By: Dina Discepolo Google Classroom Project- Animal Habitats

Classroom Demographics I created a Google Classroom assignment for a 1 st grade general education class I created a Google Classroom assignment for a 1 st grade general education class Due to the age and limited computer backgrounds of the students, I made the decision to have the class complete one assignment in Google Classroom Due to the age and limited computer backgrounds of the students, I made the decision to have the class complete one assignment in Google Classroom At the beginning of the lesson, it quickly became apparent that the students had very limited experience with typing, using a mouse and navigating the internet At the beginning of the lesson, it quickly became apparent that the students had very limited experience with typing, using a mouse and navigating the internet With this understanding of the students’ prior knowledge, I had to make some alterations to my original plan for the project! With this understanding of the students’ prior knowledge, I had to make some alterations to my original plan for the project!

Project Details Students were given an option as to what animal habitat they would like to research and learn more about Students were given an option as to what animal habitat they would like to research and learn more about All of the habitats were previously taught and reviewed in a science unit a few weeks prior to introducing the Google Classroom project All of the habitats were previously taught and reviewed in a science unit a few weeks prior to introducing the Google Classroom project Once a habitat was picked, students were asked to log into BrainPop Jr, watch a video and take notes about animals, plants and special facts about their habitat Once a habitat was picked, students were asked to log into BrainPop Jr, watch a video and take notes about animals, plants and special facts about their habitat Then, they would fill in a pre-made Google Slides presentation with the information they researched Then, they would fill in a pre-made Google Slides presentation with the information they researched

Timeline Students were given a week in the computer lab to work on their projects Students were given a week in the computer lab to work on their projects Two of those days were spent teaching the students how to type, use a mouse and how to log into their Gmail accounts/Google Classroom Two of those days were spent teaching the students how to type, use a mouse and how to log into their Gmail accounts/Google Classroom A third day was spent teaching students how to insert pictures into their presentation A third day was spent teaching students how to insert pictures into their presentation

Preparation Before introducing Google Classroom to the students, there was a lot of preparation work involved: Inviting all the students to the class Inviting all the students to the class Creating a folder for each habitat of pre-approved pictures that the students can use for their project Creating a folder for each habitat of pre-approved pictures that the students can use for their project Creating a Google Docs page with links to videos about their given habitat Creating a Google Docs page with links to videos about their given habitat Works cited pages for each picture included Works cited pages for each picture included

Student Work Here are some examples of completed student work from the 1 st Grade Class:

Student Work Here are some examples of completed student work from the 1 st Grade Class:

Student Work Here are some examples of completed student work from the 1 st Grade Class: *Close!

Student Work Here are some examples of completed student work from the 1 st Grade Class:

Student Work Here are some examples of completed student work from the 1 st Grade Class:

Google Classroom Here’s what my First Grade Google Classroom looked like:

Google Classroom Here is what my homepage looks like:

Google Drive- Habitat Pictures Using the students’ district Gmail accounts, I was able to share a folder I titled: “Habitat Pictures” Students would be able to click on their habitat and choose pre-approved pictures for their project.

Google Drive- Habitat Pictures This is what the folder for the African Savanna habitat looked like. I searched Google Images for images that the students could use for their projects. During my search, I made sure to include pictures that were free to reuse without copyright.

Video Page Each habitat folder had a Works Cited Page and a Google Docs page with links to BrainPop Jr. videos to watch for research purposes.

Reflection on the completion of the project The students are still completing their projects in the computer lab with a tech coach They will also be presenting their projects for the principal and other first grade classes! In all, I think that the project was a success The class learned a great deal through their experiences working in the computer lab about how to use a computer More importantly, they were able to see what they can accomplish with patience and dedication! When I get my own class, I look forward to implementing Google Classroom with my students