End of the Year

As the school year comes to end, I want to reflect on the improvements I have made with technology. In the beginning of the year I considered myself a novice when using Smart Notebook. I was still able to help other staff members answer basic questions about the software but unable to create fancy interactive lessons. Throughout the year I have been able to improve my lessons by adding links to lesson or interactive activities. I would get ideas from various websites like Smart Exchange and then attempt to add the features I found interesting to my lessons! I am also able to trouble shoot more successfully for myself and other teachers. Overall, being a part of Global Learning has helped me integrate technology into my classroom in meaningful ways. I feel more competent using technology and sharing ideas with colleagues.

This year has flown by! I am very excited to be presenting a workshop on digital composition at UNC in two weeks as part of the Center for Integrated Arts Education. Our Recycled Fashion Fashion Show was a great success and the runway music is all composed by our 3rd and 4th graders. I will try to post some samples this next week.

A Map of My Pet: Creative Writing Lesson

I recently did a creative writing project based on "My Map Book" by Sara Fanelli which was talked about during a writing workshop we did this year. The purpose was to move students to the Advanced designation on our Analytic Writing Rubric under the Word Choice category. Since so many students struggle with lackluster word choice we began the lesson by describing a picture of a dog using precise and colorful vocabulary. We put some words like "big" and "small" on the banned word list and generated graphic organizers with alternative word choices. The lesson plans are in the Smart Notebook file. Take a look at it here. The students had a blast and loved writing directly in Smart Notebook.

My global learner partner and I decided to work on Google docs for our collaborative project. We intended to have students work on word problems in groups, then share their work on Google docs, and finally comment on each others work. The first block, we had students who were writing inappropriate messages on each other’s documents and decided to close the project down. The second block, I had students log in and wrote down their user numbers so that we were all aware that I knew who was writing what. This helped tremendously on minimizing inappropriate comments. Not every student finished posting their solutions on the document and what they did post was not what we have practiced on paper. There was a disconnect between how we solve word problems and explain what we did on paper versus what they wrote on the computers. I think that this can be improved over time. It makes sense that the first time technology is introduced that students will not produce as high of quality products as we can expect after some experience with the technology. We struggled having enough problems solved and posted in time for our students to comment on them. Over all, the first attempt was deemed a failure, but I think that there is much room for hope. The students were all excited and I think that they actually worked together and all contributed to the problem solving more for this project than they regularly do when we are just sharing out in our classroom. I think with a little practice and more time, we can make this a successful activity in our classrooms.

Our 6 Lessons

Lesson 1

Reading Line and Bar Graphs (review)

Glet: 3.1.b. Read, interpret and draw conclusions from a line graph, bar graph, circle graph and frequency table.

Objective (This is an overall objective. There would be individual objectives for each day): Students will draw conclusions from line and bar graphs by correctly answering questions using the given powerpoint.

Formative Assessment: Questions from one line graph and one bar graph will be checked.

I DO: Demonstrate how to answer 2 questions from a line graph and 2 questions from a bar graph

WE DO: Answer 2 additional questions from a line graph and 2 additional questions from a bar graph.

YOU DO: In the computer lab, students will pull up the powerpoint off my website. They will then choose 6 graphs to complete the questions associated with it.

Vocabulary: Line graph, Bar graph, x-axis, y-axis, labels, titles

Lesson 2

Area and Perimeter of Parallelograms and Rhombuses

Glet: 4.5.b Solve problems involving area of polygons (square, rectangle, parallelogram, rhombus, triangle)

5.4.a. Use formulas and/or procedures to solve problems involving the perimeter of a polygon.

Objective: Students will use formulas to solve problems involving the area and perimeter of parallelograms and rhombuses.

Formative Assessment: clicker activity, and clicker quiz

I DO: Have students put notes in their MSB on how to find the area and perimeter of parallelograms and rhombuses. Model how to find the area of one parallelogram and one rhombus. Review how to find perimeter (have already covered perimeter in another lesson so this shouldn’t take long).

WE DO: Students will work with their elbow partner on solving the questions with clickers. If the majority of the class gets the first few wrong, pull back to the I DO.

