Science+Teacher+Leaders

=__**1st grade video**__= This video is the result of full collaboration between a classroom teacher and the librarian. Students conducted traditional research on plants and animals found in North Carolina pond habitats. In the classroom, students wrote nonfiction articles about what they learned in their research. A particular focus of the research was how plants and animals depend on each other in this habitat. They then worked in partner groups to create a model showing what they learned (acting out with puppets, dioramas with moving parts, etc.). The classroom teacher filmed the different groups while the narration and final video was put together by the librarian.

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=__**How Are Frogs Like Chickens? (Grade 2)**__= This project is based on the book __How Are Butterflies Like Chickens?__ by local author Betty Ann Knudsen. In this project, students in second grade learn about the life cycles of frogs. After reading the book, they conduct guided research comparing the life cycle of a frog to the that of another animal that is similar in one or more aspect. Like all student research, we, as teachers, focus on summarizing/notetaking and comparing/contrasting, two of Robert Marzano's "Strategies That Work". Here are two samples of completed student products using Prezi as a presentation format.

Project Files: Lesson Plan Outline (note - This plan is specific to our school, using our school research model and our method of delivering e-resources to students. You will need to adapt to your school situation.)

Notetaking page for students:

Tips for Setting Up and Using Prezi with students

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=__Animating the Cycles of the Sun, Moon, and Stars (Grade 3)__= This is a spin on the old tri-fold poster of moon phases. Students work on collobarive teams to use Microsoft PowerPoint and PhotoStory 3 to create animations of the phases of the moon, the cycle of the seasons, the movement of shadows, and the stars in the night sky. Work on the project is a collaboration between the classroom teacher and the librarian or technology teacher. It usually begins about one week into the classroom study of the cycles of the earth, moon, and sun. Typically, it encompasses 7-8 lessons of 45-60 minutes over a three weeks.

Project Files: Lesson Plan Outline:

Storyboard for student drawing/writing:

Movie topics/Group work expectations:

Working with PowerPoint | Working with PhotoStory

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=__The Quest for an Algae-Free Tank - (Grade 4)__=

This is a superb example of problem-based learning by a 4th grade teacher at our school. This teacher runs an inquiry-based classroom, where students are encouraged to record, research, and report on wondering questions.

@http://blogs.wcpss.net/mrunion/2011/12/06/the-quest-for-an-algae-free-tank/

__Prezi__
To use Prezi with your class, there are a few steps you will need to take. First, Prezi's Terms of Use clearly state that users under the age of 13 may not use the service without the consent of a parent of guardian. To work around this, we have a created a simple permission form that we send home with students prior to beginning a project that includes Prezi as a presentation. You must be sure to provide and alternate activity for students who do not return a signed permission form.

Setting up Prezi for a Class
Prezi offers different levels of access. Teachers and students over age 13 can request a free EDU level account. There is also a free version that anyone can use. If you decide to sign up for an EDU account, you will need to use your @wcpss.net email address. This means that any students using the account will be using your @wcpss.net address as the username.

An alternative way of setting up Prezi for a class is to set up a dummy e-mail account using any service that provides free e-mail. For example, Google or Gmail does this. Simply go to Gmail and set up a free account using a naming convention that represents your class. For example, we use names like oceclass24b (for a second grade class on track 4). Then, once the e-mail account and password are set up, go back to prezi.com and sign up for a free basic account using that e-mail address. Choose a different password than the one that you used for the Gmail account so that students will not have access to the e-mail account but only to the Prezi account.

**Please note: While some services (like Gaggle) offer a way for teachers to set up controlled e-mail accounts for students, it is Wake County's strict policy that students must use an assigned @wcpss.net email account when signing up for services.

Creating a Prezi
Making a Prezi is simple and easy. Children find the interface far more intuitive than something like PowerPoint. One of the great things about using Prezi with kids is watching them figure it out. Once they have it, they love to teach each other what they can do.

Prezi provides a number of simple online tutorials and videos to get you up to speed in no time:
 * Prezi manual
 * Learn Prezi tutorials page
 * Prezi's YouTube channel

Working With PowerPoint to Create Images for Earth/Moon/Sun Animations
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Working with PhotoStory 3 to Create Animations
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