Nothing exciting to report. Have spent 30 days (who's counting? ME!) getting the students organized to work together and work independently. New kids in the mix and everything is new. We're getting there, though.
I didn't even get my back-to -school-night-learning-goals movie done. And, I still have one student to record, and 4 to photograph. I am pleased with their ideas and artwork. It will be better than last year's movie, just taking a lot longer.
The Chamber of Commerce and the parents who came to Back to School got introduced to the ABC idea. No ideas have come in from them yet. The kids have explored ABC books, so that part makes sense to them.
I am doing the digital story telling series--does that excuse my lack of tech progress with my students? I thought not.
Last week I got internet in the classroom, and I have a document camera that works! That was exciting. Still lacking a functional printer, email, and camera.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Progress, not
Well, I had forgotten how long it takes to get a bunch of kids settled into new routines and become a community. Also, I had to move into a new room which had not been cleaned out (old middle-school diaries and mummified chickens, yikes) and my stuff had been put into a cargo container (which cargo container? and when found, was way in the back on the bottom). Very exhausting, but the room looked great just in time for the students. I'm still struggling with how to teach both first and second graders, and how to make a schedule that works. I'm also still searching for some of my books and materials. I forgot how much work this job is, especially getting the year started.
On the upside, I am not working completely on my own. I have a great aide, who is great with her camera, and made a very cool classroom ABC book last year. We have read and analyzed a lot of ABC books, and did an alphabet search on the playground and have about half of the letters discovered and photographed (all thanks to the aide! ). Who knew if you looked at the picnic table, you'd find a J?
The kids have written/drawn "what I want to learn this year",and I will, I WILL, record and photograph them this week, so we have that little movie ready for Back to School Night. That will help me introduce the ABC project to the class.
We have explored two students' names and developed some big (open-ended) questions that give us big answers, and some little (one-word answer) ones that we like to know. We haven't interviewed our new staff members yet, but that is coming.
On the upside, I am not working completely on my own. I have a great aide, who is great with her camera, and made a very cool classroom ABC book last year. We have read and analyzed a lot of ABC books, and did an alphabet search on the playground and have about half of the letters discovered and photographed (all thanks to the aide! ). Who knew if you looked at the picnic table, you'd find a J?
The kids have written/drawn "what I want to learn this year",and I will, I WILL, record and photograph them this week, so we have that little movie ready for Back to School Night. That will help me introduce the ABC project to the class.
We have explored two students' names and developed some big (open-ended) questions that give us big answers, and some little (one-word answer) ones that we like to know. We haven't interviewed our new staff members yet, but that is coming.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Kids and Cameras--What a Combo!
Here's a new book Snap Is the New Sound of Learning about using cameras in the classroom with primary school kids. Just what I need for my project, and lots of new learning projects as well.
Pat Barrett Dragan, the author, is a thirty -year veteran of primary classrooms, and has other great books on teaching English language learners, developing literacy, and more. A great mentor.
One idea from her book about teaching first grade is to have a first-day alphabet walk. She puts magnetic letters on the board, but some are missing. (The kids look for b by the bathroom, and are introduced to the custodian who clues them into taking care of themselves and the bathroom.) Sounds like a great plan for our first day, one that fits into our year's ABC project. A book she uses is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I'm going to also use The Letters Are Lost!
(and while I'm on the subject of books, she suggests retelling Hickory to help develop a classroom community of caring, and The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni, which shows how letters cooperate to make words.)
Pat Barrett Dragan, the author, is a thirty -year veteran of primary classrooms, and has other great books on teaching English language learners, developing literacy, and more. A great mentor.
One idea from her book about teaching first grade is to have a first-day alphabet walk. She puts magnetic letters on the board, but some are missing. (The kids look for b by the bathroom, and are introduced to the custodian who clues them into taking care of themselves and the bathroom.) Sounds like a great plan for our first day, one that fits into our year's ABC project. A book she uses is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I'm going to also use The Letters Are Lost!
(and while I'm on the subject of books, she suggests retelling Hickory to help develop a classroom community of caring, and The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni, which shows how letters cooperate to make words.)
WR#11 Tech Project Timeline
An ABC book/Movie of Loleta by Ms. Watson's Students
Week One
Set up class blog, to showcase work and receive comments.
Introduce project to administrator and school board. (Get permission, support).
Introduce project to students.
Talk to staff, families, and community members.
Send letter to families, board members, chamber of commerce, Ferndale Enterprise.
Post letter downtown.
Introduce interview skills to students. Have them generate questions and interview each other, take interview notes, draw each other. Present interviews--the interviewer tells about the interviewee. (Teacher or helper records video).
