Elementary+School+Pre-K+to+5

=Elementary School Lesson Ideas for Grades Pre-K through 5=

**Grade One: Google Earth, Animoto, Skype**
The first grade students will compare the physical and logistical similarities and differences between their school setting and that of their urban pen pals. Students will use [|**www.earth.google.com**] to “tour” the area where their pen pals attend school. They will introduce themselves to their pen pals in an entertaining and appealing way by using **animoto.com**, and the students will **skype.com** with their pen pals to share interactive communication about the rural/urban comparison research. [|Unit Plan Template with PBL[2.doc]][|taking_part_in_discussions rubric.pdf] 

**Preschool: Google Earth**
Students who have been learning about maps in a social studies unit, will explore [|www.earth.google.com] in their region as a way to demonstrate understanding and knowledge about maps and the ability to manuever with a mouse.

Preschool: Voicethread
Preschool students will visit a college farm at the end of a unit on farming and farm products. The students knowledge about food products derived from the animals will be demonstrated through the use of [|www.voicethreads.com]. Pictures will be taken of the various animals on the farm and uploaded to the voicethreads site. Children will draw or paint a picture of something they saw on the farm. The art work will be photographed to be used as each student's avatar, and uploaded to the site. Children will be recorded talking about the animals and related products on the voicethread site. The recordings will accompany the pictures of the different animals. Parents will be invited into the classroom to view the voicethread project.

Preschool: Smartboard Lesson
This lesson teaches EEE children about sequencing in stories using nursery rhymes. Click on the buttons below to see the lesson plan and the SMART notebook file.

**Preschool/Kindergarten: Podcast**
Using a podcast format, preschool students will demonstrate their ability to understand, recognize, and produce rhyming words. Students will be recorded first answering to, and then creating rhyming questions in a playful manner. The podcast will be accompanied by upbeat music to make it fun to listen to. The podcast will be made available in the classroom for the students to listen to and add to. The format can then be continued, using individual phonemes, as they are taught.

Kindergarten: Smartboard Lesson
This lesson uses the Smartboard to teach children about healthy eating and the colorful food groups. Click on the buttons below to see the lesson plan and the SMART notebook file.

Grade 5: Smartboard Lesson
This lesson is used to introduce students to the book Hatchet. Click on the buttons below to see the lesson plan and the SMART notebook file.

Grades 1 &2: Voicethread
Students will demonstrate learning about simple machines using a multimedia format that can be shared with parents and community. Upload pictures taken during the unit to [|www.voicethread.com]. Students will then create their own avatar using a paint program such as KidPix. These are also uploaded to Voicethread. Students use a frame to write about the six simple machines including what their machine is and looks like, how it helps do work and some examples in the real world. These are then recorded (using avatars) onto the Voicethread slideshow. Parents and community members can be invited to view and share their comments.

Grades 1&2: Google Earth
Students navigate [|www.earth.google.com] using geographical map of China. The site will be introduced to whole class with navigation tools explained and demonstrated. With a partner, students will use the keyboard correctly to navigate the site to locate China on the continent of Asia and view features on their maps of China such as the Great Wall, Beijing, The Forbidden Palace, hutongs, The Yangtze River, Mt. Everest, and rural areas. As sites are visited, they will be colored in on their maps.

Elementary Ed.: Living History Wiki
For our annual living history event, create a wiki site at www.wikispaces.com to inform students, staff, parents and community members about the event. Besides a home page, information about costumes, basic history, and a wishlist can be included. A slideshow would be another option and students can post their journal entries after the event.

Grades 1&2 Plant Poster/Slideshow
Students will demonstrate basic concepts about plant parts and growth requirements using a paint program such as KidPix or Tux Paint (www.tuxpaint.org). First they will create a picture of a plant incorporating these parts: root, stem, leaves and flower. Then they will add growth requirements (sun, water, soil). Finally students will create and manipulate text boxes to label their poster, changing font and size. Finished posters can be displayed with hard copies or uploaded to a slide show program such as Slideshare ( [|www.slideshare.net] ) to share with parents.

**Grades 2 & 3 Google Earth**
This is an introductory lesson for our unit on cultures around the world. Using Google Earth, the students will locate the country that they are researching. ([|www.earth.google.com]) In their research groups, the students will navigate on Google Earth to view the location of their country, landforms, water features and special sites related to their particular country.

Grades 2 & 3: Wiki
At the beginning of the year, each classroom should set classroom guidelines that each student should follow. Using a wiki page enables everyone to share their ideas. The first lesson is to explain about different learning styles. The students click on the link to take a learning style inventory. Then have a discussion the needs of students with different learning styles. Taking all of that into consideration, divide the students into small groups and have them develop a list of classroom rules/guidelines. They can post them on the wiki page. The next lesson would be to group the items of similarity on the list. Continue with discussions of items on the list until the class develops a managable number of rules. www.msesgrades2-3.wikispaces.com

Grades 2 & 3: Response to Literature using a Blog
After reading a Guided Reading book, Meet Molly, the students responded to the text answering an essential question using a blog. I demonstrated how they should comment by having one student respond during reading. Students were able to either comment at home or at school. We also discussed how they could respond to each other's comments. [|www.meetmolly1940.blogspot.com]

Grades 2 & 3: Voice Thread
As a demonstration lesson, I took pictures of the class using technology in my classroom. Using [|www.voicethread.com] I uploaded the pictures. Then added text and voice to describe each picture. For my Living History unit, the students in my group will develop a presentation using VoiceThread to show what they have learned about the changing roles of women in the 1940s. The presentation will be shown at an evening event where our whole school will demonstrate what they have learned about this period in history.

Grades 3 & 4: Podcast,Wiki
Students will learn about African American struggles for civil rights, with a special focus on Martin Luther King, Jr.-his life and achievements. It will culminate with a birthday party celebration in January.

Grade 5: Google Docs
Students will us Googel Docs to create a presentation document showing what the Dewey Decimal Classification System is. Students will research the many sources of information in the library. Students will go to: [] to collaboratively create the document. This link, when complete, will be added to the school library's website.

Grade 6: Using a Wiki in the Library
After students explore the various reference books and sources in the library, students will create a class Wiki to collaborate their information and be able to share what they have learned. The Wiki page is: [] This will be a compilation of information about each reference source.

Grade 6 - 8 Podcasting in the Library
Students will research and understand basic school library procedures and various aspects of the library. Students will create written scripts describing library activity/topics that are put in proper/correct chronological steps or proceedures that will be put into a creative, informative and lively podcast. These podcasts will be posted on the library websites for others to access.

**Resources**
[|Technology Education Resources] [|Education World Technology]