Becker Primary School

Leveraging resources to support self-directed learning to communicate, create, collaborate, and think critically.

For our earliest learners, an introduction to technology can bring both opportunities and questions. For students in grades K-2, the focus is centered around foundational skills such as reading and math. Research has shown that students who have learned to read at or above grade-level are more likely to have success as they move through upper grades.

At Becker Primary School, teachers have worked to carefully integrate technology where it can best support both the foundational skills, and give students the opportunity to show their learning in creative and engaging ways.

Below are examples one may find in classrooms on a typical day at Becker Primary School.

Interested in resources for home? Here are a few suggestions from the Primary Teachers.

Reading and Math Curriculum

Journeys is our K-5 curriculum that supports a strong foundation for reading. Students have access to a large repository of guided reading resources. According to their website, Journeys "is a research-based, comprehensive English Language Arts program designed to provide solid instruction that is clear and focused with realistic pacing and manageable resources." Pacing is designed to align with and build upon the needs of the students.

Likewise, Everyday Math describes itself as "a comprehensive Pre-K through Grade 6 mathematics program engineered for the Common Core State Standards." Students are encouraged to interact with the learning activities with some available in a digital format and others in a more hands-on environment. Everyday Math is also paced in a way that encourages a spiral format where students are introduced to a topic and return to it often throughout the year.

Student Choice and Collaboration

Giving students the opportunity to pick the best tool for learning is an exciting practice in more and more classrooms. There are times that using paper and pencil is the best tools for learning. Other times, students may find that using a device like an iPad helps them best reach their learning goals. At Becker Primary School, we fully encourage both practices.

Additionally, a growing number of classrooms are bringing their students together to learn collaboratively. This gives students from different classrooms or grade levels the chance to learn from each other - both instructionally and how to navigate various technology resources.

Interactive Vocabulary Notebooks

A growing number of students have the opportunity to expand their already growing vocabularies through a creative and engaging practice of interactive notebooks. Students are able to use an iPad app called Book Creator to learn new words through multiple media. In many cases, teachers are able to create a simple template for the students to use on their device. Students enter the word they are learning about and include a definition, it's use in a sentence, and an image or video showing what that word means.

Students can keep this digital vocabulary journal on their devices or share it with their teacher and parents via the popular tool called Seesaw.

Digital Libraries - Reading Anytime, Anywhere

Many students at Becker Primary School have had an opportunity to access books on their iPads with Epic, allowing them to choose from a large number of topics and interests with the simple tap of a finger. This is not meant to replace the incredible media center that all students have access to check out paper books. Instead, this allows our youngest learners the chance to pick a book that includes a number of digital tools and recordings for the child to read along with. Students can identify what areas of interest they have and select from a number of books in any given category.

Exploring Critical Thinking Skills with Coding

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Students in grades K-2 have had an opportunity to explore early computer coding skills, both in the classroom and as an after-school enrichment opportunity. Students have access to use both Kodable and Code.org. Coding gives students the opportunity to work at their own pace while practicing both critical thinking skills and character qualities such as curiosity, initiative, persistence, and adaptability. We encourage you to join your child at https://studio.code.org/ to try it out.

Creating Math Stories

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Students have begun to move beyond only consumption of material, but instead creating their own resources to show what they know. In the past, teachers would create material for the students to watch or listen to on a device.

With the use of Educreations, students create "Math Stories" where they dialogue a math problem. An example may sound like "Yesterday I went to the store and bought 6 apples. Today I went back and bought 3 apples. I now have 9 apples." This allows the students to put the math into their own words in a way that allows for creativity and a higher level of thought.

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Exploring Sequences with Creativity

Kindergarten teachers began to explore how their students could show sequencing of a story by using an iPad app called ShadowPuppet. With the app and an iPad, students are able to choose pictures that help them retell the main ideas of a story or concept. After pictures are chosen, they can record their voice explaining the image and it's meaning.

Students were then made available to other classrooms in grades K-2 to peer coach other students in both the sequencing skill and the app on the iPad. As a result, students explored not only reading material, but historical biographies recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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