Lesson Plan II: Results

Student #1: Age 4, Girl
This student had experience with Kindle games, but it was her first time playing with an iPad. Of all the students, she was the most focused and thought to look for alternatives when she came across games she disliked. Luckily, the games she disliked were the ones that were too easy, it was the difficult ones that she enjoyed the most.

Her Grade Report is below: She received A+'s in Multi -Step Object Based Math and Tracing Lines, and a B+ in Sense of Balance. She also chose to watch two of the book stories. 

Student #2: Age 2, Boy

This student was incredibly excited to play the educational games (you can see his grin below). He was much slower than Student #1, probably because of the age difference, but was quick to catch on to the requests of the application. It was difficult to get him off the application. 

His Grade Report is below: he received an A+ in Tracing lines. In other areas he did not go far enough to get a complete grade in other areas, but he showed improvement in activities that showed 2-D shapes and tracing uppercase letters specifically during his time. 

Student #3: Age 4, boy
He had not had previous experience with using tablets of any sort, so he seemed a little confused at first, but caught on quickly. Further into our interaction, he began to say things like: "my mom used to play this game when she was a baby" or "my mom taught me how to play this." I took this as a sign that he was feeling more comfortable with the application, and he also seemed insecure when he couldn't figure out how to play some of the games. I told him that "the game knows you're super smart, so it's trying to trick you" which made him want to work harder on it, and instead of getting frustrated he's say: "It's tricky, but I'm smarter than it." 

His Grade Report is below: He received an A+ in both Multi -Step Object Based Math and Tracing Lines. I also observed improvement in Consonant Sounds and Colors. 

Student #4: Age 1, Girl
This student is developmentally ahead, so her teacher believed she would do well with this activity. Most things put her in a stupor to begin with, but she slowly got good with matching (shown below). On activities she did not do well in, she instead found other features on the screen, such as tickling the character Icky who appears in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, as well as poking a whale in another game. She would often laugh and clap her hands when the games made sounds. She eventually did well in most of the  math activities as well. 

Her Grade Report is below: She received an A+ in Multi -Step Object Based Math, but other areas were much more difficult for her. 

Lesson Plan II: Materials and Resources

Materials:

My iPad, iPhone and the Agnitus application (with student 1,2,3 and 4 programmed in).

Resources:

I have contacted the Montessori School, and planned a day to come in. I also wrote a parent note to send home to parents to explain what their child did, and to offer them the option of seeing their child’s report. The parent note is below:

Lesson Plan II: Assessment

For an ongoing assessment, I will assess the students as they go, and if needed, adjust the age level so that students are being challenged at their own level. The application itself provides thorough grade reports which are accessible from multiple devices (through iCloud), as well as the iPad itself. I would take screenshots of their reports which have multiple ways to view it. Since the CCSS are in the framework of the application, the grades listed are compatible with the standards.

Here is what the Gradebook looks like, notice the many options for different ways to view the progress of the students:

Lesson Plan II: Implementation

Procedures:

1)    Separate 1 student from their class with teacher and child consent.

2)    Give student a place to sit across a table from me

3)    Lay iPad in front of student on the table and tell them I have a special game for them

4)    Allow student to choose their special animal to “play” as.

5)    Watch as students play a variety of games and assist them when they come upon difficulties. But mostly, my job is to let them explore and observe their progress.

6)    Take pictures/ take notes on their progress

7)    Give them high –fives and find another student

8)    Examine their report cards on the application and take screen shots for my records.

Technology Integration:

 This lesson heavily depends on the use of technology. I will use it for student involvement, and assessment. All will take place on an iPad, and pictures will be taken on an iPhone.

Differentiated Instruction:

 The application seems to catch on quickly when there are certain gifts or deficiencies. Translation as well as using sheltered language and modeling are options for when students are struggling with the directions, and moving up the age level can be something I can use to challenge other students.

Reflection:

            I chose to use the Agnitus application because I researched applications to use for preschool aged students. Parents and teachers alike showed a high opinion of the application, and they strongly reflected CCSS and preparation for Kindergarten. The games on the iPad engage the students because the technology is exciting and the graphics are colorful and entertaining. There is a lot that students can do with this application, one of which is watching interactive books, students will have the freedom to explore all available applications. I believe kids, especially preschoolers, learn best through play. When there is music, characters, and content, students will remain engaged, it also is beneficial that there are quick transitions between the games.

Lesson Plan II: Overview

Grade Level: 2-4 year olds

Subject(s): Food, Object Based Addition, Sense of Balance, 2-D Shapes, Tracing Lines, Colors, Memory, Size Comparison, and Visual Scanning

Topic of Study: Playing the Agnitus iPad application (learn more here)

Time Allotment: four 15min sessions: 1 hour

Standards: The content in the application is to prepare students for Kindergarten. Click here to read more about the importance and opportunities of preparation in early childhood education.

Objectives: SWBAT: Follow verbal directions given in the application

SWBAT: sit for fifteen minutes or more while playing educational games

SWBAT: Learn from their mistakes and

Assessing Prior Knowledge: This application works to meet children where they are. The students start from an easy level for their age and repeats activities until students have mastered it. Each activity carries on no longer than five minutes, so there is a lot of variety to keep students engaged. As students pause or don’t seem to understand instruction, I can chirp in things that I know they are familiar with such as “which one is blue?” or “is that blue?” since I’m aware that these students are comfortable with their colors.

Planning Instruction: The content is appropriate for this age group because students are preparing for Kindergarten. It is also appropriate because these students are Montessori children and comfortable with independent practices. This application was developed with the common core standards in mind and they have special program deals for teachers to use in the classroom. Many Preschool teachers have shared their successful experiences using this application in the classroom. You can see them here