Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Teacher Name

James Chase-Wegner

Position

Teacher

School/District

Paulding County School District

E-mail

jchase-wegner@paulding.k12.ga.us

Phone

770-842-3032

Grade Level(s)

6-8

Content Area

Business and Computer Science

Time line

11 Days Total
Day 1: Project Introduction and teams
Day 2: Teams choose project and begin to unpack resources
Day 3: Work in teams to break down content. (watch videos, take notes, brainstorm ideas for
survey questions, model pieces/design, and ideas for podcast topics and subtopics)
Day 4: Begin to create products (Start desalinization plant shoebox model and components,
Script writing for podcast, and create survey questions using Polldaddy.)
Day 5: Continue to create products (Students complete survey(teacher reviews surveys and
places live survey links link on school web site after school -Students begin to gather live
responses to their survey from peers, relatives, and neighbors beginning on this night.)
Day 6: Continue Working on Products (Complete script for podcast, begin making multimedia
presentation format for survey results, and Complete Shoebox Model)
Day 7: Continue Working on Products (Practice script and make a few run through recordings of
Podcasts on Vocaroo, Continue to create multimedia presentation and may begin to add results
when the amount of online survey takers reaches 10 or more, and Label Desalinization Plant
elements.)
Day 8: Continue Working on Products (Complete and save podcast audio mp3 file to jump drive
using Vocaroo by the end of class, Continue to create multimedia presentation using the results
of student surveys, and Label the description/purpose that each element of the desalinization
plant provides.)
Day 9: Complete Products (Use Audacity to edit and add intro and outro music to audio filesave and submit to Edmodo for grade, Complete multimedia presentation- Save and submit
PPT file or Prezi link to Edmodo, and Complete audio retelling of how a desalinization plant
makes fresh water out of salt water using Vocaroo- Save file and submit to Edmodo.
Day 10: Students will present their projects to the class and discuss what they learned with their
peers.
Day 11: Students will complete their in class presentations and their Post Unit Reflection.

Page 1 of 12

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please
put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that indicate which
standards were addressed.

Content Standards

Problem Solving (Brainstorm ideas, Identify cause and effects, Understand how a process
works, and Understand the big picture and beyond yourself)

NETS*S Standards:

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative

products and processes using technology. Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate,
and use information. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research,
manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital
tools and resources.

Page 2 of 12

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

Students will learn about the problem solving process and how their choices and actions can have a serious
impact on the world around them. Students will identify problems associated with water usage, pollution, fresh
water availability, and conservation. Students will collaborate in teams of 2 or 3 to complete their projects.
Student projects will help them and others to understand the problems and solutions associated with water usage,
pollution, fresh water availability, and conservation. Students will be able to choose from a group of 3 possible
projects, considering which project best fits their learning style and they feel would be most interesting to engage
in. Working in teams, students will each create an authentic and meaningful product that will be used share their
findings with others. Each of the 3 options allows students to demonstrate their learning in different ways.
Students will present their final projects to the class; their work will be documented on our class website, in our
school cafeteria, and on our school radio station. Students will reflect on their learning, final product, and group
collaboration experience at the end of the project.

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple yes or no and should have many acceptable answers.

What is the problem solving process?

Why is clean drinking water important for the human body?
Is water usage and conservation an issue here in the United States?
What happens when big business breaks laws regarding water usage and pollution?
What types of pollutants can be found in drinking water here in the United States?
How do the choices we make on a daily basis play into a larger picture in our local environment and on a global
scheme?
What parts of the world struggle to provide necessary clean water for personal and agricultural uses?
What solutions have been thought of for this problem?
What are the possible drawbacks to these current solutions?
How can we use technology to teach and inform others of the importance of fresh drinking water?

Page 3 of 12

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or
rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.

Write a script to be recorded that discusses how water usage and conservation is a concern in the your
local area, other places in the United States or the World, and discussed what individuals and
government can do to help the water conservation cause. Use www.vocaroo.com to create a 2 minute
podcast regarding water usage, conservation, and fresh water production efforts in the United States.
Students may use Audacity to edit and add music to the podcasts intro and outro.
A survey of the class that you create about everyday water use. Students will create their survey using
www.polldaddy.com and have a minimum of 10 people complete their online survey. The data and
results must be used to create a multimedia presentation with MS PowerPoint or Prezi.
Create a shoebox model which includes the ocean and a desalinization plant. Include small replica
elements with labels and description of function for each part of the desalinization process. Create a
Vocaroo audio recording of how the desalinization process works.

