Category: 1st Grade

Apr 28 2010 April 28, 2010 May 14, 2010 NoComment by David

2nd & 1st Grade Plants Keynote

Posted in 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, Science

I’ve had several requests from second and first grade teachers for plants lessons so I created a Keynote activity that can be used by either grade (SOL 1.4b, 2.4b). The first slide involves identifying the needs of a plant (air, place, light, water) and labeling the parts of a plant (roots, stem, leaves, blossom). The second slide involves matching photos of fruits with photos of their blossoms in a Smart Build. In the activity packet that you can download here, I include a folder of many pictures of fruits and blossoms for students to drag into the boxes. I also include the Keynote template and some cool time lapse videos of blossoms turning into fruits. After the students complete the activity, they record their voiceover as the slideshow plays. Animations are automatically built into the Keynote so different things appear as the students talk about them. To see a completed student project click here.


Tags:

Apr 21 2010 April 21, 2010 May 13, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Earth Day iMovies

Posted in 1st Grade, Science

Tomorrow is Earth Day and Mrs. Hancock’s first grade class at Laburnum Elementary made very cool Earth Day public announcement videos using PhotoBooth backgrounds. I gave them a folder of pictures to use that you can download by clicking here. They chose the backgrounds they wanted and then recorded as many videos as they could. Some of them made quite a few. I can tell they really listened to Mrs. Hancock because they knew what they were talking about, and they used all the right vocabulary words: reduce, reuse, and recycle. I gathered some of their videos together into an iMovie that you can watch here. I think you’ll agree with me that Earth Day has a future spokeswoman with young Ke’Asiah. I did this same project with first graders at Chamberlayne Elementary last year. If you’d like to see their video as well, click here. Maybe next year you could try this with your class!


Tags:

Apr 15 2010 April 15, 2010 May 13, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Measurement Keynotes

Posted in 1st Grade, Science

First graders at Chamberlayne Elementary have been learning about the scientific method, and specifically, measurement using standard and nonstandard units (SOL1.1e). So today we made Keynotes where they measured objects with squares (nonstandard unit for length) and circles (nonstandard unit for mass). I gave them a template and a folder of pictures of objects they could choose from. You can download all the files by clicking here. To make themselves look like a scientist on the front page, the students took their photo in PhotoBooth and dragged it onto the scientist’s head. They they dragged photos of objects onto the other slides and measured them using the shapes tool. The directions are on the template. You can see a sample by clicking here.


Tags:

Mar 15 2010 March 15, 2010 April 26, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Matter Dissolves Keynote

Posted in 1st Grade, Science

First graders at Trevvett Elementary have been learning about what types of matter dissolve in water (SOL 1.3). So today they made animated movies with voiceovers using Keynote. I gave them a template to use which you can download by clicking here. The students complete the task on each slide of the Keynote. One slide involves a sorting activity where the students group objects by whether on not they dissolve in water. When they finish they add transitions and animations using the Inspector. They can also change the theme of each slide. The two last slides provide directions and they can be deleted. For the final step, the students record their voiceover. You can see a finished student project by clicking here. You can also watch a movie where I explain the project by clicking here.


Tags:

Mar 02 2010 March 2, 2010 March 9, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Maps Pixie

Posted in 1st Grade, Social Studies

First grade students at Trevvett worked on making their own maps in Pixie. I gave them a template to use which you can download by clicking here. First the students typed a name for their country, then they drew the outline of it using the paint brush. Next they filled in the land and the ocean with the paint bucket. Some of them also painted rivers, roads, and lakes. They just had to be sure to include those in the Key. There are plenty of cool symbols to use as well in the Map Icons folder under Clip Art in the Stickers tab. Students added a compass rose, buildings, agricultural products, etc., and they put a tinier copy of each symbol they used in the Key. You can view the sample map larger by clicking on the picture. The sample is also included in the download. As a culminating activity, students could ask each other questions about their map like, “Which direction would I travel if I wanted to go from the lake to the mountains?”


