MPj04387390000[1]

Mrs. Jennifer Balnis

7^th Grade Science Teacher

Two Rivers Magnet Middle School

Smart Ideas Lesson Plan

Introduction:

I use Smart Ideas with my seventh grade science class in our human body unit as a review prior to a summative assessment or performance task. This lesson in particular is from our human body unit. I require the students update to their concept maps each time we finish a particular system. Smart Ideas is a concept mapping software that helps students create complex word webs. The concept maps can include text as well as pictures making it very accessible to every learner in my classroom. Student that have reading difficulties can easily use this program to create a concept map that has meaning to them, while other students can use the concept map to increase their understanding beyond the basic curriculum understanding. The program will allow the user to create as many layers as they choose for their webs. I find that layering can help students see how the systems of the body are interdependent. In the future I plan to use one concept map for the whole year as most of my concepts are inter-related. Smart Ideas has many different possibilities for allowing student to turn in work, there is a print option, an email option, and even an export to web option.

Specific Objectives of the Lesson:

At the end of this lesson, students will have organized, studied, and integrated their vocabulary words for the body system we are working on. At the end of the unit, students will have a self-made study guide on the human body. The concepts maps should contain the vocabulary as well as the main ideas for each sub-unit and the unit as a whole.

Instructional Materials:

Worksheets completed during the unit
Computers/Laptops – at least 1 for every 2 students

Note: I do not recommend printing the webs as they take up several pages so you will get a big stack of papers if students print.

Lesson Sequence:

Introduction (15 to 20 minutes) –

“As we near the end of our unit, we will return to our concept maps to add in what we have learned about the cardiovascular system. All of you should have completed entering information on other systems already studied. Can anyone tell me a fact we learned about the cardiovascular system?”

Students need to give information about the major organs (heart, arteries, veins, capillaries) and the path of blood flow through the body. Students should also identify the function of the cardiovascular system (the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removal of wastes from the cells). Additionally, students need to identify which systems rely on the cardiovascular system and vice versa. (This directly relates to a performance task that students will need to complete at the end of the unit). These notes will be taken as a whole class and put on the Smart Board or Whiteboard at the front of the room.

Work time (30 minutes) –

During this work time students can work alone or in pairs to add the information on the board to their concept maps. Concept maps should be saved to the science drop-off folder (or a generic network location accessible by the teacher.)

Homework (if computers can be taken home or if students have flash drives and Smart Ideas at home)-

Complete concept map if not completed in class. Write a paragraph explaining how the cardiovascular system depends on the digestive system (students in my class will have already completed their study of this particular system). Name two other systems that need the cardiovascular system? How do they depend on each other?

Evaluation or Assessment:

Evaluation will be a review of the concept maps students have created. I usually pick 15 to 20 to randomly review. I look at each students concept map at least once throughout the unit. At the end of each week, I give formative assessments so that I can collect data regarding their understanding in my class. Students that do not do perform well on the formative assessment participate in remediation and are given another formative assessment during the next week.

Supplemental Materials:

Instructions on how to use Smart Ideas
Rubric for Smart Ideas
Rubric for the homework paragraph

Homepage │ Lesson plan for Smart Ideas Software