Recently, two third grade teachers asked me for help. They have projects planned for students to work on and the topic is landforms; however, they needed me to guide the students into researching and taking notes. So, we used NetTrekker, KidsClick, and FactMonster to locate information about various landforms, using Word to save a bibliography and take notes. The students then put the notes in their own words, using speech bubbles and text boxes in Kerpoof’s “Make a Picture.” So many of the backgrounds available include landforms that third graders were studying: mountains, valleys, plateaus and mesas, river deltas, peninsulas, coasts, plains, etc.
So, the product was simple: Choose a background that represents your landform (or is a close stretch of the imagination), and add text boxes and/or characters with speech bubbles that discuss facts about the landforms. Of course, I allowed some additional “atmosphere” humor, such as dinosaurs shouting “Run for your life! The volcano is erupting!”
Here is a PDF with fairly simplified instructions:
Of course, additional directions would be needed for doing the research as well as using a word processor! I’ve only focused on getting to the finished product.
I continue to be amazed at what thought and creativity has gone into the creation of this site!
If you are not familiar with it, NORAD aids children (and adults!) in following Santa on his yearly sleigh ride around the world. Through use of satellites, Santa Cams, fighter jets, and other technology (and help from Google Earth), you can follow along with him.
The site also has an area called Kid’s Countdown, full of winter-related activities (ambiguous enough for kids who don’t celebrate the holiday of Christmas).
