Ms. Lauren Muller
One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
-Carl Jung
Classroom Activities Utilizing Technology
This page shows how the technological tools can be incorporated into lessons and classroom activities. The technology can be used to help cover the material detailed in the ALCOS Standards. I included several examples of practical and useful activities during which different technology tools are used. They can be used as formative assessments to monitor student progress with the material covered during the class period. Tools can also be used as summative assessments to evaluate student learning at the end of the unit or year, serving as a final project. I chose to provide examples of both apps and websites because sometimes the students will be working on mobile devices with apps, but other times they may just be using a computer.
Science
image found on http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Planets2013.jpg through creative commons
ALCOS Standard
Science Grade 4
10.) Describe components of our solar system.
• Defining comets, asteroids, and meteors
The app Solar Walkâ„¢ - Planets of the Solar System provides detailed factual information about each planet in our solar system. It also shows examples and gives additional information about asteroids and comets. I would have students use this app to complete a group project in class. After briefly reviewing the names and definitions of the various parts of the solar system, I would then focus on just the planets. I would assign each group of three to four students an individual planet to research other than Earth. Using the app, the students should locate the size and mass of the planet, the geography of the planet and its atmospheric composition, along with its distance from the sun in relation to other planets(the order). After each group presented their findings, they would compare and contrast their individual planet's characteristics to those on Earth.
ALCOS Standard
English Language Arts Grade 5
38.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
39.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
This app relates to the ALCOS standard because it allows for the students to demonstrate their ability to write using the proper grammatical structures, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. All the sentences in the book should portray this knowledge and application of these topics. I would use this app for an individual project for the students after lessons covering grammar and forming sentences. I would ask students to write a story about a time when they were scared. After allowing students to brainstorm ideas and write their sentences out on paper, I would then ask the students to proof read their work to find grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or other errors. I would then ask the students to use the app to create their book in order to present to the class.
English
Math
ALCOS Standard
Mathematics Grade 3
Measurement and Data
18.) Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. [3-MD3]
Example: Draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
This tool relates specifically to the ALCOS standard above because the students are able to create scaled bar graphs for data with several categories. I would ask each student in the class a question, such as what type of pet they own, and use their answers as the data for the graph. After all the information is collected and the totals have been found, I would have the students go on to this website to create a graph with this information. Each bar would represent a category of pet, such as dog or cat. After the students have all correctly created a graph, I would then go over the graph with my class, and ask them to solve problems individually. Sample problems would be how many more students had just dogs than just cats, how many less students had hamsters than dogs, and so on.
This site, and all content displayed on it, were created as part of a class assignment. There is no intent to portray any employment relationship between the author and any school district or school or other employment agency.