Problem Solving Unit: PSA/Podcast

Assessed
Items
Content

Student Name/s_________________________ Date _____________

10

15

Student failed
to add any
researched
content to the
audio file,
adlibbed
throughout
recording, or
did not
complete the
project at all.

Student used and

referenced at least two
sources during the audio
recording.
Student discussed how
water usage and
conservation is a concern
in their local area.

Student used and referenced

at least three sources during
the audio recording.
Student discussed how water
usage and conservation is a
concern in their local area and
other places in the United
States or the World.

PSA / Podcast
Quality

Did not attempt

Lacked professionalism
and script, but recording
was created.

Length: May
contain intro of
speakers,
PSA, Credits,
& Music
Technology
Integration

Minimum of
00:30

Minimum of
1:00

Maintained some level of adult

professionalism; however,
recording was taken seriously
and was scripted.
Minimum of
1:30

Technology
was not used
by students
during this
project to
access
information
and create
product for
student
project.

Reflection

Student did not

attempt the
reflection
process after
completing
project.

Resources made
available by teacher on
www.edmodo.com and
/or those located by using
an internet search engine
were successfully used
by students to locate
content and access
additional content during
this project. MS Office
was used as a
productivity tool to write
and edit script.
Student did attempt the
reflection process after
completing project, but
only completed 2 of the
possible 5 reflection
questions at a satisfactory
level.

20
Student used and
referenced at least three
sources during the audio
recording.
Student discussed how
water usage and
conservation is a concern in
their local area, other places
in the United States or the
World, and discussed what
individuals and government
can do to help the water
conservation cause.
Professional, scripted, and
Realistic. Adult quality.

Minimum of
2:00

Script was copied into

http://www.cueprompter.com/
to assist students in the
production of their audio file
and www.Vocaroo.com was
used to create completed mp3
file.

Students used Vocaroo to

create their mp3 file.
Audacity was used to add
music to the intro and outro
of the PSA/Podcast.

Student did attempt the

reflection process after
completing project, but only
completed 4 of the possible 5
reflection questions at a
satisfactory level.

Student completed 5 of the

possible 5 reflection
questions at a satisfactory
level.

Page 4 of 12

Problem Solving Unit: Online Survey & Multimedia Presentation

Student Name/s_______________________________ Date ____________
Items to be
assessed
Survey

10

15

5 or less Quality
Questions

6-7 Quality Questions

8-9 Quality Questions

Online
Survey
Completion

No participants
took students
online survey.

1-6 different people

completed online survey.
(You may use neighbors,
friends, relatives, and
teachers.)

7-9 different people

completed online survey.
(You may use neighbors,
friends, relatives, and
teachers.)

PowerPoint

No PowerPoint
was made or the
slides do not
have a
breakdown or
analysis of data.

One slide per survey

question, Each slide has
a breakdown of survey
results in percentages if
multiple choice question
or average if written
response.
*Less than 5 slides
include data analysis of
the results.

One slide per survey

question, Each slide has a
breakdown of survey
results in percentages if
multiple choice question or
average if written
response.
*Less than 10 slides
include data analysis of the
results.

Technology
Integration

Technology was
not used by
students during
this project to
access
information and
create product
for student
project.

Online survey creation

tools or Polldaddy were
used to create a 10
question online survey
regarding water quality,
usage, and conservation.

Reflection

Student did not

attempt the
reflection
process after
completing
project.

Resources made
available by teacher on
www.edmodo.com
and/or those located by
using an internet search
engine were successfully
used by students to
locate content and
access additional content
during this project.
Survey questions were
created for the online
survey regarding water
quality, usage, and
conservation.
Student did attempt the
reflection process after
completing project, but
only completed 2 of the
possible 5 reflection
questions at a
satisfactory level.

Student did attempt the

reflection process after
completing project, but
only completed 4 of the
possible 5 reflection
questions at a satisfactory
level.

Page 5 of 12

20
10 Quality Questions
(A quality question
must pose the
question of water use,
waste, or pollution in
the survey takers
home or on their
property.)
10+ different people
completed online
survey. (You may use
neighbors, friends,
relatives, and
teachers.)
One slide per survey
question, Each slide
has a breakdown of
survey results in
percentages if
multiple choice
question or selected
text responses if the
question was written
response. Slide must
also have an analysis
of the data for that
question and how that
data demonstrates
good or poor water
usage/waste/pollution.
MS PowerPoint or
Prezi were used as a
productivity tool to
create a multimedia
presentation with the
result of the online
survey.

