Technology @ ATS

Congratualations Mrs. Ahern and Ms. Sterner

Posted by Heather Hurley at 12/3/2012

Students from Mrs. Ahern’s and Ms. Sterner’s 2011-12 class won the Virginia Society for Technology in Education’s (VSTE) Student Technology Integration Challenge (STIC). VSTE started this competition in 2011 to encourage teachers and students to share the great products they are creating using technology to support the standards of learning. Ms. Sterner’s class won in the 3-5 grade multimedia category for their Voicethread project The Voice and Mrs. Ahern’s class won in the K-2 grade multimedia category for their Ancient China and Ancient Egypt paper slide videos. Mrs. Ahern's and Ms. Sterner's students presented their project to educators at the VSTE conference in VA Beach and were recognized at a ceremony.

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More information about the STIC program can be found at: http://www.vsteconference.org/stic2012/
Projects can be viewed at:
Mrs. Ahern: http://bit.ly/119IslA
Mrs. Sterner: http://bit.ly/119JyxB

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Photosynthesis Music Video

Posted by Heather Hurley at 6/15/2012

This music video was created by the students in Mrs. Sterner's class as they learned about photosynthesis. The song Photosynthesis is by one of Mrs. Sterner's favorite bands, They Might Be Giants. The song is from the Here Comes Science CD. Working in collaborative groups, students were given a verse from the song and had to interpret it for video. The video was filmed using a digital camera in movie mode. Enjoy!

Photosynthesis - Mrs Sterner's Stars from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.

Lyrics

Photosynthesis – Photosynthesis- Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis doesnot involve a camera
Or a synthesizer
Although that'sinteresting too
Photosynthesis is howplants take in light
From the sun and turnit into energy
It's actually a thingon which most life depends
Here on the planetEarth

Photosynthesis – Photosynthesis- Photosynthesis

With plants

Chlorophyll cellstake in carbon dioxide
Now that's the airthat we breathe out
Combines it withwater and exposes it to sunlight
And that's how plantscan make their own food
Photosynthesis is whyplants need light
And photosynthesis iswhy humans need plants
Because throughphotosynthesis plants make oxygen
And humans needoxygen to breathe

Photosynthesis – Photosynthesis- Photosynthesis

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2nd Grade - Ancient China and Ancient Egypt

Posted by Heather Hurley at 4/12/2012

The students in Mrs. Ahern's Class created paper slide videos about Ancient Egypt and China. Students worked collaboratively in groups to write scripts and illustrate pictures. Thanks to Mrs Ahern, Mrs Nowak, Mrs Zimmerman and Ms Riley for all of their work.

Group One: Ancient Egypt from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.

Group Two: Ancient China from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.

Group Three: Ancient China from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.

Group Four: Ancient Egypt from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.
The project covers the following VA Standards of Learning and National Technology Standards:

History
2.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient China and Egypt have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language.2.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient China and Egypt have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language.

Oral Language
2.3 The student will use oral communication skills.
a) Use oral language for different purposes: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain.
b) Share stories or information orally with an audience.

NETS
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance,
to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

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The Voice: A Poetry Voicing Project

Posted by Heather Hurley at 4/12/2012

Fourth graders in Mrs. Sterner's Class gave a "voice" to images of slavery. Working cooperatively in committees, students selected inspirational images, created a themed poem that connected to the image and then recorded themselves using Voicethread. Strategies from History Alive were used to teach the lesson and images from Kadir Nelson were the backdrop to the project.

Group One

Group Two

Group Three

Group Four

The project covers the following VA Standards of Learning and National Technology Standards:

Oral Language

4.1 The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings.
a) Present accurate directions to individuals and small groups.
b) Contribute to group discussions.
c) Seek ideas and opinions of others.
d) Use evidence to support opinions.
e) Use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary to communicate ideas.

4.2 The student will make and listen to oral presentations and reports.
a) Use subject-related information and vocabulary.
b) Listen to and record information.
c) Organize information for clarity.

Writing
4.7 The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations.
a) Focus on one aspect of a topic.
b) Develop a plan for writing.
c) Organize writing to convey a central idea.
e) Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variation.
f) Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry.
g) Use available technology.

Civil War and Postwar Eras
VS.7 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by
c) describing the roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African
Americans, and American Indians.

NETS

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance,
to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

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Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted by Heather Hurley at 1/11/2012

This Paper slide video was created by Mrs. Hamilton's first grade class. This is the first in a series of videos about famous Americans.

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr. from Heather Hurley on Vimeo.

The project covers the following VA Standards of Learning and National Technology Standards:

1.9 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction and nonfiction.
b) Set a purpose for reading.
f) Identify characters, setting, and important events.
g) Retell stories and events, using beginning, middle, and end.
h) Identify the topic or main idea.

1.12 The student will write to communicate ideas.
a) Generate ideas.
c) Use descriptive words when writing about people, places, things, and events.
g) Share writing with others.
h) Use available technology.

1.2 The student will describe the stories of American leaders and their contributions to our country, with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance,
to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats

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4th Grade History Tableau Project

Posted by Heather Hurley at 3/31/2011 11:00:00 AM

Students in Ms. Thacher's class created tableaus about history. The definition of a tableau is " [short for tableau vivant (from French, literally, living picture)] a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants." Using our brand new Macbooks, students were assigned an area of study, created a tableau and wrote an original poem to accompany the photo. Students then used a Web 2.0 tool called Voicethread to put the whole project together. Ms. Thacher's students did a great job working collaboratively together. We hope you enjoy the projects.

Revolutionary War

Civil War

New Nation

Jamestown

Civil Rights

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Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea

Posted by Heather Hurley at 1/19/2011 12:00:00 PM

I worked with a small group of Ms. Figari's first graders. In class Ms Figari had them read Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea. In this book Stingbean sends postcards telling about all the places he visited. As an extension of the book, first graders researched a state of their choice using an online database called Culture Grams. Students recorded information in their writing notebooks. Using an online postcard maker from Read *Write* Think, students wrote a postcard to a person of their own choosing. The postcard explained why someone should visit their state. This activity was lots of fun and the students did a great job!

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Math Groups with Mrs. Ahern

Posted by Heather Hurley at 11/23/2010 1:00:00 PM

In an effort to expand her math instruction, Mrs. Ahern has been integrating technology stations into her classroom. Students were broken down into two groups. While Mrs. Ahern led a math activity with one group, I led the other group in a SMART Board partner activity. Throughout the math period students got the chance to work with both of us. The students really enjoyed the activity.

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Wordle Vision Activity

Posted by Heather Hurley at 5/15/2009 1:15:00 PM

What 3 - 4 words come to mind when you think of ATS? What does it look like in a word cloud?
"Each student leaves Arlington Traditional School with the skills and attitudes of a life-long learner as a contributing, caring member of our diverse, changing world."
3 more words about student learning. What does it look like?

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Kindergarten Goes to the Supermarket

Posted by Heather Hurley at 5/5/2009 10:35:00 AM

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Hamilton's class visited our local Safeway to learn about more about roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. The students took digital photos and imported them into Voicethread. They then recorded themselves. If you enjoy the project please leave them a comment.

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