Landforms

This year for both Social Studies and Science, one of our goals is to teach students about the various landforms. These pictures along with descriptions of each type will be included for each student. Students will learn the characteristics of each. Students will click on the following

Landforms

slide show

Technology Lesson Plan

Subject: English Language Arts Grade Level: 3rd Lesson Topic: Sequence in Fiction stories, using plot elements TEKS: 3.(8) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: (A) sequence and summarize the plot's main events and explain their influence on future events; Learning Goals: 1. Students will understand that sequence is the ability to put a story in the order in which the events unfold in a story. 2. Students will be able to identify signal/transition words that are associated with sequence. Transition words that will be introduced are: First, then, next, last, beginning, middle, end, initially, finally. 3. Students will be able to sequentially order a story based on pictures by using their prior knowledge and looking at the details in the pictures.’ 4. Students will create a story presentation, in which they put a story with picture and words in order. They will then make this presentation into an actual mini book. 5. Students will justify why they put the story in a particular order. They will have to have reasoning for why the story makes sense logically with that order. 6. Students will become familiar with the basic features of Power Point. They will learn the tools needed to create a presentation. 7. Students will establish guidelines when blogging, doing assignments, and quizzes on Edmodo (social network for classes). Student Interest: -Students really do like when they are able to connect drawing, writing, and reading together and this lesson incorporates the three. -Students will also be excited to visit the computer lab when we go as a class to learn about PowerPoint. I will also have the CT project my main screen on the big screen in the class so that I can walk students along the lesson. This helps when I’m working with a large group and when they are have questions I can clear things up. Prior Knowledge: -Student have already learned that fictional stories contain elements of plot and contain character, setting, problem, and solution (CSPS) so they will be able to connect to that. -Students also know that we tell a story in order. -Students are also very familiar with using Edmodo since we use it at least twice a week for blogging or other assignments. Activating prior knowledge: -Teacher will have engaging activities, pre-assessments, and open-ended questions to see what students already know. This can also be used to show the teacher any misconceptions on misunderstandings the students have. -Teacher will also do several guided lessons and interventions throughout the entire lesson. Misconceptions: -Students tend to think that when you tell a story in order that you have to write every single detail from the story. They add extra information. -Sometimes students tell the story out of order by adding information they forgot to say all at the end. -Students also tend to leave off transition words. Technology that will be used: -Smart Board -Class set of IPod Touch -ELMO and projector -Edmodo app -Power Point -nettrekker.com -Laptop -USB stick -BrainPop Jr. website Lesson Duration: estimated at 6 days Monday: Engager: Prior to lesson, teacher will create a Power Point Presentation (which can be manipulated on the Smart Board) of a story that has already been read to the class and have the pictures out of order. Teacher will retell the story out of order while projecting the pictures on the Smart Board. Teacher will ask students if they know what was wrong with the story. -Students should say that the story was told out of order. Teacher will then ask students what that is called. Most students will say in order. Teacher will introduce the correct term as story sequence. -Teacher will then create a class chart with the following: Sequence Story sequence: retelling a story in order based on what happened in the beginning, middle, and end. Should include plot elements and CSPS. Only the important events should be told. -Teacher will then use Popsicle sticks to have the students go up to the Smart Board to the presentation and have the students arrange the pictures in order of what happened from beginning, middle, and end. Tuesday: -Teacher will begin lesson by reviewing the Sequence chart from yesterday. -Teacher will ask students, what else in their lives has to go in sequence. -Teacher will then use ELMO and log on to BrainPop Jr. and class will watch the video on sequencing. This video restates what sequence is, why it is important, and introduces signal words. -Following the video, the class will do the online quiz whole group. They will then go over the word wall on the activity on the Brain Pop Jr. website. -Teacher will then add the signal words mentioned in the video and then ask students if they have other examples to add. Teacher will then add to chart. Assessing Student Learning: Teacher will use the above activities to see how students are doing with their understandings of the lessons. Wednesday: -Teacher will hand out class set of IPod Touch to the class. They will logon to their Edmodo account. Teacher will have students post on the following blog: What is sequence? Why is sequence important in stories? -Teacher will then project a comic on the ELMO where the pictures are out of order. (Teacher will have had this premade and should be a comic where the pictures can give the clues of the story order. -Teacher and class will work as a whole group to put the comic in the correct order based on the pictures. During this time, teacher will constantly be asking students to explain why they are putting the story in this order. What clues in the picture are telling them that this is the correct order. -Teacher will add text to the bottom and have students retell the comic using some of the signal words they have learned. -They will then go back and add dialogue into the speech bubbles. -Students will be given a comic out of order and they will work with a buddy to put the comic in order. They will do the same exact thing we did as a class but with a different comic and with a different storyline. Teacher will make sure to tell class to: -Order pictures -Retell story and use signal words for each picture. -Add dialogue to speech bubbles. Assessing Student Learning: Teacher will be doing an informal assessment by observing how students are doing on the comic. Teacher will make sure that the all the center elements are included and check to see that students do have the comic in order and used the signal words correctly. Teacher will then collect comics and see how students did. Thursday: -Teacher will review sequence and signal words -Teacher will read the story Late for School by Steve Martin to the class. Talk whole group about the order of the book so far. Keep reinforcing CSPS and BME and what details we wouldn’t add. -Teacher will then take class to the computer lab. (Before hand teacher will need to scan the pictures from the book and save them to USB. Add all pictures so that students will have to decide which ones are the most important to the story. Then have CT teacher add the pictures to the computers. -Teacher will review the steps to open and create a Power Point Presentation. -They will practice inserting a slide, adding text, and then incorporating or adding pictures from the desktop or nettrekker.com (school friendly site) -Students will practice adding slides, texts, and pictures. -Teacher will then hand out the directions to the assignment. Students will: 1. Retell the story Late for School in sequence using only 6 pictures from the ones on the desktop. 2. Each picture will go on one slide. Students will retell what has happened in the story based on CSPS, climax, and BME by adding a text box to the bottom of the picture. 3. Student will save work on USB stick. Then will print teacher a copy where it shows each slide. -Students will have 2 days to complete starting with Thursday and then onto Friday. Friday -Continue to work on presentation Assessing Student Learning: Teacher will collect student printouts. As an added bonus, students can share their presentations with the class.

