ReedALOUD: Toys Meet Snow

The lovable characters from the trilogy of novels Toys Go Out, Toy Dance Party, and Toys Come Home are the stars of a new picture book, Toys Meet Snow. This is a gem of a book, which provides an opportunity for Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky to flex their creative muscles in a new format.

Not only are the characters equally as fun, Paul O. Zelinsky's art is radiant. Three toys on a snowy day have never been more appealing. 

This book is not all fun and games though, it's an opportunity to talk about perspective. My students explored how the world looked and felt from the view point of Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic. 

Following the pattern in the book, Lumphy, the curious; StingRay, the poetic; and Plastic, the knowledgeable, my second grade students spent time thinking about what Lumphy, Stingray and Plastic would see in their classroom and wonder about.

"What is that?"

"It's a listening machine."

"It is a student."

I wonder what the toys will meet next? My first graders should have some ideas...

ReedALOUD: Penguin and Pumpkin

Today the kindergarten students used four of their five senses to share what they know about fall or autumn. (After clarifying what our five senses are and how we use them to take in information and learn about the world.) 

Using our sense of sight, we see...

~leaves changing color

~leaves on the ground

~orange and yellow leaves

~beautiful colorful trees

~pumpkins in fields

~leaves falling from trees

~people picking apples

~children jumping in leaf piles

~leaves blowing in the wind

~trees swaying in the wind

~branches falling

~flowers wilting and going to sleep

~branches on the trees getting bare

~squirrels and birds gathering food for the winter and their babies in the spring

Using our sense of touch, we feel...

~breezes on our faces

~wind

~cold air

Using our sense of hearing, we hear...

~acorns dropping

~leaves crunching

~animals scurrying

Using our sense of smell, we smell...

~pies cooking

~pine needles

~damp leaves

After activating this prior knowledge I introduced Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon.

The students made connections between the cover photo and their signs of fall observations.  We then read this sweet story from Salina Yoon in which "Penguin and Bootsy plan a field trip in search of Fall, Penguin's little brother, Pumpkin, wants to come. Pumpkin is heartbroken to find out he's too little to go, and when Penguin tries to say good-bye, his brother is nowhere to be found! At the farm, all the pumpkins Penguin sees remind him of his own special Pumpkin. So Penguin and Bootsy bring a special surprise home to share a little touch of Autumn with Pumpkin."

During browsing and borrowing, the students helped Pumpkin by sharing what they know about fall:

KL and KT

KM and KP

The students also put marker to paper to collaboratively create art to help Pumpkin learn about fall:

 Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon.

Digital Citizenship Survival Kit

How do these items relate to being a good 

digital citizen?

I've been asking my third through fifth grade students this question all week. I have the actual items in a Digital Citizenship Survival Kit on my bench. They've been meeting in the table groups to discern the reasons for each item.  For my students, each thing has had at least two, if not three or four, reminders relating to being a good digital citizen.  For instance the soap reminds them to have clean hands, be neat, and keep their language clean. This great idea comes from Craig at Comfortably 2.0. He has generously given permission for others to use the Digital Citizenship Survival Kit.

The interactive nature of the lesson along with the tangible and familiar household items has resulted in a more engaging and meaningful discussion around digital citizenship. The ease of using Padlet makes it an ideal tool to integrate into a thirty minute lesson. 

Fourth Graders brainstormed other familiar objects to add to a survival kit.

The fifth graders reflected on the efficacy of the survival kit (referred to as a toolkit) versus BrainPop movies and other methods of learning about Digital Citizenship.

"I think policies are the understanding of a privilege" Giving Students a Voice: Policy Versus Rule

 

After last week's lesson and discussion on the Acceptable Use Policy (I like Technology Use Policy) and the word choice of policy versus rule, the fifth graders practiced the AUP and being good digital citizens by taking to Padlet and sharing their opinions. I am incredibly impressed by their thoughtfulness as well as creativity. There are some great analogies here as well as some fairly long statements. I see where there are opportunities to talk about grammar, punctuation and formality, but these are minor items given how impressive the content of their messages are:

Check out all of their comments on this Padlet.

3rd Graders and the Acceptable Use Policy

After viewing the Animoto movie I created about our Acceptable Use Policy as well as having discussions, the third graders practiced being good digital citizens by using Padlet to share what they know about our AUP. 

Padlet is a great tool to capture student responses. It's like a virtual bulletin board upon which students add virtual post-it notes. The students can see each other's responses as they type, which I like. I want them to understand and practice synchronous learning. (The Padlet walls can be set to moderate comments, but I think that giving them the open experience builds strategies and skills.)

I am happy about the students comments and know that we have a solid foundation upon which to build digital citizenship knowledge. These opportunities are always teachable moments and I see some comments that provide the opportunity to reinforce all the aspects of digital citizenship, including punctuation and grammar.  

You can check out the whole wall here. I changed the settings to moderate comments to ensure it's only my students work, but if you want to tell them what you think or have your students collaborate, send me a Tweet!

Policy vs. Rule: Teaching and Learning about Technology Use

Over the past three years, my colleagues and I have been revising how the students learn about our district's Acceptable Use Policy. Finding the balance between the appropriate amount of information and the delivery method has been the greatest challenge. What is most important for the students to understand? What method of instruction will help them take ownership? How can we create visually engaging signage with a clear message?

I have an issue with the title of the policy and the language. I don't like "Acceptable Use" because it feels passive and it feels limiting. Two years ago, I began creating a video. wrote of calling it a "Responsible Use Policy." I liked this better because I I think it is more flexible in its interpretation and puts the onus on the students to make good decisions when using school technology. This is also my issue with the word rule versus policy. According to my handy Scholastic Children's Dictionary, a policy is, "a general plan or principle that people use to help them make decisions or take action." This feels right to me. I want it to be a general plan. I want the students to feel that they can be creative and make choices. This year I am talking about a Technology Use Policy that relies on the students being responsible and respectful users of technology.  We'll need to come to consensus as a department, a consensus on the language and on the delivery methods. I am excited though because I think we are getting close. One colleague has created a Google Presentation and another has created an infographic. I created this Animoto video:

We're all contributing products along with feedback and suggestions. I like that we are moving toward a more engaging, authentic, and inclusive curriculum. I like that we have the same message begin delivered in multiple formats.

After this, we'll be moving onto Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship. One person found this great idea for a digital citizenship survival kit: filling a sandwich bag with a small tube of toothpaste, a lock, a key,  a permanent marker, and a bar of soap. With this activity the students have been meeting in small groups to guess how the objects relate to Internet Safety and Digital Citizenship. This is all making the teaching and learning of this important area feel more engaging and memorable for the students. We'll see how it goes.  

How do you teach your students or children about these topics?