Making a Brochure Using Presentation Lesson Plan

Title: Come Visit Meteghan

Alberta curriculum social studies connections:

• Students will understand how the physical geography of each community shape its identity.

• Students will access and retrieve appropriate information from electronic sources for a specific inquiry.

• Students will prepare and present information in their own words, using respectful language.

Materials:

• Books and/or textbooks on Nova Scotia and Meteghan 

• Brochure planning sheet

• access to computers and Google Apps

• Brochure template

Activities:

1. Have students use a variety of resources (books, textbooks, websites and videos) to research why people might want to visit Meteghan and what they could do there as a visitor. For some website ideas see Social Studies Grade Two, Nova Scotia and Acadian Culture.
2. Provide students with a place to record their research, such as the brochure planning sheet. Students should write in proper sentences at the bottom. However, in the place where the image will go, they should record keywords that they can use to help them search for images that will relate to the sentence.
3. Have students hand in their planning sheets so that you can edit them and check they are on topic. 
4. How you do step 4 will depending on your students' skill with Google presentation. I recommend creating a template that you can share with your students, such as a brochure template. Have your students make a copy and rename.
5. Demonstrate on a Smartboard how to select the text "type here" on the template and to delete it before starting to type their own sentences (using their planning sheet).
6. Demonstrate on a Smartboard how to use the research tool in Google presentation. Model using keywords to search for images. Go over your expectations for what types of images are acceptable. (Will you accept cartoon images if they are on topic?)
• You may want to discuss what happens when your keywords do not result in any appropriate images. For example, as Meteghan is such a small village, searching "Meteghan whale watching" may not be a good combination of search terms. "Nova Scotia whale watching" might work better.
7. Allow students time to work independently. This will likely take 1-2 lessons or days. 
8. Have students share their presentation with you. You can print them out. Select print using system dialog. Then select "Use "2 sided, flip on short edge".   Here is an example of a student's brochure.

Assessment:

Rubric for Meteghan brochure.

Feedback:

I'd love any suggestions to improve the lesson and rubric.

Inuit Culture Lesson Plan

Title: Inuit Culture Presentation

Alberta curriculum social studies connections:

• Students will organize and present information, such as written and oral reports, taking particular audiences and purposes into consideration.
• Students will investigate the cultural and linguistic characteristics of an Inuit community in Canada.
• Students will identify key words from gathered information on a topic or issue.

Materials:

• Books and/or textbooks on the Inuit
• Research planning sheet
• access to computers and Google Apps
• Inuit Culture Presentation Template

Activity:

1. Have students use a variety of resources (books, textbooks, websites and videos) to research different components of Inuit culture. This can be done as a whole class, in partners, as individuals or a combination of the three. For some website ideas see Social Studies Grade Two, look under Nunavut and Inuit Culture. 
2. Provide students with a place to record their research, such as the research planning sheet. Encourage jot notes instead of sentences.
3. How you do step 3 will depending on your students' skill with Google presentation. I recommend creating a template that you can share with your students, such as Inuit Culture Presentation Template. Have your students make a copy and rename.
4. Demonstrate on a Smartboard what the text slide should look like (sentences or bullets) and review your expectations.
5. Demonstrate on a Smartboard how to use the research tool in Google presentation. Model using keywords to search for images. Go over your expectations for what types of images are acceptable. (Will you accept cartoon images if they are on topic?)
6. Allow students time to work independently. This will likely take a number of lessons/days.
7. Have students share their presentation with you. Here is an example of a student presentation.

Assessment:

Rubric for Inuit Culture Presentation 

Feedback:
I'd love any suggestions to improve the lesson and rubric.

