Teacher In-service – Technology Trouble Shooting

12 Basic Tips

1. Problem: MacBook Not Behaving.

Many issues can be solved by simply quitting the program and starting again.

1.      Press Command + Option + esc

2.      Choose the program or programs that you are having issues with.

3.      Click Force Quit

Webpage Issues: Frozen webpage or incorrectly loaded pages. Often, simply clicking the refresh button next to the address bar will solve your problem. If Refreshing the Page doesn’t work you may need to restart the browser or change to a different browser.

1.      Press Command + Q to quit the program. Then try your site again.

2.      If it still doesn’t work try another browser. Ex: Safari instead of Chrome. Still having Problems?

3.      Press Command + Shift + Q

4.      Click Logout

5.      Reenter your login information

6.      Press Command + Shift + Eject

7.      Click Restart If your Keyboard is unresponsive

As a last resort, press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down completely. Then restart. If you continue to have the same issues after trying all of these troubleshooting steps, contact your IT person.

Helpful sites: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6921

2. Problem: Computer Running Slowly. The following is the most common reason why a computer runs slowly.

1.      Check how many programs are running in the background. This is a common problem that will slow a computer down. In this case reboot.

2.      Some extra reasons that may be causing a slow computer:

a.      All new Windows updates need to be installed

b.      While on the internet, update all browser plugins

c.      Check to make sure that the computer is not overheating.

d.      Just having an older computer can cause slow processing. The older models cannot run all the new updates causing the computer to run much slower.

3.      Contact the IP person- malware and other viruses might need to be removed.

Helpful sites: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000179.htm

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6921

3. Problem: Missing Icons on the Computer. Check to see if the Show desktop icons option is unchecked.

1.      Right click the desktop.

2.      Select View and then Show desktop icons.

3.      Make sure the option is checked by clicking on it. After clicking on the Show desktop icons option, the icons should reappear.

4.      If you still can’t see your desktop icons, contact your IT department. Some Malware programs can also be responsible for missing icons and will need to be addressed by a professional.

Helpful sites: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2670504

4. Problem: Printer Issues for Windows.  If you are unable to print, one of these quick fixes may take care of the problem.

1.      Make sure the printer is plugged in and turned on.

2.      If using a wireless model, make sure you are networked to the printer you are trying to use.

3.      Select File – Print from the menu (do not click on the printer icon or the selected printer will start)

4.      Use the drop down arrow to select the appropriate printer.

5.      Click Print or the printer icon.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/185111/10_biggest_printer_problems_and_how_to_fix_them.html

5. Problem: Printer Needs New Toner (for the Brother Printers). It is best if you order a new Brother TN 420 or TN 450 toner cartridge before the old one is empty. Also, the “Toner Low” message is to inform you that the cartridge is almost, but not completely, empty. If you do not have a new cartridge when this message shows, it is a good idea to go ahead and get one. When you are ready:

1.      Make sure the machine is turned on and has been on for at least ten minutes to give it a chance to cool down.

2.      Open the front cover and take out the drum unit and toner cartridge assembly. This should be done by pushing down the green lock handle on the left side of the toner cartridge assembly and then pulling on the handle in the middle of the drum unit. It should lift it out of the machine easily. HINT- Place the assembly on a piece of paper to reduce spilling toner!

3.      Unwrap the new toner cartridge. Hold this new toner cartridge level with both hands and gently shake it from side to side several times to spread the toner evenly inside the cartridge.

4.      Pull off the protective cover. HINT- The protective cover is a large piece of plastic across the front of the cartridge and is usually orange in color.

5.      Push the new toner cartridge into the drum unit until you hear it lock into place. If you put it in correctly, the green lock lever will lift automatically.

6.      Clean the primary corona wire inside the drum unit by gently sliding the green tab from left to right several times. HINT- Return this tab to the original (Home) position to keep printed pages from having a vertical line.

