Medusa and her shadow with Aphrodite before the performance

3^rd grade students from Miss Voges’ and Miss DeRosa’s classes participated in the Myths & Legends videoconference in April. Before meeting via videoconference the classes wrote an original legend or myth and shared it with a partner class. During the videoconference the classes performed their interpretation of the story written by their partner class and shared comments and questions about the productions. Our students enjoyed seeing their words come alive and discussing their ideas and choices with their partner classes at Tobias and Negley. Thank you to all the teachers and students for their hard work!

Apollo and Zeus saved the day!

Mrs. Everette's class did a wonderful job of performing our story about tsunamis.

The spider from the legend written by Mrs. Everette's class

Our hero and the spider lillies

Last week students in Ms. Magnesio’s class held a computer cafe. The Computer Cafe showcased student’s hard work in learning how to use the program Powerpoint. Students research an animal of their choice, learning about its special adaptations, habitat, physical and behavioral characteristics. Students added text, graphics and video to enhance their presentations. Invited guests included family members, Mrs. Meyer, Ms. Conlee and other staff members. The students did a great job and were very proud of their work!

SHES students loved learning about bluebonnets.

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Grim and Mrs. Chitta’s classes participated in a videoconference about our state flower provided by students in Ms. Hoke’s class at Lehman High School. The LHS students are participating in the Kids Creating Community Content (KC3) contest and used the VC with our Kindergarten Suns as practice. Our students had a blast learning about the bluebonnet, including the parts and history of the flower. After the presentation the students used materials sent from Lehman to create their own bluebonnet and show what they learned. Be on the look out for bluebonnets in your neighborhood!

Kristyna Brewer uses a Classroom Performance System to engage students, gather data, and make learning fun.  Each student uses a clicker to respond to questions.  The class then discusses the correct answer, and learns from the incorrect responses, all while preserving enmity.

Students live in a world where content is on demand and communication is in real time. Why shouldn’t the instruction they receive reflect that? In Ms. Little’s 5th grade math class it does. Students use iPod Touches to interact with math content and make choices that fit their learning needs. Ms. Little loads iPods with video content that teaches math concepts and apps that provide them with learning tools. Students can watch the videos, as many as they need for understanding, pause to take notes or rewind to clarify. They may then select from several hands on activities to reinforce concepts. This “student centered” learning model allows students choices and puts them in an active learning roll. While students work independently, Ms. Little  is able to pull small groups to provide enrichment, reinforcement and targeted instruction to meet individual needs. Periodically, students are allowed to text answers to the teacher which not only motivates them to find the solutions to problems but also provides immediate, private 2 way communication. For more information on this learning model, contact Tracy Mulligan, Campus Technologist or Blair Little, 5th Grade Math.