Cell Unit Plan – Lesson 1(Day 1)Analyze the Learner

General Characteristics

The learners are comprised of 20 individuals ages 14 to 16. The gender of the class is mostly

female with 12 girls and 8 boys in the classroom. The ethnic background of the students is 7

African American, 1 Hispanic, 1 Asian, and 11 white. While 18 members of the class are in the

10th grade, 2 members are 11th graders who have to repeat this course because of a failing grade

previously.

Learning Styles

An in depth analysis has not been conducted on each student to determine their particular

learning styles, an effort has been made to provide for three major learning styles of visual,

audio, and reading. After students have been introduced to the material they will be required to

use the material in group and/or individual assignments.

Entry Level Competencies

The primary prerequisite for this class is to be in the 10th grade or above and have passed the

science class for grade 9. Basic competencies in computers, smart phones, tablets, etc. will be

necessary to complete assignments and view course materials. Peer assistance will be

encouraged for those who are unfamiliar with some or all of the technologies to be used.

State Objective

The students will be able to tweet in the class Twitter feed about the main tenants of cell theory

and their contributors after participation in the MS Word WebQuest, as groups, and viewing a

YouTube video with 80% accuracy. Students will also demonstrate knowledge of individual

scientist’s contributions to cell theory after WebQuest participation by presenting a 5min

PowerPoint presentation about which scientist should receive a trip to the future with 90%

accuracy at the beginning of the next class session.

Select Methods, Media, and Materials

Materials

Computer

Smartphone

Tablet

Smart Board

Students will be encouraged beforehand to bring smartphones, laptops, etc. to be able to

participate in this exercise. Any student who does not have any such device will be placed in a

group that does and/or provided a laptop computer from the mobile computer lab.

Media

Twitter

School Email

Digital image

Wireless internet connection

MS Word

Poster

YouTube

MS PowerPoint

QR code (in WebQuest)

Facebook

Method

The method of instruction will be initially large group for the bell ringer activity and then

students will be broken into groups of 4 to 6 students depending on availability of the

aforementioned materials. The teacher will roam the class assisting students as necessary and

keeping them on task.

Utilize Media and Materials

Preview the Materials

The YouTube video will be screened before class to ensure it displays properly and for

appropriateness.

The class Twitter feed will be tested at the end of the preceding class to ensure students can post

to the feed as well as their ability to connect to the school’s wireless internet.

The class Facebook page will be checked daily to ensure information is up to date and that

students are using it appropriately.

The smart board will be tested ahead of class time in order to ensure its functionality.

The WebQuest will be tested for broken links, inappropriate content, and functionality of the QR

code before it is implemented in class by myself and one other education professional.

Prepare the materials

The class Twitter will be set up in advance of the class.

The video will be found and loaded to be able to be played without delay.

The WebQuest will be emailed to each student before the start of class.

The computers from the lab will be brought to the class ahead of class time and ensured that they

are sufficiently charged.

Prepare the Environment

The front of the class room will be dimmed to aid the view of the smart board.

The chairs will be grouped to view the smart board and prevent excessive time taken to get

students into groups.

Prepare the Learners

The students will receive initial instruction about the cell theory at the beginning of the class to

help build interest in the subject. Students will also be given a brief explanation of the big picture

of Cell Theory in the grand scheme of biology and medicine.

Provide the Learning Experience

The Twitter feed will be displayed during the bell ringer activity and throughout the class

process to allow students to tweet about things they find interesting in the WebQuest. The twitter

feed will also be used to allow students to view what is going on in the class if they are unable to

attend.

Require Learner Participation

Large Group

The twitter feed will be used to allow students to tweet about what they currently

know about the Cell Theory along with the smart board which will be displaying the

feed at the front of the class room.

The smart board will be used to show a YouTube video that gives a general overview

of the Cell Theory.

Small Group Format

Students will log on to computers and acquire the MS Word WebQuest via their

student emails.

Students will be following the links and QR code in the WebQuest to gather

information on the Cell Theory in preparation for their presentation during the next

class session and in order to tweet about at the beginning of the next class session.

Evaluate and Revise

The twitter feed will be used to evaluate each student’s general understanding of the course

material. The Twitter feed will also be used to provide a real-time analysis of the lesson plan to

address any questions and concerns students have during the activity. Students will be offered

extra credit if they tweet something as a suggestion for improvement of the lesson plan.

Subsequent evaluation of the overall understanding of the material will be assessed during the

first 30 minutes of the next class session when they present their nomination for the award

outlined in the WebQuest and their bell ringer tweet at the beginning of the class.