Engaged Learning with Technology
Lesson Framework
Making and Recording a Class Book for the Listening Center
Subject and Level: Color Unit, Kindergarten
Learner description: Kindergarten class of heterogeneously grouped children including ELL, regular education, gifted, and children with special needs.
Overview: The children will learn:
The children will learn to use the KidPix program to illustrate a book. They will learn to add a text box to their illustration. They will learn color words and review kindergarten sight words. Practicing their reading skills while learning the song. The children will take pictures during the unit to record their learning.
Rationale: The lesson is being taught as part of our science curriculum. We are integrating it with literacy and technology. The children will directly be involved in all areas of the project and will create the final project on KidPix. Technology is an integral part of this unit since the final project is composed using computer software programs.
The lesson is an engaged learning project because the teachers acted as facilitators and guides. The teachers modeled and coached the process, however, later the students became teachers/peer tutors themselves as they worked in their groups. Heterogeneous groups of two or more students worked collaboratively to problem solve authentic interdisciplinary tasks. The children will do a reflective checklist to examine and reflect on the knowledge they have gained and on their final product.
The project will be an authentic learning experience because they will make a book that will be actually used in the classroom to review sight words and colors words. The children will be challenged by this project in many ways. They will be expected to use the skills they have learned in the computer lab and reflect upon them.
Goals: The goals of the lessons are to gain literacy skills, illustrate using KidPix, learn to use a digital camera, and gain keyboarding skills. Students will share the knowledge they have learned and create a their final product sharing it with the other kindergarten sections.
They will learn to use make, and save a picture on KidPix. To type the text they will become familiar with the keyboard and use the conventions of correct grammar (spacebar, shift key, punctuation).
The project will address the kindergarten topic of color and our literacy curriculum topics of sight words and sentence writing. It will also address the following state standards….Language Arts goals 3.A.Ka Write upper and lowercase letters. 3.A.Kc Begin to write simple sentences. 3.C.K Use drawing and writing to convey meaning and provide information. 4.A.Ka Listen attentively to stories read aloud. Science goals 11.A.Kb Begin to develop questions on scientific topics, such as natural phenomena 13.B.Ka Express curiosity and ask questions about their world. 13.B.Kd Begin to be aware of technology and how it affects their lives. Social/Emotional Development goals: 32.C.Kb Demonstrate appropriate social and classroom behavior. 32.C.Kc Show interest in others; exchange information with and request information from others appropriately.
Fine Arts 26.A.Kd Participate in the visual arts. Identify media and tools used in painting, drawing, and constructing.
The activities used to achieve these goals will be KidPix to illustrate their book pages and to type text. The students will, also, use the Garage Band program to record the song. Work will be saved to a class file and on the server. The teachers will make the listening center available for parents at Kindergarten Portfolio Night in May.
Students will assess their work through the use of a reflective checklist. They will reflect on what they have learned, how well they worked with others, how they feel about their final project, and how it might be improved upon in the future. The teachers will assess the children’s learning through the use of a rubric. See below.
Color Project Rubric
Creativity: use of details and color.
1 2 3 4 5
Keyboarding including independence and conventions of sentences.
1 2 3 4 5
Social skills including sharing responsibilities, taking turns, sharing knowledge appropriately.
1 2 3 4 5
Final Project including neatness while completing task in the timeframe.
1 2 3 4 5
During the course of the project the teachers will dialogue with the students to monitor their project. These assessments are formulated to ensure student involvement and participation. The final product will serve as a classroom tool used by all kindergartners, making this project authentic and performance based.
Management: All work will be done with two teachers in the room, along with parent helpers in the computer lab as necessary. Keyboarding will completed independently with teacher assistance, as needed. Students will be encouraged to peer tutor. Computer lab behaviors and routines will be taught in September as part of the behavior expectations of kindergarten.
We will require the following resources:
All of the computer work will be done in the computer lab. The children’s seating arrangement will need to be changed to work in their cooperative groups.
All of the students will be paired with peers with differing strengths and weaknesses so they can teach and help each other. This will limit the amount of accommodations made by the teachers. Students unable to work cooperatively will work independently.
Unit Evaluation:
The project was effective because the children were engaged in this project. They saw that a final project would be produced, which made it high interest. The listening center is an area in the classroom that is used often and thoroughly enjoyed. This fact created excitement for the project. One thing that proved difficult for the children during this project was saving their work to the server. KidPix is hard to navigate for kindergartners because of some of the program’s glitches. Next time this lesson is taught we would find a drawing program that would integrate with our server more easily to make it possible for the children to learn the basics of saving their work.