This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarten students saw e-mail in action and had to explain it visually; First graders learned about the concept of “credit” for creative works and publishing online; Second grade students performed admirably in their annual keyboarding assessments; Third graders did final testing of their parachute designs (recording data along the way); Fourth graders tested various rock types for durability and hardness to determine suitability for petroglyph carving, then made their own petroglyph which they brought home (sorry, parents!)

Week ending 05/17/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This week’s lesson had the students contemplating “messages” that are sent by hand (carried to the office) or by electronic means (phone, computer). Much of the lesson came from this excellent outline at Common Sense Media.We defined some technology terms and discussed examples. We used a live email conversation to illustrate the process, with me emailing the classroom teacher (who had returned to their room temporarily) and receiving their response. Students then had to use ABCYa’s Paint Go! app to create an image of what they thought was happening (some samples are shown above.)

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This lesson is always fun and I love how it gets the kids thinking. Their awareness of other forms of electronic communication is pretty impressive; at least one student in every class mentioned texting, cell phones, iPads, laptops or Facebook. They are too young to grasp the concept of worldwide data transmission but they clearly understood the messaging that took place between me and the classroom teacher, and how that messaging compared to other means.

What students can do at home:

• Talk to your child about electronic messages. Send them to family and loved ones. Read and reply together.
• The Kindergarten Symbaloo is now fully loaded and ready for exploration!

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Students explored the concepts of “signature,” “credit,” and “publishing” in the context of creative works, particularly work published online. Much of the lesson came from this excellent outline at Common Sense Media. We defined terms, discussed examples (print and online), shared how we’d feel if someone took credit for our work.
• Then, using http://www.picassohead.com/, students created their own original works of art, which they titled and signed (first names only) and published on the website.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students seemed to understand the concept of credit but it wasn’t until they made and saw their work online that the concept really struck home. Kids were thrilled to find their work (and others) published on the site. Some made more than one creation. It was easy, meaningful and great fun.

What students can do at home:

• It’s easy to find examples of creative ownership, so, this discussion is easy to replicate with your child. They are used to putting their names on school papers but publishing – for the world to see – makes that even more important. Head over to http://www.picassohead.com/ and let your student amaze you with their creative skills!
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo … I filled it up this weekend!

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• The end of the year is assessment time, so, I had the students complete the “Final Test” in Typing Pal, our online keyboarding application, and recorded the results.
• We also had a brief lesson on the use of the “Research” tool in Google Docs to locate and cite images automatically.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Our second grade targets for keyboarding are 9 words a minute with 95% accuracy. The majority of our students are at or beyond that level of proficiency. The best way for kids to develop keyboarding skill is to do authentic work – writing, for example – but even some game playing (that is heavily text based) will help. The program we use at school teaches technique; it’s up to them to assimilate those techniques in their day to day work habits.

What students can do at home:

• Write. Anything. A story, sentences, even words – anything that gets them practice on the keyboard will help.
• The Second Grade Symbaloo has several excellent keyboarding activites – have them choose something they enjoy, but, limit the practice to 10 minutes a day or so at most.

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• In our last lesson for the Engineering is Elementary unit on designing parachutes, students’ creations were dropped three times from a height of seven feet, the durations totaled, and the final determination made of the parachute’s “mission readiness.” Students whose designs did not reach the minimum threshold redesigned their creations until they did. It was a fast-moving, festive environment, with classmates cheering each other on, working together on redesigns, doing mental math to determine how long each successive drop had to be in order to qualify for mission-ready status. At the end of class, students took their parachutes home.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Students impressed me with their creativity and ingenuity this week, especially this week, as designs changed rapidly in response to the performance tests. Reinforcing via paper plates helped a great deal but even those were subject to extreme interpretations as kids sliced out centers (to save weight, only to discover a corresponding loss in structural integrity/rigidity), inverting the plates, and more.

What students can do at home:

• Test the parachutes! I wish I could have provided everyone with clips (to secure the load) but we simply didn’t have enough for everyone. Try different line lengths, line placements, anything at all that, after observation, might indicate the possibility of better performance.
• Keyboarding practice is always good, if they can find some time for it every day, it will pay HUGE dividends in the future. Here’s the login link: http://school.typingpal.com/?NRTHNFES. The kids know their usernames and passwords.

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• This week marked the hands-on activity for the Engineering is Elementary STEM unit “Replicating an Artifact.” Students were charged with conducting a variety of tests (hardness, durability) on different kinds of rocks to determine which would be best suited for use as a petroglyph (rock carving.) Working in teams, students had to identify a piece of stone, research it online, prepare a crayon rubbing of test lines carved into their samples, and more. Once complete, students (all wearing eye protection) carved their very own petroglyphs, which they brought home.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This lesson was extremely fast-paced and hands-on, the perfect complement to the mental challenge of the NJASK test (students came to my lab directly after having finished testing for the day). This was by design, as I knew a physically stimulating activity would work best. Every student had a different job, everyone participated, and it was exceptionally challenging to orchestrate and prepare for. (Special thanks to Mrs. Vaccaro for travelling all the way to Cherry Hill to locate “Soapstone” for our project, and to my neighbors Kristine and Bob Schenck for the “Bluestone” we needed as well.) I literally spent hours smashing bits of limestone, marble, granite and other rocks into student-sized chunks for testing but the investment was well worth it. Next year I will get the rocks well in advance to be sure we have enough of each type. I would also like to thank our 8th grade IPS teacher Kathy O’Connor for providing us with enough safety goggles for everyone.
• Cleanup was among the dirtiest of any lesson in the STEMLAB this year.

What students can do at home:

• Since students recently studied rocks in their regular science class, ask them what kind of rocks are around the house and yard (and perhaps elsewhere, like Birch Grove Park.) Discuss what an archaeologist does, what artifacts are, what materials engineering is, and even what tools would be needed to replicate an artifact – especially now that they have DONE IT.
• Keyboarding practice is always good, if they can find some time for it every day, it will pay HUGE dividends in the future. Here’s the login link: http://school.typingpal.com/?NRTHNFES.

