Scratch Projects... Finally!

Thank you to the very patient third grade students who have been anxiously awaiting for me to post their final Scratch projects from their last rotation in the lab. They all did an amazing job! I can't wait to share their projects with the first and second graders over the next few weeks. You can access the projects here.

It has been a busy few weeks so far in the Technology Lab. Many grade levels are immersed in research projects, and it is always wonderful watching the children as they engage in learning about new topics.

Kindergarten has launched individual research projects on animals and have been introduced to the online encyclopedia World Book for Kids (WBK) to help learn about them. WBK is not only easy to navigate but it has a text-to-speech option which allows the children to have the articles read to them.

The children began recording facts on a graphic organizer and will continue their research in the classrooms. They are learning about how their animal looks, how it moves, where it lives, what it eats, and other interesting facts.




Second grade wrapped up research on various bodies of water last week. This week they used Pixie to write and illustrate riddles they will share with each other. Here are some examples:

Third graders spent several days working with partners to research European explorers. This week they will begin work on creating multimedia slideshows using Pixie. Each team will create a slideshow that will include audio, hand-drawn images, images from the Internet and text. The slideshows will cover the explorer's early life, reasons for travel, expeditions plus other interesting facts.

I Love Geocaching!

Taking my students geocaching across the Shorecrest campus is one of my favorite activities. Typically I geocache a bit later in the year, but I just had to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had last week. So, I setup caches for both the second and fourth graders.

As the second graders have been learning about the seven continents, I thought it fitting to also learn about some of the different bodies of water around the world. Hidden inside their caches were slips of paper listing the names of the oceans as well as gulfs, seas, bays, and rivers. After a class discussion about the differences between these bodies of water, students used WorldBook for Kids to research a specific body of water. Next they will write, illustrate, and record riddles to share with each other.

  

The fourth graders have been studying the concepts of latitude and longitude in math, so learning how to use a handheld GPS receiver was a wonderful hands-on opportunity to better understand absolute location. They also learned how to track distance and use the built-in compass. Hidden inside their caches were coordinates and riddles related to famous places important during the American Revolution.  Back in the lab, the students used Google Earth to look up the coordinates to figure out the important city or colony named in their riddle.