Exciting Times

January has been a busy month with much excitement! I am expecting to go out on maternity leave within the next two weeks and as a result have been working to get in one final lesson with many teachers and provide them with professional development they can use to continue their technology integration while I'm gone. I've supported teachers in their use of PicCollage, SMART Boards and Notebook 14, Seesaw, Kahoot, and navigating the new TestNav 8 software that students will use to take their SOL tests beginning in May. Additionally, I've worked to get student iPads on our new management system so that hopefully they can be more easily maintained while I'm out and limit the number of password and update pop ups that students have been experiencing. Oh, and we can't forget the three snow days! Below are some of the lessons I've been fortunate enough to be a part of this month.

Map Skills
Second grade teachers have been working to incorporate social studies and science content into their reading centers. As a result, I've created a couple of webquest type activities that help students explore these concepts further and deepen their understanding. I worked with Mrs. Davidson's second graders on a map webquest where they looked at how a legend, compass rose, and title provide information for a map. Students used Google Earth to locate major geographical features in the United States such as the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes. Students compared the location of major mountain ranges and practiced labeling features on maps.

Story Retelling

First grade students have been working on retelling stories by identifying the beginning, middle, and end of books they have read during guided reading. I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Ahladas' and Mrs. Dingman's classes helping them create digital retellings in Seesaw. This learning experience allowed the teachers to hear each student retell a story and share the work with families. Additionally, saving the work to Seesaw allows teachers, families, and students to revisit the work throughout the year to monitor student progress.

Passion Projects

Mrs. Davidson's second graders have been working on their passion projects for several weeks now. This month they finished up their presentations - which range from posters, to Pixie projects, to booklets - and will have the opportunity to share with others next week. I loved being a part of this project because providing students with this opportunity built on their natural curiosities and created an experience that made learning meaningful for them. 

A student working on her Pixie presentation

Students working on their final products

Digital Citizenship

Four of the five fifth grade classes have completed their three digital citizenship lessons with me where we've focused on Acceptable Use, Private Information, and Netiquette. Students should now be aware of the impact sharing information digital can have on themselves as well as their family and friends. I've emphasized the notion that information shared digitally is easily spread. Students have been encouraged to err on the side of caution when sharing digitally and to consider if they would like the information they're communicating shared publicly. We've also explore the importance of clarity in digital communication. Without the help of body language and voice it can be challenging to interpret the tone of a digital message. While our lessons are "finished" these are concepts that students need continual reminders of at both school and home. 

Graphing

Kindergartners have been learning how to create tally charts and bar graphs to represent a set of data. To practice these skills independently, Mrs. Sinsabaugh and Mrs. Wagner's classes were given a series of winter images and a blank tally chart which they took a photo of in Seesaw. They then drew on top of the chart to create a visual representation of the data. After creating the tally chart, students then followed the same steps and created a bar graph. Using the information they recorded in the bar graph, they included an audio recording sharing information. A student sample can be found here. 

A tally chart in progress

A student constructs a bar graph

Animals and Ecosystems

Mrs. Hanneman's third graders have been learning about animals and the ecosystems in which they live. To apply concepts such as habitat, community, population, and environment and practice their writing skills, students conducted a brief research project where they learned about the ecosystem of an animal and then wrote a paragraph sharing their learning. Students were required to include some of the key terms to deepen their understanding of these concepts. Additionally, they practice paraphrasing while taking notes and developing thoughtful endings to their paragraphs. Here is an example of student work.

Students typing their paragraphs as a caption in Seesaw

Hard at work

Geometry Scavenger Hunt

Mrs. Gillam's fourth graders applied what they've learned about geometry to the world around them by completing a geometric scavenger hunt. Students were given a list of terms studied in class to find examples of in their classroom and the courtyard. They created PicCollages that included photos of the terms with the example highlighted and a label. Here are two examples of completed student work Student Sample 1 and Student Sample 2 This was a great way for students to review the terms and make connections between the content learned in class and real world. Additionally, it was a formative assessment for the classroom teacher to determine what concepts students had a firm grasp on and which needed additional instruction. 

Searching in the courtyard

Drawing on a photo to identify a term

Skip Counting

In younger grades, learning how to count is a basic skill that is essential to future math development. But how does a teacher have time to listen to 20 or more students count by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s? Seesaw provides a great platform for students to practice their counting skills that their teacher can review during planning or even while relaxing at home. First grade students took a photo of a hundreds chart and then used the drawing and record feature to demonstrate their ability to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Here is a student sample. In addition to providing a formative assessment for students, sharing the work with families on Seesaw allows them to see how they might be able to provide additional support to their children. All work, even that with mistakes, was saved so that student progress can be monitored over time. 

Digital Storytelling

Students in Ms. Hoggan's second grade class have been learning about the elements of fairy tales and crafting their own stories. I was fortunate enough to join them in class and teach them how to use the app Toontastic that they'll work with to tell their original tales. This learning opportunity was especially powerful to some of the reluctant writers in her class. They are excited about crafting a toon that will showcase their writing. Additionally, with the ability to create their own characters in the app, students are excited about putting themselves into their stories. 

