This year in Preschool it was my goal to embed technology use in meaningful ways. With our school offering many technology pathways it was important to me to begin to pave the pathway for successful digital learning even for our youngest learners. When we began a literacy unit on retelling stories the two objectives seemed to the perfect match for some exciting learning. To do this it was important to create a lesson that could merge the two content areas. Merging the content would expand opportunities for learning and allows me to reach learners at multiple levels and learning styles.
We began by working on our literacy curriculum of retelling a story and building book knowledge. Students first learn about the role of an author and illustrator. We practice identifying important features of print such as words, spaces, picture, where to begin reading and the direction of print.
In order to support story writing, we practice identifying story sequences including beginning, middle and ending events. Together with a large group, I model and we practice writing stories using a simple story strip that helps the children break down their story into four parts. The children are asked to identify the character, events (first, then) and an ending. Students then work to create their own stories.
After all of the pre-teaching of story writing and creating a draft we are then ready to practice using the iPads. Students are given an opportunity to draw, erase, insert pictures and play using the app “My Story.” Working in small groups the students create a profile and practice identifying and writing their names.
Students are able to connect the learning they have done by identifying themselves as the author and illustrator of their very own book. The children use their story strips to transfer the stories onto the iPads and practice making the illustration and words match to tell a logical story.
Flexible and differentiated learning allows the children to work at individual levels. Some work to identify the letters in their name while others work to type all of their text, including spaces and punctuation. Listening, following directions and the ability to attend and persist are practiced as we take turns creating our stories.
The students are excited to share their books with their peers and families and our digital tools created an opportunity to take our learning to a whole new level. Connecting skills to personal learning is a meaningful tool with powerful sticking potential.
Kristie French is an Early Childhood Educator at BFA Fairfax.