Product Review: Snap Circuits Extreme!

I chose Snap Circuits Extreme as for my product review.  They were a lot of fun to try out and I think kids would love to work with these in a classroom.  Here is my video review:

I am in the elementary program so I only focused on how these could be used in the elementary grades.  I think they would be really fun to include in the 4th grade electricity unit as well as the 5th grade sound/light unit.

VA SOL 4.3
The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include
a) conductors and insulators;
b) basic circuits;
c) static electricity;
d) the ability of electrical energy to be transformed into light and motion, and to produce heat;
e) simple electromagnets and magnetism; and
f) historical contributions in understanding electricity.

VA SOL 5.2
The student will investigate and understand how sound is created and transmitted, and how it is used. Key concepts include
a) compression waves;
b) vibration, compression, wavelength, frequency, amplitude;
c) the ability of different media (solids, liquids, and gases) to transmit sound; and
d) uses and applications of sound waves.

VA SOL 5.3
The student will investigate and understand basic characteristics of visible light and how it behaves. Key concepts include
a) transverse waves;
b) the visible spectrum;
c) opaque, transparent, and translucent;
d) reflection of light from reflective surfaces; and
e) refraction of light through water and prisms.

Since this kit came with so many different parts and they were all well made and sturdy, I would say that the price was fair at $83.99 (found on Amazon).  I would suggest purchasing a AC adapter cord for use instead of batteries as well.  Everything else came with the kit.

The kit was ready to go in the box.  There was no assembly required before working on the projects in the manuals.  Everything was very clear and nicely labelled.

There is quite a bit of information on their website as well so pop over if you have a minute and want to learn more about Snap Circuits Extreme!

Clouds: A Green Screen Movie

So, let me just tell you- this isn't the most flattering video!  Ha ha!  It was fun to make though and I am pretty proud about how it turned out.

I used i-movie to edit and splice the videos together.  The directions from the Green Screen room were easy to follow and i-movie is very user friendly.  I can't wait to use it again with my students!


The inspiration for this video comes from Virginia SOL 4.6:

The student will investigate and understand how weather conditions and phenomena
occur and can be predicted. Key concepts include
a) weather phenomena;
b) weather measurements and meteorological tools; and
c) use of weather measurements and weather phenomena to make weather
predictions.

This includes the study of the four major types of clouds, at least in Prince William County.  I thought this video would come in handy if you were teaching in an area or during a season that didn't have much change in weather or cloud cover.  You could watch the clouds moving on the screen instead of real-life if Mother Nature didn't want to cooperate.

Using Google Forms in the Classroom

I have known about Google Forms for quite awhile but this is the first time I have created one on my own.  I think it will be a helpful tool in the classroom as well as in other parts of my life.

I created a PTO Volunteer Survey because the PTO I am apart of actually needed one to send out to parents.  This is more of a prototype but the other board members loved the idea.  The survey was easy to customize and we can use the school's colors in the design.  It is also easily emailed out to the entire community.

Here is a peek at the first part of the survey:

I love that the results are easy to access.  Google automatically formats the results depending on what type of question you ask.  You can also customize these features to meet the needs of your form:

One more feature that makes the program even better is that you can view and manipulate your data in a spreadsheet format.

I can see myself using this program in so many different ways!  I think it will be handy to look at data about my students and using it for my students to gather data on their own.  I also think I could use this as a way to get information from parents and other teachers.

3D Printing Design Brief: Let's Give Them a Medal!

For this project, I focused on history in the second grade.  In second grade, according to the Virginia SOL 2.11, the students learn about some important people from our nation's history:

VA SOL 2.11 The student will identify George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as Americans whose contributions improved the lives of other Americans.