Reflect with student.
Reflect without students.
Week Two
Review standards for appropriate topics.
Critique published ABC books with students.
Generate, with students, something about the people and places in Loleta, that correspond to each letter of the alphabet.
Have students generate questions specific to the principal and custodian. Have them interview them, taking notes, recording audio and images (teacher records). Each student will write a story about the principal and the custodian. Demonstrate response to authors.
Have students work together to develop story about principal and custodian.
Work as a group on the story production. As a group, evaluate the story.
Submit the story to the website, school newsletter, Ferndale Enterprise.
Reflect!
Week Three
Figure out a way to make the ABC subjects fit into the rest of the curriculum. Organize by geography (land forms, mapping), families, careers, history, culture, etc.
Send home an update/thanks for contributions letter to families.
Teach students how to use jamcams and how to take good shots.
Teach students how to record sound.
(Pray that all students are superkids, superpowered--no, this could work...)
Reflect!
Week Four
Organize field trips and guest speakers.
Pick the first topic. Have students develop KWRL (knowledge, wonder/questions, resources, learnings chart) about the first topic. Do research, develop specific questions.
Visit first person/place, taking notes, (students, teacher), recording audio (teacher or helper?) and images (teachers, students also?).
Have class work together to make story and production decisions.
Upload story to web, blog. Submit to school news?
Reflect!
Week Five
At this point, it's time to see if any of this actually occurred, can we get a story done each week? was it worth the time, what are students getting out of it, what's the community (school and wider) response?
If things are actually working, continue and consider:
Can students do any of the work in small groups?
Can we do more than one project in a week?
Can we do more than one project in a week?
Can I keep up with the production so I don't have a backlog of undone stuff piling up and causing hideous guilt?
Things to be aware of:
Why are the students doing this and how are they meeting standards?
Have students evaluate their work (writing, knowledge, art, communication skills) and help develop rubrics and specific pointers.
Keep up with the production to keep us on task, focused, and accomplishing.
Keep up with thank-you's to those who help.
Show work-in-progress to school board and at family events.
Send copies to participants at the end.
Plusses:
Valuable project--audience for student work, authentic, students need tech skills, good PR
Have some of last year's kids--they know about movies and are motivated. They can do sound, they know ABC books.
New admin supportive of tech and projects.
Will keep me focused and kids will have to produce.
Week Five
Keep going. At this rate we should be done with weeks to spare at the end of the year. (too tired to do the math now, and wondering if we can do two a week--probably just one is more reasonable, or maybe one every two weeks...)
Week One
Set up class blog, to showcase work and receive comments.
Introduce project to administrator and school board. (Get permission, support).
Introduce project to students.
Talk to staff, families, and community members.
Send letter to families, board members, chamber of commerce, Ferndale Enterprise.
Post letter downtown.
Introduce interview skills to students. Have them generate questions and interview each other, take interview notes, draw each other. Present interviews--the interviewer tells about the interviewee. (Teacher or helper records video).
Reflect with student.
Reflect without students.
Week Two
Review standards for appropriate topics.
Critique published ABC books with students.
Generate, with students, something about the people and places in Loleta, that correspond to each letter of the alphabet.
Have students generate questions specific to the principal and custodian. Have them interview them, taking notes, recording audio and images (teacher records). Each student will write a story about the principal and the custodian. Demonstrate response to authors.
Have students work together to develop story about principal and custodian.
Work as a group on the story production. As a group, evaluate the story.
Submit the story to the website, school newsletter, Ferndale Enterprise.
Reflect!
Week Three
Figure out a way to make the ABC subjects fit into the rest of the curriculum. Organize by geography (land forms, mapping), families, careers, history, culture, etc.
Send home an update/thanks for contributions letter to families.
Teach students how to use jamcams and how to take good shots.
Teach students how to record sound.
(Pray that all students are superkids, superpowered--no, this could work...)
Reflect!
Week Four
Organize field trips and guest speakers.
Pick the first topic. Have students develop KWRL (knowledge, wonder/questions, resources, learnings chart) about the first topic. Do research, develop specific questions.
Visit first person/place, taking notes, (students, teacher), recording audio (teacher or helper?) and images (teachers, students also?).
Have class work together to make story and production decisions.
Upload story to web, blog. Submit to school news?
Reflect!
Week Five
At this point, it's time to see if any of this actually occurred, can we get a story done each week? was it worth the time, what are students getting out of it, what's the community (school and wider) response?
If things are actually working, continue and consider:
Can students do any of the work in small groups?
Can we do more than one project in a week?
Can we do more than one project in a week?
Can I keep up with the production so I don't have a backlog of undone stuff piling up and causing hideous guilt?
Things to be aware of:
Why are the students doing this and how are they meeting standards?
Have students evaluate their work (writing, knowledge, art, communication skills) and help develop rubrics and specific pointers.
Keep up with the production to keep us on task, focused, and accomplishing.
Keep up with thank-you's to those who help.
Show work-in-progress to school board and at family events.
Send copies to participants at the end.
Plusses:
Valuable project--audience for student work, authentic, students need tech skills, good PR
Have some of last year's kids--they know about movies and are motivated. They can do sound, they know ABC books.
New admin supportive of tech and projects.
Will keep me focused and kids will have to produce.
Week Five
Keep going. At this rate we should be done with weeks to spare at the end of the year. (too tired to do the math now, and wondering if we can do two a week--probably just one is more reasonable, or maybe one every two weeks...)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Meet Me At The Corner
I read about this site in a family magazine while waiting at the dentist's office. You never know where you will find inspiration! Meet Me At the Corner calls itself "Virtual Field Trips for Kids", narrated by kids, and the site will edit and show kid-made videos. Other cool connections are the Comic Book Project at Columbia University, and contests for kids. The site is aimed at 8 to 12 year olds. This site, and my friend Kriste's class project "An ABC of Careers", inspired my tech project.
ABC Brainstorming (for Tech Project)
A artists
B Bear River, Bank, bluff , boat launch
C Cheese Factory, Creamery, Casino, Cemetery, churches, Cock Robin, Cannibal Island, Chamber of Commerce, College of the Redwoods, Crab Park
D dairies, dunes
E Emus, eel River
F Fire Station
G Geese, Grocery, Gilded Rose
H Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge, Hotel
I island
J Jetty
K Kinetic Sculpture Race
L Loleta, Los Amigas Club
M Meat Market
N
O
P Park, Pavilion, Playground, Post Office, Pedrazinni Boat Ramp
Q Quest
R Reservation, Rancheria, recreation
S school, Swauger Station
T Table Bluff
U
V valley
W Water District
X exit
Y
Z
B Bear River, Bank, bluff , boat launch
C Cheese Factory, Creamery, Casino, Cemetery, churches, Cock Robin, Cannibal Island, Chamber of Commerce, College of the Redwoods, Crab Park
D dairies, dunes
E Emus, eel River
F Fire Station
G Geese, Grocery, Gilded Rose
H Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge, Hotel
I island
J Jetty
K Kinetic Sculpture Race
L Loleta, Los Amigas Club
M Meat Market
N
O
P Park, Pavilion, Playground, Post Office, Pedrazinni Boat Ramp
Q Quest
R Reservation, Rancheria, recreation
S school, Swauger Station
T Table Bluff
U
V valley
W Water District
X exit
Y
Z
Monday, August 4, 2008
A TP Document (WR#10)
Dear Family and Friends:
Welcome to a new and exciting school year here at Loleta!
We have appreciated your involvement in our students' learning, and this year we will be asking you to contribute to our community in new ways.
We are going to create an ABC of Loleta, and we will share what we learn in book and digital form. The students will be visiting people and places in our community, and learning about Loleta's past and present. This may help us all shape Loleta's future!
If you have suggestions about where and who to visit, and if you would be willing to help us, we would love your participation! Please look for a survey in the mail soon, and please call or email us with your ideas at any time.
Through this project, students will learn more about our community, share that with the community, develop 21st century literacies and skills (reading, writing, technology, communication, connection, creativity), meet state standards (in language arts, math, science, social studies, art), and have a great time learning.
Thanks so much for your support of our students, and our community. We're looking forward to a great project, and a great year.
Sincerely,
Harriet Watson
Welcome to a new and exciting school year here at Loleta!
We have appreciated your involvement in our students' learning, and this year we will be asking you to contribute to our community in new ways.
We are going to create an ABC of Loleta, and we will share what we learn in book and digital form. The students will be visiting people and places in our community, and learning about Loleta's past and present. This may help us all shape Loleta's future!
If you have suggestions about where and who to visit, and if you would be willing to help us, we would love your participation! Please look for a survey in the mail soon, and please call or email us with your ideas at any time.
Through this project, students will learn more about our community, share that with the community, develop 21st century literacies and skills (reading, writing, technology, communication, connection, creativity), meet state standards (in language arts, math, science, social studies, art), and have a great time learning.
Thanks so much for your support of our students, and our community. We're looking forward to a great project, and a great year.
Sincerely,
Harriet Watson
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