Laurie+Robb

__SMART board Background__

I have enjoyed having a Smartboard in my classroom for about a year and a half. My SMART board was permanently attached to my wall but it has been more convenient to use since the projector was permanently attached to the ceiling. I had used it in the past to investigate web sites with my class, and as a learning center during Guided Reading groups. Additionally, I have used it as a morning activity where my class conducted the morning lunch count. I had also collaborated with one of my teaching partners, Maria Busalacchi, to enhance second grade content through the use of CDs and interactive web sites. I had not had any formal training on using a Smartboard, so I was very excited to begin using all the tools and in investigating the capabilities I had not yet known.

__Lesson 1 - Word Sorts__ In the past, I have done word sorts using the overhead projector with my students. This has worked well, but after our SMART board class, I thought I could modify the sort to make it more interactive and interesting to my students. Given the capabilities of the SMART board, I created a "guess my rule" version of a word sort that involved the short or long 'a' sound. I locked in the three word endings needed (-k, -ke, and -ck) and then used the hiding screen to hide them at the top of the board. I randomly listed the words we were studying with these endings on to the board. During the lesson, I initially put one of each word into each column and then had the students sort the words one at a time into each column and then guess the rule of each spelling. At the end of the lesson, I revealed the hidden word endings. We then discussed the sounds the vowels made with each ending and how the silent e at the end of the word created a long a sound. The students were highly engaged during the lesson, not only because they could move the words around, but also because they could 'guess the rule'.

__Lesson 2 - Grammar- Comma placement__ This lesson involved practicing where to properly place commas. I would have done this on the overhead projector in the past. The purpose was to properly place commas in three circumstances: in a series of items, in a date, and in the greeting and salutation of a letter. I typed the letter into a Word Document and then transferred it to the SMART board. Then students then used the pen colors to correctly place commas within the letter. They used blue for the greeting and salutation commas, red for the series of items commas, and green for the date commas. The students had to tell what kind of circumstance they were using the comma for and to choose the correct color. This was a nice practice activity because all the students were engaged as they checked their cohort's work, and corrected when needed. There were enough commas within the letter so that all had a chance to participate. I thought this lesson worked better on the SMART board because the letter content was large enough so all could see and participate. It also worked well because they all wanted a chance to work on the SMART board.

__Lesson 3 - Math Investigations Unit 7 Lesson 2.1 (using representations to combine fractions that sum to 1)__ This was truly an experiment for me. Previously I would have used the overhead projector with pattern block transparencies and have had students simulanteously use their pattern blocks to investigate fractional parts. I think this would have worked well because all students would be engaged in the activity. However, I wanted to experiment with the pattern block shapes on the SMART board and see if this would work as well or better. I used the SMART board for the first 20 minute session of this investigation where students would use pattern blocks to recreate one shape - the yellow hexagon. They would then write the fraction of the yellow hexagon (1) that each of the smaller shapes represented. I created 3 SMART board pages: one for green triangles (1/6), one for blue rhombuses (1/3) and one for red trapezoids (1/2). On each page I prepared there were many of the smaller shapes and one yellow hexagon. I then had children try to recreate the yellow hexagon shape using a number of the other shapes (either triangles, rhombuses, or trapezoids). They would have to turn and manipulate each shape in order to recreate the hexagon. Then we discussed what fractional part of the hexagon each one of the shapes made (1/6, 1/3, or 1/2) and wrote it on each shape in fraction notation. This would demonstrate that each part was an equal part of the hexagon and prepared students to complete their own hexagons using a combination of shapes with correct fraction notation. There were pluses and minuses to the use of the SMART board for this lesson. I found that the pattern blocks on the SMART board did not exactly match filling in a hexagon so that manipulating the smaller ones to fit on top of the hexagon was not always easy. It worked better when the students manipulated the pattern blocks to the side of the yellow hexagon. Although the students were highly interested in manipulating the pattern blocks, they also spent a lot of time trying to turn each smaller pattern block to the appropriate angle. The lesson would probably have worked more efficiently on the overhead projector. On the plus side, the students were able to correctly identify and write the fractional part represented by the smaller pattern blocks right on top of them. This would have been more difficult to do on an overhead projector with a transparency pen. In any case, the children got a good sense of how to write fractions using notation and what that meant and most were able to successfully complete their next tasks using information learned from the lesson.

__Lesson 4 - Introduction to Habitats (in preparation for Einstein Animal Studies unit)__ This lesson was to activate prior knowledge about animal habitats in preparation for an upcoming unit where students will be creating habitats for real animals. Normally, I would use a book, such as __One Sea Turtle__, to use as a springboard to discuss animal habitats, what animals need to live, and why habitats are important to their survival. However, during a district inservice, I learned about a website that sparked interest in me to investigate further. As I reviewed the website, it occured to me that it could be a great initial tool to help students begin to understand the relationship between animal adapations and their habitat when used on the SMART board with the entire class. The website was __switchzoo.com__. Included in this website was an interactive game where students must match habitats to 6 different animals. They can choose a biodome (habitat), plants, and weather conditions. For example, if the animal is a manatee, the biodome would be a beach/water habitat with palm trees and warm weather. Although the website sounds very elementary, I found that as a class we discussed what part of the animal gives us clues as to what habitat, plants, and weather are appropriate for it to survive. It was quite a lively discussion as each child got to explain what kind of things they were choosing for the animal's habitat and how they knew that just from looking at the animal. I found it to be a better way to generate student interest in our upcoming unit than what I had done in the past.