Name
Duncan Ciappara
Topic
Living things and the Environment using an online game
Learning time
1 hour
Designed time
1 hour
Size of class
16
Description
This lesson will help students understand some properties of living and non-living things. Students will be encouraged to learn the differences of living things using the online game Sortify Animals. Sortify Animals is designed to be used as a playful assessment. It’s an open-ended tool that is flexible enough to work for all grade levels. The goal of Sortify is to clear the whole board in as few rounds as possible. Students can also attempt to earn points, and try to beat their own score.This lesson will be directed towards students with learning difficulties.
Mode of delivery
Blended
Aims
During this lesson, students will be able to recognise differences and characteristics between living organism using an online game. Students would be able to identify a variety of living things and the differences and commonalities of certain categories.
Outcomes
Define, Relate, Explain, Reflect
Editor
dnc
Edit
Introduction
5 minutes)
  • Read Watch Listen
    3
    16
    2
    The teacher introduces the task that is going to cover this lesson with the help of a the game Sortify Animals. A video clip taken from the documentary Blue Planet II follows the introduction. It shows living organisms in the sea and demonstrates some of the seven vital functions. Although the video clip is mainly visual, subtitles can be used for students to follow with ease.
  • Read Watch Listen
    2
    16
    0
    After watching the video clip, the teacher may ask the students: Question: From what you have seen in this video, what are the differences between a living and a non-living thing? Or What are the common characteristics of a living thing? Possible Answers: A living thing eats, moves, attacks other animals, can see.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0
Development
40 minutes)
  • Investigate
    3
    16
    0
    Tell students they will have the opportunity to explore characteristics of living things through an online game called Sortify Animal. Students are reminded that they have to use different strategies in order to choose bucket labels. They have to decide which bin to place their tiles in. The goal of Sortify is to clear the whole board in as few rounds as possible. Students can also attempt to earn points, and try to beat their own score
  • Practice
    22
    16
    0
    Allow students to explore the game independently on a computer or tablet. Students are encouraged to actively participate and the highest three marks will earn a digital badge. This badge will earn students points that can be added to their certificate and profile by the end of the year. At this point, the teacher may draw students’ attention to the point values on each label, and challenge them to earn as many points as possible. They can keep a record of their attempts and see what their highest score could be.
  • Discuss
    15
    16
    0
    Once all students have finished playing their game some of their strategies were discussed. The teacher then chooses one or two students from the class to play the game again for the whole class to see. The teacher will ask students if there were other ways that the tiles could have been sorted. After some of the chosen answers, the teacher should instigate the discussion about the main differences between a living and a non-living thing. Students could be paired up to play so they can talk about their choices and strategies. The teacher could observe students as they play in order to identify misconceptions and other important teaching points to follow up on later.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0
Conclusion
15 minutes)
  • Collaborate
    15
    16
    0
    To conclude the lesson, the teacher urges the student to play the game at home or at school and explains that a quiz will follow this lesson. The quiz will be used to test students’ understanding of this lesson and to introduce and help students develop formal explanations for the concepts, they have explored during gameplay. The teacher may conclude the lesson by allowing students to create a paper prototype of the game using their own tiles and labels.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0

Learning Experience

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