Creating original characters

More original characters

Fall is in the Air

Summarizing

Third graders have been working hard on developing summaries of their reading. While retelling a story is sometimes a simple task, determining which events are most important to include in a summary can be challenging. The examples shared below involved students recording their summaries verbally in order to improve their verbal communication skills and to not be limited by the physical process of writing. 

One class of third graders created hand-drawn storyboards of the four most important events of the story "The Most Magnificent Thing" (a book they read on Epic! about persistence). Once their boards were complete, they took pictures of each frame, uploaded them to Shadow Puppet, and then recorded a summary of the book focusing on those four events. 

A Completed Storyboard

Recording the Summary in Shadow Puppet

A second class of third graders worked on retelling the story "Nate the Great San Francisco Detective" after a sequencing activity. The sequencing activity had many events that happened during the story, but students had to use their analytical skills to determine which ones were essential to the plot of the story. These students recorded their retellings in Seesaw. 

Recording a Summary

From Problem Solvers to Problem Makers

First graders have been working on solving part-part-whole story problems. This week several classes took their learning to a new level by creating story problems of their own. Students were given a part-part-whole template that they took a picture of in Seesaw. They then illustrated their story problem, wrote the parts and whole in the corresponding boxes, and then recorded their problem so that viewers would best understand their illustration. 

An Example of the Template and Beginning of an Illustration

Illustrating a Story Problem

Recording a Story Problem

Pumpkins
Kindergartners have been studying the changes pumpkins go through during the various stages of their lives. Recently they went on a field trip to a local pumpkin patch to learn more about pumpkins and see them in the various stages of growth. As a way for them to demonstrate their learning, students sequenced a series of six pictures of pumpkins in Pic Collage and then imported their collage into Seesaw where they recorded their knowledge. This activity was a great assessment of their knowledge of pumpkin growth, but also helped students with their verbal communication skills as they worked to describe what a pumpkin looks like at each of the different stages.

A Student Listens to Her Work

Explorers

In Social Studies, third grade students have been learning about explorers. After completing research to determine who sponsored a specific explorer, his contributions, and his exploration goal. Students created a recording in ChatterPix to share their own discoveries. The projects were uploaded to Seesaw so that students could learn from one another by viewing each other's work and share with their families. Click on the link below to view an example!

Juan Ponce de Leon

Eek! A Spider!

In the spirit of the season, first graders have been learning about spiders. Using their knowledge (and some impressive new vocabulary like arachnid), students created circle poems. I joined in on the fun by having students photograph their poems and record themselves reading them. This activity allowed students to practice their reading fluency. By creating it in Seesaw, students will be able to revisit their work later in the year and see how they've progressed! As they finished their recordings, students then used the note tool to write sentences about their new knowledge. 

A Student Photographs his Spider

A Student Practices Writing Skills Using the Note Tool

Developing Communication Skills

Across the grade levels, developing communication skills was a common theme in the lessons that I supported teachers with over the last two weeks. Students have been working to improve their written and verbal communication not only in reading and writing, but also social studies, math, and science. 

Most classroom teachers are using the app Seesaw as a way for students to create as well as a communication tool between school and home. It's amazing to see how much even our youngest students can do when we give them the opportunity! 

American Symbols

First graders are learning about American symbols including the Statue of Liberty and bald eagle. To share what they've learned and become familiar with the app Seesaw, students drew a picture of their favorite symbol and then recorded themselves sharing their new knowledge.

Did you know using a plastic container can help block out background noise and amply a student's voice when recording?

The Statue of Liberty

Where in the World?
Third graders should now be able to locate the seven continents. As an informal assessment, students took a picture of a world map and then created short videos showing where each continent is located. This was a great review of content while teaching students how to use Seesaw. Afterwards, the classroom teacher could use the recordings to guide future instruction.

Labeling the Continents

Going on a Sound Hunt

Kindergartners are learning about letters and the sounds that they make. To help reinforce this skill, students went on a beginning sound hunt around the classroom. They took pictures of different objects that started with a specific sound and either recorded themselves sharing what they had learned about the letter and its sound, or created a Pic Collage of several pictures of objects beginning with the same sound. 

Books starts with "B"!

Recording a Finding for the "T" Sound

Students Creating Pic Collages of Objects that Start with the Same Sound

Fact Families
Second grade students reviewed their knowledge of fact families by rolling a die twice and then using unifix cubes to create a number "train" with those numbers. Afterwards they used Seesaw to take a photo of their train and then write down the four facts associated with their family. For example, if they rolled a four and seven their facts were 4+7=11, 7+4=11, 11-7=4, and 11-4=7.

A Student Writes Facts on His Photo

I Wonder... 
Have you ever wondering how big the largest piece of hail was? Or maybe where the biggest hurricane was located? As an introduction to a unit on weather, fifth graders brainstormed questions they have about the topic. They then used the app Shadow Puppet to create a short video of their "wonders". Work was then shared with families and classmates via Seesaw. As they dive deeper into their study of weather they'll hopefully be able to answer their questions.