Tags:

Feb 25 2010 February 25, 2010 March 9, 2010 NoComment by David

2nd Grade Ancient China Podcast

Posted in 1st Grade, Spotlight

Today, second graders at Laburnum Elementary made podcasts about ancient China (SOL 2.1) using Pixie. I had actually planned on doing the podcast in GarageBand (and since I already made the template, you can download it and the folder of pictures to use by clicking here), but then I found out that they had already done a GarageBand podcast, so I taught them how to do a podcast in Pixie. First we chose a good font and size for our title, then we searched the Stickers for pictures relating to ancient China. We typed in words like “bronze, silk, compass, fireworks, kite,” and of course, “China.” Then I showed the students how to change the color of the stickers by gluing them down and using the paint bucket. Finally we recorded our voices telling about ancient China, and I exported them as QuickTime movies. You can take a look at a couple of student samples by clicking here and here. One of the great things about podcasting is that it helps improve student fluency, and this is especially important for ESL students. Here’s a sample from an ESL student in the same class.


Tags:

Feb 17 2010 February 17, 2010 March 8, 2010 NoComment by David

2nd Grade Matter Database

Posted in 1st Grade, Science

Second graders have been learning about the different states of matter (SOL 2.3) so we created a matter database. First I divided the students up into 3 groups (so not everyone would pick the same type of matter). We had the solids group, the liquids group, and the gases group. Next they drew a picture of their type of matter using Pixie and exported it as a JPG so we could upload it to the database. Then we entered our data into the online form. After everyone finished we took a look at the completed database. I showed the students how to sort the data by different categories. You can sort it by type of matter, teacher name, student name, date, etc. You can also search a database for a specific name or type of matter. We have over 50 records so far… go ahead and add your own to it! Another cool thing you could have your students do is go to this website and sort student-drawn pictures into solids, liquids, and gasses. The pictures were drawn by 2nd grade students in Ms. Roeder’s class. If you’d like to download the folder with all the links click here. And if you’re wondering why we even do databases in elementary school, take a look at this brief (3-minute) video I made explaining the purpose of databases and how to use them in your classroom.


Tags:

Feb 12 2010 February 12, 2010 March 8, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Shapes Keynote

Posted in 1st Grade, Math

Yesterday, first graders at Chamberlayne created cool Shapes Keynotes that I finished exporting today, so I wanted to share a couple of them with you. I gave them a template which you can download by clicking here. The students created a slide for each shape. They added the text box, typed the name of the shape, and used the Shape Tool to make the shape. They could also change the color of the shape. Finally they used the Recording feature (you find it in the Document Inspector under Audio) to record their voices talking about the shapes. It’s great practice for your ESL students because everyone is basically saying the same thing so they have a lot of repetition. Watch a couple of student samples here and here.


Tags:

Jan 28 2010 January 28, 2010 March 8, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Famous People Comic

Posted in 1st Grade, Social Studies

First graders at Chamberlayne made comics about their Famous Americans today using ComicLife (SOL 1.2). I gave them a template and a folder of pictures to use. You can download it by clicking here. The pictures include Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and George Washington Carver. The template already has their names filled in to save time, but the students add the pictures, change the styles, and add the speech bubbles to explain the accomplishments of each famous person. Students can also use the special “Capture” feature in ComicLife to take their own picture and add it to the comic. You can see a finished sample by clicking here. You might also want to check out a site I made a while ago about the famous Americans for first grade. It includes facts about each person and an AppleWorks activity to download.


Tags:

Jan 25 2010 January 25, 2010 March 6, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Goods & Services Database

Posted in 1st Grade, Social Studies

In 1st Grade at Trevvett Elementary we worked on a goods and services database. Students drew pictures of a good and a service in Pixie, then they exported the pictures as JPG files so we could upload them to the online database. Then I sent them to this link to fill out the information and upload their picture. After doing this lesson in several classes we now have over 180 examples of goods and services for you to review with your students! You can sort them different ways (by goods/services, by teacher, by date, by student name) and you can also search them. If you’d like to see all the records you can click this link.


Tags: