The students began the project by exploring the biographies in PebbleGo. They had to choose a person to study by the end of the period.
The next two visits to the library had the students reading and listening to the biographies and taking notes and creating a draft of a picture about their person.
With faith in my students and a healthy capacity for constructive chaos, this next visit involved a quick refresher of Kid Pix.
The students created a picture about their person (always MUCH better than mine). Understandably, some of the students needed a refresher on the person they had chosen as well as help decoding notes. Two weeks is a long time when you are in first grade, but these amazing first graders created their pictures, named them with the naming conventions, and saved them to the desktops.
Okay, now take another week off for vacation.
Here we have arrived at yesterday and my optimistic idea that I can get all the students' comments recorded in one forty-five minute class. I knew that some students needed a few minutes to finish their art, so it was going to be a bit tight. The lesson began with me showing them how to record their voices in Kid Pix. This involved me modeling: recording and then listening to and rerecording my comments; saving my comment; dragging it onto the image; and saving the image.
Off the students went. Here's where my heart grows big with pride and excitement. What began with many little hands in the air looking for help turned into a quiet buzz of activity and students helping each other. The first few to record and save their pictures went on to then help their classmates.
How can projects like these be managed with just one teacher and the occasional (and helpful) aide? Put the students in leadership roles.
The students are excited to share what they have learned and created with each other. I am excited too!
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