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 interest of improving my craft.

Week ending 04/20/12

Kindergarten

What we covered / did / explored:

• We usually start each lesson with something fun as a warmup. This week, because the lesson was challenging, I had students sit down on the carpet in front of the SMART Board as soon as they logged in so we could start immediately. This way, we had a better chance of a) everyone finishing and b) the most amount of free/play time possible (once the lesson is complete.)
• Today’s lesson could be considered word processing but it’s really more what I would call “word processing awareness.” Developmentally, kindergarten is too early in my view for any significant amount of keyboard-based work. They’re just not ready, they can get frustrated easily, and the value of them creating much via the keyboard is questionable.
• That said, we do like to incorporate simple, fun projects using keyboarding apps because I believe the exposure is positive, and, there are some kids who clearly are ready for this sort of learning.
• This week’s lesson involved learning about basic keyboarding concepts – letters, the cursor, space bar, enter key and backspace keys. The main thing I wanted the kids to distinguish was the concept of putting only ONE SPACE between words. This is a struggle for every youngster as they move to digital text input; they are used to putting a LOT of space between words when they write and one space just doesn’t LOOK right to them.
• We started the lesson with a few students writing their names on the SMART Board, using an image similar to this one projected onto the board. (Kids love using the SMART Board and I try to get as many of them as possible to use it each week.) Once we had a few names up on the board, we had a quick conversation about capitalizing first letters, then we had students write a simple sentence on the board: “The cat is fat.” (The example above isn’t perfect but it is authentic work; the name was changed so as not to identify the student.)
• We used that sentence to illustrate the following concepts: capitalization of the first letter of the sentence; spacing between words; and a period (a.k.a., “stop-sign”) at the end.
• Students then went to their computers to complete a Learning.com EasyTech lesson called “Words, Spaces & Enter.” (I have provided instructions to parents on how to access Learning.com at home, if you need them, please use the contact form above.) This lesson is wonderful due to its gentle pace, fun graphics, pleasing verbal instructions and easygoing error handling. Once the kids completed the task (every single one scored 18/20 or higher, BTW, with most scoring a perfect 20/20) students then returned to the carpet and SMART Board for the more challenging part of this week’s lab work.
• I loaded a prepared template onto the screen with enough space for three lines of text. We used the Fabelvision’s fantastic “Stationery Studio” program for this. Students were to write their first name on the first line, then press enter; write the sentence we practiced, ”The cat is fat.” on the second line. Then, they could write a third sentence of their choice on the last line. When they were done, I would save the files and print them for taking home (Kindergarten students by default do not have printing rights.)

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• This was a challenging but rewarding activity for my Kindergarten students. Much of what we do in the lab is art-based. I’ve found that as we enter the latter half of the school year, Kindergarteners are ready for more complex projects. This week’s experience validated that assessment for me.
• Every student was able to successfully complete the project. We intentionally did not correct EVERY mistake; sometimes we’d remind students about adding a stop sign or asking them to check the spacing, but we generally did not correct spelling errors.
• Most students attempted the “challenge” activity, writing the third sentence. The student above came up with the sentence all by themselves. (BTW we have no Kindergarten student named Emma; this student was not a native English speaker, making their work even more impressive.) I liked the way this lesson scaffolded automagically. This was one of our most successful lessons in recent weeks.

What students can do at home:

• Any computer can be used to reinforce the ideas we worked on this week: capitalization, one space between words, use of the Enter and Backspace keys, etc. Open up any word processing program and let your child show you what they know! Challenge them to explain what’s around them. More advanced students will probably want to experiment with font and color settings; let them do so!

First Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We usually start each lesson with something fun as a warmup. This week, because the lesson was a lot of fun to begin with, I had students sit down on the carpet in front of the SMART Board as soon as they logged in so we could start immediately.
• We learned about maps this week – specifically digital maps. We first discussed what we knew about ordinary maps, what they are for, where we find them, etc. and then talked about how maps on the computer are similar and different. We talked about road markings, town markings, the compass rose, and more.
• I loaded Bing Maps (sorry, Google, but Bing Maps has better images!). I entered the school address and we looked at a traditional (non-satellite view) map to identify its parts. I then showed students how to activate the “Birds Eye” feature. Audible gasps could be heard as I zoomed into the highest level of magnification. “That’s our school!” “I see our room!” (The clarity of these images is stunning.) We used the “rotate” buttons to change perspective on the images we saw.
• We talked about our home city of Northfield, showing houses belonging to teachers, then exploring local landmarks like Birch Grove Park, McDonald’s, the Bike Path, Ritas, Chido Burrito, and more. (Ask your student what Birch Grove Park was before it was a park – and where the lakes came from. )
• We then talked about the importance of remembering our full address, including number and street. While many kids knew this information, we didn’t expect most to, so, I prepared slips of paper with everyone’s number and street so they could enter the information themselves.
• Students then went back to their computers where they accessed Bing Maps on their own and entered their home address, which they then explored in detail.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• Students (like everyone else) love to see their house on the Internet! Providing the little slips of paper with addresses was a huge help and everyone was able to enter their address and see their house.
• We experienced a serendipitous error – Mrs. Best’s address is INCORRECT in Bing Maps. As a class, we looked at where the map said her house was, then she showed us where it actually was. We discussed why this might have happened (her house is too new) and how you can’t just trust information because it’s on the Internet. It was a fantastic teachable moment!
• We noticed that the trees in the picture were different. We wondered why. Then I asked the students to think about the time of year or season in which the pictures might have been taken. We concluded that most of the images were taken in winter because there were no leaves on the trees.

