First graders enjoyed using clickers to review fun facts about Florida. Clickers are a wonderful way to engage every child in their learning as each has the opportunity to answer all questions about Florida's borders, state symbols, and landmarks with their remote.
While teaching basic computer skills is a core part of the lower division technology curriculum, instruction on the use of technology tools such as still cameras, video cameras, handheld GPS, scanners, document cameras and interactive white boards is also given. Kindergarten students were thrilled to use digital cameras today as they explored shapes in our school environment.
To kickoff the lesson, students were shown Tana Hoban's book Shapes, Shapes, Shapes and asked to identify the various shapes in the photographs. It was then explained that students were going to create their own shape photography books. Before embarking on the scavenger hunt, rules for appropriate camera use were discussed. These rules included:
• Keep your hands clean. • Keep the camera away from sand, dirt, and water. • Use the wrist strap at all times. • Always walk when holding the camera.
Finally, students were given a brief introduction in using the camera such as powering it on/off, learning how to focus and zoom, and holding the camera properly. Working with partners, students took Shape photos across campus.
During their next visit in two weeks, kindergartners will go an alphabet scavenger hunt to further develop their photographic eye.
First grade students participated in a shared writing experience with schools around the United States called the Progressive Story Project. Sponsored by Karen Ditzler, an Instructional Technologist in Pennsylvania, students are partnered with classes to write a story, create illustrations, and record the story in Voice Thread. Mrs. Owen's Class - The First Halloween
One scary dark Halloween night there was a vampire trick or treating with his friends. He was sharing his candy with his friends. When the vampire went home all of his candy was gone. He cried, “Boo Hoo!” He looked in his bag and there was a hole in his bag. Then he went outside and he saw a trail of candy. He followed the trail and he picked up some candy. He walked and walked.
He walked into a really spooky haunted house! First he saw a white ghost with red eyes. The vampire was scared and ran away fast. Next he saw a brown werewolf with yellow eyes. He ran away fast and the werewolf chased him. When he looked back he saw the werewolf and ghost behind him. They started shouting, "We just want to be your friend!"
The vampire stopped running in front of the haunted house. He turned around to find the ghost and werewolf standing in the door. They asked the vampire to be their friend. The vampire said “OK,” and they went off trick or treating together. When they set off, the vampire told them he didn’t have a bag because his had a hole in it. The ghost with the red eyes gave him a bat-shaped bucket to carry his candy. This was a very special bucket with magic powers.
The vampire was so surprised that he jumped up joyfully to give ghost a lovely hug. The three friends headed out to trick or treat in the foggy, dark night. While they were walking, it got darker and they started seeing lots of scary people dressed up as witches, goblins, and ghosts. The vampire whispered, "Oh my, I wish I had a bright light so I can see if these scary people are real!." Then all of a sudden a mysterious candle popped out of the bat-shaped bucket. That is when the vampire realized that the bat-shaped bucket has magic powers.
The light from the magic bat shaped bucket helped the vampire to see that the people trick or treating were half monsters and half people. He was very scared! He ran home with his eyes wide open and screaming loudly all the way! He quickly opened the door with his magic bucket. Next he ran into his house right into his bedroom. He hid under his blankets shivering. His friends’ werewolf and ghost came to help him and they told him to use his magic bucket to get rid of the monsters! All of a sudden a magician with a magic wand came out of the magic bucket and did a spell to get rid of the monsters! Vampire listened and all the monsters went away. Vampire and his friends were happy so they celebrated and ate some candy! Then they brushed their teeth to get rid of all their sugar bugs!
Mrs. Densa's Class - Spot Needs a New House
One day Spot the dog got tired of his little dog house. He decided to add on and make it bigger. Spot wanted a new kitchen and a bigger bedroom. He needed more room in the kitchen for his treats, bones, and meat. Spot wanted to get a HUGE new bed for his room. He needed to buy lots of materials to build a bigger house. So, Spot got in his car and went to Home Depot.
While at Home Depot, Spot buys lots of supplies. He grabs a cart and fills it with wood, nails, paint and paint brushes. Then, he goes to the kitchen section to buy a new refrigerator, stove, and pick out granite for his table. Finally, he buys blue striped wall paper for his living room. Spot takes all of the supplies to the cashier to check out and realizes he forgot his wallet.
