Zuzga, Mrs. Dianne (Computers)
2011-12 Detailed Schedule of IDL Sessions
February, 2012
Kindergarten:
Our Kindergarten classes have been outstanding! We found a wonderful website, abcya.com, which contains some exciting games that include: alphabetical order, upper-case and lower-case letters, counting numbers, connect the dots, numerical order, shapes, addition, etc. One of our students' favorite games is a Sight Word Bingo game that reviews their Dolch sight words. They have been using this game in their classrooms (in groups) on their SmartBoards, and then we reinforce their learning when they work (individually) on their own computers. We are having an awesome time!
1st Grade:
Our 1st grade students have also been introduced to abcya.com. They have been working on 1st grade level sight words, and are ready for the next step--spelling exercises with 1st grade Sight Word Bingo. When they have worked their way through the collection of sight words, we will resume working with math based websites to improve math skills. Two of our favorite sites are www.funbrain.com and www.aaamath.com. The AAAMath site can be really challenging for them, but they are doing a wonderful job and progressing.
2nd Grade:
Our second grade students have been working with a wonderful site, BBC's Dance Mat Typing. Our goal was to assist them on becoming more familiar with the keyboard and keystrokes. Now that they have been introduced to the entire keyboard, we will spend some time working with brief exercises in KidPix to introduce them to some of the more advanced tools.
3rd Grade:
Our third grade students have just completed the "Beginner" level in keyboarding lessons in Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. They have been focusing on correct posture at the keyboard, use of the program's interface, and proper finger placement of "Home" keys and corresponding keys. Now that they have acquired basic typing skills, we have begun working with MS Word to complete some simple word processing exercises.
4th Grade:
Students will be selecting an endangered animal from the current list of endangered species found on Earth's Endangered Creatures website. After choosing their animal, they will begin acquiring research for their project, "Endangered Means There's Still Time." Once the research is completed, students will begin writing a formal report that will include general information, as well as unique "Fun Facts" they have identified about their animals. Their report will include graphics and citations. After completing the written portion of this project, the same information will be "copied" and "pasted" into a Power Point presentation on their animal. This is a major project that our 4th grade students really enjoy. The work is extensive but there are no complaints. We will keep you posted as to our progress.
5th Grade:
The 5th grade students' have all completed their Power Point project, "Endangered Means There's Still Time." The content of these projects were taken from the research project they completed last year on their own individual endangered animal. With their slides and hyperlinks completed, the students are making use of our SMARTBoard and presenting them to the class.
6th Grade:
Our sixth grade students continue to work on their Power Point research project. Last year they merely copied and pasted research information into an existing template and added graphics and hyperlinks. They are now in the process of creating a project entitled "My Favorite Sport." This project requires that they fully design, and compile their Power Point presentation following certain criteria. The requirements are that they complete research on various aspects of their sport and combine that information with graphics and hyperlinks to various websites. When their projects are complete, they will be presenting them to the class.
7th Grade:
Our seventh grade students are working with Power Point to create a US Constitution Jeopardy game. They are required to select fifty questions from old US Constitution tests we have, and create their own unique game. Once the jeopardy games are complete, we will play them in class as a review for the US Constitution tests they are required to take later this year.
8th Grade:
Students are continuing to work with some of the most advanced features of Power Point. They are creating an "Illuminated Text" project which requires that they select a verse, and then present it in a unique and creative way using music, "complex" animation techniques, and graphics. This is an ongoing project that takes tremendous time and effort. As always, the finished projects are well worth the effort.
