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SMARTeKIDS / 1st Grade - 13th Visit to the Computer Lab
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1st Grade - 13th Visit to the Computer Lab

Front Page | Lesson Plans By Grade Level | First Grade Lesson Plans

 

Have the students login and go into the KidPix program to a white screen.  Demonstrate the lesson, using a projector, and have the students do the task at the same time you are teaching it.

 

Opening a Saved Document

Ask them if they remember what they were working on the last visit.  (A Christmas project)  Then ask if anybody remembers how to open the file.  Recall the steps of File, Open, in the Look In box arrow down to their username (F:\), click on it, go to the file Christmas in the big white box in the center of the window, click on it to highlight it (it should appear in the Preview box), and then click on Open.

 

Christmas Project - Part III - Title 

 

When their file is open, tell the students that today they are going to put a title on their page.  We are going to call the picture "Merry Christmas". 

 

 

Have them click on "ABC".  They will notice that the text box around their Christmas text automatically appears.  Tell them not to worry.  Have them click on the white part of the screen one time and the pink handles disappear from around the text.  Click again and another text box appears.  Demonstrate how to grab the pink handles and change the size of the box.

 

Before you begin to type, have the students find the letter "M" on their keyboard.  When they have found it, remind them they have to press the Shift key and then the letter "M" to make a capital "M".  Continue to spell the word Merry for the students using lowercase letters to finish the work.

 

Next have them press the Enter key to move the cursor down a line.  Now locate the letter "c".  Again press the Shift key to make a capital "C".  Spell the rest of Christmas for the students using lowercase letters. 

 

Then have them highlight the words by left clicking and dragging the mouse over the word Christmas and up.  Make sure all of the letters are in a black box.  Go to the bottom of the page and change the size to 48. 

 

Explain to the students that the title is all on the left side of the box and like our Fall picture we want to center our title.  So on the bottom click on the middle blue box to turn it dark blue and the text will be centered.

 

Next have the students watch as you demonstrate the different ways they can change the color of the text.  Remind them that to change color they have to highlight the letters so the computer knows they want to change something.   Show them how they can make Merry Christmas all green or all red or Merry green and Christmas red or vice versa.  Even show them that if they color all of it one color (green) then go back and highlight one letter at a time, they can make a red-green pattern.  Give them a few minutes to color the letters.

 

Salutation 

 

Now have the students click on the screen twice again and create another text box on the screen.  Reshape the box to be a small square in the bottom right portion of the screen.  Locate the letter "L", press the Shift key and type a capital "L".  Finish the rest of the word "Love" in lowercase letters.  Show the students where the comma is located (next to the letter M).  Have them type it after the word "Love".  Then press Enter.  Have the students now type their name on the line under "Love".  Again tell them they need to highlight the words and change it to size 24.  Then click off the words in the box or use the right arrow key to take off the highlighting.  Then they can highlight the individual words or letters and change the color of their name.

 

When they are done changing their text, have them click on "Draw" to remove the text boxes.

 

Saving a Document

 

When everyone is finished, do a File, Save As together and replace the existing document with their new one.

 

NOTE:  You can begin making the Christmas Tree (directions in the next visit) if time permits.

 

When class time is over, exit the program and logoff. 

 

 

Old Lesson (2009-2010) 

Practice

Have the students double click on the Little Wings Web Resources folder.  Find the icon of the penguin called Tux Math Command.  Explain to students that this is a game for learning how to type their numbers and to help with their Math combinations.  Click on Play Alone on the first screen.  Then click on Math Command Training Activity.  Have them start with the first level Number Typing today.  As the year progresses change the level each time they practice in the program and switch between addition and subtraction.  Tell students to use their right hand for the numbers on the number key pad and their left hand on the space bar to send their answer.  Monitor the students' hand placement as they play.  The program does not remember what they completed but as they get quicker with their responses, it will go to the next level of difficulty in problems.  Have them practice for five minutes.  Close the program when time has expired.

 

Then click on the KidPix program in the same folder.

 

Backgrounds 

Demonstrate for the students a new button called Backgrounds.  It is the button that looks like a picture.  Click on it.  The bottom of the screen has a scroll of categories, like the stamps, to explore a variety of backgrounds to use in stories.  After picking a category, look at the end of the row of backgrounds for the number one and arrows.  This shows that this particular category has more pictures by clicking on the arrow and changing to the next set of pictures.  If you click on a background, the name appears below the row of pictures.  This really helps in identifying some of the pictures.  To place a background on the screen, click and drag it up to the screen.  If you change your mind, just click on another picture and drag it to the screen.  It will replace the old one.

 

Tell the students we are going to be writing a story about the winter, so as they explore the backgrounds see if they can find any winter or snow pictures.  Let them explore until the end of class.  (Winter scenes are located in Extreme Sports and Nature - Row 5)