Child obesity has increased in rates so much in the past decade that I feel as future teachers it is part of our job to educate our students about healthy eating and exercise. Here is a great website that deals with actual fast food restaurants where there food items are listed with the calorie intake, fat intake, sugar intake, etc. This site deals with the subject matter of health at the grade two level which deals with nutrition and a healthy body. By allowing your students to search around this site they are learning about food choices they should make when visiting a restaurant. Also, one of the main questions on the site is to choose which meal is healthy, a Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich or a McDonald's Garden Salad with ranch dressing.
To incorporate this site into my class through a lesson plan I would have my students read through the introduction page about nurition and healthy choices that you can make. Through this they would read about fats, carbohydrates, protein, calories etc. which are all areas you should look into when buying food at the grocery store or ordering a meal at a restaurant. I would then have them click on the link to "which meal is healthier" in the left hand column. Through the nutrition information they already know they would choose which one they feel is a healthier choice and why. When you click on the answer you choose between the grilled chicken sandwhich or garden salad with ranch dressing and it displays the calorie intake, total fat, saturated fats, carbohydrates and protein. The students would read through these facts, and learn more about why the grilled sandwich is healthier.
To wrap up the lesson I would have my students choose one out of the various choices of restuarants listed in the left hand corner. Through the list of foods displayed on the link for each restaurant, they would choose the ones they feel are the healthiest and make a "healthy choice" menu for the restaurant. They would return to their desks to complete this, where beside each food choice they would display a picture of the food product, what it contains and some nutrition facts about it... such as it only has 200 calories! They would list a maximum of three food items, and when completed would then present it to the class and share information about the foods they chose and why they feel they are healthy. The menu's would then be displayed on the bulletin board for other students from the school to view and learn about some healthy choices they too can make when visiting these restaurants!
I feel that this site would benefit my students learning about nutrition and healthy food choices because it is something they can relate to. Almost all children have been to some sort of fast food restaurant atleast once, and it is often difficult on choosing a healthy meal. By accessing this site and creating a healthy menu themselves; for further use they will be able to go to a restaurant and know what to look for in a healthy meal. Also, through this website they learn about calorie intake, fats, carbohydrates, protein etc. and also about the food pyramid! By allowing the students to make a presentation to the class about a specific restaurant, the students have the ability to learn about not just one restaurant and what healthy choices they can make at it but they learn about a variety of healthy choices at resaurants! Child obesity is such a huge factor in today's society and fast food restaurants play a large role within this area. By educating our students about healthy choices and a proper meal intake we can benefit our students by allowing them to learn the facts and knowledge about these areas and guide them inmaking healthier food choices for the future!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Growing Plants
Here is a great website that can be used for a grade one level in relation to the subject area of science about plants! Through this site your students can learn about the process of photosynthesis because the game in which you play on the site allows you to help your plant grow! In the game you use sunlight, air, water, soil, etc. It is your job as the student to help the plant grow to it's fullest potential by making sure it is cared and nurtured for in the proper form.
I would incorporate this site into my classroom by first giving a brief overview lesson about how we can grow plants; whether it is at home or at school. I would ask for examples from the students such as if they grow a garden at home with their family in their backyard, or if they have potted plants throughout their house. All of these are great examples that the students can relate to because almost all of them should have some sort of plant life at home, even the grass in their front yard would work! I would then have them access this site to try out the game for a few tries, I would ask for them to share what they feel is needed in order to make a plant grow and stay healthy from what they learned from the site.
As a class, we would even grow some of our own plants in the classroom and make a fun expiriment out of it! We would place one plant in a cupboard which was still being watered regularly however it would not be exposed to any sunlight. We would also put a plant in the windowsill where it would be watered regularaly and exposed to sunlight and finally, we would put a plant in the fridge. By allowing the children to see what various locations a plant can be located in and in which area it best grows in they learn about the process of photosynthesis. In conclusion to this activity, we would discover that the plant in the sunlight grew the best and that you must have all of the proper areas covered of maintaining and caring for a plant in order for it to grow and stay healthy!
