know the answer, they can use deductive reasoning to find the answer based on the structure of the sentence.

Fisher and Frey (2014) state that, for students to find the meaning of unknown words, they need to understand words in the way that it is used in the text (p. 597). They also state that teachers must “[model] words solving” over the different content areas. As stated earlier, the Vocabulary Quiz game offers different categories which teachers can use for different words in different contexts to help their students understand. The game was difficult even for our classmates to complete, so the teacher can help students understand any words missed. As Rebecca Alber (2010) suggests, it is better for students to learn vocabulary words based on concepts as opposed to passively writing down definitions. As a teacher, I would not rely on this game as an official assessment. I would use the game for practice sessions and have students choose and complete a category they are less familiar with. The students can also work together in pairs to increase cooperative skills.
Creating a rubric for the Vocabulary Quiz game actually confused me. Later, I realized that I had a hard time understanding what to do because I was thinking like a student who had to follow directions when no specific directions were given. I had to remind myself that in a classroom, the teacher gives the directions. They determine which criteria to grade the students’ skills and abilities. Once I kept that thought in mind, it became easier to move on to creating the rubric. My group found a rubric online that we used as a template to follow.

My group used wix to make the website for our presentation. I had never used the site before so designing the website for our presentation required a lot of tinkering and guesswork based on my prior knowledge of editing. The main downside to wix is that it tends to load slowly. Processing and saving any new changes took a while. I received messages from my group mates mentioning that their changes did not show or save either even when they selected that appropriate option. Overall, our website turned out well, but I personally will look into other presentation tools.

The most difficult part of this group project was the live presentation of the online educational game to the class. We worked with each other in creating the content for the website through google docs as well as coming up with our activity. Personally, I feel that my group could have done more to prepare for the presentation. I feel that we had fallen short and that we seemed quite unorganized. We relied mainly on emails and Whatsapp, the smartphone application, to communicate. I feel that this puts us at a disadvantage since it prevents us from broadening our knowledge of useful online tools that we can apply in the classroom for future students. We need to learn about more online educational tools because we as teachers will be setting an example for students. Teachers  must teach students to also try new things because it is beneficial.

References

Alber, R. (2010, December17). Doing it differently: Tips for teaching vocabulary. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/vocabulary-instruction-teaching-tips-rebecca-alber

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014). Content Area Vocabulary Learning. Reading Teacher, 67(8), 594-599. doi:10.1002/trtr.1258