In order to get to know these important people a little better, I created a design brief that would lead them into a research project on one of these people.  After finding five facts about what their person is known for, the students will create a medal of accomplishment in honor of their person.  In the end, the students would present their medals and information about their person in front of the class.  Here is the brief:

It was important to me that the students designed something personally for the 3D printing portion.  After researching different programs, I chose to use Tinkercad.  I chose this program because I found it easy to use and entertaining.  There are tutorials to help the children learn the basics of the program.  I think they would understand how to manipulate their projects with ease after learning the basics.  I also liked that you can use pre-designed 3D objects and import them into Tinkercad.  This made finding the right things, while still designing the project themselves easier.

I created a medal that I would present George Washington with as an example:

Planet Order Sort- a SMART Notebook Activity

This was my first time using SMART Notebook.  After getting to know the program a little, I decided to use the SMART Lab to build my activity.  This is a great tool for creating interactive activities and was very user friendly.

I chose to focus this activity on fourth grade's study of the solar system, specifically focusing on:

VA SOL 4.7 The student will investigate and understand the organization of the solar system. Key
concepts include
a) the planets in the solar system;
b) the order of the planets in the solar system

The activity has the students put the planets in our solar system in order from the sun.  A student will be chosen at random from the hat (an add on in the SMART Lab) and come up to the board.

He or she will drag and drop the names of the planet to the correct places on the right.  If they get it wrong, the planet name will not stick to the box.  If it is correct, it will stay in place and show a green checkmark.

Once all of the planets have been put in order, the game will finish and someone else can have a chance.

This was fun to create.  I think next time I would add a timer to the game so that kids could time themselves while playing and then try to get better at it the next time.  One thing I wish I could do was customize the background of the game.  They had some fun themes to choose from but they weren't space themed.  If there was a customized choice, I would have added a space background with the planets shown in order so that the students could have a visual to go along with the list.

Me On The Map- A Google Earth Tour

I created a unit plan last semester introducing first grade students to their city, state, and country.  One of the ways we wanted to showcase this was through Google Earth.  Although it is on screen, I thought the students would get a feeling for the scope of how small our city is when comparing it to things like our state, country and Earth as a whole.

The unit would focus on the Virginia Standard of Learning for History and Social Sciences in grade one:

VA SOL 1.4   The student will develop map skills by
a) recognizing basic map symbols, including references to land, water, cities, and roads;
b) using cardinal directions on maps;
c) identifying the shapes of the United States and Virginia on maps and globes;
d) locating Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and Richmond, the capital of
Virginia, on a United States map.

As part of the unit, I would introduce the students to a book called Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney.  We would do a project based on this book that puts a photo of each student in their school, town, state, country, continent, and world.  With this lesson in mind, I designed my Google Earth tour.  I started locally at our school.

I am sure to point out things they will recognize like our bus loop and playground.  A few of them might even be able to see their house in the neighborhood.  From here we move out to view our city, Woodbridge, VA.

When we look at Woodbridge, we can see where our school is located inside the city.  We can see important roads and rivers.  One road leads down to Richmond, the capitol of our state, Virginia.

When we look at Virginia, we can talk about the ocean that is close by and the mountains that run along the west side of the state.  We can also talk about how our town is in the northern part of the state.  From here, we will move out to view the entire country.

The country is so big that we will barely be able to see our school!  I will have one of the children find it and show everyone.  I will also have them show us where Washington, DC is.  We will talk about how close it is to us.

After looking at our country, we will move out to view our continent.  From there, we will at a few different views of the Earth as a whole.  To conclude, we will zoom back to our school, noting that compared to the size of Earth as a whole, we are really small!

Instead of viewing this on a computer screen, I plan on viewing this on a big screen Smart board in the classroom.  After introducing it to them, I will show them how to find the program and places we talked about on the computer so they can explore the same places on their own.