I feel this site would benefit my students learning because it is a simple and easy task for them to follow along. It allows for them to learn through a hands on experience about the process of photosynthesis and it allows for them to learn from their mistakes. If they don't keep watering the plant, they begin to realize it eventually stops growing and dies. I feel this site is a great way to guide students into learning more about plants as it provides the base information about growing plants. I feel that by incorporating an expiriment in with this site about plants and by allowing the students to apply what they learned from the site to the expiriment they are enhancing and progressing their knowledge about plants. This is even a great site I could see many students using at home in their spare time; it is fun and colorful which allows for the students to not even realize they are learning, they simply just love playing the game!
I would incorporate this site into my classroom by first giving a brief overview lesson about how we can grow plants; whether it is at home or at school. I would ask for examples from the students such as if they grow a garden at home with their family in their backyard, or if they have potted plants throughout their house. All of these are great examples that the students can relate to because almost all of them should have some sort of plant life at home, even the grass in their front yard would work! I would then have them access this site to try out the game for a few tries, I would ask for them to share what they feel is needed in order to make a plant grow and stay healthy from what they learned from the site.
As a class, we would even grow some of our own plants in the classroom and make a fun expiriment out of it! We would place one plant in a cupboard which was still being watered regularly however it would not be exposed to any sunlight. We would also put a plant in the windowsill where it would be watered regularaly and exposed to sunlight and finally, we would put a plant in the fridge. By allowing the children to see what various locations a plant can be located in and in which area it best grows in they learn about the process of photosynthesis. In conclusion to this activity, we would discover that the plant in the sunlight grew the best and that you must have all of the proper areas covered of maintaining and caring for a plant in order for it to grow and stay healthy!
I feel this site would benefit my students learning because it is a simple and easy task for them to follow along. It allows for them to learn through a hands on experience about the process of photosynthesis and it allows for them to learn from their mistakes. If they don't keep watering the plant, they begin to realize it eventually stops growing and dies. I feel this site is a great way to guide students into learning more about plants as it provides the base information about growing plants. I feel that by incorporating an expiriment in with this site about plants and by allowing the students to apply what they learned from the site to the expiriment they are enhancing and progressing their knowledge about plants. This is even a great site I could see many students using at home in their spare time; it is fun and colorful which allows for the students to not even realize they are learning, they simply just love playing the game!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tic Tac Toe Math Squares
By incorporating math with a fun game or activity often it allows for the students to axcel and progress at their learning level while not even realizing they are learning because they are enjoying it so much! That is what this website I located provides for the grade four level of math dealing with the sub-topic of division with whole numbers. It is a great site with a variety of math levels and sub-topics; such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. However, for this lesson plan I would have my students click on the link to division to practice their division skills and challenge themselves to a higher level! The website records your wins, loses, and ties which allows for the game to be competitive and allows for the students to hopefully want to achieve a win and focus more on the game and math division skills!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by using it as a math center. Often, teachers provide a time period once or several times in a week where they have centers that deals with a variety of subjects such as language arts, science, math, reading, etc. Instead of using math flash cards or math work sheets at the desk you could allow for your students to access this website on the computers within your class or in the computer lab to complete the center. The division level is at made for a medium math level, making it challening and enjoyable for your grade four students. As a teacher you could make tic tac toe math sheets that the students could take home as extra math practice or even send home the website in a parents/guardians newsletter so that the children could access it at home as well. I remember growing up and practicing on countless math flash cards at home with my parents, but if there would have been a site such as the tic tac toe one provided in my past learning, I think I would have enjoyed math much more!
