Butterfly Life Cycle ASSURE Lesson Plan

Abstract Educators plan instructional activities to promote student learning. It is important to follow a plan or process when designing instruction. Educators may choose from many models to design their lessons. The following lesson on the butterfly life cycle was created using the ASSURE model. Each component of the model is discussed in relation to the butterfly life cycle lesson.

The ASSURE Model

In education, careful planning is needed to provide effective instruction for learning. Several models can be used to design or plan classroom instruction. For the purpose of this lesson, the ASSURE model by Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell (2008) will be used. The ASSURE model consists of six steps “to assure effective instruction” (2008, p. 87). These steps offer a systematic approach to designing instruction. A description of each step and the planning information for the Butterfly Life Cycle lesson plan are presented in the following sections.

Instructional Situation

The Butterfly Life Cycle lesson plan was designed specifically for a group of first-grade students in a gifted resource classroom. The lesson provides students with an opportunity to showcase their strengths and to develop new technology skills while sharing information they learn with a larger audience.

Analyze Learners

Educators design instruction to meet the diverse needs of their students. Therefore, the first component in the ASSURE model is to analyze the audience, or students, the instruction is designed for. Three components considered in analysis are (a) characteristics of the learners, (b) entry level skills or competencies, and (c) student learning styles (Smaldino et al., 2008).

General characteristics. There are five students in the gifted resource classroom. Three students are male and two students are female. All five students are Caucasian and enrolled in first-grade. The learners are six or seven years old.

Entry competencies. For this lesson, students need to understand the concept of butterflies, the sequence of the butterfly life cycle, possess basic oral and written communication skills, and be comfortable using technology.

Learning styles. The learning styles that will be addressed in the “Butterfly Life Cycle” lesson are Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (1993). Gardner identified nine different intelligences that students use to learn. Students participating in the Butterfly Life Cycle lesson will have the opportunity to use a variety of intelligences to complete their final project.

State Standards and Objectives

The second component in the ASSURE model are national, state, and technology standards. Educators use these standards to plan curriculum throughout the school year. After standards are identified, educators develop learning objectives specific to the learners and knowledge or skills students are expected to learn because of the lesson. For this lesson, Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, National Association for Gifted Children, and National Educational Technology Standards for Students are addressed.

Table 1. Common Core State State Standards Standards Student Outcomes Grade 1.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some Grade 1.W.5 sense of closure (p. 19). With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, Grade 1.W.6 respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed (p. 19). Grade 1.SL.1 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration Grade 1.SL.5 with peers (p. 19). Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners Grade 1.L.1 about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small Grade 1.L.2 and larger groups (p. 23). Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when Grade 1.L.5 appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings (p. 23). Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English Grade 1.L.6 grammar and usage when writing or speaking (p. 26). Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing (p. 26). With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings (p. 27). Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because) (p. 27).

(Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2013)

Table 2. Next Generation Sunshine State Standards: Science Standards Benchmark Benchmark Code Using the five senses as tools, make careful observations, SC.1.N.1.2 describe objects in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion, and compare their observations with others. SC.1.N.1.3 Keep records as appropriate - such as pictorial and written records - of investigations conducted. SC.1.L.14.1 Make observations of living things and their environment using the five senses. SC.1.L.17.1 Through observation, recognize that all plants and animals, including humans, need the basic necessities of air, water, food, and space.

(Florida Department of Education, 2013)

Table 3. National Association for Gifted Children Standards Standards Student Outcomes 1.6. Cognitive and Students with gifts and talents benefit from meaningful and Affective Growth challenging learning activities addressing their unique characteristics and needs (p. 1). 4.5. Communication Students with gifts and talents develop competence in Competence interpersonal and technical communication skills. They demonstrate advanced oral and written skills, balanced bi- literacy or multi-literacy, and creative expression. They display fluency with technologies that support effective 5.2. Coordinated communication (p. 6). Services Students with gifts and talents demonstrate progress as a result of the shared commitment and coordinated services of gifted education, general education, special education, and related professional services, such as school counselors, 6.4. Ethics school psychologists, and social workers (p. 7). Students develop their gifts and talents as a result of educators who are ethical in their practices (p. 8).

(National Association for Gifted Children, 2010)

Table 4. National Educational Technology Standards for Students Standards Student Outcomes 1. Creativity and Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, Innovation and develop innovative products and processes using technology (p. 1). 2. Communication and Students use digital media and environments to communicate Collaboration and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others (p. 1). 3. Research and Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use Information Fluency information (p. 1). 4. Critical Thinking, Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct Problem Solving, and research, manage projects, solve problems, and make Decision Making informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources (p. 1). 5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior 6. Technology (p. 2). Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations (p. 2).