7.      Put the drum unit and toner cartridge assembly back into the machine and then close the front cover. HINT- Do not turn off the machine or open the front cover until the Ready LED lights up.

Helpful site: http://www.windowstalk.org/common-brother-printer-problems-and-how-to-fix-them/

6. Problem: Wireless Not Working on Laptop.

 1. Try another wireless device.

2. If the other device doesn’t connect, the device is not the problem. Therefore-

 Check your wifi connection:

1.      Make sure wifi is turned on (usually via a switch).

2.      Reboot your device.

3.      Click the wifi icon in the notification area for a list of available networks.

4.      Find your network - it should say “Connected.”

5.      Attempt to connect if you aren’t, and make sure you have the right password.

A few other things you might try:

• Look at the bars next to the network’s name to make sure you have a strong signal from the router. If you don’t, try moving to a room near the router if possible.

 • Use Windows’ diagnostics. Right-click the network icon in the notification area and select Troubleshoot problems. Then go through the wizard.

• Turn off your firewall— temporarily, of course—and try again. If it works, figure out what’s wrong with your firewall setting or contact your IT person for help.

Helpful sites: http://www.pcworld.com/article/260524/how_to_fix_your_wi_fi_network_7_tips.html

7. Problem: Wondering How to Share a Google Document.

1.      If the document you want to share is open, look at the top right corner. There is a blue “share“ button. Click it.

2.      It will open up a box that says “share with others”.

3.      If you are sharing with a teacher or classmate, you can start typing his/her name in the box under “people”, and the email will show up in a list. Choose the person you want to share it with.

4.      You must also choose what type of access you want the person to have. You have the following choices: can edit, can comment, or can view. (Most of your teachers want you to share with “can edit”.

If you are sharing it with someone that is not on our school system (like parents), you can get a shareable link.

5.      In the “share with others” window, look in the top right corner and click on the “get shareable link”. Click the arrow next to “copy link”.

6.      Choose “more”.

7.      Choose “anyone with the link”.

8.      Choose what access you want them to have (can edit, can comment, or can view).

9.       You can copy the link and post it, or email it to the person you want to share it with.

To share straight from your Google Drive without opening the document-

10.   Highlight the document you wish to share.

11.   Click the person with the plus sign.

12.    It will open up the “share with others” window.

13.    Follow the directions on sharing the document beginning with number 3

Helpful site: http://computers.tutsplus.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sharing-in-google-docs--cms-20676

8. Troubleshoot: Missing Toolbar in Microsoft Office 10 . To reset the toolbars

 1. Click on the Home tab.

2. Right click with the mouse’s arrow on any part of the displayed ribbon.

3. Uncheck Minimize the ribbon.

9. Problem: Flipped Monitor Display (Windows PC)

Keyboard Shortcut Solution:

1.      Press Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Keys (through Windows 7)

2.      Note that you must be logged in first for this solution to work, so yes, logging in while the screen is upside down will be an interesting challenge

Mouse/Menu Solution:

1.      In Windows 7, right-click the desktop and go to Graphics Options – Rotation – Rotate to Normal

 2.  In Windows 10, right-click the desktop and go to Display Settings – Orientation – and change from Flipped back to Landscape.

Helpful site: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/windows/how-rotate-screen-on-laptop-or-pc-summary-3615164/

10. Problem: Jammed Copy Machine.

1.      Find out where the jam is by opening the cover of the copy machine and the paper tray.

2.      Turn off the copy machine before removing the paper jam.

3.      Clean out any paper fragments.

4.      Check the roller to make sure it is still smooth and free of snags.

5.      Replace the cover and paper tray. Turn the printer back on and follow the onscreen directions to cancel the paper jam message.

To avoid paper jams in the future:

1.      Use one kind of paper at a time.

2.      Tell the printer what kind of paper you are using.

3.      When you reload your input tray pay attention to how the paper should be loaded and whether the length or width guides need adjusting.

