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Layout of the Unit
A step-by-step lesson plan to guide you through how the unit should work.
Lesson 1: Outline
1) Give students an introduction to Google Slides. Introduce the basics of how to use Google Slides. The teacher should already be familiar with how to use it, and ideally should have students following along with the presentation while demonstrating the various features as they go along. Allow students some time to play around with Google Slides on their own, trying out the features they have just learned. Here is a presentation you can use. Encourage students to download the Google Slides app for their smartphones, too (Android; Apple).
2) Review some strategies for searching online for information, images, materials and resources with the students. This website provides a good overview of the basic steps of performing online research, how to determine if the website is reliable, and how to cite your sources: http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Internet-Research.
3) Have students work individually on a small task to practice their new-found skills. Have them research the answer to a simple question and present the answer in a 3-slide presentation. Students share their mini-presentations online with their classmates and provide feedback to each other.
4) Divide students into groups using a list of topics (get a sample here). Group sizes will depend on class size. Ideally, students should be allowed to view all of the topics presented, and then choose which topic interests them. The teacher may need to mediate for those topics that are more popular than others. With a class size as small as 12-16, groups should ideally be 3-4 people.
5) The main learning task for the unit: A collaborative research project where students write and create a presentation based on their chosen topic, and then give the presentation to the class. Find a sample task outline here. Students will be given some time to work on this task during class but will also be expected to do a lot of work outside of class. The teacher can spend the remainder of the lesson giving students time to begin their project together.
Subsequent Lessons
The teacher can be flexible about how long to spend on this particular module. In subsequent lessons, the teacher can focus on the relevant language or content she/he wants to address in relation to the task. Additional tools and resources for students to use in their research or their presentations can also be showcased during class. The teacher can choose how much time to allocate to students to work on their tasks depending on how long the classes are and how many lessons before the final presentation.
In this particular context, because students have access to the technology quite easily outside of class, students will be given only 20 minutes to work on the assignment at the end of each lesson, and will be expected to present their projects at the end of the week (i.e., the task is introduced on Monday and students will present on Friday). The groups will be given overall grades for their presentations based on the quality of their presentation, but will also be given the opportunity to grade themselves and their peers. Click ahead to Assessment for details.
Click here to see a sample lesson plan layout for the remainder of the unit.