Spot went outside to see if he left it in the car, then he looked on the ground. No, it wasn't in the car or on the ground. He scratched his head and went back into the store to check the aisles. Still he could not find his wallet. He asked the people at the store to please hold his items and went back home to see if he could find his wallet. He looked everywhere and still no wallet. Back at the store the clerks look at the tape from the hidden cameras, they found the problem. When Spot called the store to tell them to put his things back they told him what they saw on the tape. A big black and white cat had taken his wallet!
Spot asked the workers at Home Depot where he could find the cat. He quickly ran to his car, put on his seat belt and drove there. He asked the cat for his wallet back but she told him she used the money to buy a bigger house for herself. Spot was very sad. All of a sudden Spot started barking at the cat. The cat started running and Spot chased her around the house five times! Finally Spot stopped. The cat told Spot that he could live with her because her house is very big. Spot and the cat fall in love and get married and sometimes they still fight like cats and dogs do!
Mrs. Whitecage's Class - The Spooky Teacher Once upon a Hallows eve, there was a gloomy misty graveyard that was coming alive. Miss Brittinstein awakened from her deadly rest. As she awoke, she saw a ghostly figure coming across the graveyard. Boo the ghost shouted, “ Boo!” Miss Brittinstein laughed and was glad to see her old friend Boo. Boo the ghost and Miss Brittinstein meet every Hallows eve and try to stir up some mischief. Miss Brittinstein asked, “So what’s your devious plan this year? Scaring more children? Haunting more houses?” Boo the ghost replied, “No, I have been a watching a teacher that has been very naughty. I think we should pay him a visit.” On their way to the school, a car comes speeding around the corner and doesn’t see Miss Brittinstein and Boo crossing the street. The car runs right through Boo and he chuckled, “Lucky for me, I am already dead!” Miss Brittinstein laughed too and gave her good friend a hug. Boo and Miss Brittinstein continue to The Haunted High School. As they approach the window, Boo points to Mr. Wrinkles, the math teacher.
Mr. Wrinkles was evil and mean. Mr. Wrinkles had red hair and a red beard. He was a very tall man. He always assigns 50 pages of work to do. If you don`t finish your homework you must do 50 laps of the school. He was very bossy to his students and his friends. Mr Wrinkles was very wrinkly because he took baths for many hours. His skin was wrinkled all the time. When they looked in the window Mr Wrinkles was making his students do extra work. Mr Wrinkles was yelling at the students to get them to listen. He yelled to them to do 50 extra laps of the school. Mr Wrinkles was being mean and grouchy. The students were not listening, instead they were messing up the classroom. Mr Wrinkles yelled even louder, he was screaming for the students to stop. Boo and Miss B came in the window.
They couldn’t believe what they saw. How could a person that mean be a teacher. Boo says “Let’s scare Mr. Wrinkles away from the school so that he will never come back to the school again.” Miss Brittenstein says, “We should make him run 50 laps around the school and do 100 pieces of homework.” Boo started laughing in a haunted voice. Ha-Ha-Ha. “Let’s make a booby trap from a cage to catch him when he is setting at his desk. We can tie an invisible rope to an invisible cage and lower it down on top of him.” “Great idea, Boo” says Miss Brittenstein in a scary voice.
So off they go to Jody's Store to buy a cage, rope, and Angel's Invisible Spray Paint. Laughing all the way back to school, Miss Brittenstein and Boo sneak in a window to Mr. Wrinkle's classroom. They paint the cage and rope with the invisible spray paint and set up the booby trap. Boo and Miss Brittenstein hide in the closet but leave the door open just a crack so they can see what happens next. Mr. Wrinkles comes in the classroom with a grumpy face and slams the door closed. BOOM! Miss Brittenstein and Boo are so startled they start to twitch. Mr. Wrinkles starts to sit in his chair.
First grade students enjoyed working with partners to explore a new online tool, MakeBeliefsComix.com. Based on the topic of friendship, students were encouraged to write a dialogue between two characters using talk bubbles. Using this tool is a fun way for students to apply the dialogue skills they are practicing in Writer's Workshop.
