BASIC PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS: SPREADSHEETS, WORD TEMPLATE, NARRATED POWERPOINT

Name: Ben Harmon

Grade Level: 9th Grade
Content Area: Biology
Basic Productivity Tool Used: Microsoft Excel
Standards Addressed:
SB5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to assess the interdependence of all
organisms on one another and their environment.
a. Plan and carry out investigations and analyze data to support explanations about factors
affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems. (Clarification statement: Factors
include population size, carrying capacity, response to limiting factors, and keystone
species.)
c. Construct an argument to predict the impact of environmental change on the stability of an
ecosystem.
Bloom’s Level of Critical Thinking:
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating
Description of how to implement in the class:
During class, the students will complete a lab over the course of two weeks. They will first plant 12
seeds of varying levels of radiation to see how the radiation effects the plant growth. Next, they will
water and keep the seeds in sunlight to help them grow, but making sure to keep the variables
controlled. Finally, when the two weeks are up the students will measure the plant growth in mm.
The students will then take their data home with them and will upload their data to an Excel
spreadsheet the teacher has created to graph and collect some data. They will then have to navigate
the Excel spreadsheet and record the totals and averages the equations calculated for their data. They
also will need to copy the graph created by the spreadsheet onto a piece of graph paper.
Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi): The LoTi level for this type of lab and Excel lesson
would be considered a level 4 because it is putting the student in the learning task by having them
plant the seeds and monitor them and then taking their own data home and collecting the data, even
if the equations are created by the teacher beforehand. However, the LoTi level for this lesson could
be higher if the teacher chose to make the students created the functions and equations in the Excel
program or if the data was collected throughout the entire school or district as a collaborative
assignment. Additionally for the SAMR model, this lesson would be a modification on the traditional
graphing lab and allowing the students to use Excel instead of during class.
Description of the sample spreadsheet and graph/chart provided *: Below you will find a copy
of the Seed Data template that has been filled out with sample data to show the students what the
data should tend to look like. They will then replace the sample data with their own data to discover
their data results and graphs.
Other comments about your proposed spreadsheet/graph/chart activity: As mentioned earlier,
the lesson could be implemented differently if you had an advanced class and needed to give them
more of a challenge by just showing them the spreadsheet in class and having them create their very
own template and then plug in the data they collected.