What will I take away from this class?!

What have I taken away from this class?

Where do I begin? We have covered so much material in such a short period of time. Here are a few of the things I will utilize in my future teaching.

1. Embedding videos. I was amazed at how easy it was to embedded a video. After I embedded the video on my blog, I started looking at other videos. I know I spent hours looking for videos I could use in lessons next year. I have a nice supply ready!

2. Blogging. I have created a blog before for another class, but did not really use it. We just had to create it. This class forced me to learn how to use the blog and I can now say I feel much more comfortable with it. I know I have a lot more to learn, like how to put on the cool background wallpaper like some of the other bloggers in our class, but I am confident I can do it. I have even created a blog on Shutterfly to utilize next year with my class. My district has a webpage for each teacher, but it is limited. I cannot put student videos and projects on my webpage. That is why I created the blog. I want to use it as a place to showcase student pictures, videos, and projects. Students and parents can comment on the work.

3. Resources. The wiki we created is an amazing resource. I loved reading everyone’s ideas. This, as well as the other resources we were given, was priceless. I have spent a great deal of time going through all the websites on the resource list and deciding which ones I can utilize in my teaching. I then created a folder of all the great resources just for my use. I can’t wait to get started creating better lessons!

4. Service Learning Project. Service Learning projects are nothing new. Most of us have been developing projects for years, we just didn’t call them Service Learning. When I first saw that we had to develop a Service Learning plan I was a bit worried. I am switching to a new grade next year and am not familiar with the curriculum yet to know where to include a Service Learning project. However, after speaking to my principal, I realized 2^nd grade was going to be in charge of the Veteran’s Day program. I kept this in mind when developing my Service Learning project. Now, I am proud to say I have a project to give to my new teammates.

This class has been such a wonderful experience. It was full of hands-on experiences and excellent resources, and we teachers know hands-on is the best way for students to learn! It has been one of those classes that you know you will remember and utilize for a long time. I am sure everyone has taken away some very useful information. This class was the last class I needed for my Rank I in Instructional Technology. I am so happy to be ending my educational career with such a strong network of resources, both websites and people.

African American Cultural Unit

Instructional Plan-African American Culture Unit

Jerri Payne

Title of Project: African American History and Culture

Grade Level: This unit is geared toward 2^nd grade students, but could be modified for any elementary grade level.

Overview/Description of Project: Students will learn about the history and culture of African Americans.

Unit Objectives: Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical events, people, and culture such as slavery, underground railroad, and civil rights movement.

Procedures: This unit will take approximately three weeks.

Week 1:

Day 1: KWL chart as to what the children know, what they want to know, and what they learned about African American history and culture; Africa map activity – students will locate and label Africa on a map; Folktales – Read Beautiful Blackbird and make journals

Day 2: Slavery , discuss middle passage and being sold into slavery, read From Slave Ship to Freedom Road (selections); journal entry – Reaction to the story – Using your senses – imagine you are on the ship, what do you see, hear, smell, taste, feel (physical and emotionally)?

Day 3: Underground Railroad – Harriet Tubman; Read Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman; look at slave narratives; journal entry: Imagine you are a slave, and write your own slave narrative.

Day 4: Underground Railroad continued – Read Follow the Drinking Gourd; watch video (Reading Rainbow); journal entry; Write a song with lyrics to tell someone how to get to your house. Draw a picture of the constellation map to get there.

Week 2

Day 1: Civil War “Frederick Douglas” book; Read Pink and Say; Discuss abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation; 13^th, 14^th, 15^th amendments; journal entry: Abolitionist poster

Day 2: People – Civil Rights Movement; Read White Socks Only; discuss people who lead the movement – Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, etc.; Classroom activities on segregation; Journal entry: How did you feel when you were isolated/left out in the segregation activities?

Day 3: Culture – sports: Jackie Robinson – Negro leagues; Read Teammates; Journal entry: Why is Jackie Robinson a hero? Who are some other African American heroes?; computer game in the lab – match African American heroes with the events that made them famous; http://pbskids.org/aaworld/face.html

Day 4: Movie – Perfect Harmony or The Color of Friendship: Journal entry: Reaction to the movie – two interesting facts you learned from the movie.

Day 5: Students will watch the “I Have A Dream” speech on youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk - and examine their own hopes and dream for a better world; students will create a mobile to express their hopes for a better world.

Week 3

Day 1: People – Music; Focus on differences between African American and American music – Jazz – Focus on important African American musicians by listening to music selections – Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, etc.); Journal entry: What made these musicians so special? Why do we remember them today? Read Henry’s Freedom Box

Day 2: Field trip to Underground Railroad Museum; guided tour to see slave cabin, box similar to Henry’s Freedom Box; quilt, artifacts, video, etc.; journal entry: What did you learn at the Freedom Center that surprised you?

