Powtoon!

Powtoon is a presentation media that allows users to create engaging and animated videos.  Mrs. Burton's Language Arts classes recently chose to create and publish their "How To" papers by creating a Powtoon video.  Since 5th grade classes are departmentalized at FCE, Mrs. Burton was able to use this media with over 60 students.  The students accessed their Google Account and downloaded Powtoon EDU.  By accessing their Google account, students also have the ability to work on this app at home. It took no time at all for students to learn all Powtoon has to offer.  After publishing their work, students went on a gallery walk in the classroom to view their classmates' presentations.

Google Apps for Education

Round Rock ISD has uses Google Apps for Education for elementary students in grades 2-5.  This account gives students a district email address and access to other Google Apps such as Drive, Calendar, Sites, Classroom and the Chrome Store.  One of the great benefits of Google Apps accounts is the ability for students to complete assignments at home and work collaboratively with their peers.  Teachers can communicate easily and give students specific and timely feedback.

Mrs. Jezisek and Mrs. Walkup introduced third grade students to their Google account and collaborated on a 'live journal.' This journal is between the student and teachers and allows multiple users to communicate simultaneously. Students had fun exploring real-time typing!

Project-Based Learning

Kindergarten classes have finished their Project Based Learning while incorporating music.  Students collaborated to create a short list of classroom expectations. The music teachers, Mrs. Strong and Mrs. McDaniel, helped write and record the students' classroom expectations into a song for each class.

 Click here to hear Mrs. Rodgers' class song!

Click here to hear Ms. Teeler's class song!
Click here to hear Mrs. Smith's class song!
Click here to hear Mrs. Harris' class song!

In Physical Education, students are learning life-long habits to maintain good health. Health expert Dr. Charles Hensley, from the Hensley Wellness Center, visited Forest Creek Elementary.  Dr. Hensley spoke to students about making good food choices to fuel our bodies and keep them strong. 

Students reflected this understanding in the Healthy Plate Project where students created a representation of a healthy plate. The winners of the contest are featured below.

Fourth grade students have completed their fall PBL on the regions of Texas.  Each student selected a region of Texas to research. In small groups of same regions, students completed research and assisted peers. In varied groups, students created a presentation.  These presentations varied from online presentations, a play, artwork, posters, and videos utilizing a green screen. Students utilized critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

Third grade students have recently on their Project Based Learning exploration unit entitled “What is a Geographer?” To kick off the research, Registered Professional Land Surveyor, Mark Jezisek, shared his knowledge about maps with classes. 

Mr. Jezisek showed a PowerPoint to the classes and talked about famous geographers and surveyors throughout history. Did you know that three of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore worked as surveyors?

Elements and the types of maps were the other topics discussed during the 45 minute project launch. Mr. Jezisek also brought survey plats from around the Round Rock area. Everyone also got to use his official stamps and seals.

The third graders put their map design skills into action to complete their project and present it to area travel agents.

 Second grade students have completed their Building Bridges PBL. This particular project has allowed for exploration and discussion. Students have seen first-hand how to combine and change simple matter to do things that it cannot do on its own. Students viewed pictures of various bridges across the U.S., explored ideas of possible supplies, and then designed design their bridges. This project fostered collaboration among students and teams to create one team bridge. Second grade students presented their bridge structures to their fifth grade buddy classes, allowing them to showcase their hard work.

Fifth grade students completed their Colonial Market PBL on Friday, October 31st. Students chose a colonial job, developed a product, and had the opportunity to work individually or with a partner. Students learned the concepts of supply and demand, bartering, advertising, and practiced newly acquired money skills.



Forest Creek Elementary is proud of our 5th grade students for completing their Project Based Learning in Art class! Austin Dog Rescue volunteers came to speak to Forest Creek fifth grade students and our kids wanted to make a difference. With the help of our talented art teachers Debra Shore and Pam Arnold, students created a portrait of a dog in need of help. Students also wrote and recorded a short description of the animal using the website www.vocaroo.com, which was included on the display in the form of a QR code. After the Painting for Paws Art Show and Adoption Event, the portraits were generously donated to Austin Dog Rescue. View the Coyo-Tech Blog for pictures of students and their work. You can also view a KEYE News story featuring this remarkable project!




