Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities

Lesson Idea Name: PenPal Mathematics

Content Area: Conversions
Grade Level(s): 5th
Content Standard Addressed:
5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement
system, and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real world problems.

Technology Standard Addressed:

Digital Citizen 2b. Students engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behavior when using
technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
Global Collaborator 7a. Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of
backgrounds and cultures engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and
learning.

Selected Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing Opportunity: PenPal Schools

URL(s) to support the lesson:

https://www.penpalschools.com/index.html

Describe how you would incorporate an Online Project/Collaboration Site/Publishing

Opportunity in your classroom:
In the classroom students are working with multiplication, division, and conversions. The students are
trying to connect these operations to read world problem. For this lesson we will be taking a trip to a
computer lab to go to PenPal Schools where we will be going more in depth into this topic. One thing
everyone around the world has in common is that we use recipes when cooking. Students are going to
be connecting with students across the world to talk about recipes they use at home and converting
them to the metric they use.
This will help students communicate with other students outside of their classroom and also be able to
explore other cultures. Coming out of this project students could be interested in the recipes they
convert and want to try these recipes at home. This opens students minds up to how much math is in
their everyday life and why it is really useful.
What technologies would be required to implement this proposed learning activity in a
classroom?
For this activity we will need computers to be successful. We can either have laptops brought into the
classroom if that is an available option or take a trip to a computer lab or the media center.
Describe how the following features are addressed in this learning experience (note: all of them
may not be addressed in the project, but most should be if you are reaching a high LoTi Level).
a. Collaboration with peers, near-peers, mentors outside their classroom and often beyond
their school: Students will be able to communicate with other students all across the world
with this project. The online site provides the students with a safe space to contact other
students learning the same concepts that they are.

b. Student-centered learning and knowledge creation (creating original data and or

producing original products as a result of engaging in a project): With this project students
will be able to bring recipes from home to share with other students. Once they receive a recipe
they get to conduct their own work on converting the units of measure to the measure they use.
They then have the option to go home and recreate the dish using the converted recipe that they
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 Online Projects, Collaboration Sites and Publishing Opportunities
came up with.

c. Higher-order thinking: By having students use recipes to convert to a measurement they

understand they are participating in higher order thinking.

d. Students publishing their original work to others who will use/care about their product:
During this project students will have the opportunity to share their conversions with other
students in the community to discuss and learn from.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☐ Remembering ☐ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐

Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☐ Level 1: Awareness ☐ Level 2: Exploration ☐ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4:

Integration

☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

This lesson gives students the opportunity to connect with other students across the world and share
something about their lives with one another. No students are left out of this activity because all
students will be able to participate while on the computer. If there are students who need
accommodations we will make the necessary changes so that student is able to be successful in the
activity.
Lesson idea implementation and Internet Safety Policies:
Students will be using technology to complete the project they will be reminded to use their
technology appropriately and only of means of creating of completing the project requirements
Reflective Practice:
This project could impact the student learning by helping the students understand that math is used in
their everyday lives. By showing the students how much math we can do with cooking they are able
to open their minds more to where math is in their lives. I believe that this lesson is a great way for
students to communicate with other students outside of the classroom and be able to learn about other
cultures at the same time.

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