Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Building Schoolwide Literacy With Free Web 2.0 Tools
A Grade by Grade Elementary Model

Curriculum varies widely from school district to school district and state to state. These project ideas will help teachers envision ways that a focused set of web 2.0 tools can help students build skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening as they master concepts and skills across the curriculum.

Grade 2

Tools:
Wordle, Bookemon and/or Voicethread, Mapskip as whole class only

Grade 2 Ideas for Building Literacy with web 2.0 tools:

Wordle: key terms, vocabulary development for word choice in writing (synonyms, overused words in a student writing piece), antonym pairs, homonyms, 4-syllable words, 3-syllable words, etc,

Mapskip Whole class-created:
Local map with student-written “stories” about locations/people/businesses in your community. Create a mapskip map to annotate continents, important landmarks, and more. Students can use it to review/self-test by guessing the “story” before clicking to read it. Continue to add new stories year to year, including places where families have visited, etc. reinforcing map skills as students navigate the map, write and read stories. Map and write stories (write separately in word processor, then enter on map as whole class) of local animal habitats, bodies of water (water cycle), neighborhoods, family history (initials only!), other social studies and science concepts. READ each other’s stories, write comments, and invite parents to comment (more to read!).

Bookemon Student-written and created in whole class or small group including digpix, PowerPoint templates where needed**:
explanations of photos, beginning-middle-end stories, books about food groups, safety, math word problems written by students with answers on next page, poetry collections, Special Occasion Poetry collections: Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Winter, etc., Our own class dictionary with guide words (keep adding new words all year!), stories with punctuated dialog, etc.

Voicethread (whole class account or individual student accounts within free limits). From PowerPoint templates** if you wish. Whole class, then small group:
Whole class presentation on animals, animal babies, homes or other topic-- add recordings of students reading aloud and with expression, Student drawn slides with poems or stories read aloud/recorded. Invite parents to comment. Team reading of dialog passages to accompany pictures Ex. Two frogs talking about their habitat (expression!). Same options as Bookemon but with audio also added.

** differentiation opportunity