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarten students were shown the proper procedure for logging onto PCs; First Graders designed Mother’s Day projects using Kerpoof.com; Second Graders finished their Mother’s Day coupon projects; Third Graders made parachutes out of giant coffee filters (using the Engineering Design Process); Fourth Graders finished the story we’d been reading as part of the Engineering is Elementary unit Solid as a Rock: Replicating an Artifact.

Week ending 05/10/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We had class in my old classroom, now known as Elementary Computer Lab #1, to ensure the kids knew how to log on to PCs (here and in the classroom).
• I used a Powerpoint presentation to walk them through the process step by step, including logging off.
• We also reviewed components of the PC desktop: icons, the Start button, the Taskbar and the System Tray.
• We finished with a quick, fun activity utilizing Tux Paint, a terrific freeware application everyone with a computer at home should have.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students were generally able to grasp this quickly and log on with ease. The key to retention will be how frequently they log on/off on their classroom computers.
• Most difficulties involved identifying the Control, Alt and Delete keys, and pressing them properly.

What students can do at home:

• Few home PCs are set up to use login usernames and passwords the way our systems do (though I know some that are). For most Kindergarteners, learning the location of the Control, Alt and Delete keys would be helpful.
• The Kindergarten Symbaloo is now fully loaded and ready for exploration!

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Students used Kerpoof.com to create Mother’s Day greetings. They were able to choose between a card and a poster, adding appropriate graphics and text. The projects were printed in color.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students really appreciated the ability to go “outside” the normal greeting card style and came up with some highly original designs.

What students can do at home:

• Head over to Kerpoof.com and make more!
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo … I’ve nearly filled it up!

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We finished the Mother’s Day cards we started last week, printing them in color and in some cases cutting them out and assembling booklets

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Preparing the list of “coupon ideas” in advance results in the highest quality work possible.

What students can do at home:

• Check out the Second Grade Symbaloo, I’ve loaded several new learning activities!

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Students designed and built a parachute using large commercial coffee filters, string and tape, based on analysis of the data from our past tests. Students used the Engineering Design Process and came up with two designs (they could only build one), which they computed a “packing score” based on measurements of the chute components.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Coloring was NOT part of the lesson plan but adding the artistic component generated a great deal of energy and original ideas. One student (shown above) added one of our class mottos to his.
• This was one of the most enjoyable projects we’ve had this year!

What students can do at home:

• Building one of these parachutes is easy with common household materials. Get your child the raw materials and let them loose!
• Keyboarding practice is always good, if they can find some time for it every day, it will pay HUGE dividends in the future. Here’s the login link: http://school.typingpal.com/?NRTHNFES.

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We finished reading the Engineering is Elementary STEM unit story “Gayla and Natasha’s Rocky Adventure.” In it, two sisters who are always in disagreement ultimately come together and work collaboratively on petroglyph designs.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This was another fabulous introduction and context setting for the coming hands-on activity – creating petroglyphs (rock carvings) – which we are doing this week!

What students can do at home:

• Since students recently studied rocks in their regular science class, ask them what kind of rocks are around the house and yard (and perhaps elsewhere, like Birch Grove Park.) Discuss what an archaeologist does, what artifacts are, what materials engineering is, and even what tools would be needed to replicate an artifact. That’s what’s coming after we read the story!
• Keyboarding practice is always good, if they can find some time for it every day, it will pay HUGE dividends in the future. Here’s the login link: http://school.typingpal.com/?NRTHNFES.

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarten students created picturebooks with a great, free web application; First Graders worked in the PC lab on writing projects; Second Graders began a Mother’s Day project utilizing PowerPoint or Google Presentations; Third Graders built Google Spreadsheets to determine which parachute line length performed best in our tests; and Fourth Grade started a STEM unit about Materials Engineering with a read-aloud of the story that begins the unit.

Week ending 05/03/13

Made with ArisanCAM Picturebook Maker

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After warming up with some keyboarding, we introduced the students to the ArisanCAM Picturebook Maker, a great, free, easy-to-use tool for creating picture books. The selection of characters and scenes is somewhat limited, and adding text can be tricky, but its overall simplicity and flexibility (and cost) make it ideal for classroom use, even by early readers. It’s very simple to add a background/setting, characters, and other objects to complete a scene. Text is added with the pencil tool (tip: scale down the text box that appears using the provided slider and entering text is easy.) Students created a front and back cover and six pages of picture book action before printing them.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students quickly mastered the basics of this program and were ready for more.
• I should create a “kit” with paper cutouts either for students to use in class before coming to mine (or as part of my lesson) to “storyboard” a book and then build it using the tool. This would make adding dialog easier as well.

What students can do at home:

• Give the ArisanCAM Picturebook Maker a try with your child. He or she should independently be able to create a basic picture book, and, potentially, even be able to add simple text.
• There’s always the Kindergarten Symbaloo for practice, too

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Most classes continued our working on writing projects in my old PC computer lab, opening documents we’d created the week before. (Some classes were behind a week and did last week’s initial lesson this week.) We used Stationery Studio to complete and print the final products. We worked on spacing between words, ending marks, capitalization and more. Some of the writing was really impressive!

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• We love this program! It’s easy, has lots of backgrounds for different themes/subjects and produces great printed output.
• It does not include “spell checker” functionality, which is actually a plus because it does not do the correction for them; they are forced (once the error is pointed out) to correct it themselves.

What students can do at home:

• Write, write, write! If you have a computer at home, have them “publish” their writing with a word processor (every computer has one!)
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo for skill practice and fun.

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• With Mother’s Day approaching, it’s time for one of our favorite projects, which involves developing skills with presentation software by creating “coupons” for Mom. This was our first week working on the project, which will wrap up this coming week. Students brainstormed their “coupons” and created them in either Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Docs, adding text (and soon graphics & backgrounds). Use of spelling & grammar tools are also part of the lesson.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• As in the past, the biggest struggle with this project involves brainstorming the five coupon ideas. It might sound easy, but, for it’s not the students, many of whom want to do something original. That’s why we focus on the writing first. In some cases, kids were able to do that in their homerooms before coming to class.

What students can do at home:

• These coupons are easily made on a computer with word processing software, encourage your child to give it a try and be there to assist if they need it.
• Check out the Second Grade Symbaloo for fun activities and skill practice.

