Sample Lesson Plans Using Technology with Common Core Standards
Grade 4
Grade Level / Subject Area / Standard(s) / Lesson4 / Language Arts, Science / W.4.8, RI.4.7, RL.4.7, W.4.2a, W.4.6, SL.4.2, SL.4.5, L.4.4 / ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
.This lesson deals with how animals adapt to their habitat, characteristics of animals, and animal survival nicely integrates literacy and science.
.Students search for information (making sure they stop to consult reference materials for definition or pronunciation of words they do not know). This would very easily satisfy W.4.8. Instructing studentson how to take notes and then having them take notes on information gathered is very beneficial.
Next, students make a dictionary entry for an animal. Using PowerPoint, all dictionary entries can be combined and then shared.
Another way students may wish to display their information is making a presentation about their habitat and the animal characteristics and survival. You may want to make a guide for your students, outlining what information must be included. For example: what kind of habitat, characteristics, and survival did you research? What animals or plants can be found in your habitat? What problems did the topic you researched have? Using PowerPoint or Sway, students make a slide show displaying the information they learned about their habitat, animal characteristics, and animal survival. Student drawings can be scanned and uploaded to their presentation. Pictures from the internet (with adult supervision, of course) can also be imported and placed in the presentation to illustrate the information presented. Students can also record facts, a narrative, or music to accompany their slide show.
Students may also like to make a brochure to display the information they learned about their habitat, animal characteristics, and animal survival. Once again, you may want to make a guide for your students outlining what information must be included. You can create a template using any of the online brochure templates, which also included the headings listed for each section. Students also have the option to use Word. The brochure can be two sided and printed as such. Students can find and upload pictures to go with each section. Then use a reader like QR Code Generator (. QR codes are also added to include more information in each section. Many standards are satisfied with this very engaging lesson, including RI.4.7, RL.4.7, and W.4.2a. Students may need some guidance and support from adultsto produce, publish, and share their projects; thus this activity also satisfiesW.4.6. Depending on which tool the students choose to use for producing their work, both SL.4.2 and SL.4.5 may also be satisfied, as well as L.4.4.
4 / Social Studies / RL.4.7, SL.4.5, W.4.2a / MAPPING ACTIVITIES
Using latitude and longitude as the learning target, students use a research outline to find the latitude and longitude for an assigned continent. Students need to find information such as where a continent is located (hemisphere, coordinates, etc.). Then, as a group, students choose three or four different landforms that can be found on their continent. Next, they find the coordinates of each landform and provide information about it. Finally, students choose one of the landforms they would like to visit as a group. They explain why they would like to go there and what they would do while there. After finding their information, students next make slides using the PowerPoint or Sway, outlining and illustrating all of their information. One of the slides is a coordinate graph grid where students place their continent, coordinating with latitude and longitude. Students take turns narrating their pages. Finally, presentations are shared with the class. This lesson plan covers standard RL.4.7 as well as SL.4.5. When students orally narrate their project, W.4.2a can also be satisfied with this lesson.
4 / Math, Social Studies / MP5, SL.4.5, W.4.8, W.4.6, W.4.7, SL.4.2 / CALIFORNIA TRIP mapping and graphing
Students work in teams to travel across the United States. Each team of students will decide which East Coast capital they will begin the race in, discuss which way they think will be the fastest, and analyze why they have made that decision. They should make sure to keep track of their decisions and rationale using Word.
First, the team designs a chart or table to record the mileage from capital to capital. This can be done in a table or spreadsheet. Using MapQuest, they begin the trip. Teams travel west and must stop at the capital for each state they drive through. The route they choose is up to them, but they must record all miles traveled, as well as plot their routes onto a blank U.S. map, which has been uploaded and shared with each team. Students need to be able to draw on the map, so importing it into your OneNote would be beneficial. The team reaching Sacramento, California, with the fewest number of miles traveled wins!
Upon reaching Sacramento, each team will total the number of miles traveled. The students’ next task is to determine how much money would be needed to buy gas for the trip (using the average of 23 miles per gallon of gas at the current price found online.) Students will resolve the problem using 60 miles an hour average and nine hours a day traveling. This will give them the number of days it would have taken to make the trip. Then students can calculate the number of days needed if they only traveled 7 hours a day averaging 60 miles an hour.
Teams also decide how much money was spent on food if breakfast cost $4.50 each, lunch cost $5.25, and supper was $7.35. Then teams need to determine how much money was spent for each night in a hotel. Students present their findings to the class and discuss what they discovered along the way.
Teams should be sure to cite all resources used. Some resources that may be helpful to the students include the following.
• Blank map of USA ( There are many free sites available to choose the kind of blank map of the United States you would like to use. This site has the capitals marked.
• MapQuest (mapquest.com): This free site will help students find the shortest route from one point to another. They type in the address of their starting point, as well as their ending point. They also have the capability of finding alternate routes by moving the route marker around. This site does have ads.
• Hotels ( This free site will help students find the cheapest hotel for any city they decide to stop in for the night. Students type in the city and state or point of interest location. Students can choose the type of hotel they want. This site does have ads.
• Gas Prices ( This free site will help students find the price of gas for any state in the United States. Simply put in the starting and ending points to generate a list of gas stations and prices. This site does have ads.
This lesson covers the MP5 standard. Even though students are not creating stories or poems, they are taking notes, gathering relevant information from digital sources, citing sources, categorizing information, and creating explanations and justifications for travel across the country. They must also explain using the appropriate math vocabulary for this lesson. Therefore, this activity satisfies SL.4.5 as well as W.4.8. Also satisfied with this activity is W.4.6, as students must nd a way to produce and publish their mathematical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving for this task. When students present to the class, W.4.7 and SL.4.2 will be satisfied, as they need to interpret and paraphrase the information they are presenting orally and explain how the information being presented contributes to the understanding and justification that their team should finish first (especially so all other teams agree with their thinking and rationalizations).
Above lessons are adapted from ISTE, Meeting Common Core Technology Standards