2009 first grade projects

Teach 21 Capstone ExpoMay 4th

First Grade Projects

• Station: 1 Title: “Hammerhead News”• Name: Sarena Hefner Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: First grade students received a behind the

scenes look at news broadcasting from our partner in education, ETC3 TV. Afterwards, students wrote and produced their own news broadcasts called Hammerhead News. The students reported first grade and school news on their news broadcasts.

• Contact Information: sarena.hefner@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 2 Title: “A Trip to the Past”• Name: Abby Towers Grade: First Focus Subject: Social Studies• Summary of Project: The students spilit into groups to learn aout

one historical figure from our standards. They made a Photostory to present their information and presented as a group on video.

• Contact Information: abby.towers@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 3 Title: “Going to the Zoo in the 21st Century”• Name: Jennifer Mendenhall Grade: First Focus Subject: Social Studies• Summary of Project: Our 1st grade team goes to the zoo every year. I

wanted to make the trip a little more interesting for my students. I created a webquests and the students used it to gather information about their animal. Then they wrote about their animal on Storybook Weaver. The student's reports were recorded and then downloaded to their mp3 players. They used the mp3 players at the zoo to listen to each others animal reports. This was a great project!!

• Contact Information: jennifer.mendenhall@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 4 Title: “Writing Throughout the Year”• Name: Katie Barrie Grade: First Focus Subject: Other• Summary of Project: My project was a year long writing and technology

project. I wanted to see if the technology improved students writing. I used many types of technology including a writing website, powerpoint, photostory, video, and Microsoft word.

• Contact Information: katherine.barrie@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 5 Title: “Homes Around the World”• Name: Laura Mikes Grade: First Focus Subject: Social

Studies• Summary of Project: First grade students were engaged in

a research project involving different types of houses around the world. The students produced a flipchart regarding their findings to share with other first grades.

• Contact Information: laura.mikes@chreokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 6 Title: “Zoo Animal Project”• Name: Ms. James Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: Students used the internet to

research an animal that they would see at the zoo. Then they created a PowerPoint to show how their trip to the zoo went.

• Contact Information: kristy.james@cherokee.us.ga.12

• Station: 7 Title: “Soaring to the Stars with Reading, Writing, and Science!”

• Name: Jamie Lynn Nelson Grade: First Focus Subject: Other• Summary of Project: We have been learning about the writing

process. We have used many resources, but mainly we have used the program I Can Write Online. The students have used their knowledge of the writing process to create a learning video to teach other students.

• Contact Information: jamie.lynn.nelson@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 8 Title: “News From Home: Our American Heroes”• Name: Julie Ziemecki Grade: First Focus Subject: Social Studies• Summary of Project: Students created podcasts, videos,

powerpoints, letters, emails, and took digital photos to communicate with our armed forces pen pals overseas in Iraq.

• Contact Information: julie.ziemecki@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 9 Title: “Spice up Reader's Theater using Technology”• Name: Elizabeth Whiddon Grade: First Focus Subject: Reading• Summary of Project: How can even the youngest students use technology

independently? The students in Mrs. Whiddon's First Grade class successfully used technology to add a little pizazz to their reader's theater routine. Using the flipchart recorder, the students were able to conduct reader's theater plays. Students worked together in groups to pick out characters, build scene backgrounds, add props and so much more.

• Contact Information: Elizabeth.Whiddon@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 10 Title: “"Friends" Helping Friends”• Name: Tricia Stowers Grade: First SPED Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: Our capstone provided an opportunity for students to

work with other students teaching them skills they know, learning new skills and making friends as they grow. Students from the fifth grade AIM class particiated in a "friends" program helping students in many ways. Some of the activiites we attempted in the class were photo stories, claymation activities, and pivot stick figure animation. Students from my class were learning to use their writing skills and communication skills tied in with technology, Gerogia standards and fun.

• Contact Information: tricia.stowers@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 11 Title: “What's Fun in Grade One?”• Name: Beth Diss Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: Our class generated monthly ideas,

researched for needed articles, and interviewed school personnel and teachers of other grades to find out what was happening in our school, community, and nation. Students wrote articles, designed surveys and interviews, and took photos to add visual interest to their article.

• Contact Information: beth.diss@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 12 Title: “Plentiful Plants”• Name: Erika Graves Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: The students explored the needs and

life cycle of a plant.• Contact Information: erika.graves@cheorkee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 13 Title: “Weather Wonders”• Name: Heather Amos Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: Students are engaged in an interactive study

of weather, weather's effect on our lives, and weather safety. This project includes the creation of a weather "movie" as well as weather "forecasts."

• Contact Information: heather.amos@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 14 Title: “Eat It! A selection of Persuassive Commercials”

• Name: Beth Hamel Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: Students use the writing process and

technology to create persuassive/creative commercials. The commercials are shown to other first grade classes, a survey is created, and results are graphed.

• Contact Information: elizabeth.hamel@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 15 Title: “Bring Your Stories to Life!”• Name: Dawn Brock Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: First grade students used laptops and

flashdrives to write and edit a story using Word. They later saved it and brought into a digital storytelling program which allowed them to narrate their story as well as uplaod pictures and videos taken.

• Contact Information: dawn.brock@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• • Station: 16 Title: “Green thumb Gardeners”• Name: Loughlin Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: Students will write a report about the parts

and needs of a plant in photo story within groups. they will present their work to the class.

• Contact Information: susan.loughlin@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 17 Title: “Watching it Grow”• Name: Susan Reinhard Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: Students learned about the characteristics

and needs of plants by planting seeds and caring for seedlings. A Master Gardener also visited and shared her expertise. Voice recorders were used to record weekly observations. Recordings were posted to class website. Students used digital cameras to document and produce Photo Story movies.

• Contact Information: susan.reinhard@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 18 Title: “Wildlife Wizards”• Name: Brooke Wells Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: Students conducted research to gain

information via books, the internet, videos, and an in-school field trip to gather as much information as they could about the classification of animals. Then, they created a Claymation movie to explain their findings. Students concentrated on reptiles, mammals, fish, and birds.

• Contact Information: brooke.wells@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 19 Title: “How do we measure the weather?”• Name: Cindy Gleason Grade: First Focus Subject: Science• Summary of Project: First grade students worked together to

construct various types of weather instruments. They also used existing tools to help in our study about ways to measure the weather. Each student created a movie about a thermometer, wind vane, wind sock, and a rain gauge. Then the students shared their movies and knowledge about each device.

• Contact Information: cynthia.gleason@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 20 Title: “First Grade Talks History”• Name: Melissa Barry Grade: First Focus Subject: Social Studies• Summary of Project: First graders studied and created movies

about historical American figures listed in our standards.• Contact Information: melissa.barry@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 21 Title: “First Graders Make Awesome Authors”• Name: Misty Johnson Grade: First Focus Subject: Language Arts• Summary of Project: First Grade students have studied the works of

Robert Munsch, Jan Brett, and Norman Bridwell. They have shared their knowledge gained through the use of a blog. The students wrote their own stories and produced videos interviewing each other as famous authors.

• Contact Information: misty.johnson@cherokee.k12.ga.us

• Station: 22 Title: “Lights, Camera, Action!”• Name: Pamela S. Griffin Grade: First Focus Subject: Social Studies• Summary of Project: First grade students studied various American

Folktale heroes and how they characterized our national heritage and the lessons that they taught us. The students wrote original First Grade Folktale plays. The students illustrated the plays with Kid Pix and narrated the illustrations into Photo Story. The students performed and recorded the plays. The students made the recordings into a movie using Movie Maker.

• Contact Information: pamela.griffin@cherokee.k12.ga.us