Monarch Butterflies

For my IBA I decided to develop an activity geared towards second graders that meets the criteria and standards of second grade science. The activity requires students to go to the National Geographic website to read information on monarch butterflies. While they are there, they can also look at pictures of the butterflies. Students are required to go through a slide show with various information on the butterflies and answer questions about what they read/learned. I chose this site because not only can students find information for this lesson, but they can also explore the website more and look up other animals they might be interested in. 

Since I had some practice making the IBA when we went over the rockstar activity, I felt more comfortable making this lesson. The hardest part was determining a subject to focus on and the standards. The questions for the lesson were fairly easy to come up with. The questions were simple and straight forward since they are geared towards second graders. There was a lot of information on the National Geographic site about monarch butterflies, so it was sort of difficult to choose what information I felt was the most important to form the questions from.

Aha! Moment

The biggest Aha! moment for me was when I was creating the IBA on Google Docs. Not only did I get to work with Google Docs a little more, I also gained some more experience in curriculum research and planning. The more I am able to practice with these web tools, the more I feel confident about what I am doing, and I will be more comfortable with using the tools in the future.

Google Docs

As I am learning more and more about the different applications teachers can use in their classroom, I become more and more aware on what I've been missing out on. Google Docs is an excellent tool to use to collaborate with other teachers. Teachers can use Google Docs to help each other with lessons and to bounce ideas off of each other on how to manage a classroom. Planning becomes easier with this tool since it is similar to a Wiki and several people can edit and add their own information. 


Google Docs is still a tool that I am learning to use. It will take some time getting used to but I enjoyed the experience of learning how to create a document. I like how only selected users can edit or add information to the document, and the options given for each specific document instead of a general allow/block all. I would like to use this tool in the future to collaborate with other teachers as well as use it in the classroom for specific lessons. 

Curriculum Standards

While exploring the curriculum standards, I looked up the standards for second grade reading. Reading as a classroom subject has become a new and growing interest of mine. I was intrigued to find out what second graders are required to learn. This is an area in which I had little prior knowledge. I am also shocked to realize that many children do not meet developmental standards. 


Content Standard 1.0 
The student will develop the reading and listening skills necessary for word recognition, 
comprehension, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and appreciation of print and nonprint text. 
Learning Expectations: 
1.05 Develop and use decoding strategies to read unfamiliar words.  
1.06 Read to develop fluency, expression, accuracy and confidence.  
1.12 Read independently for a variety of purposes.  
1.13 Experience various literary genres.  
1.14 Develop and maintain a motivation to read.  


I experience the presence of second graders every day. While it is bound to happen, some standards are not as recognized as others. Many of the second graders at my work do not enjoy reading as a past time and usually have no motivation to do so. Since they have no motivation to read, there is no independent reading for a variety of different purposes. 

Is it reliable?

For my website evaluation, I chose a website that many of the children at my work enjoy playing: Coolmath.com. I have never really looked the website over to see what all the website had to offer and simply have trusted their judgement in saying that the website was "good". After researching the site and digging deeper into what it was all about, I learned that the children were right. The website offers many educational games for them to practice math skills. While watching the children play these games, I would not have known that the games were truly educational (we want them to only play games on the computer that will benefit them). 


I'm glad that I was able to evaluate Coolmath.com because now I feel better about what they are doing on the computer. The only downfall to the website was the confusing and cluttered layout. There are many, many links that I feel would take several hours to explore. I did however find many teacher resources and some educational standards were even included as a link! I enjoyed this activity because I found out that there is more to a website when you explore it a little more. I am guilty of clicking on and using information from the first page I come to when searching the web. Possibly now with more knowledge on how to determine if a site is reliable, I will find that information first. I will definitely want to use this tool before using any sites in my classroom in the future.

Course Expectations

Through this course I hope to gain a better knowledge of how to use technology effectively in the classroom. From the first class, I can already tell that it will be an interesting journey through learning about how to use certain websites, blogs, etc. I have already realized that I don't know as much as I thought I knew about the computer and the internet. I am amazed at how much I have learned from the first few short hours of class. 


I am nervous and at the same time excited about what else I can learn throughout the course. The hardest part of this class, for me, will be remembering the many new links and buttons. Since I am a PC user, I enjoy the time in class to experience using a MAC computer and exploring the differences between the two!


Since I want to work with preschoolers at the beginning of my career, it will be interesting to see how I can expose technology to the children in the classroom and how to effectively integrate technology into the classroom. I hope to be able to use what I learn through class at my current job with the youth I work with. 


Before the first class I believed that children today were too technologically involved (texting,video gaming, etc). As they might be, I realize that technological involvement is not always a negative thing. Teaching the youth how to effectively and creatively use technology can make a positive impact in their lives as well as those in their future and past.