Lesson Planning with TPACK and SAMR: Science
Lesson planning: butterfly metamorphosis
- TPACK Design:
- CK: Four stages of metamorphosis.
- PK: Constructivist, hands-on creation.
- TK: Stop-motion tablet animation.
- SAMR Evaluation:
- S: Reading a digital PDF instead of a book.
- A: Tapping an interactive diagram for a pop-up video.
- M: Students authoring their own multimedia e-book.
- R: Projecting a 3D AR caterpillar onto the desk to film a documentary.
This article takes one science topic and shows two things: how to design the lesson using TPACK, and how to evaluate different versions of the lesson using SAMR.
The topic: butterfly metamorphosis
The content is complete metamorphosis: the four stages of a butterfly’s life cycle (Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult).
Designing the lesson with TPACK
The goal is to build an activity where content, pedagogy, and technology meet at the center.
- CK: The biological process of metamorphosis and the four distinct stages.
- PK: A constructivist, project-based approach. Students build understanding by physically constructing the sequence, not memorizing a diagram.
- TK: Stop-motion animation software (like Stop Motion Studio) and a tablet camera.
The lesson: Students work in small groups with modeling clay. They sculpt the four stages of the butterfly. Using a tablet, they take photos of their clay models, slightly changing the clay between each shot. The caterpillar builds its chrysalis. The butterfly emerges. They compile the photos into a short, narrated stop-motion video.
The technology (stop-motion) lets students visualize time and transformation (CK) through hands-on construction (PK). A static textbook diagram cannot do this. That is TPACK.
CK: Four stages of metamorphosis (content the student must understand)
PK: Constructivist approach where students physically build the sequence (teaching method)
TK: Stop-motion animation on a tablet (digital tool)
All three connect: the technology lets students visualize biological change through hands-on creation.
Evaluating the lesson with SAMR
The same topic can be taught at different SAMR levels. Each version uses technology differently.
Substitution
Students read a PDF about the butterfly life cycle on their tablets instead of a printed textbook chapter. Same task, different screen. The technology replaces paper but changes nothing about the learning.
Augmentation
Students use an interactive diagram on a smartboard. When they tap on the “Pupa” stage, a pop-up shows a short time-lapse video and reads the definition aloud. The task is still “learn the stages,” but the multimedia makes it more accessible for visual and auditory learners.
Projecting a 3D caterpillar onto a desk to record a nature documentary is a task that has no paper equivalent.
It is an entirely new learning experience created by technology. Students observe, interact with, and narrate a biological process in a way that could not exist without AR.
Modification
Students use Canva or Book Creator to design their own interactive e-book about the life cycle. They embed voice recordings, video clips, and diagrams they create themselves. They share the finished e-book with classmates. The task has shifted: students go from readers to authors.
Redefinition
Students use an AR app (like Google 3D Animals) to project a moving, 3D caterpillar onto their classroom desk. They observe it from every angle. Then they record a “nature documentary” style video, explaining metamorphosis as if they are standing next to a giant chrysalis. This task has no paper equivalent. It exists because the technology exists.
What this example shows
The TPACK breakdown and the SAMR progression cover the same topic but do different jobs. TPACK helped design one specific lesson (the stop-motion animation). SAMR showed four different ways technology could be used for the same content, from shallow to deep.
A teacher can use both tools together. Design the lesson with TPACK. Then check it with SAMR: is the technology at Substitution, or is it doing more?