The students would benefit from using this site because they are using a mental calculation method. The students can bring a pencil and paper to the computer if need be, but the point of this site is for them to use the skills they have already developed in their mind and apply it to the tic tac toe division game. It allows for them to recognize and solve a variety of problems involving division and they can apply various strategies to the division problems infront of them. Because it is a kid friendly site and is interactive and colorful, children are drawn to it and hopefully it will enhance their learning abilities and make them want to return for more math practice on the tic tac toe web site for math skills!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by using it as a math center. Often, teachers provide a time period once or several times in a week where they have centers that deals with a variety of subjects such as language arts, science, math, reading, etc. Instead of using math flash cards or math work sheets at the desk you could allow for your students to access this website on the computers within your class or in the computer lab to complete the center. The division level is at made for a medium math level, making it challening and enjoyable for your grade four students. As a teacher you could make tic tac toe math sheets that the students could take home as extra math practice or even send home the website in a parents/guardians newsletter so that the children could access it at home as well. I remember growing up and practicing on countless math flash cards at home with my parents, but if there would have been a site such as the tic tac toe one provided in my past learning, I think I would have enjoyed math much more!
The students would benefit from using this site because they are using a mental calculation method. The students can bring a pencil and paper to the computer if need be, but the point of this site is for them to use the skills they have already developed in their mind and apply it to the tic tac toe division game. It allows for them to recognize and solve a variety of problems involving division and they can apply various strategies to the division problems infront of them. Because it is a kid friendly site and is interactive and colorful, children are drawn to it and hopefully it will enhance their learning abilities and make them want to return for more math practice on the tic tac toe web site for math skills!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Using Seusville With your Students!
Being able to write your own story using proper words and spelling is a main component that children must learn in the primary grades. The site of Seusville would be geared towards a grade two level within the subject of language arts and the topic of writing. I would have my students access the site to the storymaker link and allow them to have the chance to create their own story! A lot of beginner writing is done within students personal journals, or language arts portfolios. Within the writing topic they must learn about stages of writing such as pre-writing, drafting, editing, publishing, etc. However, as a future teacher and through past experience I feel that you should allow your students to have the freedom to write creatively and spontaneously as well. You should not put the pressure on them everytime and say this writing piece you are beginning right now will be published, marked, and posted on the bulletin board for everyone to see. You want the students to have the chance to work on several writing drafts, and then allow them the free choice to publish the ones they feel could be the most successful, and by using Seusville it is a great way to get your students thinking and to bring out their creative side!
Within Seusville of the storybook maker, you as the student choose the characters, scenes, music, story title, and text for your story. This is almost like a pre-writing stage because you are starting off with the basis of your story at the beginning by choosing your characters and title, and eventually you have the chance to write your own text. Because this is writing where children have the freedom and choice on the computer to write about what they want, they are able to be creative because there are no set guidelines or rules. I would have my students access the site and begin to make their story, and eventually begin to work with pairs by collaborating ideas together and sharing stories with one another. I even made a few stories myself on this site and it was great being able to brainstorm ideas of what you wanted the characters to say and what type of story line you wanted to use. I also liked adding in the music and backdrops because it made the story more colorful and fun, and I feel that young students would feel the same way!
To finish up this activity on the computers, I would have my students return to their desk, and in their learning logs I would have them create a story on paper much like they did on the computer. They would draw three scenes with charactes included, and then writing at the bottom of what the characters were saying. Then, in groups everyone would have the chance to share the story that they created, perhaps it could be incorporated into centers by the sharing of their stories in the learning logs.
I feel that this site would benefit my students ability of writing, because it gives them the perspective of the first stages of creating a story. You must choose a title, characters, a story line, etc. The music and backdrops are just extra added fun within the site, but the main component is to allow them to brainstorm ideas for their own story to create instead of always reading others that have already been created. By working in pairs on the computers, it allows for the students to collaborate ideas together and learn from one others creativity and use that for further writing tasks within the classroom. I also think that by having them create their own story on paper, they can use ideas from the story on Seusville and what they learned within the site and incorporate it into the new story that they are creating. In this format, they are then relating technology to classoom acitivites and lessons!