Day 3: Culminating Activity – Quilt; Assign different aspects of African American culture/history to students to design a quilt square – they can use words, pictures, etc.; read The Secret to Freedom; Journal entry: Tell about your square. Why did you choose the design you made (the words/pictures)?

Day 4: Assessment (Quiz and Open Response)

Assessment Activities: Journal entries, quilt square, mobile, quiz, and open response

Use of Technology: Smartboard will be used during discussions to record information and also to view Reading Rainbow video and Youtube video. Computers will be used to research famous African Americans in the computer lab and play African American Heros game.

Measuring Success: Besides formative assessments, I would measure success through student comments in their journals and through discussions with the students. Sharing a great deal of information about the topic with each other is another way to determine success of the unit. Also, can the students transfer information they learned to other situations today.

Resources:

Bryan, Ashley. (2002). Beautiful Blackbird. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Lester, Julius. (1999) From Slave Ship to Freedom Road. Penguin Group (USA).

Schroeder, Alan & Pinkney, Jerry. (2000) Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman. Penguin Group (USA).

Winter, Jeanette. (2008). Follow the Drinking Gourd. Random House Children’s Books.

Coleman, Evelyn. (1996). White Socks Only. Whitman, Albert & Company.

Golenbock, Peter & Bacon, Paul. (2010). Teammates. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Vaughan, Marcia & Johnson, Larry. (2001). The Secret to Freedom. Lee & Low Books, Inc.

Levine, Ellen & Nelson, Kadir. (2007). Henry’s Freedom Box. Scholastic, Inc.

Website retrieved: July 6, 2011: http://pbskids.org/aaworld/face.html

Website retrieved: July 3, 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Locating and Partnering with co-teachers

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Locating and Partnering with co-teachers plan

Co-teacher Plan

I am switching from 5th grade to 2nd grade next year. I am very excited, but am working hard on finding new lessons to use with my students. Looking at everyone's blogs as well as the resources for this class has been very helpful.

My plan for this project is to use Epals and Skype for a correspondence/writing activity with students from around the world. I call the project Cultural Comparison.

I already had a Skype account, but did not know their was a particular section for "Skype in the Classroom". (This was on the resource list for this module.) I joined Skype in the Classroom and am eager to correspond with other teachers in the future on various projects. For now, Skype will be utilized as a culmination for my Cultural Comparison unit.

1st Contact: Lucia Bonfanti, from Italy. She teaches a class of students who are 7-9 years of age and they are interested in being epals with us next year.

2nd Contact: Betty Payne, my mother-in-law who is fluent in Italian and was also a music teacher.

Plan: Teachers and students will utilize epals (www.epals.com) to correspond with each other in order to share information about their culture and learn about each other.

Timeline:

September- As a whole class, set up introductory correspondence with their Italian epals.

In order to do this, I will have my students generate questions for their epals and well as answer some questions about themselves. They will then write a short letter and use it in their first email to their epals.

October - Students will complete a graphic organizer that shows "A Day in My Life". This organizer will contain information about a typical day for them. Students will then send these to their epals in Italy. The epals send their typical day to my students. These become great idea starters for future emails.

November - Students create an on-demand writing about three of their holiday traditions. They may choose Thanksgiving or Christmas as their focus. These are then sent to their Italian epals.

December - Students create a holiday craft item to send as a package to their epals in Italy.

January - Students write thank you letters to their epals.

February - Each student creates 2 questions to ask their epal. Questions may not be yes/no questions. We will Skype our Italian epals and let the students see each other and ask their questions.

April - Skype our epals again. This time students will ask questions in their epals native language (Italian). I will invite Betty Payne into my classroom to work with my students on some basic questions they can learn in Italian. For example, all my students can learn "What is your favorite" it Italian and then specific words such as "sport, hobby, food, etc."

Technologies used: This project utilizes epals, Skype, computers, and microphones.

Standards:

Social Studies/Geography

Cultures & Societies

Culture is the way of life shared by a group of people, including their ideas and traditions. Cultures reflect the values and beliefs of groups in different ways (e.g., art, music, literature, religion); however, there are universals (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, communication) connecting all cultures. Culture influences viewpoints, rules and institutions in a global society. Students should understand that people form cultural groups throughout the United States and the World, and that issues and challenges unite and divide them.

SS-EP-2.1.1

Students will describe cultural elements (e.g., beliefs, traditions, languages, skills, literature, the arts).

SS-EP-2.1.2

Students will study a variety of diverse cultures locally and in the world today and explain the importance of appreciating and understanding other cultures.

