Food is Fun! Final lesson Plan!

http://ia.usu.edu/viewproject.php?project=ia:9160

Geometry Comic Book

Technology can be so much fun in a classroom. Today in class we learned how we can use digital photography in our classroom to enhance learning. I absolutely loved the comic book making software and it made the project so much fun! I can totally use this in my classroom. I am also doing a math endorsement with my Eled degree so I will be able to teach middle level mathematics. I can just think of a bunch of middle school aged boys who hates math and then would absolutely love making a comic book using math concepts. When I was taking Geometry we had to do a similar project using real life examples of geometric concepts. We just made a power point, but I think this idea of making a comic book is much more fun! It can also be used for other things such as creating stories, making a comic book on significant historical event, or even doing an adventure with science concepts. I love the idea of using a camera in the classroom. Children love to see photos of themselves and when they can see them performing a task, their sense of accomplishment is enhanced. In my Kindergarten practicum, the teacher took pictures of everything and all of the projects the children were working on and posted the pictures aroudn the room. The children loved to look at the pictures of themselves. I want to use photograhy in my class and give the children a chance to learn how to use it. One of the Kindergarten standards is that the children will learn about their environment and the world around them. One activity that could be fun is take the children outside and have them take pictures of plants and animals that they see around them. Then together the class can make a book about them, thier characteristics, and how they make life better. There are so many ways you can use photography and technology in the classroom to enhance learning and make learning much more fun!

Web application links

The webquest I am creating is for second grade. My students will explore different sites and activities on the internet to learn about healthy eating and a balanced diet. Some of the sites that I found that I think would be really good resources are sites that will educate my students on what is contained in a balance diet. I found a site that has an interactive food guide pyramid for the children to click on the pyramid and find out what we should eat. Also I really love this site called Nutrition Explorations. It is a great site designed for kids to learn about healthy foods and then play games to test what they have learned. There is also a really fun website put out by the Center for Disease control. This is a game where kids decide what things to eat for lunch and then at the end, it explains to them what they have picked and why that is healthy to eat. Also there are many things that children can learn from MyPyramid.gov. I found some fun games and activies for my students to learn about a healthy diet.

Webquest Standards and Objectives

The state core standard for my webquest is:
Utah State Core 2nd grade Standard 1: Students will develop a sense of self: Describe and adopt behaviors for health and safety: Explain the importance of a balanced diet.

Learning Objectives:
The students will explore and learn the basic food groups, what nutrients our body gains from eating those foods, and why they are part of a balanced diet.
The students will be able to explain the benefits from eating healthy and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Task:
Student's will use what they learn about healthy foods and nutrients to create their own food pyramid and a meal plan for one day with their favorite foods and maintaining a balanced diet.

WebQuest Ideas

I really like the idea of Webquests and using them in the classroom. I think they are a great way to teach children about technology and how to use it is a productive and appropriate way. Also they are a great way to motivate and stimulate learning that is centered on the child's needs and interests. When children can question and discover for themselves, learning is more meaningful to them.
The grade I want to do is Second Grade
Some ideas I have to create a webquest are:
Weather--the children can discover the different forms of weather in different places of the world. Also maybe how weather effects us and the way we live.
Animals--the children can explore and discover the characteristics and life patterns of the local wildlife and plants and how they change and grow. The children can conduct an online scavenger hunt of the different plants and animals and learn more about the world around them.
Safety--the children will explore different safety habits and the importance of being safe. They can learn and explore different precautions to take in certain situations and possibly how to prevent bad things from happening.

I don't really know if these will work, but they are just some ideas that I came up with?

Web Evaluations

For this assignment, I evaluated several different websites. One of the websites I evaluated was the school web site for Edith Bowen Lab School. As I looked at the website, I tried to take into consideration if I had a child attending the school and what information I would want on the site. I found the site very professional and user friendly. The site wasn't too complicated and all the information was credible and useful. There were links to tell parents about PTA activities, a calendar of events, and many other things that I would find useful as a parent. I rated this website as a credible and good source.
Another web site I evaluated was a website to find lesson plans. This site was Discovery Education; Classroom Resources. I thought this was going to be a pretty good site because discovery is a international company with a good reputation. The information on the site was useful and pretty fun to look at. For the lesson they provided several alternative resources to add to the lesson. They provided links to videos and other fun things to enhance the lesson. Also at the end of each lesson they have a section called Academic Standards where they provide links for the research and standards of education. The site was easy to navigate and it provided a printer-friendly version for teachers to print out the lessons and use them. I found this site extremely helpful and one that I will probably use.
One of the site we had to look up was an informational website that contained elementary content. One of the first things I thought of that I learned in elementary was Utah history so I looked up an informational website on Utah history. The site that I found was actually published by the Utah Department of Community and Culture and also supported by Utah State Government. It was a pretty great site and it had this link to Utah History for Kids where children could go on and learn about facts, play games, and discover Utah. All of the facts were correct and interesting to learn. I actually had a good time playing the games and learning more about Utah. The site didn't take long to load and didn't have any necessary fluff anywhere. I really liked this site.
The final site that I evaluated was a student interactive site that they can use to enhance learning. I choose a site that I was already familiar with and totally love! It is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. It is a really great website that supports what children learn in math. This was actually created by Utah State University in 1999 and is continually updated about once a year. This is a great source that makes learning fun and enjoyable for students. I am most definitely going to use this site in my teaching.