Five Ideas for Unit

Option 1. I am thinking about doing a second grade unit on the solar system. We would look at different astronauts, planets, and the stars. The students would work in small groups and research a certain astronaut or person who made a significant contribution to the exploration of space. They would individually do research on their lives in the computer lab and bring it all together as a group once they have finished the necessary research. The students would then create a short clay-mation video that covers the main points and contributions made by this person to the space industry. The videos could then be put on my teacher website so parents can also watch their children's creations.

Option 2. I am also considering doing a second grade unit on inventors and inventions. Each student would pick from a list of important inventions and research the inventor. They would create a story which tells how the inventor came to create what he or she did, what the invention is used for, and if/how the invention has changed over time. The students would also create five pictures to go along with their stories and create a podcast which narrates their stories.

Option 3. I would like to work with the intereactive smartboards in the kindergaten classroom. I would create a slideshow that shows examples of lower case and upper case letters. They students would have to come up to the smartboard and pick the upper and lower case letters that go together by moving them next to each other. The students will have learned the alphabet already, but this provides some extra practice, especially for students that are having difficulties. Plus this would provide interactive learning that the students can get excited about.

Option 4. Another option is to work with the first grade on their unit on the life cycle of a meal worm. They each have been taking care of a worm and observing the changes it makes. They could record what they see and draw pictures of the transformation from a meal worm to a beetle. All of this could then be made into a podcast that the students can narrate and illustrate their own podcasts that can be put online for their parents.

Option 5. Anothe possible option is to work with the first grade on a unit on the Three Billy Goats Gruff. They could read and listen to different versions of the story and come up with their own version. They could create paper puppets of each character and the setting to be used in a shadow show which can be turned into a movie. Students would take turns taking a still photograph using digital cameras and bring all of the pictures together to make a movie. Narration and music can be added to the film using GarageBand, which is a program I would like to learn more about.