Web 2.
0 Tools for Communication and Collaboration
Lesson Idea Name: Three Branches of Government
Grade Level/Content Area: 3rd Grade/Social Studies
Content Standard Addressed: SS3CG1 Describe the elements of representative democracy/republic
in the United States. a. Describe the three branches of national government: executive (president),
legislative (Congress), and judicial (Supreme Court of the United States).
ISTE Technology Standard Addressed: What would you like students to know and be
1.3 Knowledge Constructor- Students critically able to do by the end of this lesson:
curate a variety of resources using digital tools to After this lesson, I want my students to have a
construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts good understanding of the three different
and make meaningful learning experiences for branches of government. They should be able to
themselves and others. discuss the purpose, requirements, and
a- Students plan and employ effective research responsibilities for each branch. They should also
strategies to locate information and other be able to explain how the different branches
resources for their intellectual or creative work together.
pursuits.
What is the student learning goal(s) for this lesson idea?
Students should be able to work through the different educational platforms in an effective and
efficient manner. The student’s goal is to broaden their understanding of the significance of the
Three Branches of Government along with familiarizing themselves with different technology tools.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☒ Evaluating ☒ Creating
One way that I will promote students learning to a higher level of Bloom’s Critical Thinking level would be by
providing them the opportunity to extend their learning. Each student will be able to come up with their own
bill that they would like to see Congress pass and create a poster to present it to their classmates. This will
promote their learning to a higher level as students form a new product.
How do you plan to implement this lesson and integrate the technology? Check all that apply:
☐ Teacher-led: There is no student voice and choice in the activities. Students are guided by
teacher direction and expectations. Learning activities are assigned to the
student and mostly practice based.
X Student-Led: Students are given voice and choice in the activities. They may select the topic
of learning and/or determine the tool they will use to meet the learning goal. The
teacher facilitates the learning as the students direct their own learning processes.
X Problem-based and/or Publishable: Students are solving problems
and completing projects to demonstrate their learning. Additionally, the projects can be shared
outside of the classroom. (Note: This objective could be reached by displaying the project on the
school’s morning newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, presenting it to another
class, or publishing via an outside source.)
Frazier, 2021
Web 2.0 Tools for Communication and Collaboration
Lesson idea implementation:
Students will be expected to work through this lesson on Padlet independently. They will be working
through a multitude of tools to obtain information on the different branches of government. Some
of the assignments include posting a response on Padlet, watching a video, playing a game, and
completing a drag and drop activity. As students are completing the assignments, my responsibility
as the teacher will be to facilitate conversations on the Padlet board, answering a questions, and
guiding students between assignments. Students will be engaged and focused on their learning goals
because this lesson provides a lot of fun, interactive ways for students to learn. This lesson also
provides students a lot of personal choice which can also help keep students involved and active.
Students’ prior knowledge will be accessed in the first activity that they complete by answering a
question about how the government helps us. This will be a great way to see what students already
know about the government and will be a great way to introduce the different branches of the
government. Students will be assessed by playing Kahoot. Kahoot is an online game-based learning
platform that lets students play together by answering questions on their device that a teacher
posed. Teachers can view who got the answer right and who got the answer wrong therefore it can
be a quick, fun way to evaluate my students. My students will be motivated by participating in an
authentic real-world task to conclude the lesson by creating their own poster to inform others about
a bill that they would like to see Congress pass. Students will have the opportunity to share their
posters with the class.
Managing student learning:
I believe the tools used for this lesson will cause a shift in the behavior of students moving from
passive to active social learners. Students will be actively engaging with each other throughout most
of this lesson. They will be able to communicate through text or voice recording when responding to
questions that I posted along with other classmate’s post on our class board on Padlet. They will be
encouraged to post questions themselves for other students to respond to. Students will also be
expected work independently on some assignments like the Drag and Drop and Branches of
Government game. Kahoot will also be played by all students to reflect on what they learned
throughout the lesson. An extension will also be provided as a way for students to get creative and
come up with their own bill that they would like Congress to pass and create a poster to share with
the class. These posters will be submitted digitally on our class Padlet board for all students to view
and provide feedback.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
The learning activities in this lesson will support the learning experience for all my students through
the Engagement principle of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This is because this lesson will
provide options that will increase individual choice through the Three Branches of Government
game. They will have a lot of different options to choose from and allow the simulation to play based
on their selections. Students will also have options for recruiting interest through the opportunity to
create a poster on a bill that they would like to see be passed in Congress. This lesson will enhance
students learning by providing multiple means of engagement.
Frazier, 2021
Web 2.0 Tools for Communication and Collaboration
Reflective Practice:
After designing this lesson idea, I do believe it will help students build an understanding in a way that
could not be done with traditional tools. This is because the lesson I created will be very engaging to
students through animated videos, interactive activities, and fun games. Student’s learning will be
enhanced as they will be more motivated to apply themselves and learn in fun ways. I look forward
to implementing Kahoot as a way of assessing my students in this lesson. This is because it will be a
fun, creative way to evaluate my students and I believe they will enjoy it as well.
Frazier, 2021