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Continuing our STEM lesson on designing parachutes, this week students used Google Spreadsheets to determine which of the different line lengths yielded the best performance as measured by greatest average fall duration. (This is an adaptation [and something of a simplification] of the lesson, but I’ve learned this year that such changes are necessary for the units to “fit” in my classroom time and schedule. It’s part of the reason why we like Engineering is Elementary so much.)
• Students created spreadsheets based on data we compiled last week (I put all five classes’ observations onto a single chart for each size parachute.) Students entered text labels, data, and formatted cells to display two decimal places. After a quick visual explanation of “average” or “arithmetic mean” by using student heights (and my own), I showed the students how to enter a formula to calculate the average drop time for each line length in the final column. They created the formulas and determined which line length provided the best performance (maximum average fall time.) They then needed to use formatting to indicate or highlight their identified answer.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Our emphasis on keyboarding is paying off. Most students had no trouble pounding the data into their spreadsheets. Those that did are the same ones who tend to struggle with keyboarding. I can’t stress this enough: keyboarding skills are the key to proficiency with technology applications.
• The Learning.com EasyTech lessons on spreadsheets we did earlier this year definitely helped students understand the basics.
• Kids find spreadsheets are fairly intuitive and they have a lot of application in other lessons, so, we’re going to use them more.

What students can do at home:

• Spreadsheets are easy and fun to create with and can be used to organize lots of different kinds of data important to kids, like information about toy collections. Encourage them to give it a try! Students can access Google Docs at home using this link: http://docs.google.com/a/ncs-tech.org.
• Keyboarding practice is always good, if they can find some time for it every day, it will pay HUGE dividends in the future. Here’s the login link: http://school.typingpal.com/?NRTHNFES.

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• Fourth graders began the Engineering is Elementary STEM unit Solid as a Rock: Replicating an Artifact. As with all the EiE units, we began with the storybook, in this case “Gayla and Natasha’s Rocky Adventure.” The story centers around two twin girls whose archaeologist mother is spending the summer with a friend/colleague, preparing for a summer conference. The rich, vivid writing and fast-moving dialog between the sisters makes the story believable and fun. We finished half the book, and will complete it this coming week.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students did a fantastic job reading along with me for essentially the entire period. It’s really asking a lot of them; they are not accustomed to sitting still for that long, certainly not in my class. Our foam cubes’ comfortable seating helped. The “during reading questions” provided by EiE also sparked great discussion and increased interest in the story. For one thing, the story focuses on twins – and we have several sets of twins (fraternal and identical) in the school. These EiE storybooks are the foundation of the program and they are excellent.

What students can do at home:

• Since students recently studied rocks in their regular science class, ask them what kind of rocks are around the house and yard (and perhaps elsewhere, like Birch Grove Park.) Discuss what an archaeologist does, what artifacts are, what materials engineering is, and even what tools would be needed to replicate an artifact. That’s what’s coming after we read the story!

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarten students “saw doubles” with a fun Math activity. First Graders took their fresh knowledge of Word Processing into our PC computer lab and worked on some basic documents with Stationery Studio. Second Graders also worked in the PC computer lab, getting further into Microsoft Word. Third graders tested the effect of different line lengths on their parachutes’ fall times. And in Fourth grade, students did a mixture of projects, including acrostic poems for Mother’s Day, a special STEM activity involving earthquake resistant housing (thanks to Mrs. Shenkus), and more.

Week ending 04/26/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Our lesson put the “M” in STEM for us this week in my classroom! I recently came across the NCTM Lesson “Seeing Double.” It looked like fun so I knew I wanted to try it. Mrs. Bonsall gave me our copy of “Two of Everything” from the school library, along with a DVD that goes with the book. We started the lesson with a segment from the DVD that told this Chinese folk tale. It was called “The Magic Pot;” the kids LOVED it. Once they got the concept, we talked about and practiced writing some math doubling sentences, then we introduced them to our “Magic Doubling Mirror.” Working individually, the kids took objects from a collection I provided, used the mirror to “double” the quantity, then completed and colored a worksheet to show what happened.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students get the concept of doubles and easily handled the mental math with doubles up to 10. Above 10 was a struggle.
• This lesson was a lot of fun and more interesting than I thought it would be. It started with the story; the kids immediately understood it and found it amusing too. They had already worked on doubles in their regular classrooms so that concept was not new. The collection of “junk” I had for each table also proved ideal as kids found it easy to select and manipulate the objects to get the desired effect and give them the context to complete the worksheet. Some even went above and beyond: one child decided to build a structure (future engineer, no doubt) and another drew a picture of ME going into the Magic Pot – with TWO of me coming out.

What students can do at home:

• This project is easy to recreate at home. The NCTM Lesson “Seeing Double” has everything you need besides the mirror and items. Give it a try!
• There’s always the Kindergarten Symbaloo for practice, too.

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After learning the basics of Word Processing last week, we headed to my old room, the PC computer lab, for a lesson utilizing a great writing program called Stationery Studio. This program is one of our favorites and is on every computer in the school (except the Chromebooks, sadly.) Students brought their writing journals and chose a sentence to illustrate. They logged onto the PCs, opened the program, selected an appropriate background to accompany their writing, then created the document, saved and printed (if finished). We will be heading back to the lab next week to continue working on our creations.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students know their “lunch numbers” which is a huge help; those numbers are their network IDs. We started the lesson with a quick review of the logon process and found the kids were able to get going quickly. Things kept moving quickly from there as they took to Stationery Studio with ease. We love how easy it is to use; the menus are logical, the graphics are pleasing and helpful, and the program can even be set up to look like the writing paper they are used to. They, almost without exception, correctly spaced their words (single press of the space bar), added their text, using capitals and proper punctuation. It went really well.

What students can do at home:

• Write, write, write! If you have a computer at home, have them “publish” their writing with a word processor (every computer has one!)
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo, I almost have all the tiles filled now, and there are lots of new activities for fun and learning/skill practice.

