Seasons iMovies

Our first graders created iMovies about the four seasons. 

Students watched a short BrainPop video about each season.  Then they illustrated each season using KidPix. 

Objectives of this long term iMovie project:
-learn how to import jpegs
-turn off Ken Burns effect
-add backgrounds with titles
-add transitions
-add music and trim end to match length of movie
-fade out music at end of movie

This project took several weeks.  (Students meet once per week for 55 minutes.)

Students loved watching each other's movies!

Career Day

Our entire lower school participated in Career Day.  Students came to school dressed as a particular career of interest.  We had doctors, builders, pilots, teachers, artists, and so many more.  Teachers even participated. 

We incorporated Career Day in the computer lab by having first graders write about their future careers.  We encouraged students to write and draw with detail. 

 


I love their imaginations.

King of Code

Check out this short video on how to incorporate coding into your everyday curriculum.

Dash Flash Mob

The holidays are a time I usually dread in the classroom.  The students are extra excited, and our schedules are often interrupted for parties, assemblies, holiday concerts and travel.  I needed to think of a project that would keep the students engaged during this crazy time of year. 

Dash and Xylo from Wonder Workshop would do the trick. 

Most of my students hadn't use the Xylo app yet so time was given for them to simply explore and create.   No rules, no directions, no limits.  After 15 minutes or so, I asked the students to compose Jingle Bells or Joy to the World.  Students added synchronized movements.

Like every famous musician, the students wanted to take their show on the road.   Our Dash robot flash mob visited our music teacher's classroom, Headmaster's office, and a senior class of digital design students. 

Our students were so proud of their creative coding.

Animal Robots

We just completed our longterm robotics and coding project.  First, the students were introduced to various components (servo motors, LEDs, duo controllers, etc).  We learned how to code each component individually.

Students were asked to build an animal that incorporated movement, sound, and light into their project.  They used GarageBand to record facts about their animals and Snap! for coding.

Talking Devices

After reading Out of My Mind and Rules (both books feature non-verbal characters), the fourth graders were inspired to create their own talking devices.  Students used Makey-Makeys and Scratch to code and construct their communicators. 

Here are some students using their devices to answer questions.  

Students testing their coding

Makey Makeys and Scratch were used for coding and construction.

Students connecting to Scratch.

Pandas, Panda, Everywhere

Our first graders were very fortunate to travel to the National Zoo and visit Bei Bei.  Throughout the year, they have been studying pandas and learning some facts along the way.

Firstie wrote and illustrated a panda book during computer class, and it was presented to the National Zoo during their field trip.  Also, they created beautiful panda masterpieces in Art class.

We combined the two projects into a panda movie.  During this project, students learned how to voice over their images.

Check out their informational movie.

Kahoot!

This is an email I just sent a colleague. Thought I would share with all of you.

The last couple computer classes I've been using Kahoot! with the second graders to help them review for the Manners Banquet.

It is similar to Socrative but MUCH more fun.  You set it up like Socrative- type a question with multiple choice questions.

Instead of being an independent activity, it is like a game show format and everyone is going against each other.  When students log in with access code, they have to create a name.  I've been having the 2nd graders create nicknames instead of using their real names.  (Their nicknames have been their favorite food, their super hero name, their grandparents name, etc.) This makes it even more fun because you don't really know who you are playing against- identity is secret.

Questions and multiple choice answers appear on the smart board.  Great sound effects are built into the game and makes it very exciting.  

Students use their iPads to choose their answer.

The faster you answer the questions, the more points you receive.  However, the faster you answer with a wrong response, the more points are deducted.  So, it isn't always best to answer right away.  High reward, but high consequences.

Students do not need to download an app.  Have them go to Safari and type Kahoot.

This might be a great end of year activity.  Beware- it can be highly energetic and addictive!

There are close to 1million free Kahoot games already created and ready to use.  You can browse through and edit one to make it better fit your needs.  Why reinvent the wheel?

Our First Robotics Class

Today the 3rd graders started working with Lego WeDos. They had a wonderful time building dancing birds.  They learned basic programming and experimented with loops, timers, and adding sound effects.

PreK Students Write a Book

Our PreK students are slowly learning their first sight words.  I try to incorporate these sight words into typing activities in the computer lab.

This week we reviewed the sight words "I", "can", "see" and also reviewed numbers 1-20.

We assigned each PreK student a specific number 1-20.  Then, students each typed "I can see ## _______." After typing the beginning of their sentence, they practiced dragging/dropping pictures into their page.  Because we have less than 20 PreK students, the early finishers we able to type a second page.

We printed each child's page and combined them to make one class numbers book.  Now the students have their own book to peruse in their classroom reading loft.

Bot Building

The third graders had their first experience with building bots today.  This opened up great conversations about circuits, insulators/conductors, vibration, and friction.

We cut the head off toothbrushes, added batteries and vibrating motors, and off they went.  Spontaneously, the students created tracks from old cardboard.  They also used the chalk ledge to help give the bots direction.  We tried to have our bots vibrate through paint, but we concluded the paint was too thick.  Next time we will water down the paint and create bot masterpieces.

What a fun day!

Connecting with our Grads

What a wonderful morning spent with our new friends in North Carolina.  We connected via Google Hangout and took turns asking each other yes/no questions to try and determine our schools' locations.  This was a great way to reinforce our knowledge of states/capitals, national landmarks, and geography.

The best surprise was when the North Carolina students learned their teacher actually graduated from our school.  It's such a small world, and we are proud of our graduates.  Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the next generation.

Bicycle Safety

Our firsties created bicycle safety posters to hang throughout all hallways.  They've been learning the "rules of the road" during PE class.  Later this week the first graders will participate in the annual Bike Rodeo.  They will put their knowledge to the test as they navigate a variety of obstacles on their bicycles.

Robotics Challenge

Our class enjoyed a videoconference with the Museum of Flight located in Seattle, Washington.  We learned about the history of robotics, how robots are used in our everyday lives, and the future of robotics.  We were most impressed with learning how the rovers on Mars land safely and about the scientific research the rovers are conducting.  Who knows?  Maybe one of us will travel to Mars in our lifetime.

After the videoconference, we were faced with a robotics challenge.  The students had to build a robot that would move forward and backward, left and right, pick up an object, and be able to store that object onboard the robot.

We had such a great time designing and building our robots.  The students had to use critical thinking skills and troubleshooting when their robot did not work according to plan.

A big round of applause to the Museum of Flight for sparking curiosity with our fourth graders.

Mystery Skype

Want an interactive, engaging, and exciting way to brush up on geography?  What about participating in a Mystery Skype session?

That's exactly what our fourth grade class did today. We connected with another fourth grade class on Skype and took turns with them asking yes/no questions to help determine each other's location.  Not only did we use our mapping skills but also deductive reasoning. 

Everyone in our class was assigned specific responsibilities during the Mystery Skype, and we took these duties seriously.  Some of our jobs were photographers, recorders, tweeters, question leader, mappers, welcomer, and closer. 

During the Mystery Skype two students recorded all the questions we asked and the questions that the other class asked us.  The recorders wrote these questions on the whiteboards so they were visible to everyone in our classroom.  This helped prevent us from repeating questions by accident. 

Questions the Other Class Asked Us

 

 

 

Questions We Asked the Other Class

Students were highly engaged during our Skype session and worked well together.  The students were able to determine the other school was in Iowa.  The Mystery Skype session lasted approximately 25 minutes.

We are already looking forward to our next Mystery Skype.

Mrs. Lynch