NTeQ Lesson Components

Specify Objectives

What learning objectives will your students achieve from completing this lesson? For example, "By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to classify leaves as simple or complex."

Computer Functions

The objective can be matched to various computer functions by comparing the learning tasks required by the objective with the functions of the computer. It is important to emphasize the "action" portion of the objective when aligning it with the computer. Briefly describe the computer function(s) and the supporting application (write - word processing, sort - database; calculate percents - spreadsheet, etc.).

Specifying a Problem

What problem will your students be solving? Write the problem statement in the language you will use with your students. For example, "What is the most common leaf shape in our playground?" Remember that the solution of the problem should also result in students’ attainment of the learning objectives.

Data Manipulation

Now you determine specifically how students will use the identified computer functions to help solve the problem. Think carefully about the problem to be solved and how the data need to be manipulated to find a solution. Briefly describe each manipulation activity.

Results Presentation

Briefly describe how the students will present their results or solutions to the problem. The results can consist of a written report, slide show, poster, or other different formats. Please refer to Chapter 11 in the book for details on how to publish results.

Activities During Computer Use

Begin by planning what the students will do while using the word processor. For some lessons, you may want to create a sample student product to make sure your directions are clear, that the planned resources are suitable, and that the time allotted is adequate. As you plan the activities that students will do at the computer, keep the lesson objective and problem statement in mind. Reexamine the functions of word processing and determine which ones can be used effectively to help your students achieve the objective.

Activities Before Computer Use

After you have identified the types of activities your students will do at the computer, you need to plan the activities that will prepare them for the computer work. This preparation can involve from one to several activities. These activities can include brainstorming sessions to clarify the problem they will be solving, listing key words for Internet searches, or collecting data from hands-on experiments.

Activities After the Computer Use

These activities guide students in reaching solutions and describing why the solutions were reached. Think Sheet s, which have questions that guide critical thinking about the information the students worked with, or questions that have them predict what might happen if circumstances were different, can be used for these activities. Think Sheets also provide an excellent opportunity for creating links across disciplines.

Supporting Activities

As you plan lessons that integrate student use of computers you must keep in mind that the computer is just one of several tools that should be used to assist the students in achieving the objectives. The supporting activities are not intended to replace computer-related activities, but are to be used in conjunction with planned computer activities. There are three primary types of supporting activities:

• Review of Prior Learning
• Required Research/Reading
• Enrichment Activities

Assessment

The last component of planning an NTeQ lesson is the evaluation. Rubrics provide a means of assessing student productivity on content standards according to predetermined performance standards. Content standards define the subject knowledge and skill students should reflect. Performance standards indicate to what level a student presentation meets the content standard