Digital Lab

 

Note: We always enjoy extra parent help working in the Digital Lab in any grade level... Computer expertise is not necessary!

Kindergarten

Our Kindergartners have several goals in the computer lab. First, we help them become familiar with the computers.  We look inside one, talk about terms (icons, screen savers, desktop, monitor, mouse, etc.) and talk about taking care of the equipment in our lab. In the beginning we get as much practice as possible with using the mouse.
In Kindergarten we use KidPix Studio Deluxe. This program allows us to do many creative projects while learning the basics of computer usage: opening and closing a program, saving a project, and using the tools available. We practice numbers, number sets, the alphabet, writing simple sentences and illustrating them. Starfall.com is very useful for learning letter/sound recognition.

First Grade

       This year the students become more familiar with the use of the keyboard. They start typing practice towards the end of the year. Also, Microsoft Word is introduced and used to write acrostic poems. 

Second Grade

By second grade most students are quite comfortable with the computer. They have learned how to use most of the tools in Kid Pix and are able to produce many projects. We use this program to illustrate and write about People We Depend On and at the end of the year the students complete a Family Slide Show.

Third Grade

In third grade we continue learning Microsoft Word. The students are taught how to import pictures between programs. They have fun with more poetry and are then taught how to insert a picture from clipart. We do more math and grammar practice, using Math Munchers and Word Munchers to reinforce basic facts. Third graders write a report on their favorite ocean animal and carry on with more regular keyboard practice using Type to Learn.

                                                                              Fourth Grade

Fourth graders start most lab sessions with 10 - 15 minutes of typing practice. This year the students move on to Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. The projects become more challenging as well. Students do more importing between programs (for example a Paint illustration of themselves added to a name poem in Microsoft Word). They enjoy seeing their work come together into a final piece. We continue to do more in Microsoft Word: formatting pictures, adding WordArt, changing font style and size, etc. At the end of the year the students research and design a travel brochure of a California region. It's great to see their classroom projects look more creative!

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade continues working on keyboarding skills, in preparation for the many typed middle-school assignments to come.  (Parents will be asked not to type their students’ homework in years to come! Fifth graders have been shown the benefits of typing practice and been given the opportunity to improve their skills.) Microsoft Word is used for most of the computer lab projects and the students learn to use many of the tools available in this program; inserting a picture, using bullets, grouping/ungrouping, formatting for columns, etc. Poetry and various writing assignments help reinforce what has been learned in previous years. The students learn how to create a flyer or a brochure and how to design a greeting card. They also draw animal and plant cells using the Paint program and then insert these graphics to a word document. At the end of the year the students create a “colonial quilt” in WORD using clipart and text boxes.

Please be sure to visit the digital lab at Open House to see all of the amazing projects that the Apple Blossom students learn to create!