How to... use Word Art to reinforce learning

Teaching Pre K-8, Apr 2003 by Lindroth, Linda

One of the easiest ways to integrate technology into the core content areas is with word processing. I love to use the Word Art features of Microsoft Office for developing interactive curriculum for students. Here are a few ideas for calendar events in April.

Plants in words and pictures

Here's a great way to incorporate technology into your life science curriculum. Using the reproducible on the next page (the page can also be downloaded from our website), research plants, then have students open the downloadable word-processing document on the Teaching K-8 website at www.TeachingK-8.com and write their own paragraphs) about what they've learned about plants. The All About Plants reproducible can be used as a task card at your research center, writing center or computer table. I enhance this lesson by having students use the drawing tools in a word processing program to draw a plant and label it using Word Art. For the primary grades, I give them the plant drawing and the Word Art word bank in a pre-saved Word file so they can move the Word Art into the correct position to label the parts of the plant.

Students can create their name in Word Art to place at the top of the page before they print their work. This is a great interactive lesson for any topic. Here are some other examples:

* Students can create Word Art to practice spelling or vocabulary words.

* Create a table in a word processing file with definitions and have students drag the correct Word Art from a word bank at the bottom of the page. Students love using graphics in their writing, so I've started a picture file on our classroom computer; it holds pictures that relate to curriculum topics. Students can look through the folder and find a graphic to add to their writing.

Primary students love using the images as rebus stories to achieve more detailed writing. Even though they can't spell all the words they want to use in their writing, a picture can convey things their writing skills can't. Check www.TeachingK-8.com for more examples to download.

Research on the web

There are a number of excellent websites that can be used to reinforce your students' study of plants.

* THE GREAT PLANT ESCAPE - Be a plant detective! Your mission: identify plant parts, research plant growth and learn about the food connection. Six cases in all! www.urbanext.uiuc .edu/gpe/case1/case1.html/

* 4-H CHILDREN'S GARDEN - Grow plants for making a pica, build a plant, water it and hear garden stories. Teacher and parent guides include activities. http://4hgarden.msu.edu/ main.html/

* PLANT SALAD - Build a salad using the parts of a plant. www.hhmi.org/ coolscience/vegquiz/index.html/

These interactive web resources make plant research fun.