INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Sample Learning Activity
COMPARING SALT AND FRESH WATER USING GRAPHS
This sample lesson is meant to help 5th grade students meet the 5-ESS2-2 science standard. They will be using Excel to graph data and PowerPoint to present their evidence. Each student will need a laptop and access to Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
LESSON PLAN AND EXPECTED OUTCOME
Students will find salinity data online at this USGS webpage by selecting the salinity parts per thousand category.
Excel will be used to record 3 data points: Location Name, Salinity, and is it Salt or Fresh Water. Water is considered fresh if it has less than 1000ppm of dissolved salt. Students will need to record at least 20 different reservoirs for data.
Using the built in graphing function in Excel students will create one or more graphs. Using these graphs they will then create a PowerPoint presentation that also includes their conclusions on the likely water distribution around the world.
Once all students are finished with this they will begin their presentations.
100% of students are expected to use graphs to support their claims about the water distribution across the Earth.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Formative assessment will occur while students are using their laptops to access Excel and PowerPoint. The teacher will be roaming the room checking that students graphs and claims are following the correct line of thought. If students are struggling to make connections with the data and water distribution on the Earth than the teacher will have to guide them to understanding.
Summative assessment will take place when students present their PowerPoint. These presentations will be graded on inclusion of data in the form of graphs, analysis of data to draw conclusions about water distribution on Earth, and a time of at least 1 minute.
Students will also submit their Excel and PowerPoint documents for easier review later. Using their presentation to measure learning outcomes will be quick. Make sure to check Excel to see if the correct data was used and then check PowerPoint for a correct conclusion based on the students graphs.