Third Grade Students Delight in Using the Dlite Microscope

Students in Mrs. Timson's third grade class have been using a variety of tools to collect, record, and analyze information in their Science Classes. In the study of soil, the students experienced using the Dlite Zoom Microscope to magnify soil samples. 
The microscope plugs into any USB port and comes with a software that allows students to freeze frames or capture images.

Images could then be projected up on the screen, which enabled them to see things that were so microscopic that they would be missed with the naked eye.

It is intriguing to see what the world must look like to ants and bugs. 

There's a whole other world beneath the lens of a microscope!

Weather Reporting

Mrs. Vazquez's Next Generation Digital Classroom is learning about weather maps.  The kids did a great job and synergized to create a weather report with the support of snippets of weather maps to bring it to life! Awesome job Putting First Things First and getting the job done!

What Is Wolfram|Alpha?

WolframAplha is a great site for finding how to computer answers and provide knowledge. As we try to provide resources for students to use, this is one that may come in handy.

Frequently asked questions about WolframAlpha: (taken from the site)

What educational levels is Wolfram|Alpha suitable for?

Any level, from kindergarten to graduate school and beyond. On the elementary end, Wolfram|Alpha can do arithmetic showing steps, make clocks, work with colors, and so on.

Can I use Wolfram|Alpha to do my homework?

That depends on your teacher. If you do use it, don't forget to cite it as a source.

Why does Wolfram|Alpha give a different answer from my textbook?

Check to see if your book's answer appears under "Alternate forms". It's pretty common for some forms to look different but be effectively equivalent.

Should I cite Wolfram|Alpha when I use results from it?

Yes. For academic purposes, Wolfram|Alpha is a primary source.

How should I cite results from Wolfram|Alpha?

The citable author is Wolfram|Alpha. Don't forget to include the time and/or place at which the query was made, as it can affect the result. You can reference results in individual pods by giving their names. See standard citation elements for Wolfram|Alpha for specific elements and an example.

How can I find out what to cite when I use data from Wolfram|Alpha?

Wolfram|Alpha should be considered the source, just as an encyclopedia or other reference would be. If you include the Wolfram|Alpha URL in your document, your readers can go to the "Source information" button to get further references. Note that Wolfram|Alpha often combines and adapts data from multiple sources.

Is the content of Wolfram|Alpha peer reviewed?

Yes, the content is reviewed by domain experts. It is also extensively validated using automated testing. For external data, we strive to use the most reliable sources available.

Can I find out how specific results in Wolfram|Alpha were derived?

Elementary math results often have "Show steps" buttons, and combinations of data have "Details" buttons. "Source information" buttons give information on background sources for external data.

Does Wolfram|Alpha contain "adult content"?

No. It has no adult images or narrative. It gives only factual answers to factual questions.

New to Wolfram|Alpha? Take the Tour: What Is Wolfram|Alpha?

Stemscopes: Science for Home and School!

Mrs. Timson's Third Grade class is working on our Stemscopes program to help review for an upcoming test.

Students can access this from home as well!

First Grade Going Google!

Sunny Schlaudt's first graders have logged into the Google Apps For Education accounts and composed an email for their first Google lesson of the year.

Using GAFE, students will be able to email teachers or staff members, participate in the Google Classroom, use the collaboration tools of both Google Docs and Presentation, as well as adding approved apps from the Chrome Store. 

Composing an email.

Another benefit of using Google Apps for Education is that students may access their accounts from home or anywhere there is internet access.

Forms of Energy in a New Form of Learning!

Students in Mrs. Sweet's science classes used Google Classroom to link into Stepscopes to work on Unit 5.6A.  After making content connections on the uses of energy, they drew their examples of the forms of energy.  Students completed a passage "CLOZE-ing in on Science" and took a concept attainment quiz.
By the way, did you see that HUGE Promethean board in Mrs. Sweet's room?  Her kids sure are tech-savvy?  Thank you Mrs. Sweet for sharing your kids with all of Teravista!

Digital Leadership Binders and Reflections

Many students in 4th and 5th grade classrooms are using the Chromebooks this year to create digital Leadership Binders.  One important feature of the leadership binder is to reflect on learning and track growth toward mastery of the standards.  Here is Maddie from Mrs. Sweet's homeroom reflecting on the first District Common Assessment in Reading!  Mrs. Stoebe, Mrs. Frick, and Mrs. Vasquez are also using the digital Leadership Binders this year.

Teravista Took the Superintendent Challenge!

This was our entry in the RRISD Breakthrough Video Challenge! We reviewed the 5 Breakthrough Challenges that were presented by our keynote speaker at the Kickoff 2015 event. Entries will be judged by three things:1) how many "likes" the video has on Facebook, 2) how many "views" on You Tube, and 3)total score by  panel of 3 RRISD judges. We hope our video wins!

Kindergarten Tech Experts

Students are logging on independently, sending e-mails to their Kinder teachers and friends in the classroom.  They are visiting the Web Store and adding apps such as AbiTalk Phonics Vowels, AbiTalk Phonics Word Families, AbiTalk ABC Rhyming Bee and iStoryBooks.  The students have also joined Google Classroom and posted messages and responded to their friends' messages.  Look at our youngest technology experts!

"The Golden Spoon": an iMovie Experience

The Behavior Management Team created a video with iMovie to set the expectations for appropriate cafeteria behavior.  This engaging and creative video talks about "The Golden Spoon" which rewards Teravista Tigers for excellent behavior in the cafeteria. Thank you Mrs.York for submitting your team's work!