Extending my Reach - Using Google Forms for Division One Online Learning

Imagine a grade two student staying up till 9:00 PM to attend school. The sun has set several hours ago and the warm night air is a balmy 25 degrees. On the other side of the globe, a grade three student scrambles out of bed before the sun rises to attend the same class at 7:00 AM his time.  These boys attend class via Elluminate Live,  the online classroom for students in grade two and three at Argyll Centre.  One student lives in the United Arab Emirates,the other is in Hawaii.  Other classmates are scattered across wintry Alberta: Cold Lake, Lloydminster, a ranch in southern Alberta, and of course Edmonton and area.  These young students and their parents use Argyll Centre's 123 LearnNet for their daily lessons. Our weekly Eluminate Live online class is an opportunity for learning and creating community.

How do I use Google Apps in this context?

What Have I learned that I can share with teachers in classrooms? 

My goals, like yours, are to use technology with sound pedagogical practices and connect my students with other learners.

Google Forms for Self Assessment in Language Arts

Google Forms makes it possible for these grade two and three students to complete a self assessment of writing skills while at the same time responses are conveniently recorded in a spread sheet for my information. 

In December students learned about the writing traits of word choice and voice and applied their  developing skills by writing persuasive letters.  They were introduced to two simple rubrics and participated in assessment of various pieces of writing. 

Rubric for Word Choice*

Rubric for Voice*

Using these rubrics students were asked to complete self assessment of their persuasive writing with a focus on word choice and voice. Students were familiar with the rubrics and self assessment.  With the support of an adult they responded to the questions on the Google Form.  

You can find a copy of the Google form here, Thinking about My Writing.  The link will take you to the spread sheet where student responses are recorded. To view the 'live form', click on: Form - Go to live form. If you would like to have your own copy, click on,  File and Make a copy... Rename your copy and modify or use as you wish. 

My two students may be half a world apart but they share some common learning goals. 


*These rubrics are modified and can be found here: http://web.sd71.bc.ca/literacy/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Wee-Can-Write-rubric.jpg

Well, That Didn't Go Smoothly

We started the Google Apps part of our grade two Inuit culture research project today and it was anything but smooth. However, it was not a disaster - which I attribute to a few things I think are worthwhile pointing out:

1. My class followed an established routine and expectation during computer time (and really, any class time). 
2. I had a solid understanding of how Google Apps work and how they are shared that allowed me to problem solve.
3. I had booked an hour block of time with the net books, which gave me the breathing room to problem solve.
4. I had an exemplar ready to go.

So What Happened?

I had created a Google presentation template I wanted my students to use. I had set the share settings to Public on the web - Anyone on the Internet can find and edit. Then I had created a homework assignment in SchoolZone and I attached the Google presentation to that homework post.


The students clicked on the link. The goal was for them to make a copy. However it did not give them that option (it was grayed out). 

So What Did I Do?

1. I checked the original document and its share settings. It was correct but in the meantime I noticed my students' names were under Who has access. 
2. I also noticed it said 50 people were viewing the document and that many of them were "anonymous". That was unusual.
3. I had my students close the tab with the presentation.
4. I directed them to their Google Drive. My goal was to make sure that Google/Share was having them logged in correctly. 
5. Then, since I had seen that the share had happened, I had them select "Shared With Me" and sure enough, there was the presentation. 

So What Happened Next?

I had them open the presentation again and it opened the presentation but this time it gave them a message that the document is very popular and they should try again or dismiss. This was a bandwidth issue I thought. I explained to them it is like lining up for music. We cannot all get through the door at the same time. However after a number of minutes we were still encountering the same issue with only 17 students. I had my students close the tab with the presentation and try opening again. No luck.

So What Did I Do?

1. I had them all put their monitors at 45 degrees and decided to go straight to the teacher demonstration of what they would be doing for the first few steps. I used the template as an exemplar on the Smartboard of what I wanted them to do once the issue was resolved.
2. After my demo, about 10 minutes later, I had students open the Inuit presentation from their Shared With Me folder and we had success.
3. Students then got access and made a copy and were able to work on their project.

Why Share This Misadventure?

I am sharing this adventure not to discourage people. Rather I am hoping that it shows that even "tech savvy" teachers encounter problems. As well, to spotlight the value in spending time in understanding how the new tools of our trade work so that we can not only problem solve on our own but demonstrate to our students how to problem solve when encountering technical problems.

