Updated: 07/06/2020
Please scroll all the way down for the latest tech class activity posts...
Dear Parents,
HI, I am Gwen Allen and I teach your child/children technology at Saint Nicholas School. I know that this is a difficult and challenging time for us all but we will get through it!
In 3rd grade technology class we honed our keyboarding and drag and drop (mouse) skills and explored basic graphics tools. Alongside this we are continuing to develop our digital citizenship and safety skills. Please find below links and instructions to enable the continuation of these things.
https://www.abcya.com/games/ab... this is a graphics game that we have been working on for a while. The students are now able to save their work and/or clear it.
https://www.abcya.com/games/ma... This is a really fun easter egg designing game. Your child can design multiple eggs and place surprises inside them then hide them in preparation for a virtual Easter egg hunt! This is very good for enhancing mouse manipulation skills.
https://www.commonsense.org/ed...This is an age appropriate musical video about digital citizenship and safety that will help your child further develop their understanding of how to safely navigate the internet.
https://www.abcya.com/games/fi... This is a great game that will help familiarize your 3rd grader with many of the different types of technology they will use or come into contact with in their school or home life.
https://www.abcya.com/games/cu...This game guides students through some basic typing and keyboarding skills. It is the perfect tool to use to prepare your student for the keyboarding skills for the typing lessons.
Break the Bank https://www.abcya.com/games/br...this is a super useful tool to help your third grader to keep improving their drag and drop skills while simultaneously increasing their familiarity with U.S coinage and it's value. If you can, be sure to guide your child to click on all the different monetary options. It is also an activity that will support their math skills so it's a trifecta!
KidzType is the software we will be using in our typing instruction from now on throughout 3rd and 4th grade. This is the link to the first lesson. It focuses on the J, F and space keys. If possible please instruct your child to set the times for three minutes and practice as often this week as they are able. https://www.kidztype.com/typin...Although many young people find typing practice soothing, even enjoyable, it can become tyring so frequent brakes may be required and lots of encouragement.
Aqua Friends: https://www.abcya.com/games/aq... This is a really cute little game! It is highly strategic also effective in continuing to grow your third graders mouse and keyboarding skills. In this game your child has to reposition the sea creatures so that they are holding hands and there are no empty hands. When you see all the creatures smile you know you have correctly positioned them.
Cyber Five: https://www.abcya.com/games/cy... This is an entertaining video that gives your child 5 succinct pointers for safely navigating the internet. This continues to be an important part of our technology curriculum at Saint Nicholas School. Your child's safety is our priority.
Later Gator: https://www.abcya.com/games/la... This game is a little challenging but combines subject:verb agreement review with keyboarding skills so it is great. Your student must click on the correct verb for each subject that pops up in the gutter. Some parental assistance may be needed to get started but then your student should be all set. I hope you enjoy this week's tech class activities.
Melody Maker: https://www.abcya.com/games/ab... This is a super cool tool that your child can use to compose their own music! Each raindrop that they click on represents a note that will play in their composition on a 6 second loop. This activity will enable your child to progress in their keyboarding skills while being creative and having fun.
Brainie: https://www.abcya.com/games/br... This is a great tool with which your third grader can maintain and improve their math facts and keep up their keyboarding skills. Don't be fooled...it starts off easy but it can get quite challenging!
KIdztype Typing lesson 2: https://www.kidztype.com/dance... In this second typing lesson your child will practice typing the homeroom keys, building on the last lesson we did. They may do the lesson as many times as they can!
Contraction Action https://www.abcya.com/games/co... This is a fun game that has the dual benefit of giving your student valuable practice in contractions AND mouse skills. The virtual sling shot is a little tricky at first so you may need to help out initially. Be sure to click on the correct contraction before pulling back on the sling shot.
Make A Treehouse https://www.abcya.com/games/ma...We use this fun game in class intermittently. Your third grader may not have played it in a while and may enjoy revisiting it. There object is to design your own tree house, complete with furnishings! This game is a favorite because it lets students use their imagination while providing valuable "drag n drop" mouse practice.
Math Man Jr. https://www.abcya.com/games/ma...This is a game most of us parents can really identify with! It is a playful take on "Pac-man". Math Man Jr provides your student with valuable math fact review while enhancing their keyboard dexterity.
Bandemonium https://www.abcya.com/games/ba...This is a fun and fantastic game! It enables your 3rd Grader to explore different instruments and sounds while practicing keyboarding skills. This game can be a little noisy but the compositions are beautiful and extremely entertaining for all ages.
Marble Drop:https://www.abcya.com/games/ma... This is a fun and fast paced game that will give your 3rd grader addition and subtraction practice while improving their eye:hand coordination.
Road Rally: https://www.abcya.com/games/ro... This is a great game for sharpening keyboarding skills. 3rd Graders will have fun racing and using the toggle keys to go faster or dodge other cars on the road. They will increase their score by collecting coins along the way.
Here is our typing lesson for this week: https://www.kidztype.com/dance...This lesson focuses on the E and I keys. Your 3rd grader can practice this lesson as many times as he or she is able.
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