Helpful site: http://www.pcworld.com/article/227252/how_to_fix_and_avoid_printer_paper_jams.html

11. Problem: SMART Board needs Orienting.  If you touch the interactive surface of the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard with your finger and your cursor appears somewhere other than where you’re pressing, try orienting the interactive whiteboard. To orient the interactive whiteboard:

1.      Press and hold the Keyboard and Right Mouse buttons on the pen tray simultaneously until the Orientation screen appears

2.      Press the pen firmly near each target, indicated by the white, diamond-shaped graphic

3.      Maintain constant pressure as you drag the tip of the pen to the center of the target

4.      Once you’ve reached the target point, release your pen from the surface of the interactive whiteboard. The orientation point registers when you release your touch.

5.      Repeat for each target point on the screen

When you’ve set all orientation points, the orientation screen disappears and you are ready to use your smartboard.

Increasing the calibration detail-

1.      Press the SMART Board icon in the notification area

2.      Select Control Panel from the SMART Board Tools menu

3.      Press the SMART Hardware Settings button. The SMART Hardware Settings window opens.

4.      Select Orientation/Alignment Settings from the drop-down menu

5.      Select Fine (20 Points)

6.      Press OK to apply the new orientation and alignment settings

7.      Press the Orient button in the Control Panel window to begin the orientation process

Helpful site: http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/services/quickreferences/pdf/english/orienting_sbiw.pdf

12. Problem: Screen has been zoomed in or out.

1.      Hold down the control button.

2.      Use the mouse roller wheel to zoom in or out.

3.      To use Magnifier, hold down the Windows key.  Press the + on the number pad to zoom in. Press – on the number pad to zoom out.

4.      To exit Magnifier, press the Windows key and escape at the same time.

It is always ok to ask for help if you are not comfortable doing any of these steps.

Lesson Plan Template

Instructions: Please click and type directly in the body of the document. Feel free to use as many pages as you need in order to complete the lesson plan fully.  

Lesson Plan Title: Spelling City/ Language Arts

Subject/Course Name: Spelling

Grade/Age Level: 2^nd grade

Level (highlight all that apply):  Remedial/Special Education   On-Level   Gifted/Advanced   ELLs  

Lesson Duration: 30 minutes - 3 ten minute intervals at each station

1. The teacher (the students with need of more spelling support start here)

2. Computers (The middle group starts here, using the Spelling City app)

3. Hand On learning (The more advanced group starts here)

Lesson Objectives: (What should students be able to demonstrate? What should students have learned after this lesson?)

 At the end of the lesson, the students will be more familiar with the spelling words and patterns from each weekly spelling list. Each week, the students will work with their spelling group to complete activities on the website Spelling City.

Standard(s) Lesson Addresses: (Indicate standard name, number, and copy/paste strand verbiage) (Include both content standards and ISTE standards)

Content Standards:

(LA. 2. 20) Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. [RF.2.3]

a. Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelled one-syllable words. [RF.2.3a]

b. Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams. [RF.2.3b]

c. Decode regularly spelled two-syllable words with long vowels. [RF.2.3c]

d. Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes. [RF.2.3d]

e. Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences. [RF.2.3e]

f. Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. [RF.2.3f]

(LA 2. 29) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.2.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.2.1a]

b. Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. [SL.2.1b]

c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. [SL.2.1c]

ISTE standards

3. Research and information fluency- Students apply digital tolls to gather, evaluate, and use information.

b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.

c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

ALA Standards for the 21^st Century Learner

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge

1.2.2 Demonstrate confidence and self-direction by making independent choices in the selection of resources and information

1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.

1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools to access information and pursue inquiry

1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.

3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the learning

4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

4.4.1 Identify own areas of interest.

Openers/Lesson Starters: (Teacher Station)

The teacher will introduce that week’s spelling words in each Reading/ LA group. Each group has a different list, depending on needs and abilities. The teacher will read the words to the students and have the students repeat the words. Opening starters can include writing in sand, with chalk on a chalk board, via sign language, or using magnetic letters.   

