Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
Lesson Idea Name: Learning about Native American Tribes
Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): Third grade
Content Standard Addressed: SS3H1 Describe early American Indian cultures and their development in
North America.
Technology Standard Addressed: Empowered Learner 1b. build networks and customize their learning
environments in ways that support the learning process.
Selected Technology Tool: Google Slides
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):
☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding X Applying X Analyzing X Evaluating ☐ Creating
Levels of Technology Integration:
☐ Infusion Level: Students may work at a higher Bloom’s Level, but they do not have any “Voice or Choice”
during the activity and most of the decisions are made by the teacher.
X Integration Level: We would like to see ALL lessons/activities reach this level. The project is student-
driven. Students have “Voice and Choice” in the activities, selecting the topic of study and determining the
technology tool to demonstrate mastery of the standard. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator.
☐ Expansion Level: The projects created are shared outside of the classroom, publishing student work and
promoting authorship. This could be reached by showcasing the project on the school’s morning
newscast, posting the project to the classroom blog, or publishing via an outside source.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
This tool abides by UDL principles because it allows for multiple means of actions and expression. Users can
use this resource to create a comic strip, e-book, standard presentation, and even a voiced over story. It also
has accessibility features that make the tool an option for students regardless of any potential obstacles.
These features include large fonts, voiced reader, and the ability to add add-ons that may help with other
SBooker, 2020
Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
personal obstacles.
Lesson idea implementation:
Teacher will engage the classroom in a discussion about Native Americans, and ask students about their prior
knowledge. Teacher will call students to the front of the classroom where the SmartBoard is located. Teacher
will present a brief presentation about different Native American tribes that once inhabited their area.
Teacher will place students into groups of three or four, then ask students to use the Slideshow tool to create
a presentation on their assigned tribe. Students will be assessed based on the accuracy of the presentation
they create, as well as meeting the criteria of the rubric. The rubric asks students to present their tribe,
discuss their culture and traditions, explain a typical day in their life, and to narrate slides. The lesson itself
should take no longer than twenty or thirty minutes. However, completing the project could be a homework
assignment or could use thirty minutes of class time and can stretch out over a period of a few days.
After the assignment is introduced, students will be dismissed to their tables with their groups and asked to
create a draft of their presentation for their assigned tribe. Students will be assigned tribes randomly, and no
two groups will have the same tribe. The Slideshow tool in this assignment differentiates learning because it
allows students to present the information in a way they feel most comfortable. There are no rules on the
presentation itself, they can make a comic strip or informative presentation or narrated e-book. The
possibilities are endless. The assignment can be extended to a higher learning level if we were able to utilize
instructional software to find a simulation of a day in the life of these tribes, or videos of members of the
tribes speaking about their culture. The lesson will be concluded after each group presents their project, and
feedback will be given verbally after the students present. If there are any students who prefer feedback
privately, teacher can make accommodations and write out their feedback or pull the student to the side to
discuss feedback.
Reflective Practice:
This lesson would be an informative way to introduce the history of Native Americans and the historical
events between them and colonizers. I feel that this activity does impact learning because the students are
able to learn extensively about the tribe they are assigned, and they are able to create a product to relay their
newfound understandings. The lesson could be extended to include more personal accounts for Native
Americans, especially after the introduction of colonizers. Students could create digital journal entries as
Native Americans and familiarize themselves with the feelings of the people on the side of history who are
not as commonly heard from. Other technology tools that could enhance this project are Word documents
for students to write out their thoughts and understandings, or Excel spreadsheets to document quantitative
data and make graphs about tribes, such as the ratio of male to female tribe members or the percentages of
tribe members who were forced to move using the Trail of Tears.
SBooker, 2020