Oh and to get helpful feedback - thanks Terry for the helpful comment!

Grade Two Bloggers

Background
I decided to use Blogger with my students this year. We will have a class blog  only, not individual blogs. I have blogged with student before but I have never used Blogger with grade twos. 

Preparation
If you have never used Blogger before, give yourself some time to set up your Blogger account and your blog.

You will need to add each student as an author. There may be a more expedient way to do it than I did. I am the type of person who fiddles rather than reads instructions! :)

Under settings, you will see "permissions".  Add each of your students. They will need to accept the invitation by going to their Share mail account during your first lesson. 

I also have decided to keep this blog private. However, I added our school's administrative team as readers. I plan to find a buddy class either in or out of the school to add as readers. If you do not select an option, your blog is open to all readers by default.

My final step of preparation was to create a post for the students to do their writing about. 

I found the image I used on Writing A Writing by searching Google images with the search terms: writing picture prompts. 

Pre-Writing
As my focus was on them posting for the first time, I did not want to complicate matters by making the writing assignment too complicated. On the day before we started blogging I showed them the picture prompt.

Students did a think-pair-share about the image. Then we did a class write using a descriptive paragraph organizer (here is a paragraph organizer similar to what I used) on the Smartboard. I gave them the first part of the first 3 sentences and I gave them the last sentence. 

I looked up and saw .... They were .... It sounded ...I felt ... I wonder if I will ever see them again?

We brainstormed possible endings to each sentences which I recorded as jot notes on the Smartboard.

Blogging
I booked the netbooks for an hour for this first round of blogging. 
Once students got set up to blog, I pulled up the Smartboard brainstorm again. We reviewed the ideas. Students did one line at a time on the netbooks. 

After most students were finished one line, I had them all put their netbooks at a 45 degree angle and reviewed the next line. For those students who needed a challenge, I had them extend their "I felt" sentence to include "because" or encouraged them to add a sentence of their own.

Once the first three or four students were finished and ready to publish, I reviewed how to use the spell check function. Up until this point I had been teaching it individually as it was appropriate. Students had to address their red squiggly lines and then put their hand up before they could publish. I read their posts and then gave them permission to publish.

Once a number of the students had published, I again asked students to put their monitors at a 45 degree angle. I then demonstrated how they could comment on other students' work. I modeled reading a post and then selecting reply and typed "good job". 

The energy in the room changed when they started to see other people posting on their work! It was motivating to me to see how excited they were. 

For the last part of the writing period students completed their posts (some required my assistance to complete it) or commented on posts.

iPads in Kindergarten

At Dunluce Elementary, Shanon, Dana, and Raelene along with their Principal, Bryan Evans, are excitedly preparing to introduce iPads to their Kindergarten classes. They have all had their own iPads for a few weeks to get comfortable with them and now they are getting ready to roll the cart out to their students. Wisely, they bought five for each Kindergarten class first, with the potential to expand to other grades when the need/demand presents itself.

When asked how they hoped to use the iPads, they were mostly saw it as a consumption device in Division I, or in UDL terms, to be used for multiple means of representation. After we went app hunting and playing, we discovered that the most of the content apps were either expensive, limited in scope, or not very good. However, we did find a lot of cool content creation apps that we thought had a lot of potential applications and began to realize how powerful iPads can be for multiple means of expression and engagement.

Here is our discussion guide and the advice sent to us from Lisa Henderson at Pollard Meadows:


What I came away with from our discussions:

Have Configurator installed before starting the conversation and looking at the apps. It would be best if the lead teacher(s) had a working knowledge of Configurator (and the Volume Purchasing Program) before iPads are introduced to the teachers. It would have helped me a great deal if I knew and understood Configurator.

One idea that we came across was to set the lock screen with a picture of the class iPad rules. Originally, we used an image of rules we found on the internet. It wouldn't be hard to make a graphic set of rules that would be closer to our context once we see the iPads in action.

