Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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Unit Outline
Unit Plan Template

Name: Alexandria Brasili
Grade level: Elementary School
Content Area: Marine Science
Title of Unit: Marine Investigations

Essential Questions or Driving Questions:
Essential Question(s) that allow learners to explore significant questions about
themselves and/or their world:

What are the animals and plants that live at the beach in my backyard?
How can these plants and animals live in a saltwater environment (adaptations)?
How do my actions affect the plants, animals, and ecosystems that we are exploring?



Standards:
Your statement about what learners should know and be able to do. (Be sure it related to
your essential questions or driving questions.):

Students will be able to do the following:
- Explain the importance of water to life on Earth and especially marine plants and
animals
- Identify common species of marine algae on the coast of Maine and explain their
importance to the ecosystem
- Compare the structure and function of marine algae to land plants
- Identify common marine animals on the coast of Maine and explain their role and
importance to the ecosystem
- Learn the components of keeping a healthy aquarium with marine plants and
animals and log daily observations
- Conduct water quality tests regularly to keep the classroom aquarium healthy
- Explore the intertidal zones with a greater awareness of the plants and animals that
live there and how to minimize disruption to the environment
- Create a field guide using traditional and digital technologies so other visitors can
experience and appreciate life on the coast of Maine



ISTE*S Standards(Pick 1-2 rather than including the whole list.):

1. Creativity and Innovation- Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct
knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology
- Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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2. Communication and collaboration- Students use digital media and environments to
communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual
learning and contribute to the learning of others
- Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety
of digital environments and media
- Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems

Overview and Timeline
Marine Investigations is a four class program that gives students an opportunity to explore
the coast of Maine in a deeper, more comprehensive way. Students will investigate marine
organisms (animals and plants) and intertidal ecosystems to discover adaptations to life in
these environments. Hands-on activities where the students collect data and use science
equipment help answer questions like, How can a barnacle live above the water line at low
tide?
The class also includes a complete aquarium setup and a water quality testing kit that can
be assembled in the classroom to house organisms found on explorations. These will be
monitored and observed over the duration of the program.
Class 1: Water, Water, Everywhere!
Class 2: Seaweeds
Class 3: Marine Animals
Class 4: Final Project
In between classes, students will be responsible for monitoring and observing a small
saltwater aquarium in their classroom. They will interact with me during the week by
recording water quality results on a student blog page, writing observations, and taking
pictures. This will allow for Herring Gut instructors to remain a presence in the classroom
and give feedback on the health of the aquarium and any animal behaviors observed
throughout the week.
The final project will be a student-written and illustrated field guide. Students will present
their final project by reading and explaining their chosen field guide plant/animal using
VoiceThread.
Assessment
Formative assessments will be used throughout this course to check and monitor students
understanding of the topics and questions addressed. Student blog posts will be monitored,
checked, and responded to promptly. The final field guide project will be assessed via a
rubric to ensure that students are providing the correct and accurate information.

Resources
A final, digital product in the form of an online field guide to a local beach will be produced
by the students in this unit as a way to culminate and celebrate their learning by leaving
behind a product that other beach visitors can use. The technologies used (VoiceThread
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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presentation program, etc.) allow learners to communicate the work they are producing to
the larger public and to share creatively with each other.

Online tools, such as Prezi presentation software, Tagul, etc. will help present the
information to learners in a more dynamic, engaging way. I have conducted this unit in the
past without these technology resources, but feel that they will help to enhance learning
and instruct students more effectively.

Educator Preparation:
I will need to be prepared for this course by completing the following tasks:
- Creation of a website to house technology tools, presentations, etc. that learners will
use to explore marine life on the coast of Maine
- Creation of introductory units and digital activities
- Blog set up, guidelines for posting, privacy settings
- VoiceThread account and access setup to learners

A lot of my preparation will be exploratory as I try to organize the course digitally in a way
that is intuitive and easy for the students to use. I want this digital piece to be seamlessly
interwoven with the existing curriculum so it will be important for me to ensure that all
links and sites are working properly and that student access to sites is allowed.

Tools and Resources Provided to Learners:
- Class website with digital instructions, activities, and activity plan laid out
- Class blog to monitor aquarium
- iPads with cameras provided by school
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Tutorials and Templates Provided to Learners:
- Instructor introductory Prezi presentation
- Template for blog posting about aquarium observations
- Template for field guide
- Tutorial on blog posting
- Tutorial on using VoiceThread to read and present their final field guide project
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Briefly explain how the resources, tools, and tutorials may be used to differentiate
content or process for learners:
I expect some students to be very familiar with digital tools and pick up the skills relatively
quickly while other students may lag behind and require more one-on-one assistance. Class
time will be dedicated to all students in technology instruction so that all are getting
baseline knowledge for using tools. Understanding that some students may be more adept
at using technology, I will have a few extension activities available to students who may be
more advanced. These extension activities will help to advance and develop their work into
a higher-quality final product.

Reason(s) for chosen technology(s):
For the elementary students I am working with, I chose to create a class website to facilitate
a couple of digital activities with students in each week/unit topic. I want students to
become familiar and comfortable with having technology integrated in their day-to-day
instruction. I will use a blog format for students to monitor water quality and observations
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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because it will be a great way to introduce students to that technology, give them a voice,
and be able to interact with them over the course of the program when we are not directly
meeting. Having students use VoiceThread to read their field guide creations will be a way
for them to creatively express their projects and will be available to share with other
students, teachers, and parents. This will give students a sense of ownership and
responsibility over the project and lead to the creation of a high-quality final project.

Instructional Plan
Management: Students will work in both classroom and field sites. Learners will work
together to explore the marine environment and answer questions about marine
adaptations and life in the sea. Technology tools (iPads) will be only used in the classroom
on a one-to-one basis, however cameras will be available for students to use to record and
track the animals and plants they are seeing at field sites.
Differentiation: Hopefully, the mix of hands-on, traditional paper/pencil instruction, and
digital instruction will appeal to a wide variety of learners in this course. There will be
opportunities for students to choose a project or topic and explore it in greater depth so
they will be able to learn independently and then share their findings with a group.
Especially for technology use, I will have extension activities prepared for students that are
more advanced that will help to enhance their projects and introduce other, more advanced
digital tools.

Closure and Reflection

The final project for this course is the field guide unit. Students will create and present this
final project using VoiceThread, and there will be a celebration of completion with a viewing
of the field guide as well as a ceremonial release of all aquarium animals back into their
natural habitats.

I am excited to integrate digital tools into what has proven to be a successful course for
students and create a richer experience for learners in coming years.