Ten Weeks Later…

Success in the computer lab comes from completed projects and I have to say, I was starting to feel as though we wouldn't ever have any.  Some would say my fifth and third grade projects were a little  over zealous! But I'd just say they were AMAZING!!  After ten weeks we are finally finishing up!  Did I mention they look FANTASTIC?!?!?

Update on 5th grade Jamestown Project…(Previous blog)

My fifth graders used Kid pix
to create and draw pictures of Jamestown.  Using furnished backgrounds or creating their own, the kids drew unique pictures to show the men asking for funds, finding land, settling the land, starving, getting help from the Powhatans, growing tobacco, and setting up the House of Burgesses.  WOW!!! The kids did an awesome job. 

After they finished their pictures and had the pictures approved, they were required to watch a screencast video I made. (I mean…here is the link, but you don't have to watch it) The video shows the kids how to screenshot the pictures and crop them.  Can you do that on a Mac?  See, I had to get creative because it wasn't until week 4 I realized Comic Life didn't like Kid Pix format.  Taking a screenshot made the file a jpeg, which was compatible to Comic Life.  Honestly, I was impressed at how well the kids picked up the whole process.  Their comics turned out great!

Through this extremely long project, the kids revisited information about Jamestown, learned some great tech tricks and how to use two programs (Kid pix & Comic Life). Overall the project was a success! Even if it took ten weeks! 

Two of the many finished projects:

Oh and I love my new job!  Helping teachers with curriculum content is a huge bonus on top of getting to teach technology all day long!

Third grade update coming next week…Non-fiction books over Oklahoma Government are about to be done!!

5th Grade plans - Week 3-6/7

Having been a fifth grade teacher I know the time constraints they face to get everything in, especially Science and Social Studies. My goal in the computer lab is to piggy back classroom curriculum and help the teachers teach the content.

Using the ISTE standards for technology and the Social Studies C3 standards, I have created a project. The students have to create pictures on Kid Pix then insert the images into Comic Life to tell a story.  (Both of these programs were purchased by the district and installed on our computers.)

 

This past week students practiced creating pictures in Kid Pix. They were creating images of what they thought happened at Roanoke Island. (Knowing why this colony was unsuccessful helps to understand how Jamestown was more successful.) They were able to ask questions about Kid pix and explore the different capabilities of the program.
Lesson plan:
1. Read a chapter and a page of Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix  
2. Discuss possibilities of what might have happened to the people of Roanoke.
3. Talk about creating images and how we create pictures digitally.  
3. Introduced Kid Pix (although most kids know this program) 
4. Let students create pictures with what they think happened at Roanoke.

After Roanoke, students will study Jamestown. The standard includes knowing why it was successful. The kids need to know about the House of Burgesses and how John Smith took charge. The project will start this week.  The students will create 5-7 images that tell the story of Jamestown. They will save those images and insert them into Comic life where they will narrate the story. 

Lesson plan (over 3 weeks)

1. Introduce Jamestown with short video clip.

2. Go over project timeline and project expectations

3. Allow students to work, answer questions as they come up. (Repeat weeks 2-3!)

I have a project description, scales for both tech standard and SS standard. The students have access to specific research sites of Jamestown through Edmodo. They will have 3-4 weeks to complete the project.  I'm very excited about helping the fifth grade teachers out and reinforcing their curriculum.  Social Studies is also my favorite subject to teach.  I am sure I'll make a few adjustments but overall I'm very pleased with the project! I'll post pictures of completed projects when we are done.