Computers in Schools Lesson Plan, The Internet

Lesson Plan:

The Internet I

Objectives:

Students will:

Competently describe the Internet and use it to effectively obtain educational tools and materials.
Suggest methods of using web-based resources for classroom teaching.

NETS-T Standards:

1A. Teachers demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
2B. Teachers apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
2C. Teachers identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
3A. Teachers facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.
3B. Teachers use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.
3C. Teachers apply technology to develop students’ higher-order thinking skills and creativity.
3D. Teachers manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
5C. Teachers apply technology to increase productivity.
6A. Teachers model and teach legal and ethical practice related to technology use.
6B. Teachers apply technology resources to enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities.
6D. Teachers promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.

Materials:

Student computers with Internet access
One teacher computer with lecture slides and Internet access
Website Evaluation Form and Evaluations Grading Rubric
Website Assignments for activity
Extra grading rubric for the Instructional Software Evaluation Assignment

Procedures:

As students enter the room, encourage them to begin their crossword puzzle (so they will not need to complete it as homework). Collect Instructional Software Evaluation Assignments.

Sponge Activity: Crossword Puzzles (20 minutes)

Students will sit at their individual computers and point their web browsers to http://www.puzzlemaker.com. They will then select “Criss-Cross Puzzle” from the pull-down menu. The title of their puzzle will appropriately match their Lesson Plan I or Lesson Plan II assignment. They should maintain all other settings. [Note: Students whose lessons are for early childhood or kindergarden grades may choose to create word searches instead.]

Students will create a crossword puzzle they could use with either of their personally-developed lesson plans. There must be at least eight words in the puzzle, each with a description identifiable to students who participated in the lesson.

When students complete their puzzles, they are to save them in a Word document, add their names, print them out, handwrite the answers into the puzzle, and turn them in. They should maintain a copy for possible inclusion in their e-portfolios.

Opening (5 minutes)

Announce daily outline and objectives.

Lecture: The Internet (30 minutes) - see lecture notes; hear audio

Have all students move to the front of the room. Lecture on the following topics:

The Internet (history, defined, URLs, HTML)
Ethics, safety, and human issues
WebQuests
Evaluating website quality

Hand out the Website Evaluation Form and Evaluations Grading Rubric

Guided Practice: Evaluating Websites (20 minutes)

Have students work in pairs. Provide each pair with a number that corresponds to the websites below. Each pair will review a general education resource and a WebQuest for a given gade level. They will have 20 minutes to review the two sites using criteria discussed in class and from the Schrock article.

Website Assignments for Guided Practice
Group	Website	WebQuest
Pre-Primary
1	Sesame Street Central	On the Farm
Primary
1	Count Us In	Designing a Park
2	Kids Planet	Aquatic Adventure
3	Up To Ten	World Cultures
4	Between the Lions	Our Class Pet
Intermediate
1	NASA: Kids	For Love of the Game?
2	America’s Story	Planet WebQuest
3	Access Excellence: The Mystery Spot	Tuskegee Tragedy
4	Anne Frank: The Writer	A Nation Divided
Middle Level
1	Art Safari	Your Opinion Sells
2	The Moonlit Road	Rickshaw or Rowboat
3	National Library of Virtual Manipulatives	Home Improvement

Closing (5 minutes)

Review daily outline and objectives.
Inform students of reading and quiz for next session.
Remind students to continue working on their lesson plans and to contact me immediately if they have any questions. Selected students will be presenting their lessons to the class on that day so they must be prepared on that day.