With a new school year and a change in classroom environment, Bonnie Orthmeyer is very excited to be teaching in the science lab at Linlee elementary. One of the devices available to Mrs. Orthmeyer is an Intel Play microscope - an inexpensive microscope with video and computer display capabilities. I happen to be there for one of her lessons and captured some great photos. 

The first grade students at Linlee are studying the parts of a plant and what they need to survive. Mrs. Orthmeyer wanted to show the students how celery has veins that allow the water and nutrients to travel up the stem. She began by showing the students the celery under the microscope. She had this connected to her TV through the use of the scan converter. She then took a picture of the celery on the microscope and placed the celery into a cup of water with food coloring for them to review later. Mrs. Orthmeyer then went through a few interactive websites with her students that reviewed the parts of a plant. Next, she opened Paint and drew a picture of a plant as the students told her which part came next. Finally, Mrs. Orthmeyer went back to the celery stalk. She placed it under the microscope and showed the students how the colored water had traveled up the veins of the celery stalk. She took a picture and compared it to the original picture and the students could see the difference. The students were very engaged in the activity and had a great time seeing the microscope in use.

The IntelPlay QX3+ Microscope (now marketed by Neo/Sci) can be purchased almost anywhere computer hardware is sold for under $50. Purchase complete classroom packages with curriculum ideas and 36 sample lessons from CCV for around $125. Plugs into your W98SE or higher computer through USB.

Historical Research at Jessie Clark Middle

Mrs. Parsons, a Language Arts teacher, at Jessie Clark is using technology to help her students travel back in time. Mrs. Parsons is asking her students to write a short story from the perspective of another person in another period in time. She began by talking to the class about movies that have been made about historic events such as Pearl Harbor or the Titanic. The class then wrote a piece together. Finally, Mrs. Parsons shared a piece she had written dressed in vintage clothing of that period.

The next step was researching an historical event. A webpage was created which allowed the students to visit specific events occurring in the 1860’s, 1920’s, 1940’s and 1960’s (see above - click on the image to go there). Students gathered information and are now ready to write their own stories.

Jeanne Brownlee is the Art teacher at Johnson Elementary. This year she will be using the computer lab once a month for students grades 3-5 to work on digital art, projects and research. Jeannie will be using the lab in addition to the use of the computer she has in her art classroom. In the past, she has used her classroom computer to view art elements and other works of art, as well as having students work on individual projects and research.

Recently, Jeanne taught a lesson on the art element of “line” by using the program Paint. Jeanne plans to use various programs and internet sites to teach lessons from the curriculum map throughout the year. A site that Jeannie recommends is http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/play/play.html.

To view samples of the student artwork, go to "Through a Student's Eyes".