During January through February 2006, we read and listened to many mouse tales. We launched with a K-W-L chart to discover what we knew about mice. This chart was revisited several times throughout the project. The culminating activities were graphing our favorite stories and using KidPix to write and illustrate My Mouse Stories after reading Mouse Count. A complete list of the books we enjoyed and more mouse tales can be viewed at: http://teacherweb.com/NC/WilliamsTownshipElementary/CheriBarkley/hf1.stm

Here are samples of our class work:   

We enjoyed many integrated learning activities in all content areas using several of the books we shared. Author studies were done, as we were amazed at how many mouse books we had in our classroom. Our media specialist and the public library bookmobile provided additional books supporting our author studies. We explored story elements, new vocabulary, and the styles of various authors. The children�s favorite authors were Kevin Henkes, Laura Numeroff, and Ellen Stoll Walsh. Choosing their favorite three authors was difficult! This was our first collaborative internet project and our first experience using KidPix. We loved it and appreciate the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful learning experience.

North Carolina Kindergarten Computer Skills

Focus Areas:

*Parts of the computer

*Keyboard familiarity

*Grouping and sequencing

*Respect for the work of others

*Responsible care of resources

*Exploring Multimedia

*Observing online resources

National Educational Technology Standards for Students. (NETS)

* Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

*Students know how to navigate developmentally appropriate multimedia resources (e.g., interactive books, educational software, drawing and presentation programs) to support learning, productivity, and creativity.

* Students, with assistance from teacher, parents, or student partners, know how to use developmentally appropriate technology tools to produce creative works.