(International Society for Technology Education, 2007)

Learning Objectives. Gifted first-grade students will:

o record observations of the butterfly life cycle using an electronic journal and spreadsheet. o collaborate with peers to create a digital story about the butterfly life cycle by preparing a storyboard, composing a script, and producing a 5 minute podcast. o prepare a storyboard to illustrate the four stages of the butterfly life cycle using a storyboard template. o compose a script describing the four stages of the butterfly life cycle using Microsoft Word software. o produce a 5 minute podcast to explain the four stages of the butterfly life cycle using a digital camera, Windows Movie Maker, a microphone, and appropriate visuals.

Selection of Strategies, Technology, Media, and Materials

The third component of the ASSURE model involves the educator selecting specific teaching strategies to deliver the lesson. Another important consideration the teacher must make is the technology, media and other materials required to complete the lesson activities.

Strategies. A combination of teacher-centered and student-centered strategies are required for the Butterfly Life Cycle lesson. It will be necessary for the teacher to demonstrate and model proper use of the digital camera, Windows Movie Maker, and microphone. Students will then be responsible for deciding what type of presentation they create using the technology provided to produce a 5 minute podcast. Students may decide to write a poem and have each of them play a role in the life cycle of the butterfly, draw images of each stage using digital tools or scan in hand drawn images, use photographs, or motion media to represent the four stages of the butterfly life cycle.

Technology. Students will have access to computers, printers, digital cameras, microphones, headphones, word processing software, video and audio editing software, and the Internet. Students will need to determine which of these tools will assist in the creation of their final product.

Media. Students will use print, audio, texts, visuals such as photos, clip art or drawings, physical models, and motion media in the production of the butterfly life cycle podcast. Students will create and present their podcast using a variety of media.

Materials. Students will have access to paper, pencils, crayons, markers, glue, glitter, egg cartons, construction paper, paint, tape, cotton balls, and other craft items. These materials may be used to create props or visuals students determine are necessary to communicate the butterfly life cycle effectively to their audience.

Utilization of Technology, Media, and Materials

The fourth component of the ASSURE model is taking the technology, media and materials and utilizing them following Smaldino et al.’s “5 Ps” process (2008, p. 101).

Preview the technology, media, and materials. The technology, media, and materials selected for this project are familiar to the teacher. The teacher has used all of the technology to create podcasts.

Prepare the technology, media, and materials. It will be necessary to order microphones for students to use to record narration for their podcast. Digital cameras will also need to be reserved for student use. Batteries will need to be charged and connections for the digital cameras need to be secured.

Prepare the environment. Once students determine the format of their podcast, furniture may need to be relocated to another room during set creation or filming. Students may choose to use other classrooms or areas outside the school building. This will need to be approved by administration prior to use.

Prepare the learners. Students will need informational sessions on how to use the specific technology identified for this lesson. Some students may already know how to use digital cameras. Students will also need to know the expectations of the assignment. Provide the learning experience. Once all of the technology, media, materials, and locations have been scheduled, the project may begin.

Required Learner Participation

The fifth component of the ASSURE model is getting all students involved in learning. To begin the Butterfly Life Cycle lesson, students will maintain individual science journals with their observations of the butterfly life cycle. They will use the data they collect to work collaboratively in the gifted resource classroom to write, produce and share an original podcast on the butterfly life cycle. All students will have the opportunity to contribute ideas and suggestions for their project. Each student will take turns filling roles such as keyboard operator, camera operator, timekeeper, summarizer, word analyst, and so forth to allow for equal contribution.

Evaluation and Revision

The last component of the ASSURE model is the evaluate student learning resulting from the lesson and to reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. It is important to revise the lesson for future use with students after reflecting upon the activities that went well and improving the activities that did not go well.

Assessing learner achievement. The evaluation that will be used to assess student learning in this lesson is authentic assessment. Students will demonstrate learning through the process of creating and publishing a podcast on the butterfly life cycle.

Evaluating the teacher. Students will be given the opportunity to provide feedback to the teacher throughout the lesson by repeating directions for understanding. They will also have a short survey to complete after the project is completed to give examples of what they thought went well and suggestions they have for making the project better for future students.

Revision. After the lesson is completed and the teacher receives completed surveys from the students, careful review of the lesson will take place. The teacher will make a note of any changes necessary to improve upon delivery of instruction for students to receive more effective instruction in future similar projects. References Common Core State Standards Initiative (2013). Common core state standards for English language arts & literacy in history/social sciences, science, and technical subjects. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ ELA %20Standards.pdf

Florida Department of Education (2013). Next generation sunshine state standards: Science standards. Retrieved from http://www.cpalms.org/Downloads.aspx

Gardner, H., (1993). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences (10th ed.). New York, NY: BasicBooks.

International Society for Technology Education (2007). National educational technology standards for students (NETS-S) Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/nets-s-standards.pdf?sfvrsn=2

National Association for Gifted Children (2010). 2010 Pre-k-grade 12 gifted programming standards. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/ Information_and_Resources/Gifted_Program_Standards/K-12%20programming %20standards.pdf

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Russell, J. D. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.