Where Am I?
Use MS Word target diagram to organize the Universe. Start with the student’s town in the center and build out. Show students how to color the diagram. For olders, add a table at the bottom with the location and a fact about it. This is a great way to show kids how they can organize their thoughts with pictures, diagrams, tables—lots of ways other than simple text
Grade Level: 3-5
Background: Using MS Word.
Vocabulary: diagram, graphic organizer, solar system
Time: About 30 minutes
Steps:
- Open MS Word. Add a heading to the top.
- Add a title–Where We Are–centered, bold and font 14. Use this to point out the toolbar with the four alignment tools, bold, fonts and font size
- Insert a graphic organizer (insert-diagram). Point out all six. Be sure to create activities that use at least three of these throughout your years with the students.
- Add enough layers to give them ten. Have them use their math skills to decide how many more they need. Show them how the diagram toolbar comes up with the diagram is highlighted.
- Fill in the names. Make font size 10 and use abbreviations. Discuss the abbreviations.
- Use the toolbar to re-color the diagram.
For 3rd graders, add one sentence at the bottom about each location. Be concise and factual. For4-5th graders, create a table using MS Word with three columns. the first column will list the location, the second a fact about it, the third a picture you’ve copies from the internet (only public domain pictures).
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
