iPad Skills Design

Overview

In this Technology lesson, students will learn how to use iPads safely and effectively, then practise designing and communicating a simple informative poster. The lesson builds toward creating written informative texts by planning clear information and using sentence-level punctuation appropriately for an audience.

Learning intentions

• Students will learn how to use an iPad for a classroom task safely and responsibly.
• Students will plan an informative mini-poster with a clear topic, key facts, and an audience in mind.
• Students will write sentences using correct capital letters and full stops, and include a simple text feature (heading).
• Students will review their work to improve clarity and punctuation.

Success criteria

• I can use my iPad to open the task and find where to save my work.
• I can include a clear heading and 3–5 accurate facts in my poster.
• I can write sentences that begin with capital letters and end with a full stop (or question mark if needed).
• I can check my poster for spelling, full stops, and correct formatting.

Curriculum links

• Technology K–6 focus on using digital tools responsibly to plan, create and communicate ideas.
• EN2-CWT-02: plan, create and revise written texts for informative purposes, using text features, sentence-level grammar, punctuation and word-level language for a target audience.
• EN2-OLC-01: communicate with a familiar audience by presenting and listening for understanding during class check-ins.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook & iPad overview. Teacher displays iPad skills and poster hook slides and asks: “What makes a poster easy to read—words, layout, or punctuation?” Students turn and talk, then share one idea.
2. 5–10 min · Model safe iPad use. Teacher introduces the “Care, Charge, Consider” routine (hands, screen care, charging, respectful use) and shows where students will find the task using iPad skills and poster hook slides. Students repeat the routine with a partner, using voice and pointer finger “tap only when asked”.
3. 10–18 min · Direct teach: finding the task. Teacher walks students through: unlocking, finding the app/folder, opening the template, and saving under their name, referencing iPad skills and poster hook slides. Students practise the steps with the screen held face-up on their desk (no typing yet), then complete the “open and save” check.
4. 18–25 min · Choose topic & plan. Teacher shows an example informative mini-poster on iPad skills and poster hook slides (topic + heading + 3 facts). Students select one of three teacher-provided topics (e.g., “How rain helps plants”, “Animals and their habitats”, “Why we need sleep”) and complete a quick plan in the air: heading + 3 facts + one “because” sentence idea.
5. 25–35 min · Create poster (draft). Teacher distributes informative poster planning and sentence punctuation worksheet and explains how it links to the iPad template (students use the worksheet to write before typing). Students write 3–4 facts as short sentences, ensuring capital letters and full stops.
6. 35–47 min · iPad build & apply text features. Teacher revisits iPad skills and poster hook slides to show where the heading and facts go, and reminds students to use the simple punctuation they practised. Students transfer their plan to the iPad poster template, adding:

• a heading
• 3–5 short informative sentences
• one image placeholder or simple visual symbol (if the template provides it)

7. 47–53 min · Teacher conference & quick revision. Teacher calls 5–6 students at a time for a 30-second check: “Show me your heading. Point to one full stop. What fact did you add?” Students then use a self-check against the success criteria (capital letters, full stops, heading present).
8. 53–60 min · Share & exit reflection. Teacher displays a sharing slide prompt on iPad skills and poster hook slides. Students do a quick gallery walk (teacher-chosen, pairs of 2) and give one kind feedback using a stem: “I like… because…”. Students finish with a 1-minute exit ticket on the worksheet: tick whether they can find and save their work and one punctuation they checked.

Resources

• iPad skills and poster hook slides
• informative poster planning and sentence punctuation worksheet
• iPads for all students with required app/template ready
• Teacher device + projector/interactive display
• Charging cables available for quick swaps
• Topic cards (3–5 possible informative topics) on the table
• Marker/pens and scrap paper for planning drafts
• Optional: headphones if the iPad template includes audio instructions

Assessment

• Formative: observe “open and save” step accuracy during the practice at minutes 10–18.
• Formative: check poster headings and punctuation during conferences at minutes 47–53.
• Summative-in-mini-form: exit ticket ticks for punctuation check and ability to save work.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters on informative poster planning and sentence punctuation worksheet (e.g., “Rain helps plants because…”, “Habitats are important because…”).
• Support: show a “checklist” on iPad skills and poster hook slides for heading + 3 facts + full stops.
• Extension: challenge students to add one extra sentence starting with “For example…” or include a second text feature if the template allows (e.g., subheading).
• EAL/SEN: allow oral rehearsal before typing; accept “dot point facts” on the iPad if supported by converting to sentences in a second pass.