Within Seusville of the storybook maker, you as the student choose the characters, scenes, music, story title, and text for your story. This is almost like a pre-writing stage because you are starting off with the basis of your story at the beginning by choosing your characters and title, and eventually you have the chance to write your own text. Because this is writing where children have the freedom and choice on the computer to write about what they want, they are able to be creative because there are no set guidelines or rules. I would have my students access the site and begin to make their story, and eventually begin to work with pairs by collaborating ideas together and sharing stories with one another. I even made a few stories myself on this site and it was great being able to brainstorm ideas of what you wanted the characters to say and what type of story line you wanted to use. I also liked adding in the music and backdrops because it made the story more colorful and fun, and I feel that young students would feel the same way!
To finish up this activity on the computers, I would have my students return to their desk, and in their learning logs I would have them create a story on paper much like they did on the computer. They would draw three scenes with charactes included, and then writing at the bottom of what the characters were saying. Then, in groups everyone would have the chance to share the story that they created, perhaps it could be incorporated into centers by the sharing of their stories in the learning logs.
I feel that this site would benefit my students ability of writing, because it gives them the perspective of the first stages of creating a story. You must choose a title, characters, a story line, etc. The music and backdrops are just extra added fun within the site, but the main component is to allow them to brainstorm ideas for their own story to create instead of always reading others that have already been created. By working in pairs on the computers, it allows for the students to collaborate ideas together and learn from one others creativity and use that for further writing tasks within the classroom. I also think that by having them create their own story on paper, they can use ideas from the story on Seusville and what they learned within the site and incorporate it into the new story that they are creating. In this format, they are then relating technology to classoom acitivites and lessons!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Using Web 2.0 within your classroom!
I feel that one of the most beneficial sources of Web 2.0 that I could use within my classroom is blogging. It is a great way to get your students onto the computer and allow for them to practice their computer skills while learning about a specific subject and topic at the same time. Also, as a teacher if you suscribe to RSS and suscribe to your students blogging page you will then be notified when their page is updated so you can monitor their progress within the classroom. I feel that through using blogging just in our ECMP class, after the first few times I posted a blog I began to feel very comfortable using it, and can definately see me using this within my clasroom as a future teacher. By using blogging within your classroom it would benefit your students by learning more about modern forms of technology. It is a different form of learning due to the fact that it is more hands on; by providing a variety of learning approaches within the classroom every student has the chance to succeed to their highest potential!
I feel that blogging can be incorporated into any subject matter really, and it not only has to be used within the classroom but you can encourage your students to blog at home too! One idea for using blogging within my classroom would be instead of getting your students to use their personal journals or learning logs everytime at their desks, allow for your students to have the chance to acccess their blogging page and post whatever they were going to say in the journal up onto the web! I also feel that you could use blogging as a center within your classroom. Instead of always making a center for journal writing, allow for your students to have a center of using blogging as their journal entry.
In grade three science in the topic of the solar system you could get your students to do a blogging post about their favorite planet within the solar system. They would post fun facts about the planet, why they chose it, what they found interesting about it, etc. By allowing them to work on the computers it is a responsibility to the students and hopefully they embrace that and rise to the challenge. Also, they could put links into their blog to pictures of their planet on sites such as Flickr and also to various fact sites and interactive solar system sites that they were given to by the teacher to search through for information!
I feel that blogging can be incorporated into any subject matter really, and it not only has to be used within the classroom but you can encourage your students to blog at home too! One idea for using blogging within my classroom would be instead of getting your students to use their personal journals or learning logs everytime at their desks, allow for your students to have the chance to acccess their blogging page and post whatever they were going to say in the journal up onto the web! I also feel that you could use blogging as a center within your classroom. Instead of always making a center for journal writing, allow for your students to have a center of using blogging as their journal entry.
In grade three science in the topic of the solar system you could get your students to do a blogging post about their favorite planet within the solar system. They would post fun facts about the planet, why they chose it, what they found interesting about it, etc. By allowing them to work on the computers it is a responsibility to the students and hopefully they embrace that and rise to the challenge. Also, they could put links into their blog to pictures of their planet on sites such as Flickr and also to various fact sites and interactive solar system sites that they were given to by the teacher to search through for information!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Grade Five Math - Problem Solving and Data Management
I found a website that deals with starting your own business through a lemonade stand! Most children including myself have put out a lemonade stand or two on our driveway in hope to make some money! Some questions and concerns that come into mind with a lemonade stand is how much should we price the drink at? What recipe will we use, and how much of ice, sugar, lemons and cups will we need? All of these questions are incorporated into the lemonade stand website which deals with a grade five level of problem solving and data management. After a few rounds of this game I myself became addicted due to how exciting and challening it was, so I feel that my students will hopefully feel the same way and welcome the challenge that the site provides!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by first having a class discussion of perhaps students that would eventually one day like to create their own business when they get older. What situations would they have to deal with and focus on? Such as the money intake and outake, how much to spend on the supplies you need for your business, who you are going to hire, etc. I want for my students to take all of these ideas into consideration before accessing this site in hope to allow them to be more successful while playing the game. They would then access the site and play a few rounds getting the feel for what ideas and questions a business brings about. For a lesson plan activity related to the site I would pair up my students for them to create their own business. They would be responsible for making up a name for their business and create a fun and welcoming sign. Also, they would have to list what they would be selling, what the prices are, what supplies they would need, how to get your customers attention and make your business successful such as coupons and advertisement, etc. I think that by working with pairs in this lesson activity the students can brainstorm ideas together using a think/pair/share idea and can build on one anothers creativity and skills.
I felt this is a great site to allow students to understand money value, organization, customer service, etc. By having the lemonade stand open on rainy days they realize that with running a business not everyday is going to be successful. They also learn about how much ingredients and supplies they need to buy because sometimes you run out of your supplies such as ice and then you don't have as many satisfied customers. It also teaches them money management, you don't want for your lemonade stand to go bankrupt, so you must find out how much your supplies cost and how much you can afford to buy without running out of money. There is also another link on this site to a coffee shop which is even more challenging by opening up your own coffee shop, making the recipes and buying supplies. I would allow my students to access the coffee shop link once they have practiced at the lemonade stand.
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by first having a class discussion of perhaps students that would eventually one day like to create their own business when they get older. What situations would they have to deal with and focus on? Such as the money intake and outake, how much to spend on the supplies you need for your business, who you are going to hire, etc. I want for my students to take all of these ideas into consideration before accessing this site in hope to allow them to be more successful while playing the game. They would then access the site and play a few rounds getting the feel for what ideas and questions a business brings about. For a lesson plan activity related to the site I would pair up my students for them to create their own business. They would be responsible for making up a name for their business and create a fun and welcoming sign. Also, they would have to list what they would be selling, what the prices are, what supplies they would need, how to get your customers attention and make your business successful such as coupons and advertisement, etc. I think that by working with pairs in this lesson activity the students can brainstorm ideas together using a think/pair/share idea and can build on one anothers creativity and skills.
