Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name
Ashley Allgood
Position

Latin Teacher

School/District

Brookwood High School/Gwinnett County

E-mail

latinsallgood@gmail.com

Phone
Grade Level(s)

9-12

Content Area

Latin

Time line

2 weeks

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:
ACTFL and
Gwinnett County
AKS for Languages

NETS*S Standards:

a) Demonstrate and understanding of perspectives and practice of the Roman culture

b) Interpret cultural practices of the Romans
c) Acquire information and recognize distinctive viewpoints via the study of Roman
civilization
d) Acquire an understanding of ways Roman culture has had an impact on modern
cultures

a) Demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative

products via technology
b) Use technology work collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to
others learning.
c) Apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information
d) Use critical thinking to plan, construct, and manage projects using the best suited
digital tool

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The objective of this lesson plan is for the students to become the expert on an aspect of Roman culture and to be
able to teach this topic to their peers. The students will work in pairs to research a topic of Roman culture. The
culture topics that the students will select come from the cultural topics addressed in each chapter of the textbook.
Throughout the semester, when the students are learning about each cultural topic, they will have a wiki created
by one of their peers to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. Moreover, the pair of students who did the
research will be able act as the resident experts, leading the class discussion and lessons on that particular
cultural topic.
In order to accomplish this goal, the students will research the topic and post their findings on Google Drive so
that both students can access and edit the information. Additionally, they will share the information via Google
Drive for the teacher to monitor and assess. Then the students will create a wiki to share the research information
with their peers as well as larger audiences on the Internet. The students will work collaboratively to create this
wiki page. In addition to the information posted on the wiki page, the students will create and post a 3-5 minutes
screencast on the wiki page to act as a tutorial or crash course to summarize the information found on the wiki
page. The students are expected to follow the guidelines of the rubrics when creating all aspects of their project.
Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

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.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

What is the significance of this cultural practice?

What do you want others to understand about this cultural practice?
What does this cultural practice suggest about the Romans?
Prior to your research, what assumptions did you make regarding this Roman cultural practice?
In what ways has this cultural practice influenced other modern cultures?
In your research, what surprising information did you discover about the Romans?
What ancient sources have informed modern society about this cultural practice (archaeology, literary
references, inscriptional evidence, etc)? Do you think these ancient sources are biased in anyway?

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.
The paired off students will begin by using Google Drive to research their cultural topic and post their findings.
The document, which the students create and edit, will be shared with the teacher. At the end of week one, the
teacher will use a rubric to assess the progress of the students in their research. Once the students have
gathered all of the research, they will collaboratively create a wiki page to display their findings. As part of their
wiki, the students will create and post a screencast in order to summarize their research. This wiki and
screencast are the final product, which the teacher will assess using a rubric. Projects will be differentiated based
on individual student needs as stated in their Individualized Education Plan. Additionally, gifted students will have
an extension activity to create for their wiki. (Differentiation is further explained on page 5)
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?)

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Technology will support student learning by facilitating students in their research. Students will use numerous
sites and databases to gain an understanding of their cultural topic. Additionally, technology will facilitate
collaboration, as the students collaboratively gather and summarize their research via Google Drive, which will be
shared with their teacher. The research tool of Google Drive will help students correctly manage their citations
and sources. The teacher will share a research graphic organizer and project rubrics via Google Drive to help
students successfully manage and construct their project. The teacher will create and share a Diigo group with
students, where they can find bookmarks for helpful Roman culture websites. In their pairs, the students will
create their own Diigo group so that both partners and the teacher are aware of and have access to the sites
being used in the research.
In order to create the final product, the students will use Wikispaces to share their research with the peers. On
the wiki, the students will summarize and analyze their research findings. They will answer all the essential
questions. On the wiki, the students can include any creative elements, but it must include a screencast, which
summarizes the cultural information. In order to create the screencast aspect of the wiki, students will use
Screencast-o-matic or Jing. The teacher will post the links to each wiki on the countys learning management
system. The wiki will be posted in a culture content folder so that students can easily find and review these wikis
as the semester continues. In order to be successful in this project, the students will need to be familiar with
Internet research, creating screencasts, and using sites like Google Drive, Diigo, and Wikispaces. However,
since the students are working in pairs, the students will have the support of their partner if they are not familiar
with the various tools. Additionally, the teacher has posted links to tutorial/introductory videos for each site, if both
students in the pair are unfamiliar. The teacher will be present during the two weeks of the project in order to
provide one-on-one assistance.
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?)
The students do not need any prior knowledge regarding the content, since they will be researching the topics as
part of the project. Basic computer and Internet skills would be helpful since they will be forming, managing, and
posting their project online. However, the teacher will be present to provide assistance and will create a digital
library of tutorial videos to help students familiarize themselves with the digital tools as well as to assist with
troubleshoot.
In order to be successful in the project, it would be helpful for the teacher to allow the students to pick the cultural
topic that interests them the most. The teacher can provide a list of topics from which the students will pick.
Additionally, the pairing of students into groups will be critical. The students should be groups according to
shared interest in the cultural topic so that both students are motivated to research and learn. The teacher could
also consider the students familiarity with technology when pairing students. In order to create the most
successful groups, the teacher might consider creating a Google Form, which would be emailed to the students.
This form would ask the students to rank their interest in each available topic in addition to rank their familiarity
with the different digital tools that will be used in the project. This Google Form would help the teacher create the
most successful pairings.
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.

