Kids Blog

According to wikipedia.com "A blog (a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog." So a kids blog is nothing more than a chronological listing of kids' entries.  In our case, self-selected typed journal entries.

Most kindergarten students at Creek View come to school knowing the upper and lower case alphabet.  Their print awareness is well developed and some have begun to make associations between words and letter sounds.  Sight words are also introduced weekly and letter sounds reinforced to strengthen emerging literacy skills.  Students who struggle with phonics may prefer to use sight words.  They are memorized and used to to create simple sentences.  After two months a student should know 10 sight words.  here are some examples of the sentences they can produce without phonics: I see.  I can come.  Me and my dog play.

Students who are ready to apply their phonics skills may combine their sight words and phonics to create more complex sentences.  I can see my lidl bdr, for instance. Lidl - little, bdr meaning brother.  Once a child builds the confidence to write without fear of misspelling the only thing holding them back is the speed at which they write.  Boys in particular may take longer to develop their fine motor skills.  They get frustrated when the teacher can't read what they have written.  Using Alphsmart Neos to type eliminates much of the confusion.

All students love feedback from teachers and their families.  They love to be praised for their accomplishments. One way to facilitate this communication is by allowing parents to comment on a child's blog post.  Once the students realized that their families would be able to read their writing they got straight to work. Well deserved recognition is a strong motivator. It isn't like candy that only satisfies the sweet tooth momentarily.  It penetrates deeply and resides in the heart.

Kid Chefs

Cooking is a real world skill that involves many disciplines.  From cultural to mathematical students are challenged to think on many levels.  This project was incorporated into the Language Arts curriculum because we read many rhyming, sequencing and counting books. Each group selected a book and a recipe to make and planned accordingly.  The group pictured here, Kid Chefs chose a non fiction book with wonderful illustrations of creative cupcakes.  I wanted them to see the creamy batter, feel the textured candies and experience the scent of vanilla. The final part of this project will be a reflection of how they view themselves when the podcast is complete. People have been asking about the outfits.  I bought them at a dollar store, a real bargain!

The Times They Keep a Changin'

Interactive websites are beginning to offer a greater variety of academic material. Below is an interesting TeacherTube video describing some the impact of technology on learning and teaching.