Gallon Man Meets Technology

It is that time of year again. The state assessments are looming and teachers are desperately searching for the right lesson to teach those standards that students are still struggling with. Well, its time to get creative, and that's just what is happening in one fourth grade classroom in Winfield.

Seth Biby, a 4th Grade TRC Teacher at Whittier Elementary, has planned a project based lesson that will have his kids understanding the standard measurements of volume so well, that they will be able to teach others about it! How many pints are in a quart? How many cups are in a gallon? This is what Mr. Biby's class is learning in a very fun and creative way.

Mr. Biby's 4th Grade class is working in groups to create Gallon Man vodcasts. Students are using the SMART Notebook Software (you don't have to have the hardware to download the free software) to construct the Gallon Man. As they construct him they are using the SMART Recorder to record the movements of the pieces. Next, the groups are writing a script to describe the construction of the gallon man (how many quarts, pints, and cups in one gallon). The groups are then using Audacity to record an audio file of their script. Next, the students use the Flip digital cameras to record a water simulation showing all of the standard measurements of volume and their equivalence. Finally, the students are using Movie Maker to combine their video of the construction of the Gallon Man, the audio recording or their narration, and bits and pieces of their water simulation into a vodcast (informational link on vodcasts).

These vodcasts will be shared with other 4th Grade classrooms across the district to help teach all of them the the standard measurements of volume and their equivalence. The TRC Teachers will then vote on the best vodcast, and it will be uploaded to TeacherTube to help other 4th grade students learn their standard volume measurements and equivalence.

~Stacy Smith, TRC Facilitator, Winfield USD