Water Travels in a Circle... Yes, it Does!

Second graders at Peterson Elementary have taken their knowledge of the water cycle to a whole new level. A digital level! 

In Ms. Anderson's class students used a web based tool called ToonDoo to let their creative, artistic talents shine as they worked to create a comic strip that truly showcased and extended their understanding of the water cycle.

Their task was to use the five vocabulary words learned through their water cycle lessons: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, accumulation, and water vapor. Students had the use the vocabulary words correctly and search for images within ToonDoo that clearly depicted that vocabulary term. The students worked independently on laptops to type and create their comic strip. Choosing layouts, selecting images and formatting the text provided a variation among products and allowed students to make their comic strip look exactly as they wished. Creative choice was motivating to these students.

 "I liked how you could type in what you wanted to find and it would find what you needed." -Brenden

 "It was challenging to find the picture and typing everything up but it was fun." -Genesis 

 "I liked how you picked all the pictures that you wanted in your comic that the website had." -Isabella

Maren, a second grader in Mrs. Spratt's class, chose to share her knowledge of the water cycle in a different way. Prior to lessons taught on the subject, Maren asked if she could create a Kahoot for her classmates to use as a review. Mrs. Spratt provided Maren with key vocabulary terms and Maren did the rest. Independently, Maren researched the vocabulary terms and created her Kahoot. Students in her class were able to use her game as a fun review before their water cycle assessment.

 

"I wanted to create a Kahoot because I like to try new things. I already remembered a lot about the water cycle from first grade." 

-Maren

Click HERE to play Maren's Kahoot

Student projects highlighted in this post were also presented at this year's Techno Expo.

A Smashing Good Book… Google Site Style

Every summer many students sign up for Pre-Ap English Language Arts classes. Students know they will continue their learning through their summer reading projects.  This type of summer reading project, which adds a digital touch, advances literacy, strengthens critical thinking, and authentically engages students to ensure an increased level of academic performance.  One particular project exceeded Mrs. Laynie Johnson's expectations with something that is known as App Smashing. The definition of App Smashing is the process of using multiple apps in conjunction with one another to complete a final task or project all included under one accessible URL.

Emmarie, 6th grader from Wilson Middle School, chose the book The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  She chose to show conflict resolution by using a comic creator called Pixton, figurative language was expressed by a multimedia presentation called eMaze, and her personal connection was showcased in a Smore digital flyer.  To bring all of the tools together she showcased them on a Google Site that is easy to navigate and has eye appeal.  The goal of the project is to CAPTURE the audience into reading the book and she certainly has done a great job.

While this project was intended for this school year, Emmarie has a vision for this Google Site to continually add to it each year to incorporate all of her summer reading projects for her Pre-Ap English Language Arts classes to show growth and curate her reading to share with others.