Using Podcasts in the classroom

I was truly impressed with all that I have seen with Podcasts. I have really been thinking that this would be a great tool to introduce to the students and see where they can go with it. I think I would like to do a video and audio podcast. I would like it to be like a mini news team or something like that. The grade that I am interesting in doing this would be my current teaching grade, which is 3rd. I have taught this grade for 5 years and feel very comfortable with it. Also, this has been the first year that I have really integrated more technology into the classroom. Right now I have my students logging onto an educational social network and we do various discussions, quizzes, and assignments. So I think podcasting can be my next endeavor. I think that I would tailor this more as a student-centered podcast. I would like to use this during my reading block. I would have students making their own mini lessons over the topic that was taught. I think it would be great for them to do the recap of the lesson and even incorporate the centers and posters we did. In addition, I would like them to interview other students to see what they got from the whole lesson. Next, I would have them check in at the various Reader’s Workshop stations and have each group do a Podcast of what they are working on for that week’s workshop center. Of course, we would do several guided podcasts together until they got the hang of it. Then, we would begin to upload them on our class webpage. Plus, this would give any child, who is absent, a chance to see what they missed without missing out on all the activities.

Hew's article on Podcasts

After reading Hew’s article on the Use of Audio Podcast in K-12 and Higher Education, I learned so much more about Podcasts. To be honest, the only thing that I knew about Podcast was that it was an audio track. However, know I know that it can include video, pictures, etc. and that there are many benefits to them. One of the main benefits that Hew discusses in his article is how listening can actually improve understanding. I learned that students can learn quite a bit just by listening. Plus, the child or student is able to listen to the Podcast at their own pace. Podcasts allows students to stop and replay something that they have missed. Another aspect that I found interesting was that the use of Podcasts in ELL classrooms was not used often. This was surprising because I think that there are so many Podcasts that teach English that can come in handy. Or sometimes, an ELL teacher can use Podcasts to help students acquiring the English language here themselves speak or listen to a more fluent speaker. I did agree with how Hew discussed the barrier of students running into technical difficulties using Podcasting technology. As an adult, I too, had some trouble using the program. However, I know that if I practiced more that I would get better and better with it. Although the article did talk about how listening can aid in comprehension, I know that I am a visual and audio learner and would need both. Thankfully, now that I know that you can do both, I would love to try it out in my own class. I think that this would come in handy as an intervention tool. If students were still confused, I could play a Podcast for them. It would be like their own one-on-one teacher.