Student completed 5
of the possible 5
reflection questions at
a satisfactory level.

Problem Solving Unit: Desalinization Plant

Items to be a
Assessed

Student Name/s________________________ Date__________

10

15

20

All Components of
desalinization
plant are built and
present

0 present

Labeling of
Component
Names

0 labeled
descriptions

1-4 labeled
descriptions

5- 8 labeled
descriptions

9+ labeled descriptions

Descriptions of
what each
component does
in the process

0 labeled
descriptions

1-4 labeled
descriptions

5- 8 labeled
descriptions

9+ labeled descriptions

Technology
was not used
by students
during this
project to
access
information
and create
product for
student
project.

Resources made
available by
teacher on
www.edmodo.com
and /or those
located by using
an internet search
engine were
successfully used
by students to
locate content and
access additional
content during this
project.

Students used the

Desalinization
YouTube video to
learn and
comprehend how the
water desalinization
process works.
Students were able to
build a shoebox
model of the
desalinization plant
using the video as a
resource.

Students used
www.vocaroo.com to
create an mp3 audio file
describing how the
desalinization plants works,
the possible negatives and
positives that are
associated with using
desalinization as a solution
for fresh water in the
future.

Student did not

attempt the
reflection
process after
completing
project.

Student did
attempt the
reflection process
after completing
project, but only
completed 2 of the
possible 5
reflection
questions at a
satisfactory level.

Student did attempt

the reflection process
after completing
project, but only
completed 4 of the
possible 5 reflection
questions at a
satisfactory level.

Student completed 5 of the

possible 5 reflection
questions at a satisfactory
level.

Technology
Integration

1-4 present

5-8 present

9-10 Present
(Salt Water Well, Water
Pump, Salt water entry
tube for facility, Factory
Wall, Multi-Media Filter,
Cartridge Filters (2), high
pressure pump, Reverse
Osmosis Filter, Brine
Disposal well, and Fresh
water tank/s.

Reflection

Page 6 of 12

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resourcesonline student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etchelp elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)
Edmodo will be used to give students daily access to online resources that students may use to get them started. Students may use personal
ear buds or have access to headphones and microphones during the project. Teacher will create a separate Edmodo post for each of the
different projects. Students may use resources found in post and other resources they find on their own to assist them in completing their
project requirements. Students will need to have previous experience accessing files via Edmodo and searching for content on the internet
search engines. Students may have difficulty using new Web 2.0 tools needed during this unit. Students will have access to videos and
webpages that will assist them in using each tool. Teacher will provide a break out session for each product option to explore available
resources and tools students are to use during their projects. In this unit students may utilize Web 2.0 tools Edmodo, Vocaroo, Polldaddy, MS
PowerPoint, Prezi, CuePrompter, and/or Audacity.
Public Service Announcement / Podcast Teacher Post:

Oregon Water Science Center(This site gives students access to what adult podcasts regarding water conservation sound like.)
http://or.water.usgs.gov/podcasts/ http://gallery.usgs.gov/video/oregon_science_podcast/2012/OWSC_episode03.mp4
http://gallery.usgs.gov/audio/or_water_science/OWSC_episode18_080111.mp3
Video that explores how pollutants affect the health of aquatic wildlife.
http://or.water.usgs.gov/podcasts/20110711_161_ConHab.html
This United States Environmental Protection (EPA) website allows students to learn if waterways near them or anywhere in the
United states are polluted and with what. Students will be able to explore maps and makes connections to how industry and
population affect the quality of water in nearby streams. http://watersgeo.epa.gov/mywaterway/search.html
What contaminants are consumers most concerned about being in their drinking water?
http://www.nsf.org/newsroom_pdf/cons_water_supply_contaminants_infographic.pdf
Article discussing contaminants found in Atlantas water supply. http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/city-of-atlanta-water-containsprobable-cancer-cau/nQn52/
Desalinization Plant in Georgia. http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/08/28/story4.html?page=all
Is desalination Texas water future? -Article discusses how desalinization plants are being built in Texas to offset fresh water needs
in the state. http://kxan.com/2014/06/04/is-desalination-texas-water-future/
This article discusses the need for desalinization plants in drought areas like California. http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/04/05/willturning-seawater-drinking-water-help-drought-hit-california
Teacher generated screen cast to assist students with using www.vocaroo.com. http://screencast.com/t/oqwYOCNpRJm
Wanting to take your audio recording to the highest level but need to know more about Audacity watch this video by Andrew Mercer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbqJVC6kQ50

