Ever wonder how the "specials" could collaborate?

Here is what Cheryl Sullivan, from Rockport Elementary in Massachusetts did with librarian, Patricia Hussey, and art teacher, Simon Paddock!

We are working this week on sketching the pictures (first graders) and will fill them in next week. We have 3 folk tales, with a first-fourth grade combo working on each. Two of the classes will physically pair up as buddies because they have library and tech at the same time. (I will take pictures of that!) The other 2 fourths & firsts are working in tandem. The fourth graders typed, I printed them, gave the copies to the art teacher; he worked with the first graders as they drew on the copies, he sent the pictures back to me and the first graders looked at them as they drew on the computer! Phew! So, we will soon have jpegs for you of Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill! It was a nice project for collaboration of the "Specialists"!

Cheryl

And how did it go? Notice in all cases whose hand is on the mouse! The first graders learned a great deal from their expert partners. Be sure to visit their tales in the dictionary; they're great!

The Specialist “Tag Team” Process  -- Folk Tale Buddy Project

In the Library:

• Fourth and first grade students listened to the reading of a folktale (Paul Bunyan, John Henry, or Pecos Bill).
• Students brainstormed a word connected with the story for each letter of the alphabet, then created sentences that retold parts of the story using the words.
• Students created a “retelling” summary of the story for the website.

In the Computer Lab:

• Fourth graders typed the words and sentences on the computers, then printed them, leaving a space in the middle for an illustration.

In the Art Room:

• First graders drew pictures to go with the sentences on the printed papers.

In the Computer Lab:

• The pictures from the Art Room were used as guidance while the first graders drew their pictures on the computer (Kid Pix).
• The pictures had the text flattened and were exported as jpegs, then emailed to the CyberDictionary site.

The Library/Lab schedules coincided for one first grade and one fourth grade class, so these students were able to work in cross-grade buddy pairs. Fourth graders in the Library read folk tales to the first graders, while fourth graders in the Lab assisted the first graders as they illustrated the sentences

Classroom curriculum connections:

Grade 1:

• Identifying names and sounds of letters
• Restating important facts & retelling stories

Grade 4:

• Social Studies curriculum, geography & people of the US
  (Folktales were selected with consideration of different regions of US)