This is our second year participating in Hour of Code. It is a week (or two) of exposing students to the world of coding with fun activities! I explain coding to the students as “talking” to the computer and giving it directions. Computer science is a growing field and some of our hawks may choose to become a computer programmer in the future! The students get to code/program a mouse for the younger grades and characters in a game for the older grades. Learning to code can help students collaborate to find code problems (debugging). It strengthens their teamwork skills when they have to find a way to make a code that solves the overall goal. If they want to complete the games at home, just go to the section of my the website that says “Hour of Code”. PS- It’s fun for adults too!
Second grade is using multiple resources to learn more about the Creek and Cherokee Native Americans. We have been going over T-Charts as a way to compare information. I’ve modeled how to write notes and the students are doing a fabulous job! Research skills are learned slow and steady!
First grade is learning about nonfiction by comparing two books about badgers. One is nonfiction and the other fiction. We are working on seeing the differences between the two. Our practice includes searching for real photos, labels, diagrams, captions, headings, tables of contents, and the glossary. Read some nonfiction with your kids today and see if you can pick out the features that make it a “learning” book.
The Tellus Museum loaned us some fossils! The 3rd grade has been hands on this week discovering about each one. We have been using the encyclopedia Britannica to look up facts! I wonder if we have any paleontologists in our future?
Learning about our online resources is the recent lesson for kindergarten. We are currently going on MackinVIA ebooks and learning how to find the community helper books. The students love to tell the steps! If they can’t remember, there is always a friendly METI or buddy that can help them along. I love how their listening and collaboration skills are developing. They are also getting to practice independence! Some are working with iPads while others are picking books for enjoyment and reading quietly together. We even have some on the Lego wall using their creative skills making a snowflake.
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Ms. RagghiantiM.E.T.I. - Media and Educational Technology Instructor Archives
September 2018
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