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Class Content
Overall Goal
In teaching the computer content listed below, I make connections to the core classroom content of 3rd grade from the areas of language arts, math, science, and social studies. I sprinkle bits and pieces of the core classroom content into my computer lessons in the lab.
In teaching the computer content listed below, I make connections to the core classroom content of 3rd grade from the areas of language arts, math, science, and social studies. I sprinkle bits and pieces of the core classroom content into my computer lessons in the lab.
Keyboarding
Software: Dance Mat Typing and Typing.com websites.
Overview:
Research says that a student needs to keyboard using the Home Position method for typically 20 minutes a day 3 or more times a week over the course of about 12 weeks to develop a comfort level and fluency at the keyboard. If the student invests this amount of time, they should be able to keyboard without looking at the keyboard.
We don't have that volume of time during the 25 to 30 class periods each classroom comes to the lab during the school year to develop that level of fluency at the keyboard while also teaching other computer literacies such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel along with using the Internet as a tool for education.
We focus on keeping the left hand on the left side of the keyboard and the right hand on the right side along with using a few fingers on each hand. In 6th grade the students have a computer class for one report card marking period that is devoted to learning Home Position keyboarding. They also receive a second keyboarding class when they reach high school.
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Microsoft Word
Software: Microsoft Word 365
Overview:
We don't work on a specific project in Microsoft Word. The kids either learn or extend their learning of MS Word during this unit. The kids are first introduced to Word in 1st grade. This is the last time the kids spend a significant amount of time being instructed in using MS Word as a Word Processor.
The computer skill set includes: keyboarding a story with a title, author, and multiple paragraphs with an empty line above and below each paragraph. The kids will change the font, font size, font color, align words/paragraphs, indent paragraphs, and spell check. By winter the kids will be formatting graphics as well as rotating and resizing images.
The goal is to equip the kids with the skills necessary to utilize MS Word as a tool in the classroom for regular classroom work.
There are two written tests on the parts of Microsoft Word. The first test is on the different parts of the Word window. The second test focuses on the Home Ribbon. The tools used most frequently are on the Home Ribbon. Knowing the parts of Word is important to be able to functionally utilize Word. An analogy would be to try to drive a car without knowing the difference between the gas pedal and the break. This lack of knowledge can make utilizing a car less than efficient.
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Internet
Software: Microsoft Word 365/ Edge or Internet Explorer 11
Overview:
The Theme of this project is "Animals". The kids will build on their Microsoft Word skills by learning how to copy images from the Internet and paste them into Microsoft Word to make a collage.
The skill set includes: researching, comparing/contrasting, analytic review, creating textboxes, formatting textbox fill/line colors, format font, locate appropriate graphics/images, resize and rotate images, format image line color/pattern, copy & paste, and designing a layout that is visually pleasing. Regular classroom skills that are reinforced include but are not limited to finding specific information about a specific animal.
The goal is equip the kids with the skills to start to utilize the vast wealth of information on the Internet which can then be transferred to usage in the regular classroom. During this unit on the Internet we also discuss how the Internet conceptually works, online safety while surfing, and reinforcing classroom content via web pages that address specific areas of content.
This project is not graded.
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Multimedia Slide Show
Software: Microsoft PowerPoint 365
Overview:
The title of this project is "My Life Story". The students create an autobiography about themselves sharing information about specific topis for their life including their family, their interests, memories, future, and a surprise about them that people may not know!
As time permits the kids will add transitions to each slide and animation to enhance the appeal of the show and capture attention. The animations will include sound effects. The students will insert a digital photo of themselves into their show!
The skill set includes: composing complete sentences, creating textboxes, formatting textbox/placeholder fill/line colors, format font, locate appropriate graphics/images, resize and rotate images, crop and group images, format image line color/pattern of images, copy & paste, order images in layers, animate images, create attention grabbing slide transitions, and utilize color to set the mood for the theme of the project.
Previous Year's Projects:
The theme of this project is creating a "Joke Show". This will be the kids’ first exposure to PowerPoint. In this project the kids create two jokes which include a simple question, an answer, plus a title for the joke. They will keyboard each joke on its own slide and keyboard the corresponding answer on its own unique slide. Both the jokes and answers must be in complete sentence format. The show also has a title slide and a closing side for a total of 6 slides. The kids compose the jokes as a graded homework assignment. The jokes are writing in complete sentence format.
As time permits the kids will add transitions to each slide and animation to enhance the appeal of the show and capture attention. The animations will include sound effects.
The skill set includes: composing complete sentences, creating textboxes, formatting textbox/placeholder fill/line colors, format font, locate appropriate graphics/images, resize and rotate images, crop and group images, format image line color/pattern of images, copy & paste, order images in layers, animate images, create attention grabbing slide transitions, and utilize color to set the mood for the theme of the project.
The goal is to successfully introduce the kids to PowerPoint in a fun relevant manner. This type of project can easily be transformed into any type of content area allowing kids to research and display their findings.
This project is graded with a rubric. The homework is a graded assignment. There will be one written test on the parts of Microsoft PowerPoint.
The theme of this project is "Math Story Problems". Students create two math story problems using the four operations of addition, subtraction, and multiplication. The two problems feature illustrations along with a solution to the story problem.
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Word Part II
Software: Microsoft Word 2013 (We no longer do this project.)
Overview:
The theme of this project varies and is tied into work going on in the regular classroom at this time of the year.
The skill set includes: Creating text boxes, formatting textbox fill and line colors, copying and pasting images from the Internet, researching content from the Internet, laying out the textboxes and graphics in the file in an appealing manner.
This project is not graded.