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How
May We Help You?
We wish you a Merry Christmas and are Ho Ho
Hoping that as you take a little time off over the break, that you will
give some thought to how Gail and I could be of help to you. So
many of you have invited us into your classrooms but there are still
some that we are dying to work with. Please let us know how we
can be of service to you!
My email
address is mlewis@amherst.k12.va.us. and Gail can be
reached at gmoore@amherst.k12.va.us.
We want to
support you in all your
instructional needs, please don't hesitate to call us!
Melanie
and Gail
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New Site-ings
Free Printable Photo Album:
Create
your own printable photo calendar for free! All you need to do
is upload your picture, choose the month and size of the calendar and
click the "Generate" button, and a calendar with your own photo will
appear on your screen in printable PDF format.
Scratch:
This one is so new, I'm still learning about
it. According to the site, Scratch , it is a new programming
language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories,
animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the
web.
Scratch is designed to help young people (ages
8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch
projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational
ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of
design."
Alenka's Printables: Are
you looking for some cute budget friendly crafts and gift ideas?
Check out these ideas that you can print fro your computer.
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Christmas Websites
Last year I sent out lots of sites on Christmas and winter holidays
around the world. This year's Chrristmas newsletter focuses on
Christmas in America.
Christmas
Theme Activities
This site provides project and writing activity ideas about Christmas.
Santa Claus
Reindeer Barn
Find out about each of Santa's reindeer. Also includes a game with
Santa's sleigh.
E-mail Santa Claus
Send an email to Santa Claus on this website.
Holiday Stories
and Traditions
Read about the how the Christmas tree and Santa came to be. There
is a link to the famous letter about "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa
Claus." Click on "Kids Zone" at the bottom to go to the main page that
has recipes and games. NOTE: Some of the traditions are religious and
this site includes ads.
Celebrate!
Holidays in the U.S.A.
Read about the traditions of Christmas cards and going home for the
holidays. NOTE: The website includes religious information.
Holiday
Pages
Read the lyrics of some Christmas carols that are sung in the
United States. There are also two traditional Christmas stories. The
songs and stories include definitions for the uncommon words. NOTE:
Some of the Christmas carols are religious. NOTE: The website links to
a website with ads.
Christmas
Stockings
Learn about the tradition of hanging stockings.
FactMonster:
Christmas Traditions Origins
Read how several Christmas traditions started. NOTE: This site includes
ads.
Santa Claus House
Explore Santa Claus' house to see a movie about Santa's elves,
information about Christmas traditions, and Christmas songs and games.
Santa
Claus
Read a short article about the creation of Santa Claus. NOTE:
Teachers of young students might not want to share the myth of Santa.
The History of
Christmas
Watch videos and learn about history of Christmas including
Christmas traditions, evolution of Santa, Christmas trees, fun facts,
recipes, and more. NOTE: This site includes ads.
Quia: Christmas Jeopardy
Play a jeopardy game related to Christmas songs, vocabulary, December
holidays, decorating, and the night before Christmas.
Our
hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we
are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child
again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Santa
Twitter
Many of you have heard me talk about Twitter. Twitter is a
combination instant messaging system, micro-blogging service, and
online diary. Most of the people I communicate with just use the
tool to share technology integration ideas. Of course there are
some folks that I follow just for fun. Here is Santa's Twitter
Page. On Christmas Eve he will actually share where he is during
the night. For right now, most of what you see is his conversatons with
others as well as his preps for that big upcoming night. Who says
Santa is just a myth? LOL!!!
Lesson
Idea
"Nice All Around"
is
a round robin activity for students to complete in the computer lab.
Using Microsoft Word, have each student open a word document on their
computer and use Word Art to write their name at the top of the page.
The date should also be added. Now ask the class to get up and rotate
to the next computer. The student looks at the name on the screen, and writes something nice and positive about
that person in only one or two lines and sign their name.
The class
rotates around the room until they have been to each person's computer.
A workstation should also be set up for the teacher and have the
students tell what they like about their teacher. At the end of class, each student reads the good qualities
their classmates see in them.
The teachers enjoy the messages from their kids, and what fun everyone
has !! Don't forget to let the students save their "Nice All Around" story and print it out... it will truly
be something they treasure. This idea was one I picked up during
this past summer in my Supervision of Instruction Class. I have
put a technology spin on it. I am also including a template you
can download and use for this activity.
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