Online Survey and Multimedia Presentation Post:

Polldaddy websites may be used by students to create their 10 question surveys for an actual online audience. Students must get a
minimum of 10 people to complete their surveys. Survey questions can garner quantitative or qualitative data.
https://polldaddy.com/login/ Need extra support when creating your survey?: http://support.polldaddy.com/create-a-survey/
Water Survey Examples and Resources:
http://waterconservationschool.com/watercalculator.htm
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2k54gzrfybo4ou6/a026ahi6sf2ai9/questions
http://image.slidesharecdn.com/waterquestionnaire-111203135257-phpapp02/95/water-questionnaire-1-728.jpg?cb=1322942484
http://www.joe.org/joe/2011april/images/a8_tab2.png
What contaminants are consumers most concerned about being in their drinking water?
http://www.nsf.org/newsroom_pdf/cons_water_supply_contaminants_infographic.pdf
This United States Environmental Protection (EPA) website allows students to learn if waterways near them or anywhere in the
United states are polluted and with what. Students will be able to explore maps and makes connections to how industry and
population affect the quality of water in nearby streams. http://watersgeo.epa.gov/mywaterway/search.html
Students may use MS PowerPoint or www.Prezi.com to create their multimedia presentation depending on their comfort and
experience level with the two multimedia presentation tools. A sample How To Make a Great Prezi, Prezi by Ned Potter can be
found at https://prezi.com/_sto8qf_0vcs/the-how-to-make-a-great-prezi-prezi/

Desalinization Plants and Audio Recording of the Plants Processes:

All about desalination by CSBTV20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=23&v=2XMRlFMJB-g

Desalinization Myths and Misconceptions by the National Centre of Excellence in Desalinization Association:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbqafB4POA
This DVSMarketing YouTube video does an excellent job of describing the Desalinization Plant Process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ7bgkFgqJQ
Understanding the reverse osmosis part of the process by Oceanit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbPNw3JaL7w
Is desalination Texas water future? -Article discusses how desalinization plants are being built in Texas to offset fresh water needs
in the state. http://kxan.com/2014/06/04/is-desalination-texas-water-future/
This article discusses the need for desalinization plants in drought areas like California. http://www.gpb.org/news/2015/04/05/willturning-seawater-drinking-water-help-drought-hit-california
Teacher generated screen cast to assist students with using www.vocaroo.com. http://screencast.com/t/oqwYOCNpRJm
An article discussing negatives of desalinization plants. http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/seawater-desalinationsolution-or-problem/
5 Pros and Cons to the use of desalinization as a long term solution for creating fresh drinking water. http://nlcatp.org/5-essentialpros-and-cons-of-desalination/

Page 7 of 12

Instructional Plan

Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can
you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)
Teacher should clearly discuss the different projects, requirements, and the tools used during the opening for this
project. Teacher will share a brief PowerPoint intro to the unit which looks at the problem of water usage and
conservation across our world. This will stimulate interest in the upcoming projects, activate prior knowledge, and
identify which students already have an understanding of the problem to be discussed. Student teams will select
which of the three project options they think best meets their skills and learning styles. Students should have a
good understanding of how to access and submit assignments to Edmodo by this time because it is not the first
unit of any semester taught.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.

Students will be divided into 2-3 person teams based on student learning styles, Lexile scores, and behavior.
Student teams will have choice over which Engaged Learning project they would like to complete. Since my class
is a computer lab students will have access to technology every day.
I will have the classroom set up for the various projects before they arrive. I will keep the desalinization plant
projects together and spread out students that will be creating surveys and will be making podcasts so their ability
to collaborate and create their products will not be affected by others around them.
To avoid technical issues, I will have headphones and microphones set up at each location prior to the start of
class and will flag the locations with a colored index card. Once groups have chosen where they will sit, groups
will report to that location at the beginning of class each day. Teacher will also have jump drives available at each
group location before they arrive to class for the saving of files. These jump drives, will also have the YouTube
videos and internet articles needed for each project in case internet connectivity is an issue on a given day. This
will prevent massive amounts of work loss, frustration, and unnecessary downtime that could lead to behavior
issues by some students.
Teacher will set up one Polldaddy account for the class and control the account via password. Student
computers will be logged into Polldaddy accounts prior to class each day for the students to create surveys and
access results. Having control over the accounts, will prevent any unwanted behavior issues occurring outside of
class time with student surveys published on line. Student survey links will be posted on our class web page for
the public to visit and take them.
Teacher will act as facilitator during the project to assist students with accessing content, using technology
resources, and posing and answering questions regarding student final projects.
*To ensure equitable access to computers and or the internet for work on their projects, my lab will be available to
students each morning during the project for tutoring purposes from 7:45-8:15am.