YOU DO: Find the area of 1 parallelogram or rhombus and write in full sentences how they found the answer. Share to the rest of the class or maybe a partner. Find the perimeter of a parallelogram or rhombus and write in full sentences how to find the answer.

Vocabulary: parallelogram, rhombus, base, height, diagonal line, area, perimeter

Lesson 3

Decimal Operations

**This lesson was used as a fun thing to do after csap. It’s a good review game for 6^th grade but would be better used in a 4^th or 5^th grade classroom. There are some area and perimeter problems in this.**

Glet: 6.2.b. Use and explain strategies to add/subtract decimals and fractions in problem-solving situations* (common fractions with like and unlike denominators, mixed numbers, and decimals to thousandth.

Objective: Students will add/subtract/multiply decimals in the koosh ball game.

Formative Assessment: Answers given on the whiteboards

I DO: Review by modeling 1 problem where you have to line up the decimals when you add or subtract. Model one problem on how to multiply decimals.

WE DO: Students do 1 adding or subtracting and 1 multiplying decimals problem before the game begins.

YOU DO: The koosh ball game.

Vocabulary: line up decimals, add, subtract, decimal

Lesson 4

6^th Grade Math: Order of Operations

Glet: 6.2.a Apply order of operations, including exponents, with positive rational numbers.

Objective: Students will remember the order of operations by creating a rap that correctly states each step.

Formative Assessment: The rap with correct steps

I DO: State the order of operations. Go over one example of why the order of operations is important.

WE DO: Talk about the different ways to remember it. Use the hopscotch activity to help them remember. Watch rap videos.

YOU DO: Create rap videos in groups of 2-4

Vocabulary: Parentheses, Exponents, Order of Operations, math sentence

Lesson 5

Nutrition Facts: Fraction, Decimal, and Percent

Glet: 1.4.a Demonstrate equivalence of relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents in problem-solving situations (for example, two students out of eight is the same as 25%).

Objective (This is an overall objective. There would be individual objectives for each day): Students will determine the fraction, decimal, and percent of one serving of various nutrition facts on a type of food.

Formative Assessment: Each day there will be a certain number of slides that are due.

Overall formative assessment: Power Point with correct answers.

I DO: Using nutrition facts of Pringles, model how to answer 2 questions similar to the ones on their power point.

WE DO: Using nutrition facts of Pringles, answer 2-5 more questions as a class that are similar to what will be asked on their power point.

YOU DO: In pairs, students will choose a food item that they are able to bring the nutrition facts in for. Together they will answer all the questions on the power point.

Health Vocabulary: Nutrition Facts, Sodium, Total Fat, Iron, Vitamin C, Calcium, Protein, Sugar, Calories, Saturated Fat, Fiber, Serving

Math Vocabulary: Fraction, Decimal, Percent, Top Dog Division, Least Common Denominator

Lesson 6

Classifying 2-D and 3-D shapes by attributes

Glet: 4.2.a. Identify, compare, and analyze the attributes of two-and three-dimensional shapes and develop vocabulary to describe the attributes (for example, acute, obtuse, right angle, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, intersecting lines, and line segments).

Objective: Students will analyze the attributes of two and three dimensional shapes by classifying shapes into categories based on attributes.

Formative Assessment: Finished word document with all pictures cut and pasted into appropriate categories and explanations of why shapes were placed in each category.

I DO: Review attributes of shapes and teacher cuts shapes out of a word document and pastes them to another word document.

WE DO: With a partner, students discuss attributes, write down their ideas, and share out ideas with the class.

YOU DO: Student pairs will use a lap top to go to the class wiki and access a premade word document containing a variety of 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. Students will then cut each shape out of the document and paste them into a new document where they create categories and explain why each shape is placed in a specific category.

Extension: Groups will share their categories and with the whole group, class will create a final document on the teachers computer/ smart board. Groups will discuss any disagreement in shape placement until there is consensus.

Vocabulary: parallel lines, perpendicular lines, right angles. Opposite angles, opposite sides, rectangle square triangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, dodecagon, calendar, pyramid, cube, prism, vertices, face, edge.