Family Heritage Project

Subjects:  Language Arts, Social Studies, Information Literacy

Grade:  4

Technology tools:  Laptop(s)

Tools used:  Digital text / ebook, Word processing

Activity type:  Lesson, Unit, Project, Assessment, Research, State Writing Assessment

Students interviewed their oldest living relative as part of the Family Heritage Project. The asked the person a series of 18 questions that compared and contrasted their own life to that of the interviewee.   The word processing skills gained have impacted the many, many other projects and technology integration we do on a daily basis in our classroom.

Students then composed specific information into a paragraph outline to create a 6 paragraph paper.  Students were able to edit, use word-processing skills, connect Language Arts skills and edit documents like you would in a real News Reporting room.

This part of the project was also the State Writing prompt for our school. Students used the finished documents to create a lovely family treasure for year's to come.

Students met with teacher to look at text features, content, and go through the writing process.

Cynthia Thompson-Schmidt, Jenkins Elementary

Learning about Amphibians

Subjects:  Science, Social Studies, Information Literacy

Grade:  1

Technology tools:  Computer(s), LCD Projector

Tools used:  Interactive website, Video, Digital text / ebook

Activity type:  Lesson, Unit, Research

 

We are learning about amphibians this week.  We have integrated both our Weekly Readers (and the online digital edition) and National Geographic for Kids websites to allow the children to explore and find out where these animals live, how they defend themselves, what they sound like, and what they eat.  The Weekly Reader online edition allows children to see and hear what they are learning about through the incorporation of video clips.  National Geographic for Kids online has allowed the children to not only learn of the animal habitats, but how they survive, defend themselves, and even what these animals sound like.

We began this lesson in our classroom while the children had the paper edition of Weekly Reader at their desks.  I used my projector to display the digital edition on my board.  We took turns reading information regarding amphibians.  Video clips were shown of frogs/toads catching their prey, and how camouflage benefits them.  Students were also asked to use higher level thinking skills to answer questions about why frogs benefit from being camouflaged.  After we finished reading, I showed the students where they would be "going" once we got to the computer lab.  I modeled where students would log on, what they would be searching for, and explained that they would need to tell me something new they learned about amphibians from the National Geographic forKids web site.

Assessment:  Children needed to verbally tell me something they learned today about amphibians.

Laura Streamer,  Longview

Integrating the iPad into Literacy

Subject:  Language Arts

Grade:  1

Technology tools:  Computer(s), Interactive Slate, iPad, Document Camera

Tools used:  Interactive website, Digital text / ebook, Show me app on ipad

Activity type:  Lesson, Teacher presentation, Assessment

Language arts:

Competency Goal 1: The learner will develop and apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.

Objective:  1.01 Develop phonemic awareness and demonstrate knowledge of alphabetic principle:

count syllables in a word.

• blend the phonemes of one-syllable words.
• segment the phonemes of one-syllable words.
• change the beginning, middle, and ending sounds to produce new words. 
•  create and state a series of rhyming words that may include consonant blends (e.g., flag, brag).

1.02 Demonstrate decoding and word recognition strategies and skills:

• generate the sounds from all the letters and appropriate letter patterns which should include consonant blends and long and short vowel patterns.
• use phonics knowledge of sound-letter relationships to decode regular one-syllable words when reading words and text.
• recognize many high frequency and/or common irregularly spelled words in text (e.g., have said, where, two).
• read compound words and contractions.
•  read inflectional forms (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing) and root words (e.g., looks, looked, looking).
•  read appropriate word families.

We used the projector and the iPad and the document camera to allow the students to become teachers using the ShowMe app to explain special parts/features in our high frequency words. This program is a white board program that records their work and it allowed them to be teachers as it was placed under the document camera. This is one part of a word wall lesson we do everyday.

We have also used the iPad during small group to check understanding of spelling patterns and phonic skills by allowing students once again to use the ShowMe app, the Doodle Buddy app, or the Magnetic Alphabet app to explain one thing they have learned to the group.

It would be nice to have multiple iPads, but having just mine is enough to allow the kids a chance to learn. They will build or write the words or identify phonics skill they have learned and explain to the group. This allows me to see who is grasping my lessons and the skills being taught.

My students really enjoyed using the iPad and explaining as the teacher what they were thinking. I like being able to see their thought process and hear it. With the ShowMe app you can record not only what they do but what they say and this was very helpful for me to use to better see where students were struggling and I can use in conferences to let parents see this as well. If I could change anything, well I would like more iPads to allow students access to the apps at once. But this is something that will take time, so for now I'm not sure of anything else I would do different.

Talking Books

Subjects:  Language Arts, Information Literacy, ESL

Grade:  1

Technology tools:  Computer(s), Laptop(s), LCD Projector, Document Camera

Tools used:  Digital text / ebook, Word processing, Communication tool

Activity type:  Lesson, Project, Teacher presentation

Objectives:

·         ELA Standard #2 Reading: understanding positional words

·         Science Common Core Standard: KP.1 Physical Sciences: Relative positions and motions of objects: Position Words

I am using Microsoft PowerPoint to create a “Talking Books” small group project for my ESL students who are learning positional words.



First,  I  presented  the Berenstein Bears book “Bears in the Night” to teach several positional words (over, under, in, out, etc) to kindergarten and first grade students. After the read aloud presentation, the students echo read and used hand motions to act out the story. They enjoyed it so much that we are now in the process of creating our own “Viewmont Bears in the School” Talking Book using Powerpoint, our own digital photographs, and student-generated story using the same position words. This will then be a shared reading using the computer and the projector.

Christine Smith,  Viewmont