I felt this is a great site to allow students to understand money value, organization, customer service, etc. By having the lemonade stand open on rainy days they realize that with running a business not everyday is going to be successful. They also learn about how much ingredients and supplies they need to buy because sometimes you run out of your supplies such as ice and then you don't have as many satisfied customers. It also teaches them money management, you don't want for your lemonade stand to go bankrupt, so you must find out how much your supplies cost and how much you can afford to buy without running out of money. There is also another link on this site to a coffee shop which is even more challenging by opening up your own coffee shop, making the recipes and buying supplies. I would allow my students to access the coffee shop link once they have practiced at the lemonade stand.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Grade One English Language Arts - Listening
Growing up I always had a difficult time completing listening tests which were recorded tapes and we had to jot down answers from what was said on the tape onto a piece of paper which was then graded. I was never quick enough to catch on and I remember always making one of my main goals at report card time to listen more attentivaly. However, with todays technology we can use a different method for listening skills which is through the computer by allowing students to access a site which challenges and tests them on their listening skills in a fun and interactive way. I was able to locate a website that deals with a grade one level of listening skills in the subject of english language arts. It uses a world blender method where the fun cartoon blender sounds out a word and then it is your job as the student to choose the beginning sound of the word and the ending sound out of a variety of choices and then put them in the blender! When you press the big red "go" button the cartoon blends it up and tells you if you are right. To end the activity it even allows you to print off the words you sounded out and created so you can use them for future reference.
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by allowing it to prepare them for an actual listening exam by practicing on the site. I would have them access it first and play a few rounds as each time they answer correctly it goes up a level. This is a great site for teachers also because you can use the teacher control panel which is where you get your students to first enter in their name on the computer before they begin the activity and then once they have completed it their score will appear on a printed sheet at the end so you can see what level your students are at. I would also send this website home in a parents/guardian newsletter so the parents/guardians can check it out themselves and get their child to use it at home to practice their listening skills even more! I would also allow for my students to work in pairs for a portion of this website activity because then they are working together and building on one another's listening skills and learning ability.
This site of the word blender would enhance my students learning because it is challening, kid friendly and by working with the fun cartoon blender I can definately see my future students just loving this site! The site also deals with consonants and word clusters and it also covers the area of medial short and long vowel sounds. I feel this is a fun and educational way to get your students to practice their listening skills rather than just making them listening to a boring recording tape and jotting down the answers. I feel this site is just as challening and still beneficial to their learning abilities, and I plan to use it in my future classroom!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by allowing it to prepare them for an actual listening exam by practicing on the site. I would have them access it first and play a few rounds as each time they answer correctly it goes up a level. This is a great site for teachers also because you can use the teacher control panel which is where you get your students to first enter in their name on the computer before they begin the activity and then once they have completed it their score will appear on a printed sheet at the end so you can see what level your students are at. I would also send this website home in a parents/guardian newsletter so the parents/guardians can check it out themselves and get their child to use it at home to practice their listening skills even more! I would also allow for my students to work in pairs for a portion of this website activity because then they are working together and building on one another's listening skills and learning ability.
This site of the word blender would enhance my students learning because it is challening, kid friendly and by working with the fun cartoon blender I can definately see my future students just loving this site! The site also deals with consonants and word clusters and it also covers the area of medial short and long vowel sounds. I feel this is a fun and educational way to get your students to practice their listening skills rather than just making them listening to a boring recording tape and jotting down the answers. I feel this site is just as challening and still beneficial to their learning abilities, and I plan to use it in my future classroom!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Grade Four Science - Predicting Weather
Weather various all around the world, however here in Saskatchewan we are known for our cold winters, hot summers, and overall we have a TON of wind! This website that I discoverd is a great interactive website for a grade four level in science which covers the topic of learning about weather. The website contains a link to weather safety, games, stories, activities and also weather ingredients! This is a great website to get your students interested in the aspect of weather and allow them to learn hands on about what safety precautions to take when a storm is coming!
I would use this website in my classroom by allowing my students to access the links to the weather safety. Many times there will be a storm of lightning or a blizzard, and I want my students to know the precautions to take when something like that occurs. For example, when at the beach in the summer and you see big dark clouds coming and it begins to get very windy and you can see lighting in the distance, it is best to leave the water and beach to and get yourself to a safe and dry area! I would also get my students to click on the links to the various types of weather to they can read about how it impacts our lives and how storms such as these actually form! I think it would be great for the students to learn about specific weather tools as well, I would put a thermometer in the classroom so we could see the temperature inside. And after a few days we would put it outside to see how much the temperature changes! Through the website I would get for my students to classify which storms occur in which seasons of the year. For example, lightning storms often only occur in the spring, summer and fall.
