MAY



First Grade

The students will be introduced to the KidWorks Deluxe Program.  This program is used in Second Grade Computer class.  It is a great program for building creative writing and reading skills. The students will be writing a journal of their Second Grade Memories. Each month will consist of three good sentences about what took place at school during that particular month. They will be creating their own sentences. The program has kid-friendly design tools, which students will be able to illustrate their stories with free-hand drawings and more. Students can hear their stories read aloud by the computer. The Journal will be printed when complete. Please keep practicing your keyboarding.       http://www.kidztype.com/They will also be taking their last Star Reading Test and Math for the year.

Second Grade

The students have been working for several months on their Second Grade Memories Journal in the Kid Works Program. They will go through their journals and check for any mistakes and when completed they will be printed. The sentences are created by the students. They have to type about three events that happened each month at school and a drawing to go along with the sentences using both drawing and sticker book tools. They will also be taking their last Star Reading Test and Math for the year.
Microsoft Word
The students will conclude the school year with an introduction to Microsoft Word.  They will be able to type a sentence and change font, size, bold, align left and center. They will be introduced to clipart and will be able to insert a picture, resize and work with the text wrap tool.

Third Grade

The students will continue to work in Microsoft Word.  The last tool introduced will be WordArt. The students will learn how to insert WordArt, a decorative text that can be added to a word document.  WordArt is found on the Insert tab under the Text Group.  The students will be able to change font, font size, color, text direction, stretch the title, skew the text, apply a gradient, a 3-D effect and insert a picture.

They will spend the last several weeks of class practicing their typing skills in the Sticky Bear Typing Program. It would be advantageous if students could practice their typing skills over the summer. There are many free programs available online. They will be using the Ultra Key Typing Program in fourth grade.  They will also learn how to logon to Google using a new user name and password that will prepare them for use in the Google Suite in fourth grade. They will be taking their last Star Reading and Math Test for the year.

 Fifth Grade

The students are researching their state and with that information they will create a state brochure. They have learned how to set up columns, column breaks, page breaks, and text boxes. The students have worked with the ruler, tabs, bullets, and symbols. All these tools will be incorporated into their brochure. They will end the year with the introduction to Excel. They will learn why the program is helpful in so many ways from organizing information, calculating math problems to creating charts and graphs. They will be introduced to a spreadsheet and new vocabulary.  The students will learn how to enter data into a spreadsheet, format data, and use basic functions to calculate basic math problems, identify cell references correctly and write basic math formulas. By learning how to use the various tools in Excel, these skills will enable the students to be able to use the computer more efficiently in doing their assignments and various projects throughout their classroom curriculum.

SUMMER TYPING

The students have just completed many of the UltraKey lessons in this typing program and will continue working with this program to improve their typing skills until the end of the school year. They are encouraged to spend some time at home practicing their typing skills so in preparation of their daily use next year with the Chromebooks. I have placed a link on my blog to the typing club which is a free on-line program.

                    Catholic GEM (Going the Extra Mile)

May’s Christian quality: Manners
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.     ~Exodus 20:12

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.    ~Proverbs 22:6

This month’s Christian quality is MANNERS, which means to be polite in our words and actions. Manners are not just for the dinner table, but are real life guidelines as to how we treat others all day long.

You can show manners by:

•   Waiting your turn during recess, playing a game, at the drinking fountain or using a toy or equipment

•   Raising your hand, waiting to be called upon and not shouting out in class

•   Opening doors, letting others (especially visitors and adults on campus) go first in the hallways

•   Giving elderly or frail people your time and assistance

•   No slang! Use manners when speaking

•   Pay Attention! Be a good listener and don’t interrupt others

•   Being quiet when appropriate, keeping your music or videos on a quiet level so as not to disturb others

Common Sense Media Bulletin Board outside the Computer Lab

Please take a minute and read what is going on in Cyberspace. There are so many things changing on a daily basis. Please talk to your children about Facebook. There are 500 million registered users. There are approximately 7.5 million kids under 13 on Facebook. Facebook isn't supposed to be used by children under 13. This also applies to students under 13 who are not of age to make u-Tube videos.
 
Common Sense Media
A great website - commonsensemedia.org
“Their mission is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.” Please take a minute to look at their site.

                           Why Do We Need A Technology Lab?

1. A technology teacher provides a structured curriculum with complete and specific instructions in computer skills that are taught in a lab environment. This enables the students to become more confident in their technology skills and it improves technology use in the classroom. It validates the importance of the subject being taught.

2. In a lab, students have the opportunity for hands on experience to learn about new applications and review past lessons. This is a great advantage to students so they can become more confident in their technology skills.

3. Technology labs free classroom teachers so they can focus on their goals and not loose valuable instruction time teaching computer skills.

4. Structure, consistency, and repetition build skills each year whether it is a new application, documents, presentations, or understanding and increasing their time and accuracy in mastering keyboarding.

5. The importance of the technology lab offers student support, skills, and the knowledge they need to use these skills beyond the classroom.