Google My Map

A part of the Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum is the study of the United States. Students learn the states and capitals as well as the regions. Mrs. Gibbas introduced the idea of collecting data from her students and families about where they have lived and visited in the United States. They then used Google My Maps to add their own pins to represent the data.

Mrs. Gibbas is sharing her locations.

Take a look at Team Gibbas Map
Use the + and - to adjust the size.
Click on an icon to learn more.
Click on the map and slide it to a new spot.

Taking a closer look at the class map.

I was so inspired by their work I had to create my own map. Tech Tip: Try creating your own map.
My Maps 
Template of Data Document

Mrs. Lampe's Class Creates New Creatures

Grade 4 students in Mrs. Lanpe's class were given the challenge of creating a brand new animal. They had to think of all the adaptations and features of the new creature.
What is its habitat?
What are the prey and predators?
What adaptations does it have?
In CLIC students molded their new friend into a 3D representation.
Students created very imaginative animals.

Slothem by Anthony

All the new creatures ready to be photographed.

Trying to get the right angle for a photo.

Using the app ExplainEverything these new animals come to life. Click below to learn more about each creature.

Tech Tip:
The rubric for this assignment was placed into google classroom so that students may reflect on their own work. Mrs. Lampe then added her comments as well.
Animal Project Rubric

Postcards From the Southwest

I love postcards! Over the years I have collected postcards from family, friends, and students. I have quite a collection. They help me dream of places near and far. Places I have traveled to and those I some day hope to visit. Earlier this year the fourth grades sent a teddy bear on a journey around the USA. Each classroom has a large collection on postcards hanging on a board. When I am in these rooms I often pause and look at all the places I have been.

Mrs. Lampe's Collection of postcards

My fascination with postcards and the study of the southwest region was a perfect match and led Mrs. Lampe's class to a Postcard Project. Click on the pictures below to enjoy these "Live" Postcards. Tech Tip: Practice, Practice, Practice is the key to a successful project. We used the camera on the iPad to film each clip in front of the green screen. Then using the app Green Screen by Doink we created each clip with the appropriate background and saved these to the camera roll. Using the app explain everything we compiled each video on the state page. Using google drive for our storage gives us get the embed code for this blog.

Google Slides in Action

Collaboration at its BEST!

GAFE (google apps for education) has changed the way teachers are teaching and students are learning at Proctor School!

Mrs. Lampe and Mrs. Murphy decided to really bring the collaboration piece to the extreme with their fourth grade students. This creative project is titled Midwest Google Slides. Students in one class have been partnered with students in the other class on the same project.. Each small group is responsible for 2 slides in the completed project. Students collaborate through the comment feature found in google. It has been an engaging and powerful project as we watch these fourth graders work.

This is what the slide document looks like right now. Stay tuned for the final version.

The power of commenting is evident as these teachers take this opportunity to model the process.

Rubric used for assessment:

Teachers help students guide their students' projects by using a rubric. Students refer to this while working and use this as a reflection piece as well.

Animal Adaptations with a Digital Twist

Grade 4 students in Mrs. Lampe's class have been engrossed in the study of animal adaptations. Students took this knowledge and created an animal of their own, incorporating adaptations into this new species. After filling in a graphic organizer, students used the app ExplainEverything to bring this new animal to life.

Click on the projects below to learn more about these new creatures.

Tech Tip: Students saved their projects in their google for education account and then shared the document with their teachers. Google docs then gives the user a code to embed the projects on their blog.

Touring of The Southeast Region

Mrs. Lampe's Fourth Grade Class has recently completed their study of the northeast region. This was a project that involved research, writing, and presentation.  Students worked with a partner to collaborate and produce a final script for filming in front of the green screen.  This authentic assessment is a great way to develop 21st century skills.  These students created this project with a purpose and for an audience. They hope you not only enjoy this video but that you also learn something new.

 Click on the picture above to take a tour of the southeast region with Mrs. Lampe's  state experts.

We Took a Trip to Delaware

Mrs. Lampe's class participated in a Mystery Skype session with Mr. Bonavita's 4th grade class from New Castle, Delaware.  They almost stumped us when they said their state was not in the northeast region.  They consider their state in the eastern region.  We had to really work hard to solve this mystery.

Questioner and Answerer are ready!

Think Tank is listening to answers and getting ready with a new question.

Click on the padlet to see the facts we learned during our Mystery Skype.