Page 8 of 12

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Blooms Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge
and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other
and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?

This project is very student centered and constructivist. Students will first be introduced to the problem solving
process (Identify the Problem, Create a Plan, Carry out the Plan, and Look back and Reflect). I will then
introduce the overarching goal of the project.
Students will learn the problem solving process by focusing on the real world problem of Water Usage and
Conservation in the hopes that they will be impacted and impact others in regards to the understanding of this
complex problem.
Students will be placed in teams and will be introduced to the 3 different project options. Teacher will discuss the
different resources available to the teams for each option and discuss the rubrics for each option.
Student teams will select their option taking on the role of explorer, producer, and teacher. Students will need to
communicate and work collaboratively to analyze, evaluate, and create high level products that will be used to
teach others about the problem at hand. During the learning process, students will read articles, watch videos,
listen to podcasts, and discuss how they intend to incorporate the many resources into their project. Completed
student products will be presented to the class, displayed on the school cafeteria televisions, available online on
our class webpage, and broadcasted over our schools short range radio channel for parents to hear while in the
car rider line. Students will complete a post project reflection that is part of their summative grade focusing on
what they learned, how well their team collaborated, and what they would have done differently if they had the
option of completing the project again.
Teacher will act as guide and facilitator throughout the process, allowing students to select and guide their own
learning. Teacher will discuss rubric requirements with the students each day to keep them focused on the goals
at hand and the time in which they have to complete them. Teacher will ensure that technology is working
properly and is ready for student use each day. Teacher will ensure that student privacy and anonymity is
protected when publishing final projects for the community.
Technology will be used throughout this project to access, explore, learn about and create new information
resources. Students will communicate their learning with others by creating online surveys, restating a learned
process in their own words, scripting and performing an authentic radio podcast, and/or using multimedia software
to create a dynamic presentation of actual real time results to student created surveys.

Page 9 of 12

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

Each project focuses on a different learning style. The different teacher made project posts on Edmodo have
many resources that are targeted to help students have a good starting point with their chosen project. The posts
contain many resources that students can choose from. This project opens itself up for much creativity and
exploration within the different project requirements. Students looking for enrichment and extension activities can
find them by achieving high on the scoring rubrics as each step up higher on the rubric will require students to
learn more and use different types of technology along the way. Students requiring assistance with the reading of
articles can do this easily using Don Johnstons Snap Read which is available on all student computers. This can
be done without feeling as though others are judging them due to the spacing of the teams within the classroom
and the use of ear buds or headphones at each of the groups.
Students lacking confidence in exploring and using new technologies may use me as a resource. Vocaroo,
Audacity, CuePrompter, Polldaddy, and Prezi will all have How To links for students to explore and learn about
the tools. A short screen cast for Vocaroo was created for this project. The teacher should also plan to teach
short breakout sessions as needed for any struggling students to avoid any unnecessary frustration.
The Desalinization Plant Shoebox Model and Process Retelling project is meant for those who learn better by
seeing and creating with their own hands. This activity is great for ELL students who learn well by creating labels
for newly learned concepts and students who like to learn by creating things with their hands. Most YouTube
videos allow for close captioning in many different languages and videos can be replayed over and over to allow
students to learn difficult concepts. I have included a separate video describing the reverse osmosis part of the
process which will be the most difficult to understand. Having a student retell how a process works in their own
words is one of the best ways to access learning.
The Podcast is a great project for students who love to communicate verbally. They will enjoy putting in the time
to create a high quality finished product because they care how they sound. Examples of quality podcasts have
been included for students to understand how a radio show podcast is put together and performed. By requiring a
script, students must take time to collaborate and discuss the content they are learning about, deciding what
should be included and excluded from the podcast. This collaboration will force all of the partners to take an
active role in developing their lines for the broadcast.
The Online Survey and Multimedia Presentation project is good for students who like to learn through technology.
They will be able to create an actual survey that others will be able to complete online. Being able to use the data
from their own student survey they created deeply connects the student with the learning and excites them to
create their presentation of the results. Students are interested in making a quality survey as it will be viewable
by many and compared to other surveys made by other groups in the class.
All students have the opportunity to both learn and share their learning with others during this project.

