Fun Learning Projects (from Jen Wagner)

I love Jennifer Wagner’s projects for elementary students. They are very project/themed based, and she always has a mix of “old favorite” and “new ideas” each year. When you participate in one of her projects, your students also have the chance to collaborate with other students around the world. I’ve had teachers participate in her Oreo project, Room with a View, and a Valentine Card Exchange. They loved them! Here are some exciting ones she will be offering this year:

Projects to Sign Up for Today

Guess the Wordle:

  • Open Ended start and finish (Do as little or as much as you want)
  • Great for grades 3-5, but could be used by any grade.
  • Helps with higher level thinking
  • Could be used as a welcome activity in the mornings

O.R.E.O. Project

  • Runs from Sept. 21-Oct. 16
  • Could be completed in 1 or 2 class periods, but includes enrichment ideas to take it further.
  • Entails stacking Oreo cookies and comparing results from around the world.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

  • Learn about weather, tall tales, and compare and contrast.
  • Runs from August 31 to September 18
  • Looks great for K-5

Upcoming Projects that Look Good

You’ll need to keep a watch on these projects so you can register for them.

Where the Wild Things Went

  • Runs from Oct. 12-Oct. 30 (Corresponds with movie version release)
  • Students will extend the story of “Where the Wild Things Went” using a wiki
  • Skype may be included for classroom reading

Holiday Card Exchange

  • Runs from Nov. 30-Dec. 18
  • Classrooms will participate with 24 other classrooms from around the world
  • Classes will mail one card to each class (so count on postage for 24 cards)
  • Google Earth will be used to map places
  • I’ve had third graders participate before in a similar Valentine’s Day project, and both teachers and students loved it!!

There are more projects too….to see a list of all projects, visit the Projects By Jen website!  Click here to see a description of all the projects she will offer this year.

And, if you decide to try one of these projects, please let me know!  I’d love to lend a helping hand!!

Third Graders Participate in a Global Penpal Project

Have you noticed Third Grade’s bulletin board in the upstairs hallway at G.W. Carver? If so, you might have noticed all the colorful cards, letters, and brochures from schools all around the globe! The students in Mrs. Naves, Ms. Pillis’, Mrs. Hughes, and Mrs. Travitz’s classes have been participating in a global penpal project called, “From Me to You 2008” organized by Jennifer Wagner on the Technospud Project Website. Teachers from all over the world participated, from California to Maine, Canada to Hawaii, and even Australia! Each Third Grade class sent cards to 23 other classes (and to a Ronald McDonald House) and included a brochure (created by seven very creative third graders) that told the classes all about G.W. Carver and Salem, Virginia. In return, they are receiving cards from other classes, and learning all about places all over the United States and beyond. Students will even have a chance to view the location of all the classes on Google Earth (and learn how to use the ruler in Google Earth to measure distance)! If you haven’t had a chance to take a look at some of the things they have received, take a walk by Third Grade. If you want to learn more about this particular project, you can check out the project homepage here.

Also, if you think you might be interested in doing a global project, I highly recommend looking at some of the other ones on the Technospud Project Website. It looks like an exciting project for K-3 is about to start in March for St. Patrick’s Day (involving Lucky Charms and lots of Math) , one later in the Spring for grades 4-6 based on Prince Caspian (the 2nd book in the Narnia Series), and more! If you choose to do one, please let me know. I’d love to help!!