21st Century Skills and Standards

Introduction
The role of a teacher in the 21 st -century classroom has significantly changed. Other than
delivering curriculum content, a teacher must also ensure that they teach students 21 st -century
skills. The mastery of these skills needs to be supported by Common Core State Standards
(CCSS), the International Society for Technology in Education student (ISTE), and 21 st -century
support systems as outlined in the Framework for 21 st -century learning. In this paper, I redesign a
Universal Design for Learning lesson plan that I had completed in a previous assignment and
modify it to incorporate the 21st-century support systems to enhance the mastery of the required
skills.
UDL Lesson plan
Lesson Overview
Title: Learning About Fractions
Teacher: Nick Tsikitas
Subject: Math
Grade Level(s): 5
Duration: 45 Minutes
Unit Description
Students will have an understanding of fractions.
ISTE Standards

7. Creative Designer
   Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by
   collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally (ISTE

21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND STANDARDS 3
Standards for Students, 2012).
State Standards
  CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.1
Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned
into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b
(Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2021).
Goals
Unit Goals: 

1. Ensure that students deepen their understanding of the meaning of fractions.
2. Ensure that students are able to add and subtract fractions with a common denominator.  
3. Ensure that students are able to use their digital gadgets to solve math problems on adding
   and subtracting fractions.
   Lesson goals: 
4. Ensure that students are aware of fractions and their application in everyday life
5. Understand how fractions can be used to express a portion of a whole number. \
6. Students should be able to solve math problems on fractions using their smartphones,
   tablets, and laptops by playing a turtle game.
   Methods
   Anticipatory Set:
   Students will engage in a discussion revolving around fractions. I will facilitate a discussion
   during which students will discuss different ways of applying factions in real life. As they
   communicate, they will enhance their communication skills.
   Introduce and Model New Knowledge:

21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND STANDARDS 4
Display a lemon to the class. Use a knife to divide it into two halves and use the items to
explain the concept of fractions, denominator, and numerator. Write on the smartboard the
fractions made after cutting the lemon into different pieces.
Provide Guided Practice:
Divide students into groups of three students each. Give each group an orange that has been
cut into four pieces. Students will then work in their groups to determine the fractions that
represent the pieces taken by each and what was left.
Provide Independent Practice:
Each student will use their smartphones, tablets, and laptops and play a game of fractions on
Turtle. The game will require them to shade parts of shapes and then state the fractions not
shaded, or the ones shaded depending on the question asked.
Wrap-Up
The topic of fractions is a critical area in forming a foundation for understanding math content
for third graders. Thus, through differentiated instruction, integration of technology, and
modeling, I will foster learning and provide scaffolding whenever necessary.
Assessment
Formative/Ongoing Assessment:
Ask learners to provide examples of instances in their lives when they apply the concept of
fractions. (the aim is to evaluate learner’s ability to relate curriculum content to their real lives
outside the classroom. Students will show mastery of 21 st -century skills related to life and
career skills).
Ask learners to give examples of equivalent fractions. (Critical thinking skills)
Summative/End of Lesson Assessment:

21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND STANDARDS 5
Ask learners to go home into their kitchen and cut a piece of banana five times. Eat one piece,
and then write in their notebooks the fraction of the banana that was left. (life skills).
Materials
Other Resources
Task cards
Math notebooks
 Notecard pairs
Tablets, laptops, and smartphones.
Oranges.

Summary
Summary of modifications (modifications are included within the lesson plan)
The first step towards redesigning the UDL lesson plan was to include the ISTE
standards. The assignment I chose to redesign did not include the standards. The standard I chose
is creative designer, and this taps on the learners’ ability to use digital tools to enrich their
learning experiences. The standard aligns with the CCSS I chose, the activities to be undertaken
during the lesson, as well as the objectives of the lesson. I then redesigned the unit goals by
adding an additional goal. Since I will be incorporating digital tools in the lesson, the additional
goal aims at ensuring that each student is able to use their smartphone, laptop, or tablet to solve
math problems on fractions.
One of the PLO’s from my master’s program is on using a variety of strategies and
experiences to elicit evidence of learner growth, for instance, monitoring their mastery of the
objectives, checking how they are playing the educational game aimed at enhancing their

21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND STANDARDS 6
understanding as well as during discussions with peers. Another PLO checks on mastery of
communication ideas and skills related to technology use. The modifications made tap on
learners’ abilities and skills and seek to enhance their communication and use of technology
tools.
The redesigned activities help tailor instruction to ensure that it is learner-centered. For
instance, by playing the game on the Turtle program, each learner will be able to progress at a
pace that each is comfortable with. Also, in case a learner is unable to progress, I will provide
scaffolding tailored to meet the needs of individual learners. The use of digital tools and
programs helps create a technology-enriched learning environment where learners learn
curriculum content and acquire mastery of technology skills.
Reflection
Overall, the experience with the redesign was quite a challenge. The instructions were not
easy to decipher. It was also hard deciding what to include, whereas the UDL lesson plan that I
was redesigning was already complete. However, I overcame the challenges by doing extensive
research, interacting with course learning materials and other scholarly sources from the
university library. Eventually, I was able to complete the assignment successfully and learn a lot
while at it.

Folio Link: https://portfolium.com/entry/21st-century-skills-and-standards-78