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We continued our work in Microsoft Word with additional writing and by also incorporating images. Students had to locate the file they’d saved on the server, open it, check their writing for accuracy, add new text, locate and insert clip art, then manipulate it (size, position, etc.) and then finally print.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students are largely capable with regards to basic word processing, and our emphasis on keyboarding continues to pay off. (We certainly still have work to do, but, the kids are progressing.)
• I would love to see the kids writing all the time (in other words – outside of my class) on the computer, but, time is precious and there is only so much teachers can fit into the day.

What students can do at home:

• Write, write, write! If you have a computer at home, have them “publish” their writing with a word processor (every computer has one!)

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This week was all about testing suspension line length and its impact on drop times. Students made some design improvements to their parachutes and then we tested each size chute with line lengths set to 7″, 12″ and 21″. Due to time limitations, we only tested one of each size chute (Small, Medium, Large); several re-drops were necessary. We are compiling the data from all classes this week into a Google Spreadsheet to answer the questions at the bottom of the worksheet above.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Students continue to love this unit and everything about it – the hands on work, the creativity, the ability to ‘see’ the impact of a design change on the performance of the chute. Teamwork continues to be productive also, which is always great to see.

What students can do at home:

• These parachutes are super easy to construct, coffee filters make small but effective canopies (other materials can be used as well.) Add masking tape and some string for suspension lines, and a binder clip to tie it all together, and off you go!
• The Third Grade Symabaloo has some worthwhile activities for skill practice, too.

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We had several different lessons this week, including one make-up database lesson, Mother’s Day Acrostic Poetry projects in Word, and a special lesson designed by Mrs. Shenkus regarding building earthquake resistant structures.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• For many kids, following directions continues to be a developing skill, even in fourth grade!

What students can do at home:

• Check out the Fourth Grade Symbaloo, I almost have all the tiles filled now, and there are lots of new activities for fun and learning/skill practice.

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: KDG Days of the Week & Caterpillar; 1st grade WP easytech; 2nd grade PC’s & Word; 3rd Chute making; 4th DB easytech

Week ending 04/19/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This week’s lesson involved work on days of the week. We warmed up with a couple of  ”days of the week” games demonstrated on the SMART Board (here and here). Then we all watched The Hungry Caterpillar as a class as kids listened intently to find out what that pesky caterpillar ate on what day of the week – recording their observation (as shown above.)

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• The movie is great; the animation, sound and narration are terrific (if not a little blurry). Kids were seated at the tables in my room and used crayons I provided. Looking back at the results, it appears I wasn’t clear enough about the procedure, and many kids ended up circling more (or all) of the foods the caterpillar ate, rather than what he ate on the single day they were “watching” for. There was also still quite a bit of confusion between Tuesday and Thursday (more than I’d expected.) I think I need to rethink the activity to make it clearer.

What students can do at home:

• Working on the days of the week is easy and fun and can be done in many different ways with simple props!
• There’s always the Kindergarten Symbaloo for practice, too.

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After students warmed up with an activity of their choice on the First Grade Symbaloo, kids fired up Learning.com’s EasyTech service for a few computer based tutorials on the topic of Word Processing. This is in preparation for some work we’ll be doing next week.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• As usual, the kids tore through these with focus and energy, at their own pace, gently getting redirected when they got a question wrong, ultimately providing them with better individualized task-based instruction than I ever could. Love, love, LOVE this service. It’s great for foundation skills.

What students can do at home:

• I sent home the learning.com login information at the start of the school year, if you need it, let me know!
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo, I almost have all the tiles filled now, and there are lots of new activities for fun and learning/skill practice.

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Using the PCs in my old lab, or the Dell Laptops in our Cart, kids worked through what was essentially a review of PC login procedures and basic document creation, following up on a lesson we’d done several weeks ago. My second grade team needs their kids to be proficient with writing on the computer, whether that means Google Docs, Stationery Studio, or Word, and it’s my job to get them there.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• After all the keyboarding practice we’ve had all year – and solid proficiency rates (9 wpm @ 92% accuracy) vs. our grade-level goals (10 wpm @ 90% accuracy) – I think it still takes too long to get a basic document created. We’ve got to work on this, especially for next year.
• Getting the kids more exposure to word processing outside of my class has to be a priority.

What students can do at home:

• Regardless of the tool used – kids need to WRITE on the computer as much as they can. I don’t care WHAT they write with – Word, Google Docs, anything – they just need to write using the keyboard as much as they can.
• Keyboarding skills also matter – our school keyboarding program, Typing Pal, is available here. Any practice they get will help, even using the fun keyboarding games on the Second Grade Symbaloo!

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This was parachute creation week (actually, parachute material and size evaluation week). Kids had to work with a partner to design parachutes using different canopy materials and sizes (and 21″ suspension lines) to determine which was the most effective (slowest falling). We even got to work some ART into the lesson (the Engineering is Elementary unit doesn’t mention adding art to the parachutes but I couldn’t help letting the kids have a go at personalizing their creations.) {I’m resisting the urge to insert a “What Color is Your Parachute” joke here.}

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• This lesson was great fun, but had to be modified somewhat from the EiE approach, as we only had 40 minutes or so to design and test the various chutes. We also did not receive the second of two boxes of required materials – another is on it’s way here but I found out too late for it to matter this week. We did the best we could, and the lesson worked overall.

What students can do at home:

• These parachutes are super easy to construct, coffee filters make small but effective canopies (other materials can be used as well.) Add masking tape and some string for suspension lines, and a binder clip to tie it all together, and off you go!
• The Third Grade Symabaloo has some worthwhile activities for skill practice, too.

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• Following our hands-on work last week with databases, students made their way through several Learning.com EasyTech modules to solidify their knowledge and hone their skills further. I’ve got more plans for database work later in the year, after ASK testing.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Again, the kids dive into these, heads down, performing the tasks as presented, getting help when they can’t, and working at their own pace.

What students can do at home:

• I sent home the learning.com login information at the start of the school year, if you need it, let me know!
• Check out the Fourth Grade Symbaloo, I almost have all the tiles filled now, and there are lots of new activities for fun and learning/skill practice.