Close Reading with Audio

Today my 5th grade students used Google Classroom to practice close reading.  Students were sent an electronic copy of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" which they pulled up on their Chromebook screens.  I played an audio version of the short story read by Leonard Nimoy while they followed along to the text.  After a class discussion of theme and the purpose of the embedded Sara Teasdale poem, students commented on Google Classroom.  Robots, Spock, and reading; Mrs. Stoebe's 5th grade students rock!

Acceptable Use for EVERYONE In RRISD!!!

All students in RRISD are required to do the Acceptable Use at the beginning of the year. Prior to any work on computers, students will be reviewing Digital Safety and Acceptable Use for Round Rock equipment. 

Round ROck ISD is committed to supporting all students and staff in becoming responsible digital citizens. This year, we have a new resource to use. The R-ROCK the Web website has resources for students, teachers, and parents this year. 

Please visit our new site - Round Rock ISD DigitalCitizenship Site!

Next Generation Classroom in Fourth Grade - Google Classroom

Students in Mrs. Vazquez's Next Generation Classroom are off to a great start this year. This past week, students were independently paired to learn about estimation. The lesson was delivered through Google Classroom.
The students  completed notes and problems on the power point. 

This whole lesson worked awesomely!! The students had great discussions and all agree that this was a much more motivating way to learn.

Nursery Rhyme Remix - 5th Grade TAG ELA

This project was a blast! The kids gave new life to some old Nursery Rhymes.

The 5th graders tapped into their creative sides to write backstories for their updated versions of Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Pigs. They made Google Presentations for this portion of the project. Then, the kids filmed their productions using Flip Cams. They edited and published their final products using the Google App, WeVideo.


Humpy Dumpty Backstory
This Little Criminal Backstory

The Egg That Cracked

This Little Criminal

Space Photo Stories - 2nd Grade TAG

I am so impressed with the amount of effort and learning that took place in my 2nd grade TAG group! From concept to creation, these knocked my socks off!

This class dove deeper into their grade level space unit. After a class brainstorm session, each student selected a topic. From there, the kids used the elements of Depth and Complexity to form a focused research topic. We had everything from "Exploring the Stars with Your Senses" to "Living on Jupiter."

The kids conducted research using online encyclopedias in RRISD Research Resources, websites housed in Edmodo folders, and non-fiction books in the TvE Library. They found the pictures for their PhotoStory using Google Safe Image Search, Free Stock Photos, and Pixabay Free Stock Photos.

After weeks of research, the kids wrote their research papers and turned these into the narration for their PhotoStory. This group was eager to learn everything they could about Photo Story 3 for Windows. Thee final products are wonderful! Enjoy!

First Graders in Miss Allen's Class Made Coupon Books on Google Slides

The first graders in Miss Allen's First Grade Class made coupon books for their moms for Mother's Day. They used google slides to create coupons and then printed four per page to make it into a book for their mom. They inserted pictures of themselves and also google images.

Today I learned how to--
Taylen- print 4 slides per page
Phillip-use control v and control c to copy my slides
Quinn-insert shapes and copy them
Owen-print a PowerPoint
Berren-make a coupon book using powerpoint
Amayah-cut pictures from one page and add them to another page

Second grade students had an opportunity to share their Google slide presentations with their families at Student Led Conferences. 

Simile Self-Portraits

First Grade TAG students have just finished their Simile Self-Portraits. We started our study of similes by reading My Dog is as Smelly as a Socks by Hanoch Piven. Students had to write ten similes that described themselves. Next, the kids went in search of images to snip and save that matched their self-portrait similes in Google Safe Search, Images. Once their images were saved, the kids painted their self-portraits in Microsoft Paint. Finally, they turned in their final products in Google Classroom. The final products turned out great!

Mrs. Bond's Second Grade Class Animal Projects

Students in Grade 2 are all busy working on their research reports. They used three sources for their information and collected all their information. Students were then asked to make an outline of the information. Using a template supplied by the teacher, students then filled in the information. They found images, using Britannica's Image Quest pictures. 

Kinder Paper Slides!

Kindergarten students in Mrs. Sprow's have been researching animals using online resources. They used Pebble Go to find out what the animals look like, where they live, what they eat, and other interesting facts. They wrote all their information and illustrated their animal books.

When finished, they made a "paper slide" of their books. They made a video of themselves reading their reports! What a fantastic way of learning about animals and sharing that information!

Google Slides

Second graders use Google Slides to create a presentation about their animal research.  

Animal Research in Science

Second graders are conducting animal research using Pebblego.com.

Fourth grade practiced summarizing stories in the library. First they read a story with a partner. They worked together to create an outline in a pyramid format. They then had to use their pyramid to write out their summary of the story.

Here is one.
The gingerbread man starts of as a little piece of rolled up dough. later he is a live treat and eleven men chase him all around the city up until they get to a zoo, where a fox says that he is not interested. the gingerbread man needs to escape the humans, so the fox takes him into water and eats him.

Third Grade has started a Learning Lab that students can access before school to help implement technology learning.  Students can access Think Through The Math, Istation, Google Classroom, Read Theory, and Edmodo.  These are just a few resources available at this time.
Parents are asked to fill out and return the permission slip to their teacher.

Safety First! BIcycle Public Service Announcement

The Teravista Student Leadership Council wrote and produced a public service announcement for bicycle safety. They used a flip camera to record their skit and uploaded the video into Corel Video Studio. They edited the video, added sound effects, enhanced it with music, and produced a great public service announcement. 

Fairy Tale Study

Second graders created a commercial and project to persuade

their audience to buy their "fractured fairy tale" cereal. 

Many students used their word processing skills

 to type their project and generate word search games.