First grade students have completed their PBL by becoming Super Citizens! Students identified and described characteristics of a good citizen. Then students chose a historical figure to research based on a similar personal characteristic. Students presented their projects to their buddy classes.

Painting for Paws

Forest Creek Elementary is proud of our 5th grade students for completing their Project Based Learning in Art class!  Austin Dog Rescue volunteers came to speak to Forest Creek fifth grade students and our kids wanted to make a difference. With the help of our talented art teachers Debra Shore and Pam Arnold, students created a portrait of a dog in need of help. Students also wrote and recorded a short description of the animal, using the website www.vocaroo.com, which was included on the display in the form of a QR code.

The portraits were generously donated to Austin Dog Rescue. A Painting for Paws Art Show and Adoption Event was held Saturday, October 25 and featured all fifth graders’ work.

You can also view the KEYE News story featuring this remarkable project.

The Next Generation

We are so proud of our Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Rodgers, who was selected to be Forest Creek Elementary's Next Generation Digital Classroom this year! Earlier in the year, a cart of iPads arrived along with a Boxlite Interactive Projector.

Mrs. Rodgers and Mrs. Walkup, Forest Creek's Instructional Technology Specialist, work together to plan learning opportunities aligned with the Round Rock ISD curriculum. Students have successfully and carefully learned to use the iPad along with the camera feature and locate apps. We used Tellagami to create an avatar that can tell the characteristics of being a good citizen. We used Lensoo Create to demonstrate what a good writer does by drawing and then telling the story. Students have access to many reading apps, handwriting practice, and traditional Apple apps simulating a virtual world.

 The Boxlight projector transforms the traditional whiteboard into an interactive workspace.  Special pens allow students to stand in front of the image and manipulate the screen. This is especially wonderful for engaging students in our learning and contributes to creating a class community.

Keep up with Mrs. Rodgers' class on her class blog!

Mimios have arrived!

Forest Creek Elementary is working hard to incorporate more interactive technology in our classrooms.  With the addition of white boards in every classroom in our school, it has become easier to use the Mimio Teach devices.  This device allows students to use an interactive pen to simulate a touch screen on the white board.  In the pictures below, Mrs. Miller's 3rd grade class completes several activities on homophones.  They also use websites to practice math skills.  Mrs. Miller enjoys the device for how it keeps students engaged in lessons and creates excited learners.

In the coming months, FCE will continue to purchase more Mimio Teach devices with the help of PTA funds.  Thank you for contributing to your student's learning in this way!

Constitution Day

September 15-19 was recognized as Celebrate Freedom Week in our schools.  This week exists to educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of this country and the values on which this country was founded. Wednesday, September 17 is specifically recognized as Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the Constitution in 1787.

Mrs. King's second grade class came to the computer lab to conduct research on Constitution Day. The class used Pebble Go, a database with built-in reading and research tools for emerging readers, to identify national patriotic symbols. Students recorded information on symbols such as the American flag, bald eagle, Pledge of Allegiance, Uncle Sam, and several others.

 

Stop Motion Animation

Students in 5th grade art classes with Mrs. Arnold worked for many weeks on a project called Stop Motion Animation.  This project was the brain child of the Ms. Evans, who is an ambitious art student completing her student teaching with Mrs. Arnold.  For weeks, students took pictures of still objects.  Then, they used Windows Movie Maker to import pictures to create a video that simulates the still objects are moving.  Students were able to change the duration of pictures, add music, and add slides for a title and captions.  Here are some pictures of students creating their masterpieces.

Here are a few of the finished Stop Motion Animation products:

Learning is always more fun when you can get your hands on it!  Mrs. Rodgers' kindergarten class loves to use the interactive Smart Board.  Students worked with Mrs. Rodgers and Mrs. Walkup on a number sense lesson using Notebook software.  Students were eager for their turn to roll the die, count objects and select the correct answer.  Way to go, Kinder!

Weather Words

Mrs. Maxon's first grade class has been studying weather.  Students incorporated important science vocabulary into a Web 2.0 site.  Students used the website Tagxedo, which turns words into a visually appealing word cloud.  Students were able to independently enter their words and change the font and layout.  There are many shapes but for this activity students could chose from weather pictures such as a snowflake, lightning, cloud, or rain drop.  Way to go Mrs. Maxon's Movie Stars!