Please share any advice you can share with us about your experience using iPads in Kindergarten.

Explorations in Art

I started a new assignment in an International Baccalaureate and Arts Focus school this year.  Having come with experience in several district art core programs, I have been excited to share arts based websites and uses of technology in art that keep my 23 inquisitive and creative Grade 1 learners engaged.  They are definitely of the "Yes, Let's" approach to technology and creativity which I find most inspiring for me as an educator!

There have been several really helpful posts in the Div1 Edtech in EPSB blog which outlines processes to get young children "up and running" with basic skills using the technology itself.  Most of the students in my class had quite a bit of experience in their Kindergarten class with Netbooks so quite quickly I was able to determine who might be "tech leaders" and I have been able to enlist their help with students who still struggle with signing on.  Building independence is key, but having support from peers is a great way for students to begin the collaborative opportunities that abound in using technology as a vehicle to facilitate inquiry and conversation during a creative process.


A Playful Download

Skipping ahead from the beginning wanderings and wonderings students had about how they might use technology this year to support their inquiry and creativity, I was aware of a free starter download of an art program called "Art Rage 2".  There is a free, unlimited demo version of the program which is what I downloaded to my desktop for students to investigate on the SmartBoard during Arts centres. (if you would like more information about Arts Centres, I can elaborate in a future post).  You can access the site here.  While it is always best to access software that sits in the "cloud", especially when using Netbooks and Chromebooks, once in awhile, a playful program pops up with advantages for download.  When the download is free.... bonus!  The version has a scaled down tool set but there are enough tools available, particularly the paint brush capabilities, to make the download worth the time.  You do have the ability to load previous paintings and to save and print paintings/pictures created.  System requirements include Windows 7, Vista, or XP, with 256 MB of RAM and there is also a Mac download available.

As an art teacher, using ArtRage 2 allows students to practice skills they have learned on paper to see how they work on a computer/SmartBoard.  Creativity is the focus as they further develop techniques and experiment with the medium.  I also love that the type of paper used can be selected such as watercolor and various textured papers.

ArtRage for the IPad

ArtRage is also available as an IPad App, though at $4.99 plus GST it may not be an option for all IPads in your school.  I do have it on my personal device and I am presently experimenting with it to see how it might be used in the classroom.  During the "experimentation" phase of determining whether or not an App is "classroom worthy", I do bring it to school and let the students use it during Arts centre time. Many an App has been crossed off the "need to get" list based on student exploration and feedback from them.


How to Introduce the Program

Just like any centre time activity, I briefly share with students a few of the main features so that much of their time can be spent exploring the program rather than me showing them all the ins and outs.  I had a principal once remind me that letting them "play" with the new technology, to discover what it can do, is all part of the creative process.  After the brief explanation, they are off to centres, with ArtRage being one of their options.  We always allow two students at the SmartBoard centre to allow for collaboration, conversation and exploration and we make sure that there are several "switches" during centre time as well.  Because this is a popular centre, we keep track of who has visited the SmartBoard to allow for everyone to have an opportunity to create.  Here are few of their collaborative efforts with the program:

As you can see, the paint still looks wet and it is this property that makes the program exciting for students to experiment with.  There is even a little cup that students "wash" their brush finger in and I have often observed students wiping their paint finger on their clothing, one action I don't have to apologize to parents for at the end of an art class! 

Sharing Process and Products

At the end of Arts centre time, students participate in a group sharing time where they reflect on their experiences and share products and processes of their activities.  This is one of their favorite "show and share" opportunities and I have to be mindful that we save enough time to allow for as many to share as possible.  This is a critical component of Arts centre time where I assist students in providing specific feedback to their peers using arts terminology.


What's Next?

We have used this program for a whole class collaborative painting which I will share in a future post.  For those of you who have used ArtRage 2 or ArtRage 3, please share your ideas as a comment below!  If you have any questions or comments, I invite your feedback as well!