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarten students explored chemical engineering principles by making play dough as part of an Engineering is Elementary (EiE) unit; First Grade students learned about lift and drag by designing their own paper “Copters;” Second Grade students created images of “Discoveries” in computer lab this year, to be part of a video I am producing for the Second Grade play next month; Third Grade finished reading their EiE Story, “Paulo’s Parachute Adventure” and are ready to begin designing and testing parachutes; Fourth Graders explored a database we created with survey data about themselves as a class using filter queries in Microsoft Access.

Week ending 04/12/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We made play dough! We started with a recap of the story, “Michelle’s MVP Award,” which was read to the students by their Kindergarten teachers. After reviewing some key facts and understandings (including the properties of solids and liquids), I demonstrated the play dough making process. Back at the tables in the “Messy Area,” we passed out samples of store-bought play dough and brainstormed describing words. Then working with partners, kids then completed the recepie steps on their own, (almost always) resulting in perfect play dough, which students brought home (hope it wasn’t too messy.) We managed to get everyone cleaned up and back to class right on time!

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Kindergarteners took to the ‘sharing’ aspect of this lesson like ducks to water. Without exception, they collaborated willingly, helped each other, took turns, waited patiently, etc.
• We talked quite a bit about Chemical Engineering and real-life examples, including … cooking!
• As part of one of our Engineering is Elementary units, this hands-on lesson was immensely satisfying. Everyone went home happy!

What students can do at home:

• Make play dough! It’s very easy. Mix two tablespoons of salt into a quarter cup of warm water. Stir thoroughly, dissolving as much of the salt as possible. Then add half a cup of flour and stir. You may need to add a bit more flour to get the consistency right and reduce stickiness but you’ll know when it’s right! If you want to color the dough, add some food coloring to the water before you mix in the flour. Have fun!

Image credit: Patty Fraser Photography

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This week’s lesson was about drag and lift. We began by reviewing what we knew about how helicopters work (I have a toy chopper in my classroom too.) We looked at how  rotors are designed and how they push air out of the way on opposing sides. Using the PBS Kids Activity “Hang Time” printable guide, we cut out our rotors (and decorated them) before heading to the middle school atrium where we flew our creations! It was great fun and the kids really enjoyed bringing their creations home.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This lesson was fun and effective because every kid could be (and was) successful and the activity involved hands-on making/creating. Everyone worked at their own pace, following the instructions provided. Some got a little overzealous and needed tape but in the end everyone had a great time, and, most importantly, they understood that turning a rotor (in the opposite direction it falls) results in LIFT that makes a helicopter fly.

What students can do at home:

• Check out the PBS Kids Activity “Hang Time” (the PDF template is on the page) and let your child make another!

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• This year’s Second Grade Play is a few weeks away. The theme is “Discovery.” Mrs. McGrath asked me to help prepare something to be part of the show. We are still working on the concept (and I hope it comes together the way we’re envisioning), but I needed content for the show so we asked students to create original digital art illustrating something they discovered in school. (The images I’d hoped to use in this post are still at school, I will add them as soon as I can.) Students used ABCYA’s Paint Go application for the task, saving the results in .JPG format.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• As expected, the hands-on experiments that are now such a major part of the K4STEMLAB made the most powerful impressions and were represented most often in the artwork created. I’m looking forward to assembling the montage for Mrs. McGrath!

What students can do at home:

• Have a conversation with your child about what they are learning in my class this year. I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We finished reading the Engineering is Elementary story, “Paulo’s Parachute Mission,” setting up our first week of parachute design and testing (this coming week.)

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Kids loved the story (as did I). It featured characters kids could relate to, a storyline that made sense (and that provided a perfect context for this week’s parachute construction), and had a great ending. Another winning story from EiE!

What students can do at home:

• Ask your child about the story – the main characters (Paulo and Lucas), the setting, the problem, and the solution – see what they remember. Ask them how they would have felt as either Paulo or Lucas. Let them explain how they would design their own parachute – they’ll be doing that in my class this week!

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• Having created the database of student behaviors, interests and demographics we needed last week, we worked in the Computer Lab (my old room) using Microsoft Access to explore the structure of the database and get some insights from the data.
• I created a screencast explaining the key steps, which students watched at their own pace. We then placed copies of the database onto local H: drives so students could perform their analyses.
• The fun began when we started asking questions … how many boys make their bed before school? How does that compare to girls? How many girls reported Math was their favorite subject? How many boys did so? How many boys that said gym was their favorite class also enjoyed playing baseball? And, how did these trends change between classes (homerooms)?

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This is always one of my favorite lessons because it allows me to use “real” data to teach an abstract concept – databases and information management.
• Once kids understood how to write queries, they enthusiastically started writing their own, trying to find interesting tidbits about their class as a whole. (Note: no personally-identifable information is in the database – all records are anonymous.)

What students can do at home:

• Databases are everywhere in our lives – we interact with them all the time – ask your child (based on our lesson) to identify the ones they use most often and why!
• Ask your child to identify the components of a database – table, record, field – and see what they say.

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergarteners sharpened their money skills with a variety of interactive activities.  First Graders learned about their home addresses and used Bing Maps to check out their neighborhood. Second Graders went on an “Energy Walk” scavenger hunt, while Third Graders started their first STEM unit, which will soon have them designing & testing parachutes. Fourth graders were introduced to databases and took a survey to “create” the database they’ll be using Microsoft Access to retrieve data next week.

Week ending 04/05/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Kids warmed up with an activity of their choice from the Kindergarten Symbaloo. We distinguished between “learning,” “fun,” and “fun learning” activities, and they all made good choices. After a few minutes, we returned to the cubes by the SMART Board and introduced some neat websites I’d found to build money skills. Kids did two of the three activities pictured above (the third one was pretty advanced for Kinders but I saw more than a couple kids giving it a go.) Finally, after reviewing a bit of prior knowledge, we jumped into a SMART Notebook exercise, running via SMART Notebook Express on the Chromebooks, which worked well. When they finished we saved the files to the Chromebook’s hard drive for later uploading to Google Docs.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• I have mixed feelings about this lesson. On the one hand, I really need to find more authentic, developmentally-appropriate activities involving money for these kids. On the other, they really enjoyed what we did, and though I don’t have any pre/post testing data, my sense is the activities helped. Also, finding interactives featuring real coin images is a challenge but necessary; I think cartoon equivalents aren’t quite up to snuff.
• All that aside, we probably won’t be doing this lesson in the future as I am told the Common Core doesn’t delve into Money for Kidners. Guess we’ll be tackling it in First Grade.

