The following is an example of a “Story Souvenir” using a word processor.
"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss
A story souvenir from “Green Eggs and Ham” is the green eggs and ham.Word Processor as a Teaching Tool-A picture is worth a thousand words and typing on a
Word Processor is worth a million!
Finding a picture on the Internet, about a story the student has read, is worth a thousand words! Writing a sentence, about a story a student has read with pencil and paper, is like writing a million words for some students. Although using a word processor to type instead of manually writing is extremely engaging for students.
Over the last 18 years of teaching elementary age students, I have used a word processor for many lessons and activities to motivate student learning. Some of my projects the Technology Coordinator, colleagues, and I developed on a word processor were, keyboard skills, phonics, poetry, timelines, reports, travel brochures on the states, spelling patterns, grammar skills, autobiography pictures, biography baseball trading cards, and many more integrated reading and writing activities. These activities enabled the students to learn about the process or progression of writing from drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their written work in a more engaging medium like the word processor offers. Presently I intend to integrate word processing in the lower grades with reading responses after reading a story.
A souvenir is an object, or picture we get from a place we visited to remember that place. A “Story Souvenir” is an item or picture that reminds us of what happened in the story. After reading a story the students will be asked to identify a “Story Souvenir” by writing a two or three sentence statement and draw a picture to go along with the sentences. Although now there will be a medium transfer between writing and drawing to typing on a word processor and image locating on the Internet. I usually have the students do this in their paper print-based journal yet now I will use the word processor and Internet. This activity will be an effective use in word processor learning because it will teach students about responding to literature by communicating ideas and work collaboratively through the use of a variety of digital media.
Finding a picture on the Internet, about a story the student has read, is worth a thousand words! Writing a sentence, about a story a student has read with pencil and paper, is like writing a million words for some students. Although using a word processor to type instead of manually writing is extremely engaging for students.
Over the last 18 years of teaching elementary age students, I have used a word processor for many lessons and activities to motivate student learning. Some of my projects the Technology Coordinator, colleagues, and I developed on a word processor were, keyboard skills, phonics, poetry, timelines, reports, travel brochures on the states, spelling patterns, grammar skills, autobiography pictures, biography baseball trading cards, and many more integrated reading and writing activities. These activities enabled the students to learn about the process or progression of writing from drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their written work in a more engaging medium like the word processor offers. Presently I intend to integrate word processing in the lower grades with reading responses after reading a story.
A souvenir is an object, or picture we get from a place we visited to remember that place. A “Story Souvenir” is an item or picture that reminds us of what happened in the story. After reading a story the students will be asked to identify a “Story Souvenir” by writing a two or three sentence statement and draw a picture to go along with the sentences. Although now there will be a medium transfer between writing and drawing to typing on a word processor and image locating on the Internet. I usually have the students do this in their paper print-based journal yet now I will use the word processor and Internet. This activity will be an effective use in word processor learning because it will teach students about responding to literature by communicating ideas and work collaboratively through the use of a variety of digital media.
A concern with using word processors for student assignments, is the availability of computers. The following websites are helpful for Web 2.0 Rubrics and other computer learning tools.
O, Blanche, and Kathleen Puckett. Preparing to Use Technology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2009. 14,129-153. Print.
S.O.S -- Help for Busy Teachers (Site 27 ) : Web 2.0 Tool Rubrics http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators on Discovery Education http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/
