Many Ways to Concord

Using GoogleMaps, third graders tracked many different routes to get from New Hampton to Concord - down Route 4 to 89,  into Bristol and then out route 3 or straight through Bristol to 93S. One student even knew how to go over Murray Hill Road to get to Hill and then on to Concord!

We discussed how the internet is a lot like the roads to Concord. There are so many different ways to get from the student to the information he or she seeks! We learned about effective searching and choosing keywords that will lead to the correct information. We learned about directories and saw how they're set up in categories and subcategories.

We tried out the search engine and directory features for YahooKids, KidsClick, AskKids, and Quintara for Kids. We looked at the number of hits for a keyword using KidsClick and compared it to the same search using Google. Kids' search engines usually only show results that are readable and useful for students, making finding what we want a LOT easier!

The Goldilocks Rules

First grade is working on a Powerpoint presentation called "The Goldilocks Rules: How to Choose a Book That's Just Right!" Children have shared and typed up their personal strategies for finding a book (read a page or two, ask a friend if they've read it, read a review) and have illustrated their thoughts using TuxPaint. We'll combine the pictures and the text in Powerpoint slides to make the presentation. It will be shared as a class, then will become a permanent part of the ICT curriculum to help other students make good book choices. Thanks, First Grade!