Central Part of Lesson/Main Activities: (Computer Station)

The group will go over spelling patterns, letter formations if needed, and each word. The group will look at parts of speech, meaning of words, words with similar meanings, prefixes and suffixes, and other parts of the word to better understand each word and the spelling patterns associated with the lesson that week. Then the students will go to their next group.    

Closers/”Tickets out the Door”: (Hands-On Station)

The students will participate in a Hands-On activity. These activities can include using letter stamps, writing the words with multi-colored ink or crayons, using the words in sentences, drawing a picture of one or more of the words, organizing the words, or other Hands-On activities that create an artifact to turn in to the teacher.

Assessment Plans: (How will students demonstrate what they have learned? Note: it is not necessary to provide an actual test or rubric here; just describe the process.)

Teacher observation during the teacher’s station is part of the assessment. For the Computer Station, Spelling City has a Teacher’s edition where students can do activities, take tests, and work with the words on their list. Each student’s list does not have to be the same, but it can be. The website records when students log in, how long they work, and how they did on each assignment. This provides instant feedback for the teacher, as well as a way to track each student’s progress through the year. Students can move into different spelling groups if needed as their skills progress. The artifact that the students turn in is also part of their spelling grade.

Materials/Equipment Needed:

The students working on this assignment need an iPad or computer, Spelling City membership, and a log-in and password. The teacher can set up the classroom and give each student his or her own log-in and password to use throughout the year. The students will be instructed not to share passwords or log-ins.

Materials for the Hands-On station will change daily or weekly.

Three areas set up in the classroom – one to accommodate each group.

How lesson plan aligns with TPACK framework:

TPACK covers the knowledge of content, familiarity with technology, and awareness of the needs of children at different phases of life. This lesson incorporates technology that is appropriate for young students and is a step to help students become aware of the need to keep their personal information secure. Spelling City builds content skills in a self-paced, flexible format. The students can be given the responsibility to choose their own activities or the teacher can assign specific activities, depending on the needs and abilities of each child. Students can work alone, with a peer, in groups, and with or without an adult’s supervision.  

Strategies for differentiation for diverse student groups:

Students groups can be assigned different lists of words, different numbers of words, different activities, and different time limits. These all depend on the unique abilities and needs of each student. Activities can be completed alone, in pairs, in groups, and with or without adult supervision. Students can work with Spelling City one to five times per week, depending on the students’ needs and abilities.  ELL students will receive support from the ELL teacher. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing will have assistance from the Hearing Impaired teacher, access to headphones or earbuds, or an interpreter. SPED students will have any accommodations or modifications as stated in the IEP. OT and PT will be included to make sure students with Occupational or Physical goals are having their needs met. Students who are more advanced in Spelling can use the Computer or Hands-On time for Sustained Silent Reading or vocabulary development.

Describe how the scholarly article you found contributed to the development of this lesson plan?

I choose the article Guided Inquiry by Design: The Story of Student Learning by Janice Cooper. This article describes five kinds of learning in guided inquiry. These are Curriculum Content, Information Literacy, Literacy Competence, Social Skills, and Learning How to Learn. It also discusses the Guided Inquiry framework and the eight phases of GDI. I feel like the TPACK framework and Guided Inquiry complement each other well. Spelling City intertwines these aspects because it helps students discover how they can best learn to spell and to understand the meaning of words. When completed in groups, these activities take on a Social aspect that is meant to be both fun and educational. Spelling lists and tests are typically something students do not like, so finding an engaging way to learn these skills is important. The flexibility of GDI as well as the Spelling City website gives the teacher and the students more range to explore their own strengths and improve individual weaknesses.  