Page 10 of 12

Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
In what ways was this lesson effective?
What went well and why?
What did not go well and why?
How would you teach this lesson differently?)

After students share their final projects with the class they will complete their Post Project Reflections using
Edmodo. This is part of their final summative grade for the project and the last part of the problem solving
process is to look back and reflect.
Post Unit Reflection (To be completed and submitted via Edmodo): Please take the time to answer these five
questions. To begin hit the turn in button and then answer these five questions in the comment box of your turn in
area. Upon completion of the 6 questions select an emoticon and select submit assignment. Being that this unit
focuses on Problem Solving this reflection will be worth 20 points of your projects summative grade. Do a good
job on it as it is important. Good Luck!"
1. What are the four parts of the problem solving process and why is each part important to consider?
2. Do you believe this unit has changed your opinion about our local and world water supply? Why or why not?
3. Which project did your group decide to do and what did you learn while completing that project?
4. Was your group a success and what were the factors that made your group a success?
5. Could your group have been even more of a success? (Ideas for this question are: Did you or your partner miss
any days, were you or your partner unfocused at times, did you not work well with others, or something else.)
6. If you could change anything about your project, the choices you made in selecting or completing the project
what would they be? What could Mr. CW do differently to make this project even better? If you wouldn't change a
thing then tell me what you enjoyed the most about this project?

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Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.

I believe this lesson was one of the most successful lessons I have completed all year with my students. I
received a lot of positive feedback from my students in regards to the enjoyment they received from taking on
their own learning and using technology to interact with people while creating meaningful projects.
I initially did this lesson during the Fall of 2014 for the first time, but improved it in many ways. I learned that my
students needed some guidance when finding resources; therefore, I took the time to research good resources
available online for each possible project. Different than the first attempt this past fall, I decided to create
separate Edmodo posts for each project in the hopes of not overwhelming my students. This went over well and
my students liked having access to resources that were project specific. Examples of quality podcasts, water
quality survey questions, and shoebox models from the previous semester all helped shape student learning.
I also gave them some more time this semester to understand the project requirements, get engaged in the
learning, and create quality final products. During the fall semester I did not know what the students were
capable of so my rubric expectations were not as rigorous. I have added to those expectations and tried to make
them as clear as possible for my students this spring. They rose to meet the highest levels of the rubrics.
I think that choosing the partners the way I did really helped out all of the groups. I feel that each group was more
engaged in the project than taking an opportunity to socialize with a good friend. By pairing higher level readers
with lower level readers, students were able to assist each other when needed for the most part. Also many of
the groups had no problem deciding which projects they were going to work on, because they similar learning
styles. This can be easily done by having your students update their profiles on Edmodo. They have a section
where students choose their favorite learning style and teacher can access this area quickly.
I did not include the Post Unit Reflection on the Project Rubrics this past Fall or this Spring. It was a formative
grade all to itself. However, I have decided to add it to the rubric you will find in this lesson plan because many of
my students worked harder knowing their partner would be weighing in on the group experience and they would
personally have to reflect on their own learning after the projects completion. I think having this expectation
included in the rubric will have an even greater impact on the project and remove the need for two different
assessments for one project.
I think the most important thing a teacher needs to do during this project is have all of your resources ready and
available for access before the students arrive. Having student computers logged in and ready with the Polldaddy
account and having headphones and microphones set up and ready to go made it easy on classroom
management. Students were able to go directly to their area and begin. Anytime technology can be implemented
to cut down on transition time and engage students in meaningful tasks, learning gains will be easily seen.
Having the Vocaroo screencast available for students was helpful. I have added additional How To links for
students when using the other new technologies during this project. In the future, I would like to create some
more simple screencasts that will focus solely on what students need to know for these projects.
Lastly, be available. Be available for all of your students. Facilitation does not mean you get to sit down. Bounce
from group to group to celebrate their learning and their willingness to do their best for you. Ask if you can help
and how you can help. Get them to tell restate what they are learning. Ask them higher order questions about
what they are learning and how they intend to use it in their project. Encourage meaningful collaborative
conversation within the groups and help them by talking about their projects and new learning. Get them to ask
you questions and dont expect or pretend to know all of the answers. Students like when they get the chance to
share new information and ask teachers tough questions.

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