LESSON PLANS FOR KINDERGRID


6. Area of Nationally developed curriculum

There are three areas of nationally developed curriculum being incorporated into the following lessons plans for both computer-based and off-computer activities. The curriculum strands and learning outcomes have been derived from the three profiles:

* Languages Other Than English-a curriculum profile for Australian schools, 1994

* Spelling resource book, 1996 (Developed by the Education Department of Western Australia)

* Key Intended Information Technology Outcomes.

N.B The student outcomes and learning objectives for each of the curriculum profiles stated above, will accompany the individual lessons plans that are to follow.

7. Off-computer activities related to the topic

ACTIVITY ONE

Learning objectives

(Spelling resource book)

* Be given opportunities to explore language and play with words to increase their knowledge about words.

* Have fun with learning how language works

* Be involved in open-ended activities and be able to work at their own level of competency

* Build specific-interest, subject-related and vocabulary extension lists

Description of activity


WHAT COMES NEXT?

This activity will involve the use of the spelling lists found on the kindergrid programme. This activity is great for helping children to revise and memorise these specific words. It is similar to the game of hangman. It is important that children have access to a list of the alphabet for this activity.

The teacher sets out broken lines which represent the amount of letters that are contained in one of the words from the kindergrid spelling list. The children try to guess the letters contained in that word and for each one they get wrong the teacher adds a part to a specific diagram, eg a mouse and its cheese, once the diagram is complete, the word is revealed and may be revisited until children are familiar with it. When the words are correct the teacher moves onto the next one and then this then becomes part of the children's spelling quota. For the elder children, this game can be played in small groups with the children taking turns to be the recorder.

ACTIVITY TWO

Learning objectives

* Know how to learn difficult words

* Have fun with learning how language works

* Be given opportunities to explore language and play with words to increase their knowledge about words.

Description of activity

SPELLAMADOODLE

This activity also uses the spelling list off the kindergrid programme. It aims at helping children become familiar with words that they find particularly difficult from the kindergrid spelling list. This is also a way that children can have fun with spelling.

1. Ask students to make a design using their spelling words printed end-to-end. The words should form into some type of illustration.

2. Each spelling word must be written at least three times and must be spelled correctly.

3. Show children an example to get them started and focused into the activity

4. Mount the student's designs and have them on display so that the children can refer to each others for different spelling words

8. Computer based-activities related to the topic

ACTIVITY THREE

Learning objectives

(Languages other than English profiles)

* Gives two or three responses in learning situations

* Attempts to respond in the LOTE on hearing it

* Imitates models of speech with approximate pronunciation

Description of activity

The Kindergrid programme will be changed to add a different language area that the children have been studying previously in the classroom. The crossword is played as normal with the children responding to another language to obtain the answers for the crossword. The children are required to repeat the words along with the computer as they go, in order of practicing their pronunciation. The LOTE word lists will be used off the computer as well to gain more practice.

ACTIVITY FOUR

Learning objectives

(KITO's)

* Independent learning

* Uses computer software to support learning in literacy and problem solving.

Description of activity

Students will play the Kindergrid programme independently. Because of the nature of this specific programme, the literacy area of the learning objective is being satisfied through the spelling area of the programme both on and off the computer. The children need to work out the answers for the different areas of the crossword, using their own initiative to look for clues and assistance. This therefor satisfies the problem solving area of the learning objective. Children can then print their crosswords to keep in a working folder.

9. Classroom management and evaluation strategies

Kindergrid needs to be set up in a quiet area of the classroom as there are lots of different sounds and noises that may distract other members of the classroom. The sound can be turned down, or it may even be an option for teachers to turn the sound off completely. It is also important to ensure that the computer is situated in a quiet area with some sort of surrounding so that the other class members are not too distracted by the colourful screen, which may result in low productivity of the other class members.

There will need to be some sort of roster made to ensure that each child has a fair and adequate turn playing Kindergrid. The game needs to be incorporated into the classroom lesson so that children are able to see its relevance for their learning. This could be achieved by only using the programme when the whole class are doing their spelling, especially those spelling lists associated directly with the programme.

Evaluation for this programme and the associated lessons as mentioned above can be conducted through observation of the student's competency with the programme, especially when they are required to conduct the LOTE lesson plan. The other off-computer activities can be marked in relation to the child's ability to satisfy the learning objectives specified for the individual lessons.