By the site about "web weather for kids" it provides a variety of information that is interesting and educational to the students. I also feel that by getting my students to read about how weather effects us, how it forms and to classify which storms occur in which seasons they are learning about several aspects of weather. By not only focussing on one aspect with the site the children have a variety of components they can learn about which will hopefully allow for them to say focussed and intrigued about the information. To close this lesson I would get my grade four students to go home and watch the weather channel, and take a few jot notes about what type of weather is occuring in different cities, or different countries. What is our weather going to be like for the next week, etc. What child doesn't love to do homework by watching tv!
I would use this website in my classroom by allowing my students to access the links to the weather safety. Many times there will be a storm of lightning or a blizzard, and I want my students to know the precautions to take when something like that occurs. For example, when at the beach in the summer and you see big dark clouds coming and it begins to get very windy and you can see lighting in the distance, it is best to leave the water and beach to and get yourself to a safe and dry area! I would also get my students to click on the links to the various types of weather to they can read about how it impacts our lives and how storms such as these actually form! I think it would be great for the students to learn about specific weather tools as well, I would put a thermometer in the classroom so we could see the temperature inside. And after a few days we would put it outside to see how much the temperature changes! Through the website I would get for my students to classify which storms occur in which seasons of the year. For example, lightning storms often only occur in the spring, summer and fall.
By the site about "web weather for kids" it provides a variety of information that is interesting and educational to the students. I also feel that by getting my students to read about how weather effects us, how it forms and to classify which storms occur in which seasons they are learning about several aspects of weather. By not only focussing on one aspect with the site the children have a variety of components they can learn about which will hopefully allow for them to say focussed and intrigued about the information. To close this lesson I would get my grade four students to go home and watch the weather channel, and take a few jot notes about what type of weather is occuring in different cities, or different countries. What is our weather going to be like for the next week, etc. What child doesn't love to do homework by watching tv!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Grade Two Science - Dinosaurs
What young child is not interested and fascinated in learning about dinosaurs? This subject area is of the grade two science curriculum and I was able to discover a website called "The Dinosauria" that contains a brief summary on the lives of dinosours as well as contains links to various kinds of dinosaurs. On the main page of the site they contain headings such as "not everything big and dead is a dinosaur" and "not all dinosaurs are exctinct." I feel that these are all areas that students would be interested in learning more about, especially the part that dinosaurs are still not exctint today!
I would incorporate this website in my classroom by first giving a brief lesson at the desks to my students about dinosaurs. After this, I would then allow for them to access the computers and go to this website. I would allow them to freely click on the links and search through, however their final task would be to scroll down to the bottom of the page and and choose a link out of one of the five questions. For example, one of the questions is "what killed the dinosaurs?" I would pass out the students learning logs and they would jot down points to answer the question by accessing and reading the link. Once the students have completed this I would have them return to their desks and pair up with a partner who did a different question and they would share their answers with one another!
I feel that this website would benefit my students learning in the way that it allows for them to learn about the pre-historic times of our world, exctinction and fossils. And by the website including fun facts and pictures of dinosaurs it makes it more interesting and exciting for the students to learn. I really like how the website includes the questions at the bottom. These are questions that the students might wonder themselves after reading the information on the site, so by allowing them to read and access the links they are learning even more! I feel that by the site providing visual pictures of dinosaurs on the site the students are able to create a model image within their mind. I would also have the students create a picture of their own dinosaur they have created and make a fun and interesting name for it as well. They would list facts about where it lived, what it ate, etc. and they would then be posted on display for others to see and read about! This site and class lesson incorporated in with it is allowing for the students to use their imagination and use what they learned about dinosours from the site to complete the task at hand.