What students can do at home:

• Check out the Kindergarten Symbaloo as time permits of course but I’d much rather the kids played with real money. It’s easy enough to create a “store” with household objects. You could also involve your child when purchasing items in stores. Ask them to identify the coins you need to make an amount.

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We had a conversation about the importance of remembering your number and street before diving into Bing Maps to look up home addresses. First we looked up our school, noting the details we could observe (Where is the playground? Were we looking at live video or a photo? What season was it when the pictures were taken? How do you know?) We talked about the components of an address (number, street, city, state, zip code) before handing out handwritten (thank you Mrs. Jarrett) cards with each student’s home address. We talked about common abbreviations (St., Rd., etc.) and set them loose. They gleefully entered their addresses, with some help, and marveled at the “Birds Eye View” made possible by Bing Maps. Kids then explored the areas around their houses, in some cases, finding that friends lived much closer than they knew!

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Having slips of paper with home addresses greatly facilitated this lesson, but many struggled with spelling, inserting extra spaces, incorrect ZIP codes, etc. It was to be expected and I was ready, guiding students that needed it and pointing out corrections until they were successful. Once they had everything figured out, the Fun Factor increased exponentially, at least from the sounds I heard in the room.

What students can do at home:

• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo for some fun interactives and then check out Bing Maps if you haven’t already. Be sure to click the box at the top that says “Birds Eye View” and zoom in for the best visuals. Look up relatives’ locations, famous landmarks, big cities and more!

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After spending some time warming up with Typing Pal, we had a quick discussion about energy, its uses, origins, and what it means to us in our daily lives. Memories of being without power back in June were fresh for everyone, leading to some rich discussions about how reliant we are on power (and creative solutions to lack thereof).
• We then divided the class into two groups and set off to find as many energy using devices in the school as we could. (I led one group and the classroom teacher led the other.) We walked (nearly) silently through the school, hands shooting up the moment something was noticed, resulting in me adding the item to our list. (The activity was so exciting and fast-paced that I neglected to take any photos, sadly.) We returned to my classroom to compare what we’d found. Finally we closed with a discussion (see p.7 of this PDF) about strategies during power outages.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This was great fun and very informative as everyone had a much better understanding of the “designed world” we live in and our reliance on energy. The kinesthetic benefits of getting out of the classroom were immediately evident; everyone was engaged, involved and vested in the outcome. Comparing notes at the end was the most fun as each team got to “see” things they’d missed. The discussions that followed around energy usage were just fantastic. We had a blast!

What students can do at home:

• An energy walk is easy to do, so challenge your child to do one and document their findings!
• Have them check out the Second Grade Symbaloo for learning activities, too.

Third Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Third Grade kicked off their first Engineering is Elementary project, an aerospace engineering lesson called “Paulo’s Parachute Mission.” We are starting with the storybook. This unit’s main character is Paulo, a boy from Brazil, who moves to a new city after his parents (both Aerospace Engineers) accept new jobs. The story is rich and Paulo’s character is easy to relate to; the situations he gets into and his reactions to them are natural and understandable. In typical EiE fashion, this “realistic fiction” story works perfectly, setting the stage for the engineering design challenge that lies ahead. We spent the entire class period reading together as a class.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Whole-class reading in third grade is different than any other; it’s still extremely enjoyable, and the students follow along better than I thought they would. (It’s a very long time to be sitting still, especially in my class, where they are accustomed to working with the laptops and moving around.) I am working extra hard to make the story entertaining. So far, it seems to be working!
• The “during reading” questions (asked by the classroom teacher while I take responsibility for reading the main story) are EXCELLENT and really bring students into the conversation. They are well-timed, thought-provoking and clearly focused. Kids love answering them! It’s so fun to watch.

What students can do at home:

• Since we are still just reading the story, ask your child about Paulo and what’s happening in his life. See what they recall from the story about a) his move b) his disability c) his family d) his new friend, Lucas. We will finish up next week!

Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• Databases can be dry, boring, hard to imagine or envision – and difficult to explain to elementary kids. So, I purposely designed a lesson that gets their interest by making them the focus, by way of a Google Survey that asks them questions about themselves.
• We began the lesson with a working definition of databases and some questions. Has anyone ever used a database before, as far as they know? When I ask them if they’ve ever used a password to get onto a gaming website, or gone shopping online, they all instantly relate.
• To drive the point home, we head over to Amazon.com and go shopping for an item suggested by a student. We search broadly at first (i.e., “Kindle”) and then gradually refine our search with additional terms, watching as the search result number dwindles with each additional parameter. This is something kids can relate to as many have done it; what better way to show the power of a database?
• What better way, indeed, than to have them query a database about THEMSELVES as a fourth grade class at NCS. I built a quick survey asking some basic questions (age, interests, etc.) which they all answer. I take this information, combine everything into a single database, convert it to Microsoft Access, and next week, students will be answering questions like: how many boys in the 4th grade make their bed in the morning, eat breakfast and enjoy baseball? While this may seem a trivial exercise, my past experience with this lesson is that kids LOVE interrogating a database like this, generating amazing insights into behaviors and traits they’d never thought about.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• There wasn’t much to observe / infer / connect here, other than a great discussion about databases in our daily life. Kids spent the remaining class time answering the survey and then had some free time to brush up on their math skills with Sumdog. The real heavy lifting is next week!

What students can do at home:

• Ask your child about databases – see what they recall from our discussion. Discuss where you and your child encounter them in daily life. You may be amazed by the conversation!

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: Kindergartners got inspiration for a “Happy Spring” illustration by means of a video or two and then created original artwork; First Graders explored the characteristics of objects and properties of materials by testing different papers and their suitability for use in constructing a boat; Second, Third and Fourth graders returned to my old lab for a screencast lesson on the basics of Microsoft Word (and to sniff out nagging problems with usernames, passwords and file shares.)

