Reflection and Implementation of TIE Lesson Plan

Wow! I never thought that I could implement a VoiceThread with Kindergarten but I did! First of all, the whole concept went really well. The students had a reference paper since their "What do you want to be when you grow up?" worksheets had already been completed during guided practice. I simply pulled them one by one from centers and asked them to share the information on their worksheets in the VoiceThread. I didn't have any trouble getting them to speak, in fact, they were really excited to be called once they found out what we were doing. In the future, I would definitely use it more often so that they are familiar with logging in and out, choosing a user, and then speaking/drawing on their own. The only problem I had was that their voice doesn't sound loud enough. However, if you put headphones on, you can hear it clearly. So, be sure to do that if you are watching the VoiceThread. Overall, this was a really great experience and I'll definitely try it again.
Enjoy!

TIE Plan Idea-HOTS

I was extremely thrilled when my clinical teacher told me she wanted me to do a lesson plan related to asking the students what they wanted to be when they grow up. I feel that it is never too early to start thinking about your future. My students are only in Kindergarten, I don’t expect them to know exactly what they want to be when they get older, but the idea is to introduce and expose them to different jobs and community providers.

Since my students are developing their own ideas about what they want to be when they grow, I thought this career/jobs lesson plan would be great for a VoiceThread. My students have never used VoiceThread before so it is definitely going to be an experience. My idea is to have a sample worksheet already posted with my voice saying "When I grow up, I want to be a teacher because I love working with kids. What would you like to be when you grow up and why? The students will respond accordingly.

HOTS Questions:
What is a community?
What is a neighborhood?
What is a job?
What is a career?
Describe what a community looks like.
Why do you think a police officer is an important job?
What do you think might happen if the garbage collectors didn't pick up the trash?
What are some job/careers in our community?
What special skills are needed to perform these jobs?

Possible TIE Ideas

I am a field-baser in an awesome Kindergarten classroom. My students are barely learning how to read and write. Keeping this in mind, my initial thoughts were, "How in the world can I use a blog to benefit students who don't even know how to read yet?" Truthfully, the possibilities are endless.

For instance:
*You could post a question of the day on the blog. During centers students can respond. You can have them post a response or simply click on their chosen answer.
*Blogs can be used for surveys. My students are barely learning to read and write so you will need to keep the wording simple and use pictures whenever possible.
*You can post quizzes related to the math subjects students are doing. You can have students develop math problems and post them.
*You can post VoiceThread videos!

Although this is not HOTS related, I believe that using a blog is great way to encourage parental involvement! Teachers can give the blog link to parents and students so that they will always have a connection to the classroom. The teacher can also posts pictures, strategies, and activities that are being done in the classroom!