What students can do at home:

• Head over to Bing Maps and start entering addresses. Be sure to click the “Bird’s Eye View” button. Prepare to be amazed as the images come up. Go to family residences, famous places, explore Northfield, it truly is amazing. Ask your child what they see. Let them direct the exploration.

Second Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We warmed up with Typing Pal, recognizing members of the “Zero to Hero Club” for getting no mistakes on their practice lessons.
• When finished, we gathered on the carpet so I could introduce the lesson, a “Mother’s Day Coupon” project we do every year. It is essentially a Microsoft PowerPoint lesson. This year I decided to expand things a bit to both reinforce word processing skills AND make sure everyone had the required five (at least!) coupon ideas for Mom.
• We began by sharing descriptive words about our Moms on the SMART Board. As kids shouted out, I used the SMART Board text recognition feature to change the handwriting into text. Kids loved it. The feature doesn’t always work, but it’s reliable enough.
• I then explained what our project goal was – creation of a colorful book of coupons to give Mom on Mother’s Day. In the past, some kids struggled to come up with five ideas. So, I decided to add a word processing component to the project to reinforce Microsoft Word skills: students were to create a simple text document with a bullet list of five coupon ideas, then save the document to their H: drives.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• As I suspected, many kids had problems getting all five coupon ideas written down; about half of each class needed help to complete their lists. Students helped each other! It was great to watch.
• Virtually all students easily created the basic document and saved the file correctly, which was nice to see.

What students can do at home:

• Sssssh! This project is a secret! Don’t tell Mom!

Third Grade

What we covered / did / explored:

• We warmed up with Typing Pal, recognizing members of the “Zero to Hero Club” for getting no mistakes on their practice lessons.
• We continued working on our Internet Safety projects using Glogster EDU, a great tool for creating vivid, interactive digital posters. NCS (elementary AND middle) gets the “School Premium” service for FREE because I’ve agreed to periodically blog about their wonderful service. Students use it heavily in middle school in several classes including the Media Center.
• Having learned the basics of Glogster last week, students used a fun video and information on this page: Get Cybersmart with Phineas and Ferb to find ideas for their posters.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• I’m constantly amazed at students’ ability to learn reasonably complex software – almost completely on their own. Granted, Glogster is very well designed and highly intuitive, but, it’s great to be able to work with students on content and style as opposed to mechanics.
• Animated head-banging KISS-styled (the rock band) teddy bears are the most popular graphic choice (though Sarah decided to skip them and go with a more traditional look for her project.)
• Glogster EDU is a wonderful service that we are fortunate to have!

What students can do at home:

• If students remember their Glogster EDU login, they can access this resource from home. If they don’t remember the login, please contact me.
• Practice keyboarding with Typing Pal. Celebrate with them when they achieve “0 errors” because accuracy is more important than speed. Speed comes as their finger muscles mature!

What we covered / did / explored:

• Today’s lesson was all about looking into the future … and getting inspired. (This is part one of a two part lesson.)
• I’ve done this lesson with 4th graders since 2009, and while it changes a bit every time, it remains one of the most memorable experiences my students have all year.
• I wanted my 4th graders to reflect for a moment about the technology that surrounds them every day, ubiquitous in their lives, tools that largely didn’t even exist before they were born just nine or ten years ago.
• I wanted them to think about what they can do with TODAY’S technology – and what they might do with TOMORROW’S technology – tools that haven’t even been invented or imagined yet.
• We started the lesson with the video above, “World Builder.” It is an amazing, powerful short film (that we stop showing at the 6 minute, 30 second mark for a variety of reasons). As they watch the video, I point out things that are clearly fantasy – but will be important later in our discussion.f
• We then watch one of my favorite TED talks, Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense. I make a point to mention what they are seeing was done THREE YEARS AGO. As the movie played, I stop it from time to time as some of the technology shown in the first video – presented as fantasy – is actually possible. Again, THREE YEARS AGO.
• We then watched a video about the recently announced Google Project Glass, explaining that it is a prototype and therefore not available today, but, still a very real project.

What I learned / observed / inferred:

• I love watching students’ reactions as these videos play. They are awestruck. One 4th grader, when she heard that the SixthSense researchers were based at MIT, shouted “That’s where I’m going to college!” (LOVE that enthusiasm!)
• I enjoy explaining to kids that some day, when they are grown up, they will look back on the technology they used in fourth grade and will be amazed at how crude it is in comparison.
• I also enjoy making the point, when we are talking about Google Glass, that any one of them could some day be a Google Engineer working on projects like that.

What students can do at home:

• Watch these videos together. Talk about them. (Note: view the entire “World Builder” movie yourself before watching it with your child so you can decide if the last few minutes are worth seeing.) Ask your child to think about the future, what they think technology might be like, and what their role might be in the workplace – engineer, scientist, designer – there’s no limit!