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My kindergartners are beginning a research project about penguins. Last year, I showed them PebbleGo and some videos before they drew penguins in KidPix. This year I wanted them to have more access to online sources about penguins.
I started by searching Symbaloo for mixes about penguins. I found a great one, but it seemed to be geared more towards older students.
I used that webmix as a starting off point. I kept some of the resources and added new ones, which were more appropriate for younger students.
I wanted to include lots of videos, but YouTube is blocked to students in my district. I had to get creative, but I did find several videos and online books the students could access.
I also ended up created a couple of Flipping Books the students could read on their own.
(If you can't see the Symbaloo Mix or Flipping Book, click on the post title and view them on my site.)
The kids are loving the Symbaloo Mix! It's fun to see them being so independent with their learning.
:)
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Once the kids had completed a class presentation and a class spreadsheet activity, I decided we should tackle small group/partner activities.
With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, I decided to have different classes try each project.
I created a MentorMob that would work for both projects.
I also opted not to have students record research on paper. We used Dry Erase Sleeves to jot down notes. I LOVE them!!!
Use the sleeves was a great way to reinforce the concept of not writing whole sentences while doing research. The students knew they would have to erase the sleeve at the end of class, so they should jot down keywords and phrases. A couple students were caught at the end of class with a page of notes...but they learned a valuable lesson and didn't copy word for word again.
Small Group Project- Types of Animals
Partner Project- Comparing Two Animals
You may have noticed the green two on the above slide. I had the partners be a one or a two and labeled slides accordingly. This way the second graders would be able to easily find their slides.
Both projects provided students practice in researching, small group skills, and using Google Presentations. I will be using both again in the future!
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I've had Haiku Deck on my iPad for months and on a whim decided to use it to create a simple presentation. I was hooked instantly!
Users are very limited in what they can add or change in a Haiku Deck presentation...but that's what makes it so great! You can really focus on your content and what message you want your audience to take away.
In minutes, I created a Word Choice presentation to inspire my 4th graders.
You can search for Creative Common Licensed images from within the app or add your own images.
Presentations can be viewed on the iPad, shared via the Haiku Deck site or downloaded and shared as PowerPoint or Keynote files.
I will definitely be using Haiku Deck more in the future!
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:)
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This is the start of an ongoing series about...
Once an idea pops into my head I just can't wait to see if I can make it work. My latest idea revolves around teaching my 2nd grade students to create collaborative documents in Google Drive. I thought I would document this adventure...here goes!
Step 1: Make sure we know our usernames and passwords!
I created username/password labels and attached them to index cards for each of my students. I try to place different classes on different colors of index cards...but I'm running out of colors! The cards look something like this:
I prefer the 2 X 4 inch Avery labels. I also discovered the Avery colored labels and am loving those.
To help the students begin to memorize their username/password I use races and repeated typing. We begin by learning the process of logging in and then "race" to see how quickly we can complete the process. I have students stand up when they are logged in. I don't emphasis winners...just see if you can log in faster the next time.
We also used KidPix to repeatedly type our username. The kids seemed to enjoy doing this and it was good practice. They also used the paintbrush tool to draw their username. We didn't do this with passwords because they are private! ;)
Step 2: Share a class folder with each student.
I decided it would be easiest if the students didn't have to share documents with me or other students. Instead, I created a class folder and shared it with each student. This way I can place content I want the students to access in the folder and there is no need for sharing. Likewise, the kids can create documents in the folder and they are automatically shared with me.
Step 3: Create a simple collaborative project for students to complete.
I wanted the first collaborative project my 2nd graders attempted to be simple and fun. I decided to have them create a Food Alphabet slideshow. I created a simple Google Presentation containing a slide for each letter of the alphabet. I assigned each student a letter of the alphabet.
I also created a Google Drawing and linked the shapes to websites with pictures or lists of foods. I had the students access the drawing and jot down some foods for their assigned letter. Adding links to a shape is super easy...just create the shape, click on it, go to Insert-Link, and paste in your web address link.
The Google Drawing was a fast and easy way to share web sites with the students. It also gave them some begining practice on using browser tabs. Once the students had a good start on a list of foods, I showed them how to access the presentation, add text, and add pictures using the Research Tool.
The Research Tool (Tools-Research in the Google Menu Bar) really made a difference. The students could search for images from within the presentation. I plan to use this tool often with the 2nd graders for sources and images.
The students were easily able to complete their slides.
It was fun to listen to the kids as they worked. They were amazed to see slides being transformed by other students. We did have one student work on the wrong slide and discussed how we have to be careful in a collaborative document.
I knew it was successful when I noticed one of my second graders had updated their page that night at home! Loved this!
I can't wait to dive into more projects with my 2nd graders! Do you use Google Drive with primary students? I would love to hear about your adventures!
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