Digital Cameras and Poetry

Using Digital Cameras in the Classroom
3rd grade- Standard 1 Students will understand that the shape of Earth and the moon are spherical and that Earth rotates on its axis to produce the appearance of the sun and moon moving through the sky.
Objective 2 Describe the movement of Earth and the moon and the apparent movement of other bodies through the sky.
Describe the motions of Earth (i.e., the rotation [spinning] of Earth on its axis, the revolution [orbit] of Earth around the sun).
Use a model of Earth to demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours to produce the night and day cycle.
Use a model to demonstrate why it seems to a person on Earth that the sun, planets, and stars appear to move across the sky.

For my activity I would teach my class about the Earth’s rotation and revolution and its relation to the sun. I would help the students set up a sun dial outside our classroom. At the start of the day we would take a picture of it and note its shadow with a line of chalk on the sidewalk. Then throughout the day the class we would go back outside and take more pictures to note how the shadow has changed. I would have to help model where and how to take the picture so that the image and angle remain consistent so we could more easily compare shadows throughout the day, but I think students would be able to actually take the picture as the day progresses. The students could also take pictures of their own shadows at different times of the day. At midday I would encourage students to voice their speculations as to why the shadows are different lengths and directions. At the end of the day I would give student the information to explain the real reasons why. We would compile all our pictures in a PowerPoint presentation to use as the culminating activity.

Poetry Online

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poemcategories.aspx
Children tend to not like poetry because of the approach teachers take to teaching poetry. This website gives students a chance to experience poetry in a fun and exciting manner. It helps them realize that poems don’t have to be hard to understand and boring by giving them funny, child-appropriate pictures and poems to explore and enjoy, and includes just about every topic that children find applicable and interesting.