Week ending 03/22/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Students were free to choose a “learning” activity as a warmup (as opposed to the activities that are pure entertainment) from t we gathered on the cubes by the SMART Board for a video-powered discussion of the origins of spring and the evidence we see (or should be seeing) outside.
• We first talked about WHY the seasons change. A great, short video from Discovery Streaming (which I can’t link to here) explained it very well in just over a minute. (It’s amazing what Kinders know about the Sun, the Earth’s rotation, etc. at such an early age.) Another video, also from Discovery, did a great job showing the signs of spring (we surely aren’t seeing many ourselves around Northfield), prompting discussion and the usual round of hands rocketing into the air as everyone had something to share. If there was only a way to let them all speak…
• Kids headed over to Kerpoof to construct a graphic illustration with custom text and appropriate graphics, choosing from a variety of backgrounds in the “Make a Picture” activity, which were then saved to .JPG format.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• We had many interesting discussions about suitable backgrounds. Who is to say a swimming pool isn’t an appropriate Spring image? Anyone from this area, unless the forecast goes up to 90 degrees next month (which, given the crazy weather we’ve been having, is absolutely not out of the question.)
• As usual, the students surprised me with their creativity and imagination, combining images in the most creative ways.

What students can do at home:

• Kerpoof is waiting for you and your child to explore together. The interface is super simple, they’ll be creating (and amazing you) in no time!
• The Kindergarten Symbaloo page continues to grow. I expect to have all the tiles filled shortly!

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• Following the excellent Assessment of Science and Technology Achievement Project’s “Watery Paper” lesson as a guide, we came up with a two-week lesson designed to get kids thinking about properties of materials and the engineering design process. In this first week of the activity, kids studied four paper samples (wax, construction, paper towel, oak tag) in the context of designing material for a boat (that needed to float for at least one minute with five pennies inside.) Working in teams, they compared the papers’ reactions to droplets of water, documenting their observations. They made predictions about which paper would be best to use for a boat and why they felt so. Finally they witnessed a full test of a very simple boat (larger paper samples laid into a tub of water) to see what happened when these samples sat for one minute and had pennies added on (until they sank). Armed with this new data, many students changed their “chosen” material (which will be used next week to create the actual boats for testing.)

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• I am amazed by kids’ abilities to express themselves in writing at this age and can see the efforts of my colleagues to help make this so. Kids need to write! Most importantly, they need to write about things that matter to them or they are interested in. (I was constantly writing [and reading] as a child…)
• I was similarly amazed at the interactions between the students as they analyzed their results. In some cases, things did not go well. It’s clear we need to keep working on empathy and willingness to give others’ ideas a try (even though we may be convinced of our own ideas’ superiority). The way I put it to them: go with the other person’s idea sometimes – if you’re right and your idea is better, you’ll have proof; if not, you’ll have proof, too.
• Kids love anything having to do with water. (Nothing newsworthy there…)

What students can do at home:

• This process is EASILY replicated at home using a variety of materials. Heck, use the bathtub and try out a whole slew of different materials! Then challenge your child to construct a boat out of the best material and test its ability to float and carry weight. Pennies are great ballast because they are easy to manipulate and kids relate to them. Heck you could even use other coins and work a money lesson into the mix…
• The First Grade Symbaloo is loaded with new content. Have fun!

Second, Third & Fourth Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We went back into my lab for a VERY basic lesson on Microsoft Word and file management. Students used the screencast above to create (and in some cases embellish) a very basic Word document and save it to their network folder. We also wanted to make sure all student network accounts (passwords, file saves, etc.) were functional; we fixed any issues we encountered.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• The vast majority of students had no issues whatsoever with their accounts or the task. The screencast’s ability to be rewound and replayed proved invaluable (as I knew it would) for struggling learners. “How do I…” (them) “It’s in the video, watch it again!” (me). Sure enough, they did, and they got it.
• I was amazed and very excited to see one of our special needs students be the only kid in the class to figure out they could run the screencast AND Word simultaneously in windowed mode (as opposed to full screen) so they could work while the video played. Brilliant! And he is a second grader! I made a really big deal about his discovery (he was very proud) and changed my lesson from then on out.

What students can do at home:

• If you have Microsoft Word, encourage your child to spend time in the program writing … ANYTHING. Seriously, anything that interests them – that is the key – they will figure out the details (menus, functions, capabilities, etc.) faster than you or I can teach them when the context of the assignment is something they care about.
• Check out the Second Grade, Third Grade and Fourth Grade Symbaloo’s, I’m adding content to them all the time!

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: It was a smorgasbord kind of week with a variety of activities, sometimes even within the same grade. Kindergarten students learned the basics of hardware input & output while First Graders explored how to go places safely online. Second Graders either finished their Play Dough projects or worked with math facts on Sumdog.com while Third & Fourth graders did a mix of Sumdog.com and work on their Games in Education project survey questions.

Week ending 03/15/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After selecting a keyboarding warmup activity from the Kindergarten Symbaloo, students gathered on the cubes in front of the SMART Board for a discussion/presentation and some SMART Notebook hands-on fun.
• My presentation took the students through some basic hardware concepts, which I expressed using a variety of easily understandable (and often intentionally silly) examples. INPUT = telling the computer what to do, PROCESS = the computer thinking about what you told it to do, and then doing it, STORAGE = the computer putting information away for when it needs it later, and OUTPUT = the computer ‘giving’ you what you asked for. We do this using visuals representing each of the main devices associated with these functions.
• We then accessed a SMART Notebook file I’ve used for the past few years that has some very basic interactivity designed to assess if the students understand the information in the previous discussion. Everyone gets a turn, the action is lively, students help each other, it’s generally a fun time for everyone.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• I’ve been doing this lesson (or a variation of it) for as long as I can remember. It’s important because it gets kids thinking – wondering – how computers actually work. I have in the past used real hardware, passed out among the students … which is great for hands-on learning but a bit challenging when it comes to classroom management. I’ve also wanted to implement some sort of “human computer” using kids to act out each of the parts of the process but wasn’t able to make that happen this year.

What students can do at home:

• Ask your child about the four concepts – input, process, output and storage – and see what they remember from our discussion.
• Spend some time on the Kindergarten Symbaloo – there are many new activities to choose from.

