Animals Alphabet

Students will use their knowledge of the alphabet and letter sounds to create an alphabet PowerPoint presentation. Each slide will contain a letter of the alphabet, a sentence and the sound that corresponds to that letter.

A lesson plan for grade K Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts

Learning outcomes

Goals

• Students will create a PowerPoint slide for their assigned letter of the alphabet.
• Students will apply their computer/keyboard skills (shift, enter, backspace, delete, letters, etc).

Objectives

• Students will identify animals that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
• Students will apply their phonemic awareness to use inventive spelling while writing a sentence for their PowerPoint slide.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

7 days

Technology resources

• Computer with Microsoft PowerPoint access for each student
• Data projector (AverKey, Smart TV, Smart Board)and screen
• At least one microphone that plugs into the computer.
• Computer with sound recording capabilities.

Pre-activities

Set-up

• In advance, the teacher should create a folder on the school’s network in which students will save their work so that it may be accessed after the lesson to merge each slide into one presentation.
• (Optional)Create a shortcut on the desktop to Microsoft PowerPoint on the computers being used.
• Teacher should check available clipart to ensure that each child will be able to insert an animal for his or her letter.

Activities

Day One

1. Read to the class other animal alphabet books to give students ideas for each letter.
2. As a class, go through the alphabet and make a list of a couple animals that begin with each letter. For the letters for which no animal can be thought of, refer back to the animal alphabet books.
3. Assign each child a letter of the alphabet. If you have more letters than children, give a few children more than one letter or complete them as a class.
4. For homework, ask children to decide which animal they are going to use for their letters. They should also write the sentence for their slide, using the same form: …is for… (A is for alligator.)

Day Two

Demonstrate the process in making a PowerPoint presentation using the Smart TV in the classroom. This demonstration will give the students an idea of what PowerPoint is and its capabilities.

Day Three

1. Divide the class into two (or more) groups: those who have letters A-L and those who have M-Z.
2. Take the first group to the computer lab to work on their slides. Each child should have his or her own computer on which to work.
3. Once in the computer lab, use the data projector to show children each step:
   • Find and double click on the PowerPoint shortcut. (Tell children to look for the “red box”.)
   • Click on the “x” to hide the “New Presentation” box and the outline/slide view box. (This will enlarge the slide viewing area and give the students less to look at.)
   • Click on the top text box (Click to add title) and tap the “delete” key.
   • Find the insert clipart icon (Tell children to find the little white box in the tool bar that has a man in it.) Click one time.
   • Click in the top white box, under search text, and type assigned letter.
   • Click on search. The first blue box under your letter.
   • Use the down arrow to scroll down and find a letter that you want to use.
   • Remind children that they must choose a letter with an animal on it. (For those letters that do not have an animal, allow those children to choose a plain letter. Go to those few children and help them do another clipart search using the animal names instead of the letters.)
   • Once children have chosen the letter that they like, tell them to click on it one time.
   • Wait for everyone to choose their animal/letter, and then show them how to enlarge it. (Move mouse over one of the dots in the top corners of the picture, click on it and drag it up/out.)
   • Be careful not to enlarge pictures down over the lower text box.
   • Optional: center picture in the middle of the page - Click on picture. Click on “Draw” in the bottom left corner on the tool bar. Click on “Align or Distribute.” Move over to “Relative to Page”. Go back and click on “Align or Distribute” and then move over to “Align Center.”
   • Add sentences in the lower text box: click on the center of the box one time and begin typing sentences.
   • Remind children to use the “shift” key so that their sentences will begin with a capital letter. (Children should have their paper on which they wrote their sentence for homework.)
   • Once everyone has typed the sentences, have children save their work in the teacher’s folder.
   • Click on File. Click on Save As, and lead them to your folder. Have them name their slide using their name and/or the letter.
   • After everything is saved, have children close PowerPoint, by clicking on the “x” (x out).

Day Four

Repeat the above process with the second group of children.

Day Five

1. Using the classroom computer, call one child over at a time and record him or her saying the sound of his or her letter (or reading his sentence).
2. To record sound: plug microphone into computer. Open the child’s slide. Click on “Insert” on the menu bar. Click on “Movies and Sounds.” Click on “Record Sound.” Click on the red dot and have child begin speaking. When the child is done, click on OK. A speaker icon will appear. Move it to the bottom left hand corner. Save the slide and move on to the next child.

Day Six

1. Merge all of the individual slides into one document.
2. Open the first slide - letter A. Click on “Insert” on the menu bar. Click on “Slides From Files.” Click on “Browse” and go to location in which the children’s slides are saved. Click on the B slide and open.
3. Repeat this process, moving on to the next letter each time.
4. Once all of the slides have been inserted, save again under a new name. Now the presentation is complete.

Day Seven

Using the Smart TV, show the class the presentation.

Assessment

Assessments will be conducted through teacher’s observations. The teacher will be evaluating children’s ability to apply their keyboard knowledge and use letter sounds when writing the sentence for their slide.

By Emily Leonard