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After much searching, Lisa located
a web site which featured traditional stories that she could use in
the Literacy Hour. She has developed lesson plans for her Year 3 / 4
class based on the stories she found on the Internet. She describes
how she used a data projector with a laptop computer for the first time.
The report includes recommendations for further work, and advice on
practical aspects.
Using
traditional stories from the Internet in the Literacy Hour
Finding traditional tales on the Internet in a format suited to teaching
in the Literacy Hour was not an easy task. Many of the sites I came
across in searches were very plain and uninteresting. I wanted a site
that had colours, suitable language and preferably sounds.
When I explored the internet, I found many
stories that would be useful in the Literacy Hour for the teaching of
traditional tales. These include The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Three
Little Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, Country Mouse and Town Mouse, The
Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Thumb, The Tortoise and
the Hare and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
I decided to use Goldilocks
and the Three Bears.
I prepared a planning grid showing
how the story would be used in the Literacy Hour for one week. The grid
shows how National Literacy Strategy teaching objectives were addressed.
Download the planning
grid (Excel 97)
Four
worksheets on collecting and classifying adjectives (Word 7)
Group work
In a classroom with only one computer it was
possible to have one group of three children using the computer to retell
the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' This work was then projected
onto the screen for the plenary session for the class to read, discuss
and make corrections.
The next day the following group could
then continue the story on the computer and so by the end of the week
a complete version of the story had been written.
Further
suggestions for using the data projector in the Literacy Hour
I discovered that a data projector is a useful resource for any presentation
or whole class teaching. Here are a few suggestions that worked well.
- E-mail If your class is involved in writing to
another school or taking part in an e-mail project this is a good
way to present the new mail. Writing collaborative e-mail is a quick
and effective way for everyone to contribute to a message.
- Talking word processors are especially effective
when made available to the whole class via the projector.
- Shared writing is made easier once everyone can
see the text and changes can be made instantly. The undo facility
on the computer makes experimenting with words fun.
- Checking group work and advising on suggested
improvements is an ideal activity for a plenary session. Children
are inspired to produce their best work if they know that at the end
of the session everyone will be reviewing their efforts.
Using a data projector: practical
issues
I did not use the projector in a well-resourced
computer suite but in a mobile classroom without a whiteboard or screen.
I stuck four large pieces of white paper onto the blackboard with Blu-tak.
This worked very well: the image was sharp and clear and there was no
glare, which can be a problem when projecting onto the shiny surface
of a whiteboard.
It is important to set the projector
up in the best position and at the correct height. Schools may wish
to consider purchasing a stand for the data projector if they are to
use it to its full potential.
Safety Issues
Trailing cables are a problem. Fortunately
I was able to have the cable and extension leads close to the power
point. I was still very aware that children would always try to take
the quickest route from one side of the room to the other rather than
necessarily the safest. It was important to talk to the children about
the dangers of walking near the cables and also to remind them of this
at regular intervals.
(NB Cable protector may be purchased
by the metre from County Supplies. This is a flat rubber tread which
conceals the flex.)
Using the data projector
with a laptop
A laptop has to be instructed to send a signal
to an external display. There is normally a special key combination.
Hold down Fn and tap F5 (F4 on the BECTa portables) to toggle through
the three settings: laptop only - external display only - both.
Using a remote control
When talking to the children about the text
and asking specific questions I found it very useful to block the image
on the data projector using the remote control. This displays a red
and black chessboard image. The children quickly got the idea that when
the chessboard was displayed I wanted their full attention.
There is also a pointer available
on the remote control panel. I used this to focus the children's attention
to specific areas such as speech marks or to show adjectives etc.
Disasters
When using sophisticated equipment and the
Internet be prepared for occasional problems! It is important to have
a back up lesson as a stand by. Store the Internet pages you wish to
use and have paper based resources available if possible.
(NB Internet Explorer 5.0 may
be used off line without having to take any special steps to store pages.
Make sure beforehand that you visit all the pages you intend to use
and wait for graphics, animation and sounds to download. When you start
Internet Explorer, click Work Offline in the Dial-up Connection box.
If you have not upgraded your NGfL laptop to IE 5.0, contact the NGfL
office for a free upgrade CD ROM.)
Other websites
Fairy Tale Land
www.lancsngfl.ac.uk
Big Books Online
www.lancsngfl.ac.uk
Aesop Tales
www.umass.edu/aesop
Various Big Books
www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm
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