The Weather was Great, so We Worked Outside

Students Used Library Books in the Creation of Their Projects

Writing with Google
Our district "went Google" last year giving students access to the Google Apps for Education suite. This week fourth graders logged into their accounts for the first time and learned the basics of word processing. They learned about features unique to Google apps, like not having to save your work and the revision history, as well as traditional features like how to indent a paragraph and center your title. As the year progresses, students will share their work with others and receive constructive feedback on their Docs.

Behind the Scenes

Writers at Work

A Gingerbread Man on a Pirate Ship...

Second grade students worked on identifying a character and setting through creative story telling this week. They selected a character and setting from a stack of cards and then developed a short story which include a problem. While writing can be cumbersome for some students, this activity allowed them to voice record their stories so that they could focus on the elements of the story. Students developed some unique stories that they'll be able to share with their families and classmates through Seesaw. 

Recording a Creative Story

Good Citizens 

What makes a good citizen? First graders considered this question as they were introduced to Seesaw. After completing a sentence about what they can do to be a good citizen, they photographed their work and then recorded themselves sharing their thought. Students worked on their writing and verbal communication skills while considering how they could contribute to their classroom and school. 

Photographing Work

We're Back!

This school year has started off with a bang! It's been excited to see familiar faces and meet new friends. Many teachers are committed to getting their students familiar with technology tools as they establish classroom routines. Below are just a handful of the ways students at JGES and HCES have started using technology in the learning process during these first two weeks of school. Stay tuned throughout the year to see how students will use these tools to redefine their learning experiences.

Third Grade is Going to be Awesome!
Third graders got to know their classmates better through the use of Seesaw. Students took a selfie and then recorded information about themselves, including things they were excited about for the new school year and worries that they still had. After recording students listening to one another's work to better understand their peers and build a stronger classroom community.

A Student Records

Students Listen to their Classmates' Work

All About Our Class
Second grade students created picture collages of aspects of their classroom that were important to them using the app Pic Collage. The collages were then uploaded to Seesaw to share with their parents the different components of their learning environment.

Pic Collages in the Works

How to be "Paw"some
Second grade students shared how they would be "paw"some tigers this upcoming school year. They worked in pairs to record themselves in Seesaw so that they could share their ideas with their families and classmates.

"Paw"some Tigers Helping One Another

Shapes
Even the youngest tiger cubs have started learning to use the app Seesaw to share what they know. This week a couple of kindergarten classes used the drawing and recording features of the app to illustrate squares and triangles and record the names of and defining characteristics of the shapes.

Tiger Cubs at Work

Recording What She's Learned about Shapes

Beauty is Everywhere
Fourth grade students have been looking to find the good in one another and the world around them. During a walk around the building, students took photos of sights that exemplify beauty when examined closely. With keen eyes students found cicada shells, patterns in tree bark, uniqueness in pipes, and much more. Using the app Seesaw students recorded what they thought was so beautiful about the ordinary object they observed.

Cicada Shells were Found in this Tree

Sharing their Findings

Curiosity
Fifth grade students had a chance to share their curiosities by creating Shadow Puppets of questions they had about objects in our courtyard. They've been working to develop questions that could be used to guide scientific investigations. Students used what they've learned about developing these questions to use as they developed questions about everyday objects. For example, do certain types of soil make trees grow taller? The projects were then shared with families via Seesaw.

Scientists at Work

I Wonder if this Tree... 

March

While I have lots of catching up to do on my blog. I couldn't wait to share these three lessons!

Making Vocabulary Meaningful
Last week I attended and presented at the edTech RVA conference. One of the ideas I took away from the conference was having students use features of Google Docs to develop their own definitions and illustrations of key vocabulary words.

Fortunately one of the teachers, who also went to edTech, was on board and today students in her class worked on deepening their understanding of key vocabulary words related to sound.

This student learned how to use the snapshot feature to include images from the science textbook

An example of a student's drawings to illustrate rarefaction and compression

There was rich discussion among students about the differences in terms and how some abstract words could be illustrated. The class regularly uses Google for work. They loved the research and drawing features that I taught them how to use today! 

Hard at work! 

Animal Collages
One class of third grade students used the app PicCollage to create collages that illustrated what they've learned about the terms omnivore, carnivore, physical adaptation, behavioral adaptation, mimicry, camouflage, and more. Students found examples of at least three key terms studied in science related to animals and took photos of them using the iPad. From the app PicCollage, students included caption of each picture. After completing their pictures, students uploaded them to Seesaw where they recorded more in depth information about how the features help their selected animal survive.

Students work best in different ways

Students share formatting features they discovered on PicCollage

A collage in progress

Students snapping photos

Community Helpers
Kindergartners have been learning about community helpers in class. During this activity, they had the opportunity to become a community helper. Using the app Seesaw, I took a picture of each student. They then went to work drawing uniforms and tools related to the community helper they would most like to be. Afterwards they included voice recording about how they would help the community in that occupation.

A student draws a fireman's hat on her head

Scientists help our communities! 

Choosing just the right pen to draw with