Running head:PROJECT PLAN 1Using Technology to Teach the American Revolution: Proect Plan!aureen "emingE"U #$%"r& 'athy !ilhauserPROJECT PLAN $Using Technology to Teach the American Revolution: Proect Plan and (irst ActivityThe American Revolution is a mainstay o) elementary school social studies curriculum&*o+ever, +ith a reliance on te-t.oo/s )or materials and instruction, teachers miss o00ortunities to engage students in activities that are relevant, meaning)ul, and more li/ely to 0roduce success)ul learning&This 0a0er introduces a set o) technology1in)used lessons around the central theme o) Causes o) the American Revolution&The 0a0er +ill 0resent an overvie+ o) the intended audience, the rationale )or develo0ing these lessons, and a descri0tion o) the su.1to0ics that +ill .e addressed& Topic and AudienceThe American Revolution is a maor com0onent o) the )i)th grade social studies curriculum in the Regional "istrict 2 Pu.lic 3chools&3igni)icant time is devoted to understanding the causes o) the +ar& Lessons +ill e-0lore ho+ actions and ideals )rom .oth the colonists and the 4ritish government lead to +ar&The intended audience is )i)th grade students in Tier 55 literacy intervention&According to s0ring reading assessments, these students are starting the school year .elo+ grade level, ranging )rom a third grade to mid1)ourth grade reading level&These students struggle +ith reading com0rehension, voca.ulary develo0ment, oral reading )luency, and +ritten res0onse to te-t&Lessons +ill .e delivered using la0to0s +hich students have access to in a mo.ile la.&3ince intervention grou0s meet )or t+enty minute sessions, lessons may ta/e more than one session to com0lete&The )irst lesson, com0rised o) guided reading o) a short te-t, creation and sharing o) a mind ma0, and a +ritten e-it tic/et, +ill need at least three sessions to allo+ time )orset u0 and clean u0 o) materials and la0to0s& PROJECT PLAN 6RationaleThe )i)th grade social studies curriculum relies mainly on a te-t.oo/, +ith some su00lementary materials&There is little di))erentiation in materials or instruction )or students .elo+ grade level, meaning they struggle to understand the in)ormation and conce0ts&!ulti0le e-0osures to content in a variety o) mediums are essential )or learning 7"8Arcy et al&, $99:;&Technology )acilitates this multi0licity o) materials and delivery methods, thus aiding teachers indi))erentiating instruction&Teachers can ma/e use o) social media, .logs, video, screen readers, 0resentation 0rograms, such as Po+erPoint, interactive online activities, and 0rograms that ma/e content visual rather than te-t1.ased, such as mind ma00ing and revie+ grids 74oyd, $916< "8Arcy et al&, $99:< Petro, Jr&, $919;&The Common Core 3tate 3tandards 7CC33; 0lace an em0hasis on reading and understanding in)ormational te-t, re=uiring that in)ormational te-t com0rise a greater 0ro0ortion o) total volume o) te-t as students gro+ 7Common Core 3tate 3tandards 5nitiative, $919;&4y theend o) )i)th grade, students should .e a.le to integrate in)ormation )rom multi0le sources, including multimedia, 0rint, and digital te-t, to ans+er =uestions and >+rite or s0ea/ a.out the su.ect /no+ledgea.ly? 7Common Core 3tate 3tandards 5nitiative, $919;&Using technology to 0resent content in a variety o) +ays, and to hel0 students 0rocess their thin/ing a.out that content, meets the goals set .y the CC33&3tudents in Tier 55 o)ten recogni@e that they need e-tra su00ort +ith their reading, and there)ore motivation o)ten +anes&Technology allo+s teachers to leverage student interests and learning 0re)erences in the 0ursuit o) learning&Today8s learners use technology outside o) the classroom, and >are clamoring )or more? in school 7Revere et al&, $911;&4y ta00ing into students8 a))inity )or communicating and colla.orating, even 0laying, +ith technology, teachers +ill create a learning environment that is intrinsically motivating in its relevance to students8 PROJECT PLAN 2lives 7Revere et al&, $911< U&3& "e0artment o) Education O))ice o) Educational Technology, $919;&Sub-TopicsThe )ollo+ing list o) su.1to0ics related to the causes o) the American Revolution is covered in the social studies curriculum&Altogether, these to0ics cover who, what, when, where, and why Aunderstandings outlined in the very )irst standard o) the CC33 7Common Core 3tate 3tandards 5nitiative, $919;&These lessons .uild on students8 0rior /no+ledge o) colonial American culture, economics, and government&Events such as the 4oston Tea Party and Paul Revere8s ride engage student interest, and o))er o00ortunities )or using rich media& England8s role A actions o) Parliament and the /ing 4oston Tea Party The Revolution 4egins A Paul Revere and the shot heard around the +orld 5m0ortant (igures o) the Revolution A )ounding )athers, unsung heroes, and other 0eo0le the te-t .oo/ doesn8t mentionConclusion3tudents in Tier 55 literacy intervention re=uire instruction a te-t.oo/ is una.le to give: modeling, guided 0ractice, and te-t at an accessi.le level&The teacher can ta0 into their intrinsic motivation .y creating relevant and meaning)ul activities that use technology to 0resent in)ormation, dis0lay thin/ing, and )acilitate colla.oration& The )irst lesson, on England8s role in causing the +ar, is outlined in the com0anion document&(uture lessons +ill cover the su.1to0icsmentioned in the 0revious section&PROJECT PLAN %References4oyd, P&, 7$916;& 4logging in the classroom: ausing technologies to 0romote learner1centered 0edagogies& The Researcher: An Interdiciplinary Journal, 2676;, B%1116&Common Core 3tate 3tandards 5nitiative& 7$919). English language arts standards& Retrieved )rom htt0:CC+++&corestandards&orgCELA1LiteracyC"8Arcy, C&J&, East.urn, "&!&, D 4ruce, 4&C& 7$99:;& *o+ media ecologies can address diverse student needs& College Teaching, !71;, %#1#6&Petro, Jr&, N&J& 7$919;& *ate ta/ing notesE Try mind ma00ing& "#$olo, 2!72;, $91$6&Revere, L& D 'evach, J&F& 7$911;& Online technologies )or engaged learning: A meaningul synthesis& The %uarterly Re&iew o' (istance Education, )27$;, 11611$2&U&3& "e0artment o) Education O))ice o) Educational Tehcnology& 7$919;& Trans'or*ing A*erican education: +earning powered ,y technology& Retrieved )rom htt0s:CC0ost&.lac/.oard&comC..cs+e.davC0id1$9:1::#1dt1content1rid1$9%99$1%G1CcoursesCE"U%$9&:911BH91:11BC"ocumentsCTrans)ormingI$9AmericanI$9EducationGLearningI$9Po+eredI$9.yI$9TechnologyI$B1I$:&0d)