Here is the lesson plan:

Lesson Plan: Intro to Map Skills Unit: Virtual Fieldtrip to Space to view Earth (Google Earth)

Tessa Wise EDCI 532

Lesson Components	Description
Virginia Standards of Learning	VS1.4
NCSS Themes	3. People, places, and environments
Objective	Students will know: A map is a drawing that shows what places look like from above and where they are located.  A globe is a round model of the Earth. Students will understand: The United States and Virginia can be identified by their shapes on maps and globes.   Students will be able to: Locate areas on maps, interpret simple maps and globes, differentiate color symbols on maps and globes (water vs. land).
Assessment/Monitoring	Pre-assessment through making a KWL chart
Procedures	Bring globe and map to front of the room. Gather students on floor in front of smart board. Ask, “does anyone know what these items are?” They will answer globe and map. Explain that a map is a drawing that shows what places look like from above and where they are located.  A globe is a round model of the Earth.  These things are representations of what Earth looks like from far away. Ask, “what kinds of things can we find on a map or globe?”.  Let them answer.  Talk about land, water, cities, states, countries, roads, compass rose, and map key.  Show them examples of each item on the globe and map. Ask, “do you know what we use maps and globes for?” Let them answer.  Talk about how we use maps to find our way geographically, to compare things like how much water vs. how much land, and distances between areas. Start smart notebook presentation. Go through important vocabulary for unit.  Each slide will have one vocabulary word and an example picture.  Talk about each one as you work through the slides. Vocab includes: cardinal directions, compass, compass rose, map, globe, symbol, North, South, East, West, map key, and birds-eye view. Make a KWL chart on large paper for our unit bulletin board.  Work with students to add what they already know and what they want to learn about maps, globes, and the cardinal directions. Explain how like maps, technology also helps us view the earth from far away.  We can use Google Earth to see satellite images of what the Earth really looks like.  These images come from a camera up in space.   Bring up Google Earth on smart board.  Start on view of Earth featuring the North America.  A pin will be on our school.  Show them how the globe looks like the picture of Earth from space.   Zoom in on our school.  You should be able to see our playground, the bus turnaround, and our blue roof.   Once they recognize this, begin zooming out slowly. Show them our city- the river is a good reference.  Show them that there are a lot of buildings in a town. Zoom out again to show the shapes of the states.  Show them where Virginia is and that the pin is in our school in our town in Virginia.  Trace the shape of Virginia on the smart board. Zoom out again to show the shape of the United States.  Ask them if they can find Virginia and our town on the map.   Zoom out again to show the world.  Show them how they can move around the world like on a globe.  Explain that they will get to explore these features on their own during center time.  Google Earth will be on the computers to use independently. Ask the students if they have any questions about the up coming unit.   Ask in summary “who can tell me what these objects are?” Point to the globe and map. Ask in summary “who can tell me what these objects are used for? Ask “what are you most excited about learning in this unit? Wrap up the lesson by talking about what you will be doing in the coming days.  Explain that we will be doing activities to look a little closer at our town, our state, and our nation and where they are located on the map.  Get them excited about our unit by calling them explorers! Make sure to send parent letter home tonight.  It explains the unit and what parents can work on at home.
Materials/Equipment/ Preparation	Globe, Map of USA, Map of Earth, Google Earth (to use on smart board), large piece of paper for KWL chart, smart board presentation of vocab words, parent letter
Differentiation	This lesson will be a group lesson.  I am counting on student participation.  I will call on students to help me answer questions, to ask questions, and to help with the KWL chart.  I can differentiate by selecting students who struggle to help in ways I know they will succeed.
Prior and/or Foundational Knowledge	The students learned about positional words and basic map concepts and awareness in kindergarten geography. They should know the name of our town, state, and country as well as the above listed vocabulary words in order to succeed with this lesson.
Rationale for Lesson	Students need to know the basics of the geography unit before looking more closely at each lesson.  This lesson is important because it introduces the students to vocabulary and important background information that will be used throughout the unit. I want the students to get excited about our unit on geography.  I think a virtual fieldtrip to Earth from space through Google Earth will jumpstart their excitement and start them thinking about our town, state, and country in relationship to the rest of the world.