Objective: Students will learn the difference between a healthy balanced meal and an unhealthy meal. Students will learn how to use the computer and technology as a tool to receive and send information with students from another school.
Grade Level: Second Grade
Curriculum Areas: Health/Science/Computers
Internet Focus: Word Processing/Email/Collaborative Learning
Summary of Project: Teacher and students will discuss the importance of a healthy balanced meal. Students and teacher will list all of the foods that make up a healthy balanced meal, and an unhealthy meal. During this project the students will be keeping track of what they eat each day for lunch in the cafeteria for one week. Each day when the students come back from lunch, they will be responsible for recording everything they ate. At the end of the week, the class will come together and total each type of food that was consumed during the week. Once all of the information is gathered, the class will type their information into a word processing document. The students will be responsible for proper use of spelling check. After the students print out their documents, the students will gather and log onto the internet to chat about their results with another second grade. Classes will compare the types of foods, and the amount of times they were consumed. After the results are shared, the students will decide which class ate more healthy balanced meals all week.
Assessment: Students will be assessed on their ability to use the computer, being able to send and receive e-mail, and being able to use a search tool to find information on the Internet.
Suggested Web Site: KeyPals Club
Objective: Students will learn how to communicate with children around the world through email.
Grade Level: First Grade
Curriculum Areas: Geography/Computers
Internet Focus: Email
Summary of Project: Teacher and students will gather to discuss electronic mail and the great learning experiences that can come out of it. Teacher will tell students that they will each have an opportunity to choose a Pen Pal. The students will have the option to choose a pen pal with similarities, or they can pick someone from another part of the world! Once the students understand the rules and guidelines of this pen pal program, they will go up to the lab and begin their search for a new buddy. The class will meet each Tuesday and will have a specific topic to initiate with their pen pal. Teacher will be circulating the room making sure all of the guidelines are being adhered to.
Assessment: Email participation
Suggested Web Site: KeyPals Club
Objective: Students will understand that having two ears�one on each side of our heads�helps us to perceive sound direction more accurately than if we had only one ear.
Grade Level: First Grade
Curriculum Areas: Science/Health/Computers
Internet Focus: Teacher will use to the suggested websites to create custom worksheets, puzzles and quizzes about this topic.
Summary of Project: To introduce this lesson, discuss the importance of all the senses working together to observe the world. Explain the reasons why people without a sense or senses need to strengthen their other senses. Teacher will create a bag with one item to a bag, one bag per student. The items selected should be easily observable by all or most of the five senses. Divide your class into groups of four, and give each student a paper bag. Each student should observe the object in his or her bag (using all senses that apply) without displaying the item to other group members. Instruct students to take turns describing their observations to the group, telling how the objects look, taste, smell, feel, and sound (leaving out the senses that do not apply). See if the other group members can guess what is in each bag. Next, the teacher will conduct an experiment with students to show how two ears allow us to perceive sound direction better than one. Split the class into groups of five. In each group, have four students stand in a large circle around the fifth student. Instruct the child in the middle to close his or her eyes and cover one ear. One student in the circle should snap his or her fingers or clap hands several times. See if the student in the center can determine who snapped by locating where the sound came from. Then let the student try again, this time using both ears. After they have taken turns in the middle, ask students why two ears allow us to determine sound direction better than one ear.
Assessment: Evaluate groups on how well they worked together and the conclusions they came up with.
Suggested Web Sites: My Body Puzzlemaker Worksheet Generator