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After a few minutes warming up with a keyboarding activity of their choice from the First Grade Symbaloo, students returned to the cubes by the SMART Board for a discussion about online safety based on the Common Sense Media lesson “Going Places Safely.”
• We began with a discussion about taking trips with our parents and things we do to stay safe – stay close, don’t talk to strangers, only go places we should, etc. We likened visiting places online to browsing the Internet – and reiterated the need to use common sense in both situations.
• We watched the well-produced, lively and brief movie clip featuring “Jeremiah” and the things he does to stay safe online: 1) Ask your parents before you go online, 2) only talk to people you know, and 3) stick to websites just right for you.
• We then shared our favorite websites and what we did on them – from games to art to famous places to websites for television shows – comparing and contrasting them, discussing why they are enjoyable, etc.
• Finally, students had to create an illustration of a favorite website and what they do there, who they interact with, how that impacts the fun (and learning.)

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This lesson went about as I expected, except that students were really motivated for some reason during the sharing portion of the lesson. Everyone had something to share. Everyone also had a favorite website they wanted to tell everyone about.
• The illustration part of the lesson also went easier than I expected as the students had no problem coming up with fairly detailed drawings (and they had no problem offering explanations). We also talked about Internet Favorites (and how to use them) and the importance of having a parent around when you are online.

What students can do at home:

• Have a conversation with your child about online safety and be sure you are both comfortable with what to do – and not to d0 – when surfing the web!
• Check out the First Grade Symbaloo for many new learning activities.

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After a keyboarding warmup (Typing Pal), students in some classes finished their play dough projects and others worked on math facts with Sumdog.
• Those working on play dough added food coloring and flour or water to improve their mixtures. It was something of a debacle; play dough is not supposed to look like the photo above. :/
• Sumdog continues to appeal as kids are playing the games a lot AT HOME which makes me VERY happy!

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• I clearly need some help with the play dough lesson! I am a terrible cook and this was clearly cooking (just without heat). I’m going to have to find another recipe or get some help from people who have done this successfully! I have to be honest, it’s been very humbling.

What students can do at home:

• I’ve already heard (from students and parents alike) that kitchens all over town are full of students making play dough. First, I apologize for the mess! Second, sorry to say, but, this is awesome, and it’s precisely what I’d hoped to achieve with our program this year. I want kids to be so enthusiastic about what we do in my class that they go home and try it on their own!
• Check out the Second Grade Symbaloo to see the many new activities we’ve recently added.

Third & Fourth Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After a keyboarding warmup (Typing Pal), students continued working on our Games in Education research questions, or, if they were done, worked on math facts with Sumdog.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• It’s been great to see kids’ reactions to their survey questions being included in our final instrument. I did my best to leave them as-is, only correcting the most egregious of grammatical and usage errors. I want this to be their work…

What students can do at home:

• Check out the Third Grade and Fourth Grade Symbaloo’s as I’ve added a great deal of new content!

This post is part of my continuing series of weekly lesson summaries. My goal is to give parents & caregivers in our school community the resources needed to extend student learning at home, and to share my professional practice with teacher colleagues around the world in the hopes of improving my craft.

Synopsis: This was an ‘easy’ week with Kindergarteners reflecting on play-dates (and social skills) with a graphic reflection;

Week ending 03/08/13

Kindergarten

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We warmed up with some keyboarding activities on the Kindergarten Symbaloo.
• With inspiration from Crawford the Cat’s wonderful social skills series of videos, we talked about the importance of including everyone in playtime, and shared some experiences along those lines: who was involved? What happened? How was the situation resolved? As usual the kids were literally bursting with stories to share. We channeled that energy into an illustration using ABCYa’s PaintGo application (example above). Students were to illustrate a situation they encountered and what they did about it, using as much detail as possible. Images were then saved to Google Docs.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This lesson went about as well as I expected except that some kids had trouble thinking of a time when they felt left out (or someone get left out), which is pretty awesome!

What students can do at home:

• Use ABCYa’s PaintGo to recount a similar story or event – press them to include details and to use the painting application’s full set of drawing tools.
• Check out the entire series of Crawford the Cat videos on YouTube or their website. These are very popular with the kids!

First Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• After warming up with some keyboarding activities, students completed a couple of Learning.com EasyTech lessons on graphic design.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• Students love EasyTech – and I do, too – the gentle learning curve is just right for kids and they provide excellent instruction. They get a solid foundation we can build on in our projects.

What students can do at home:

• We provided login credentials for Learning.com at the start of the year – contact me if you need them! The beauty of this tool is that kids can work AHEAD (and beyond their grade level) to build skills.

Second Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• We wrapped up the EiE STEM unit “Improving a Play Dough Process,” by adding food coloring to our Play Dough and refining the mixture with additional flour, salt & water.

What I observed / inferred / connected:

• This was a lot harder than I expected! Getting the mixtures right required a lot of trial and error. The food coloring was messy to work with. The final products were … interesting, to say the least!

What students can do at home:

• Have you made any play dough at home yet?

Third and Fourth Grade

What we learned / did / explored together:

• As part of our exploration of Games in Education, and to evaluate a cool new service we may be subscribing to soon, we had students check out Sumdog, an extremely versatile, individualized, international, competition-based collection of math fact games. Students log in with their username and password (I created and manage their accounts) and then choose activities in which they compete against players from all over the world.
• Some of the games are simplistic and rely almost solely on math skills; others are extremely complex and require excellent math as well as reasoning and deductive skills. (My personal favorite is the activity that presents a math fact to solve and then asks students to place the answer as a puzzle piece. It’s crazy!)

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• I love Sumdog so far. Setting up the students was a breeze. I can easily tailor the lesson content (material, difficulty). I also love how they present the math facts in creative ways, often with variables, really forcing kids to think. The variety of games is excellent. Playing against others is also fun, especially when they are competing against each other.
• This website has single-handedly validated my theory that well-designed games can increase interest in practicing math facts. Now, what we need is a study to determine if there are statistically significant differences in math skill development vs. ‘traditional’ practice methods. Hmmmm, action research…

What students can do at home:

• The login for Sumdog requires students to use this link: http://www.sumdog.com/sch/ncsnj and the username and password they were provided at school. Encourage them to log on and play!