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The students will work in pairs in the computer lab for two weeks. Each student will have his/her own computer
with Internet access while working on this project. Since students will be working on this project at school, it is not
a problem if they do not have access to technology at home. If additional time outside the classroom is needed,
the students will use the computers in the media center before or after school.
During class time, the teacher will be present while the students are present in order to answer questions and
monitor progress. All classroom and computer lab rules will be enforced.
Technical difficulties could arise while working on the project. Student may not be familiar with the various digital
tools that will be used; therefore, the teacher will create and post on the LMS a digital library of instructional
videos to help students. While working on this project, the schools Internet might gown down; therefore, the
teacher must allot additional time in the lesson plan if need be. If the Internet issues continue, the teacher must
be prepared to have the students create a final product using digital tools that are not web based.
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 will include the following Gwinnett Countys Quality Plus Teacher Strategies: assessment,
collaboration, summarizing, literacy, technology, comparing, and technology. During the research phase, the
students will be working collaboratively via Google Drive, Diigo, and the Internet to discover new information
about Roman culture. They will compare Roman culture to other modern cultures when evaluating the impact
Roman culture has had on the world. The student will be summarizing and sharing their knowledge via digital
tools, like Google Drive and Wikispaces. Higher order thinking skills, such as construction, creativity, analysis,
and evaluation will be used when the students are answering the essential questions, selecting and critiquing their
sources, and creating and organizing their wikis and screencasts. The students will have formative and
summative assessments using rubrics.
This lesson will be meaningful and authentic for the students since they are researching a topic that interests
them and creating connections between the Roman world and their own world. The students will learn about the
impact the Romans had on their own culture, as well as others. Their research will expand their cultural
understanding and appreciation. The project will also be meaningful to the students since they are creating a wiki
to share their research with a larger audience. The students will be motivated to create innovative and thorough
wikis so that their peers as well as other visitors will learn from their research. Through their research and the
creation of the wiki, the students will be expanding their knowledge, gaining a cultural understanding, and learning
to use various digital tools.
As the teacher, my role is to act as the facilitator. I will create a Diigo to help students find reliable sources for
their research. I will create a digital library of tutorial videos to help students familiarize themselves with the
various digital tools they will be using during the project. I will monitor their progress throughout the project via
their classroom interactions as well as gaining access to their research on Google Drive and their bookmarks on
their Diigo library. I will advise students as they work on their projects and facilitate in troubleshooting, as need
be. I will also post links to the groups wikis on the county learning management system, so that my students will
have easy access to these sites for reference and review.
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?)

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Personal preferences will be taken into account when assigning cultural topics to students prior to research.
Additionally, the students will get to organize and construct their wiki to reflect their own preferences and
creativity.
In order to differentiate both the content and the process, my gifted students will have an extension assignment of
creating an online assessment activity in order to help their peers assess their own understanding of the research.
They will link the assessment to the wiki page where their peers can read the wiki and then practice and review
using the assessment. Students can use any digital assessment tool. The students are familiar with Edmodo,
Quizstar, and Quia due to their assignments in my class; therefore, they will probably use one of these tools.
However, the students will be free to try out new tools.
In contrast, I will assist my students with IEPs by providing them with graphic organizers to facilitate their
research. The graphic organizers will help them manage their research. The students can include this graphic
organizer on the wiki, if they so choose. The computers have programs to assist my students with spelling and
grammar. Headphones and text-to-speech software are also available in the computer lab to need the needs of
my physically disabled students. Online translators will assist my ESOL students. Other assistive technology will
be used, based on the students individualized education plan. All students will have access to the teachers
digital library of tutorials to help them use the various digital tools.
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?)
As a closing event, the students will be asked to visit three other groups wikis. The students will leave comments
on the wiki regarding the strengths and areas of improvement. Then the students will have a day to make any
desired changes to their wiki before the teacher will grade them. The teacher will email the students a Google
Form in order to gain the students views of the effectiveness of the project. On the form, the students will rank
the lessons effectiveness, level of engagement/enjoyment, the areas of difficulty/confusion, and the digital tools
used. There will also be a space for any other helpful critique of the project. Based on the Google Form
responses, the teacher will be able to assess and make any necessary changes for the next year.

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.
The teacher might need to adjust the necessary time for this lesson. I have allotted two weeks based on my
students abilities and schools fifty minute class period. However, adjustments may be necessary due to each
schools amount of instructional time and lab availability. Additionally, the duration of this lesson might need to be
adjusted based on the students familiarity with the digital tools that will be utilized. Assessing the students
varying ability levels will be crucial before starting this project so that the teacher can make the necessary
adjustments, groupings, and tutorials. In order to have the students create a successful final product, the teacher
will want to share the grading rubrics in advance so that the students can gauge whether or not they are meeting
the expectations. Teacher might also want to create a sample wiki and screencast in order to show students what
the final product will look like.

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