Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Air Pollution

Content Area: Science
Grade Level(s): 3rd
Content Standard Addressed:
S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and
humans on the environment.
a. Ask questions to collect information and create records of sources and effects of pollution on the plants
and animals.

Technology Standard Addressed:

3- Knowledge Constructors

Selected Technology Tool:

PowerPoint and BrainPOP
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/airpollution/

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☒ Level 2: Exploration ☒ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

PowerPoint has so many ways it can be modified for students. You can change the font size, create a voice
over, pictures can be added to the slides, music can be added as well to help students create a great
PowerPoint. This supports student learning by giving them a variety of ways to create or demonstrate the
content they have learned. PowerPoint also has features in different language for ELL learners. Students can
include recordings of videos they have created, or they found. They can be incorporated into the slides, but
students can also add their own information as well. Students can allow others to edit their PowerPoint or
they can display it as a read-only PowerPoint. These are just some of the great features that come with
PowerPoint and all of these features support students and others as well.

Lesson idea implementation:

For this lesson, I will start by showing my students the PowerPoint I have created for them about air pollution.
I will have students watch it once, and then watch it again. The second time students watch the video, I want
them to write down three facts that they learned from the video. After the video, we will share those facts.
Once as a class we have shared our facts, I will give students notes about air pollution that they will have in
their science journal. I will give them a choice of taking notes on their own in their journal or providing a note
taking template for those who want it. After we take notes, I want students to take a short quiz where they
answer 5 questions about air pollution.
After the students take the quiz and turn it in, I will then transition the students to a computer room where
everyone has access to a computer. I want students to create a PowerPoint of what air pollution is, how it is
caused and how can it be prevented. I want students to advocate for their world and create an impactful
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 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
PowerPoint that they feel proud to present to the class. I will be there as an aid to students who need help
creating the PowerPoint and I will also provide online resources for the students. To prevent any safety or
privacy violations of my students, I will provide a list of resources and websites for my students. These
resources will have plenty of information for them to find and I want to share with my students’ criteria for
searching and finding pictures to include in their PowerPoint as well. Once they are done creating the
PowerPoint, I will select a few students that want to share their PowerPoint with the class.

Reflective Practice:

I think this lesson and the ideas I created could very much impact students learning by creating a memorable
experience for them. Instead of doing just a basic lesson about air pollution, they get to create their own
PowerPoint. They get to be advocates for their world, they get to do their own research and they get to
present with their peers how they can save the world they live in. Also creating my own PowerPoint with a
voiceover makes it personal for me and my students. They will be more engaged with the lesson because they
know it came from me and they might enjoy hearing a familiar voice through this kind of media instead.
I could further extend this project for students by allowing them to create a small diagram of how air
pollution is caused. This would be a since project that could be incorporated in with STEM programs. I could
also allow students to create a way to end pollution. It would be a small simulation, but they could add it to
their PowerPoint, and they could present it to the class. I could also give the students the option of presenting
their projects to the school science fair as well.

Spring 2018_SJB