Melanie Smith

Guided Inquiry Design Unit

LM 555 Spring 2016

1^st Grade Lesson Plans 2016

Thematic Unit: Where My Food Comes From: Foods and Animals from the Farm

Name:  Kristi Grimes and Melanie Smith

When a typical 7 year old is asked where food comes from, typical answers include “the grocery store”, “my mom”, and sometimes, “McDonald’s”.  Along with this disconnect to the source of food, child nutrition is suffering in this country because children and parents alike are uneducated on food value, production, and healthy consumption.  A unit on the foods and animals on a farm will draw children into a place and process that they may not be very familiar with, but are actually closely connected to every time they sit down for a meal or a snack. 

           

OBJECTIVES OF THE THEMATIC UNIT:

Compare ways individuals and groups in the local community and state lived in the past to how they live today. (S.S. 1.6)

Identify basic properties of objects. (Sci. 1.2)

Describe survival traits of living things, including color, shape, size, texture, and covering. (Sci. 1.4)

Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes) (ELA RF. 1.2)

Participate in shared research and writing project. (ELA 1.29)

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (ELA 1.32)

The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creativity. (I.L. 3)

The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates affectively in groups to purse and generate information. (I.L 6)

·       Shares knowledge and information with others.

·       Respects others’ ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions.

·       Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and see their solutions.

·       Collaborates with other, both in person and through technologies to design, develop, and evaluate information products and solutions.

Exploration:

Allow children to play with materials to facilitate first-hand experiences with concepts without direct instruction:

*Adding toy gardening tools, fruit toys, vegetable toys, horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, barnyard toys, over-alls, sun hats, and gloves to home living centers, tractors and fencing to block centers

* Making a “garden” in the dry table, haystacks for snack, a barnyard in the block center with fencing, a toy barn, and animal toys

Explanation:

Use objects or pictures to establish a base knowledge of the student’s prior knowledge about this unit.  When shown pictures or objects, first ask students opinion about the pictures/objects to have a better understanding of their knowledge (prior knowledge).

Afterwards (Share, Evaluate)-Expand on those concepts with additional information and clarification.

            What are these? (Display hoe, trowel, spade, and gardening gloves)  

            What is this?  (Display fruits and vegetables)

            Have you ever tasted milk, cheese, fruits, or vegetables?

            Have you ever eaten any of these things? (Display cheese, eggs, apples, corn, peppers)   

            What is this? (Display toy tractor, toy barn)

           

·       Discuss with the students that food does not start in their kitchen, or even the grocery store.  It comes from the soil and from animals.  Seeds must be planted in the soil for things to grow.  Animals must be kept on farms for eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt. 

·       Talk about what a farmer is and what they do.  That they do not go to a job in an office or a school, but go outside to do their job.  They do not work with computer, but with plants and animals. 

·       Show the students a seed and a plant, a chicken and an egg, tools a farmer would use. 

VOCABULARY FOCUS:

farmer, barn, tractor, cow, horse, sheep, chicken, egg, corn, potato, carrot

Other higher level terms: harvest, season

PROPS FOR CIRCLE TIME, THEMATIC UNIT DISCUSSION AND COUNTING:

barnyard toys (miniature barnyard)

plastic vegetables

plastic fruits

toy horses

toy cows

toy chickens

toy tractors

toy gardening tools

farmer dress-up clothes – over-all, hats, bandanas, gloves

barnyard puzzles

Farmer Jack cow-milking video – www.monkeysee.com

Farm Animals for Kids video – www.socraticakids.com

“F” is for Farm Animal video – www.alphabetroad.com

BOOK SUGGESTIONS:

Books:

Farm Sounds

Big Fat Hen

Cows Going Past

Around the Farm

Farm Days

Eating the Alphabet

Going to Sleep in the Farm

Interactive Books:

Touch and Feel Farm

What to See and Hear on the Farm

ONLINE BOOKS:

Tumblebooks:  Have you Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat?

              Our Seasons

              Farm Adventures     

Nursery Rhymes and songs:

Hey Diddle Diddle

To Market, To Market

Little Boy Blue

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Baa Baa Black Sheep

The Farmer in the Dell

This Is The Way We…

Old McDonald Had a Farm

ONLINE GAMES AND ACTIVITIES:

www.alphabetroad.com

www.pbskids.org/atthefarm

www.shepperdsoftware.com/animals/farm

www.nickjr.com/kids-games/dora-saves-the-farm/

www.first-school.ws/sounds-match

Question of the Day samples:

Have you ever been to a farm?