I would incorporate this website in my classroom by first giving a brief lesson at the desks to my students about dinosaurs. After this, I would then allow for them to access the computers and go to this website. I would allow them to freely click on the links and search through, however their final task would be to scroll down to the bottom of the page and and choose a link out of one of the five questions. For example, one of the questions is "what killed the dinosaurs?" I would pass out the students learning logs and they would jot down points to answer the question by accessing and reading the link. Once the students have completed this I would have them return to their desks and pair up with a partner who did a different question and they would share their answers with one another!
I feel that this website would benefit my students learning in the way that it allows for them to learn about the pre-historic times of our world, exctinction and fossils. And by the website including fun facts and pictures of dinosaurs it makes it more interesting and exciting for the students to learn. I really like how the website includes the questions at the bottom. These are questions that the students might wonder themselves after reading the information on the site, so by allowing them to read and access the links they are learning even more! I feel that by the site providing visual pictures of dinosaurs on the site the students are able to create a model image within their mind. I would also have the students create a picture of their own dinosaur they have created and make a fun and interesting name for it as well. They would list facts about where it lived, what it ate, etc. and they would then be posted on display for others to see and read about! This site and class lesson incorporated in with it is allowing for the students to use their imagination and use what they learned about dinosours from the site to complete the task at hand.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Grade Three Math - Numbers and Operations
Mathematics was a subject area that I struggled with through my primary years and still do today. I feel that by providing interesting and educational websites such as the ones I discovered entitled "Are You A Math Magician?" it allows for your students to see math as fun and exciting by getting them out of their desks and on the computers to practice their math skills! "Are You A Math Magician?" is based towards a grade three math level dealing with the area of numbers and operations. This website provides two levels of math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You can also mix the areas together, or practice all of your math skills at once!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by making this website a center. Instead of doing a work sheet or flash cards at the desks for a math center, I would allow for my students to log onto the computers and access this website. Through past experience I can tell that students can get bored and frustrated with endless flash cards and math work sheets, but I feel that by allowing for the students to learn math in a new and exciting way hopefully it will allow for them to be challenged and also have fun all at the same time. I would monitor to see how my students were progressing on the website, and by my observations I would then mark down which areas of math that I as a teacher would need to focus on more with that specific child. In a way this website is a test for challening the students math skills, however because it is fun and child friendly they don't even realize it is a test!
The site tests you to see just how many questions you can answer correct within two and a half minutes which allows for the students to be challenged at their specific math level that they choose. This is definately a large benefit from this website, and it also is a benefit for the teacher because they can realize just what level their students' are at. I played around on this website for a while myself and found it really fun, so I can definately see my future students enjoying this website as well within the classroom! By getting the kids out of their desks by using centers and incorporating technology into it, it allows for the students learning abilities to enhance as well as their technology skills to improve!
I would incorporate this website into my classroom by making this website a center. Instead of doing a work sheet or flash cards at the desks for a math center, I would allow for my students to log onto the computers and access this website. Through past experience I can tell that students can get bored and frustrated with endless flash cards and math work sheets, but I feel that by allowing for the students to learn math in a new and exciting way hopefully it will allow for them to be challenged and also have fun all at the same time. I would monitor to see how my students were progressing on the website, and by my observations I would then mark down which areas of math that I as a teacher would need to focus on more with that specific child. In a way this website is a test for challening the students math skills, however because it is fun and child friendly they don't even realize it is a test!
The site tests you to see just how many questions you can answer correct within two and a half minutes which allows for the students to be challenged at their specific math level that they choose. This is definately a large benefit from this website, and it also is a benefit for the teacher because they can realize just what level their students' are at. I played around on this website for a while myself and found it really fun, so I can definately see my future students enjoying this website as well within the classroom! By getting the kids out of their desks by using centers and incorporating technology into it, it allows for the students learning abilities to enhance as well as their technology skills to improve!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)