Geography

Geography includes the study of the five fundamental themes of location, place, regions, movement and human/environmental interaction. Students need geographic knowledge to analyze issues and problems to better understand how humans have interacted with their environment over time, how geography has impacted settlement and population, and how geographic factors influence climate, culture, the economy and world events. A geographic perspective also enables students to better understand the past and present and to prepare for the future.

SS-EP-4.1.1

Students will use geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, mental maps, charts, graphs) to locate and describe familiar places at home, school and the community.

Writing

• W.2.1. Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.
• W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

• W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
• W.2.6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.
• 
  

READING

• RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

• RI.2.6. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
• RI.2.7. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

• RI.2.9. Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Assessment: Assessment will be on-going. I will assess each writing piece they create such as graphic organizers, paragraphs, on-demand letter using rubrics.

Posted by Mrs. Payne at 10:24 AM 0 comments

Veteran's Day Service Learning

Grade level: 2nd

Number of students Participating: 63

Contributed by:

Teacher: Jerri Payne

School: Robert D. Johnson Elementary

District: Fort Thomas Independent

Overview/Description of Project: Students will correspond with local nursing home members, some being veterans, and begin writing letters to the senior citizens. Students will visit the nursing home and interview their pen pals about what it means to be a veteran. Students will create a powerpoint presentation about their nursing home pen pals. Students will visit the nursing home a second time to sing some patriot songs and show their powerpoint to the residents.

Goals:

To develop letter writing skills

To develop interview and public speaking skills

To provide entertainment for the senior citizens

To provide opportunities for students to interact with senior citizens

To learn about issues facing the elderly in the community.

To learn about what it means to be a veteran and the holiday, Veteran's Day.

Core Content Areas:

Reading/Writing: 1.2, 1.11 Students read books and other material about nursing homes, Veteran's Day, and senior citizens. They develop letter writing skills through their letters to the nursing home residence. They develop interview skills through interviewing senior citizens.

Social Studies: 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 Students learned about their responsibilities as citizens to care for the elderly in their community. They learned how institutions in this country take care of the elderly. They also learned how to interact with people different from themselves.

Arts and Humanities: 2.22, 2.24 Students sand patriotic songs while visiting the nursing home and made patriotic art pieces to leave with the senior citizens.

Practical Living: 2.29, 2.33 Students learned how families care for elderly and the services nursing homes provide to elderly in their community.

Step 1 - Preparation:

* Contact the nursing homes in the community to request names of people who would be interested in receiving letters from students and to be interviewed.

* Students discuss/learn about forms of personal letters and begin correspondence.

* Teacher/students read various books and materials to help students get a better understanding of senior citizens and veterans.

* Students visit the nursing home to interview students for their Powerpoint presentation.

* Students work together to create Powerpoint presentation.

* Students learn some patriotic songs to sing at the nursing home.

* Students create patriotic craft item for nursing home residents.

* Visit nursing home to sing songs, show the Powerpoint presentation, and deliver craft items.

Step 2 - Action:

* Students create patriotic craft items, learn patriotic songs, write letters to senior citizens, and make two visits to a local nursing home.

Step 3 - Reflection/Celebration:

Throughout the Service Learning project, students will write in their journals about the experience. Students will also present their Powerpoint presentation and songs for the school in an assembly on Veteran's Day.

Using On-line Resources

On-line resources are a great way to improve lessons and engage students. I love the list of resources that was generated by my classmates. I found myself spending days scouring each site and trying to figure out what I could use. I was overwhelmed, but excited! I know I will utilize many of these sites when I create lessons next year. I love that I am switching grades because it forces me to look for new resources. I hope that these on-line resources will help me incorporate more technology into my lessons.

For me, the main issue I find with using on-line resources is the time involved in finding just what you want and figuring out where to incorporate it in the lesson.

A pronoun takes the place of a noun.

A Pronoun Takes the Place of a Noun from Grammaropolis on Vimeo.

Introductory Blog

Hi, this is the first blog I have used. I am excited to be working with blogs for this class. I am sure we are all trying to effectively engage our students. I have found technology to be a wonderful way to engage students. Having taught for 21 years, I was teaching before technology came into the classroom. Working in Fort Thomas, I have been very fortunate to have a great deal of technology available for my use. Every classroom at my school has a Smartboard. I love incorporating the Smartboard in my lessons. I have also used a software called Photostory with my students. It is an easy to use software that allows students to use photos to create a story that they can narrate by using a microphone. After we went on a field trip to a Naturalization ceremony, I downloaded the pictures to our network server, and the students created Photostory projects to show what they learned on the trip. Finally, I have used the epals program (www.epals.com) to connect my students to epals around the world. This connection then leads to many engaging writing activities.

For the past 5 years I have been teaching 5th grade. Next year I will be teaching 2nd grade. I am very excited to return to teaching primary students.