Let's Get Started!

After getting classroom routines established, one group of first graders has been working on integrating technology into their reading and math centers. While coding is fun, it also works to improve students' sequencing, directional, and problem solving skills. These students were introduced to coding through the app Kodable. Students work to move the "fuzzy ball" through increasingly difficult mazes. As they progress through the program they begin using conditions and loops. One of the things I really love about coding is that some students who are searching for their niche in academics excel at coding.

An example of a maze from level 1

Creating the code sequence

In order to become better readers, students must read! These students learned how to access a plethora of eBooks using Epic! Students let the program know their interests and based on their selections books are recommended to them. Beginning readers can pick from books that read aloud to expose them to new vocabulary and model reading fluency. The program is entirely free for educators and parents can access the vast library of books from home for $4.99 a month. A price well worth it considering the quality and quantity of books available on Epic!

Reading about hockey

These students wanted to learn more about sharks

Second graders have started using manipulatives to represent story problems. They are working with part-part-whole method to solve addition and subtraction problems. After modeling the story problem with counters, students took a photo and wrote the corresponding number sentence in the app Seesaw. This is a challenging skill! Students are typically able to identify a fact from the fact family associated with the problem, but struggle to identify the fact that represents the problem.

Taking a photo of the representation

Writing the corresponding number sentence

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

Developing Good Digital Citizens 
Fifth grade classes have continued to engage in digital citizenship lessons aimed at teaching proper "Netiquette" and keeping students safe. Parents, it's not too early to start talking to your parents about their digital interactions. Do you know what apps your child is using to communicate? Are you monitoring their interactions? What about your own interactions? Are you sharing private information that could put you at risk? Talk to your child about your digital lives.

Students Discuss a Scenario to Determine if it Demonstrates Good Digital Citizenship

Creative Storytelling

Third grade students developed their creative storytelling skills by planning and creating a cartoon. We used the app Toontastic which gives students a structure for adding backgrounds, characters, and the ability to record voice. Students loved working on the iPads while cartooning. They learned about the parts of a story (setting, problem, resolution, etc.) and improved their storytelling skills through this lesson. 

A Student Places her Characters

A Student Records and Moves His Characters to Tell a Story

Book Trailers

One class of fourth graders has been working to create book trailers aimed at developing excitement for reading. Each student worked to plan a narrated slideshow with the app Shadow Puppet that includes images relevant to the story, without giving away the ending, related to the book they chose. This was a fun and creative way for students to practice their summarizing skills. Stayed tuned as projects will be housed on a website to be enjoyed by the entire JGES community! 

A Student Selects Images for her Book Trailer

Learning at All Levels - Tech Take-Out

While most of my focus in this blog has been at the school level. ITRTs are also responsible for district initiatives and trainings. This week our ITRT team spent a day at the school board office to help district leaders with their technology use. During this "Tech Take-Out" day we worked in one-on-one and small group settings to share what we know about Google Apps, Microsoft Programs, Twitter, Facebook, and more! 

One of the Twitter Sessions Led by Tamara Letter

Love is in the Air

With Valentine's Day approaching kindergartners used the app Seesaw to share what they love. Students used the drawing tool to illustrate something that they love and then added a caption with a sentence, "I love...". Students were able to practice their writing skills through this Valentine's Day inspired activity. 

A Student Draws a Picture of her "Mommy"

Students Work on Their Illustrations

Comparing and Contrasting Seasons

Many first graders have used iPads to take photos illustrating and explain the signs of fall and winter. One class, expanded on those activities by completing a Venn diagram which compares and contrasts fall and winter. After a brief group brainstorming session, students set off to work. I was impressed by their ability to think of many different things affected by season change including clothing, animals, foods, plants, and more!

Students Work on Their Venn Diagrams

An Example of a Completed Venn Diagram

Hour of Code at JGES

On Wednesday, February 10th, students at JGES had the opportunity to stay after school with our librarian (Mrs. Churchill), gifted and talented teacher (Mrs. Lott), and me to participate in our school Hour of Code. We used resources from the website code.org. Based on their prior coding experience, students coded either BB8 from Star Wars or a character from Minecraft.

Through coding students are learning how computers work, developing their problem solving and critical thinking skills, having fun, and more!

Students who participated in Hour of Code

Crossing their fingers that it works

Success!

Working together to solve the puzzle

Breaking down the moves step by step