Blogs

 The GAME plan is well thought out map to guide my student on the path to self directed learning even at their young ages. (Laureate Education Inc., 2009). Implementing the GAME plan in my classroom helped me to develop skills needed to incorporate digital tools into my lessons.  

I used the GAME plan to inspire my student to become  digital citizens.  My students are very young and often come to my classroom at the beginning of the year having never even touched a computer before. I had to teach them basic terms like "double-click", "URL", "icon" and "web address".  After some practice using www.starfall.com and Kidspiration, we were on our way to bigger and better things.  

Positive Poetry Goes Around the World

March Manners

Where did our manners go?

Does anyone really know?

March manners is the time to see,

My GAME plan can be used  for my kindergarden students several ways.  

By creating a game plan with them, even thought they are just kindergardeners they can begin to take responsibility for their own learning.  

I can also use this GAME plan to teach them good digital citizenship.  It is not to early for them to learn the proper way to use the internet for gathering information.  

I never knew that there were so many opportunities for my young student so use social networking before taking this course.  I now know that with the proper instruction the possibilities are endless.  

This week I began to introduce the concept of voice threads to my class.  There was much excitement throughout the class and my students were eager for more.  Below are my observations for week 6:

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have learned that when challenged, my little students can accomplish anything!  Using technology has excited them and they are eager to learn more.  

 This week we evaluated our GAME plans based on the following questions:

How effective were your actions in helping you meet your goals?

Very effective.  I have found some very useful websites for implementation of the smart board in my lesson plan.  

What have you learned so far that you can apply in your instructional practice?

I have learned to critically search the internet for specific information.  There is so much out there it can be hard to sift through what is pertinent information and what isn't.  Not everything that I came across was age appropriate.

What do you still have to learn? What new questions have arisen?

Enrichment Activities:

1. Build fluency skills by choral reading poems.
2. Create a poem about someone you love.
3. Draw and write about a president you admire and appreciate.
4. Share poems with the class.
5. Identify rhyming words in the poems.
6. Locate and expand word families.
7. Practice penmanship by copying the poems in cursive.
8. Read different types of poetry.
9. Recite a poem to the class.
10. Write a response making a personal connection to the poems.

 This  week I continue to work on my game plan.  I have found all of information that I need.  It has been  challenge to schedule use of the smart  board as my campus only has one but my campus technologist has done a great job of accommodating me.  

I am going to work this week on fine tuning my action plan.  I will have to do several small mini lessons with my class until we are comfortable with a whole group lesson using the smart board. Then gradually using the smart board independently in a center.  

So far I have learned that my students are amazing.  I know that I need to set my standards high and give them clear goals to reach them and go beyond my expectations.  

Even though it's January, some of my third and fourth graders still frequently struggle with generating or brainstorming ideas on what to write about.  (We did do a "detour" from Lucy's plan and do expositiory writing for a while.  So, we're just getting back into the swing of narrative writing.)  I know part of the problem is that many of my students have so much to worry about every day that they see many stories in their life as being too old and therefore not relevant.  But I cannot do anything about that.

 In order to carry out my GAME plan, I will need several resources. I have contacted my Campus Technologist and requested assistance with setting up the smartboard in my classroom.  

I am doing a research project to receive my Masters.  The research project on what improves the reading and comprehension of students, particularly elementary school students.  I would appreciate a response to this survey.  Thank you in advance for your help.

What state is your school?

What is your gender?

What grade do you teach?

What is the average age of the students?

The classrooms you teach how many students have learning disabilities?

What are your teaching goals and methods?

What are your students' reading habits?

What are your reading comprehension strategies?

How do you give reading comprehension instruction?