Do you know what lives on a farm?

Have you ever seen a cow, chicken, horse, sheep?

Have you ever milked a cow?

Do you like vegetables (name vegetables)?

Do you like fruit (name fruits)?

Do you like to eat cheese?

How about ice cream?

Do you drink milk?

Questions for discussion:

What happens on a farm?

What animals might live on a farm?

What does a farmer do?

What does a tractor do?

Is a chicken covered in fur or feathers?

What else have feathers?

Day 1 (Monday):

Dress Up – Wear Red or Orange (like an apple or orange)

Special Snack: Apple and orange slices

Open –

Tell students that 200 years ago, 90% of the American population lived on farms and produced the food they ate in their homes.  Today, only 2% of the American population produces all the fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy that everyone in the country consumes.  With an ever-increasing population, it is important to introduce children to the source of their food.

             

Opening activities:

The following questions will draw on their prior knowledge: 

-     Where does milk come from?

-     What lays an egg?

-     When you see fields, fences, and cows, where are you? (Show pictures from books or magazines or video from YouTube)                        

-     What is your favorite food? (Give each student a sticky note and let them write or draw their answer and put it on a chart in the hallway. All 1^st graders answers will be on the same chart.)

-     Have you ever been on a hayride?  Who eats hay? 

Learning Activity (Immerse, Explore)

Day 1: Carrot number match

Materials needed:

•     orange paper in the shape of carrots (triangles)

•     strips of green paper in the shape of carrot tops (rectangles)

•     liquid glue

The teacher will have real carrots with the tops for the students to see and feel at the table, along with the book Tops and Bottoms to show students how carrots grow under the ground.  The teacher will also be leading the students in a discussion of the number and color of the materials. 

The teacher will have the “carrot” triangles with the number 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 written on them.  The students will match the number of carrot tops to the numeral written on the carrot and glue that amount of tops (green rectangles) to the carrot (orange triangle).  This is for practice with fine motor skills (handling the strips of green paper as they glue them on), number recognition, and color recognition.  The teacher will be saying the number and modeling the number with fingers and/or carrot manipulatives.  Accommodation: If needed, the students will receive one carrot at a time, the teacher will provide the number of glue dots needed, and the students will match fewer than 5. For more advanced students, addition and subtraction facts can be used.

Day 2 (Tuesday):

Dress Up – Wear Black and White or Black and White spots (like a cow)

Special Snack: cheese slices and crackers

Learning Activity (Immerse, Explore)

Day 2: Planting Seeds

Few children now experience digging in the earth, planting seeds, watering, and watching a plant grow that will one day bear their food.  Because this is an unfamiliar concept, their natural curiosity will drive their interest in a farm unit and deepen their understanding of food production.

Materials needed:

·       Plastic cup for each student

·       Soil to go in the cups

·       Seeds to be planted

·       Different types of soil to look at and to compare and contrast

·       Water

The teacher will help the students write their names on their cups. As a group, the class will look at, explore, and discuss different types of seeds, as well as what a seed needs to grow. Then the teacher will help the students put some soil into their cup, plant a seed, and add some more soil. They will then add a little water and put the cups in a sunny spot. Each day for the next four weeks (or more if desired), the students will use their science journals to keep track of how much the plant has grown.

Accommodations: The teacher will help the student plant the seed and write or draw in the journal. Alternatives include one cup per class or letting students take their cups home at the end of the day.

