Stephanie Thornton

www.mrsthorntonclassroom.com
EDU-225
December 13, 2015

Raft Task Card

Row 1

ROLE (student)
To work in a small

AUDIENCE
Fellow student

FORMAT
Create a power

TOPIC
What is the life

group and examine

scientists

point as a group

cycle of the

the life cycle of a

butterfly?

butterfly.
Study different forms

Your teacher and

Speech and visual

How energy

of Energy.

classmates

using document

comes in different

camera and

forms.

Row 2

projector

Row 3

Look at how force

Your teacher and

Visual

How the change in

makes things move.

classmates

demonstration in

force can change

front of group of

the movement of

information

an object.

retrieved from the

internet.

RAFT Row 1
Objective: To describe the life cycle of a butterfly and the stages of its physical metamorphosis.
WA. State 2nd grade ISTE standard, Core Content Standards: Life Cycle.

PO 1. Identify the stages of life of the butterfly.

ISTE Standard- Collect, organize, represent and interpret data, Construct and analyze pictograph
Student Role: Work together in a small group and examine the life cycle of the common
butterfly.
Audience: Present to fellow scientists
Format: Present a power point on the life cycle.
Topic: What is the life cycle of the butterfly?

Directions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Visit: www.flightofthebutterflies.com/life-cycle
Work together as group to gather data from research on the computers.
Give each person in the group a life stage to have researched and to present to the class.
Build a power point presentation to share with the class

Resources:
Websites to visit:
www.flightofthebutterflies.com/life-cycle
www.kidsbutterfly.org
www.thebutterflysite.com

Assessment: Prepare a 5 to 6 slide presentation on the life cycle of the butterfly. You will be
graded on how well you work together in a group and the research and information presented.

RAFT Row 2
Objective: Study the different forms of energy and be able to identify what energy is.
WA state 2nd grade ISTE Standard, Core Content-Identify that heat, light, motion, electricity, and
sound are all energy.
PO 1. Give examples of different forms of energy.
ISTE Standard- Be able to explain how energy in our bodies is used in activities and what gives
us energy.
Student Role: Study the different forms of energy
Audience: Your teacher and classmates
Format: Give a 1-2 minutes speech on the different forms of energy
Topic: How energy comes in different forms

Directions:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Visit www.solarschools.net and www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kindsofenergy

Gather data using the internet on the computers.
Use a story web to organize information
Rough draft and peer edit
Create a 1-2 minute speech typed and tell the class which type of energy is the most
interesting to you. Use the document camera and projector to display information
while presenting.

Resources:
www.solarschools.net and www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kindsofenergy

Assessment: Student will be graded on material covered and presentation.

RAFT Row 3
Objective: Investigate how force makes things move and creates energy.
WA. State ISTE Standards, Core Content- The student should be able to give an example of how
something with greater force can make an object move faster than that of something with lesser
force.
Student Role: Look at how force can make things move.
Audience: Your teacher and classmates
Format: Two to three minute presentation with the use of visual aid for demonstration.
Topic: How does the change in force change the movement of the object?

Directions:
Visit http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_intro.html and view the video
Work, Force and Energy in Motion
1. https://online.kidsdiscover.com/unit/force-and-motion
2. Research types of motion on the internet.
3. Pick one to demonstrate to the class and explain.
Resources:
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_intro.html
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/motion_intro.html

Assessment: Choose an example of energy and demonstrate it to the classroom.

Section Four: Differentiating Instruction through Technology

Introduction (4-6 sentences)
Differentiating instruction through technology in the classroom allows each students
academic needs to be met. By assessing skills before moving on to a new concept the educator is
able to visually see who is understanding and who needs additional help. Smaller group activities
allow the teacher to focus more time on the students struggling while the others are challenged
with another project. (Pendergrass, 2013) Differentiation of instruction is essential to the success
of our students.
Technology to Differentiate Instruction (300-400 words)
Document camera and computer: Using a document camera and computer the instructor can
navigate on the computer desktop on the projector screen for the entire class to see. This gives a
better visual to those students who have difficulty navigating through a computer and the
programs. This technology has an impact on student achievement because it is a tool that will
help facilitate their computer use for research of topics to assist in collecting data as part of a 2nd
grade ISTE standard. In the RAFT cards the document camera and projector was included in a
requirement for presentation so that each student would be able to see the presentation and be
able to follow along.
Internet Research tools : When using the internet to differentiate lessons it is helpful to allow
the students who are grasping the concept well to use the computers as an enrichment time or to
research topics further while helping others. The computers are supportive as an intervention tool

to assist in developing and master skills as well. Using the internet for research and intervention
connects to ISTE standards by solving problems and reaching academic learning requirements.
It also allows for the use of creativity and innovation. The use of the internet and computer time
is involved in each RAFT card requirement. Some tools that can be used for intervention during
differentiation are links such as www.abcya.com and www.starfall.com. Having computers used
by teachers and students allows effective and influential opportunities for unique instruction,
individualized lessons and learning experiences. (Gunter & Gunter, 2015)
Video Demonstrations: Using video demonstrations in a lesson reaches several types of learners
with different levels of understanding. The video allows a visual for the students who need to
have a visual aid to understand and audio for those that learn better from hearing the instruction.
Using this type of technology helps engage the students which will then lead those students to be
more attentive during instruction. The ISTE standards are met by allowing creativity through
instruction and the use of diverse activities. One video is included in the RAFT card under How
force makes things move. Using different types of instruction rather than just a couple different
forms is important because students learn in different ways and at different paces. (Morgan, H.,
2014)
Pros and Cons (150-250 words)
Some pros and cons to using technology during differentiation is that it is not fail proof.
At times technology just does not cooperate and work as planned and that can be frustrating as
the instructor when trying to meet the needs of several students. Another con would be that when
students are to work independently they may or may not use the program correctly and not
benefit as much as planned from the additional practice. A few of the pros would be that as an
instructor it allows you to have additional instructional support and gives curriculum practice to

those that needs more support. Another pro would be that it helps build the students technology
skills for future lessons.
Concluding Paragraph (4-6 sentences)
Differentiated instruction through technology reaches diverse students by focusing on
personalized teaching strategies and supports curriculum requirements. It also serves as a more
engaging and attentive learning. Technology is becoming more and more a part of our
instructional plan and the students will benefit from the amount of resources available to them.
As educators using technology in the classroom, it will facilitate in the learning of the students
and their comprehension of the concepts being taught.

References:

Morgan, H. (2014). Maximizing Student Success with Differentiated Learning. Clearing House,
87(1), 34-38. doi:10.1080/00098655.2013.832130.
Gunter, G.A., & Gunter, R.E., (2015) Teachers Discovering Computers, Integrating Technology
in a Changing World, Boston, MA. Cenegagie Learning, 212
Pendergrass, E., Dec. 2013 & Jan. 2014, Educational Leadership, Differentiation: It Starts With
Preassessment,www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/dec13/vol71/numb04/di
fferentiation@it_starts_with_pre-assessment.aspx