Day 3 (Wednesday):

Dress Up – Wear something with an animal on it

Special Snack: Barnyard animal crackers

Learning Activity (Explore, Immerse, Identify)

Day 3: Letter fill-in

Materials needed:

•     liquid glue

•     thick paper

•     crayons 

•     barn from the Barnyard Play set or pictures of barns from books or magazines

In advance, the teacher will create block letters on the paper with the glue, allowing the glue to dry over night to form a rigid border. These could be the students’ names, the unit vocabulary words, etc.   The teacher will share the barn from the play set with the students as she models the beginning sounds in barn, /b/, and shows them her example of the letter b.  The students will fill in the letters and words on their papers with crayons as the teacher models the sound of the letters and states additional words that begin with the letter.  This activity is for letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and fine motor skills. 

Accommodation: If needed, use only one letter with the rigid outline, or cut out the letters or words so no surrounding area is available for the students to color. For more of a challenge, have students decorate the word with pictures cut from magazines that start with the same letter or write words that they associate with the letter or word with which they are working.   

Day 4 (Tuesday):

Dress Up – Wear something with a plant on it

Special Snack: Ham and cheese roll ups

Day 4: Sort the eggs (Explore, Identify, Create)

Materials needed:

•     plastic eggs in 3-5 colors

•     3-5 baskets

•     laminated paper (colored paper for those needing the accommodation)

•     laminated paper eggs

•     Velcro dots

•     paper eggs

•     glue

•     one hardboiled egg for students to explore

The teacher will have an assortment of animals that lay eggs toys at her table – chicken, duck, etc. to remind the students of where eggs come from, and plastic eggs. The students will sort the eggs into the baskets by color.  The teacher will be leading the students to notice the color, shape, and texture (smoothness) of the eggs.  The teacher can also ask the student to hand her one egg, two eggs, etc. and remind the students where the egg comes from and what comes out of an egg.  Then, the teacher will guide the students in sorting the eggs with the teacher’s sample.  To create their work sample, the students will sort the eggs on paper and glue their eggs into place.        

Accommodation: If needed, the color options can be reduced to 2.  Also, the baskets and the paper could also be the color of the corresponding eggs. For more challenge, students can write a few words on each egg that they associate with food or farms.

Day 5 (Wednesday):

Dress Up – Wear Overalls and/or sun hat like a farmer

Special Snack: Yogurt with fresh fruit topping (for example, strawberries or blueberries)

Day 5 Learning Activity (Immerse, Explore, Gather)

A guest speaker from The Burritt Museum will come and speak to the 1^st graders in the LMS. She brings live chicks, pictures from the farm, tools from the farm, a pamphlet about the museum, and a card for one day of free entry. She usually speaks for about 30 minutes and leaves about a 10 minute window open for questions and exploration of what she brought with her. Each class should develop about 3 good questions to ask.

Day 6 (Thursday):

Dress Up – Wear brown (like soil), green (like leaves), or yellow (like sunshine)

Special Snack: Carrots and celery with ranch dressing

Day 6 Learning Activity:  Pig Size Sequencing (Explore, Create)

Materials needed:

•     pig manipulative

•     See and Hear toy

•     pigs small to large (cut apart)

•     sentences strips

•     glue

The teacher will share the pig toy with the students, and also share the See and Hear toy to let students hear the sound a pig makes.  The teacher will then review the terms “small” and “large” with the students, as well as other words that have similar meaning (for example, little or tiny, and big or huge).  She will share the teacher model of pig sequencing with the students.  Together, the teacher and students will put the pigs in the correct sequence from small to large on the teacher model.  Then the students will create their own pig sequence with pig cut-outs and a sentence strip.     

Accommodation: The teacher will assist the student with their sequencing, and if necessary, reduce to sequence to 3 pigs with a more significant difference in size to aid understanding. For more challenge, the teacher could put the students in groups of two and ask them to come up with their own sequencing pattern.    

Day 7 (Friday):

Dress Up – Wear the T-shirts we made at school. FIELD TRIP!! Tate Farms

Special Snack: Mini cupcakes at Tate Farms

Next week, send Tate Farms thank you note (Share/Evaluate) from the 1^st grade as a whole