monsterprocess08



//Monster Process Page// = = =**Welcome Monster Makers 2007! What does Your Monster Process Look Like?**=

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Dear Members -- Thanks for stopping in -- let's use this space to share a few thoughts about how we deal with this project. Click **Edit This Page**, then type a few comments below to share with other teachers in the project. Click **Save** when done.

__**Terry Smith - Hannibal, MO - 4th grade - 19 students:**__ I use Monsters as a general intro to learning on the Internet, that is, pointing out that lots of other kids in places like New Jersey, Pakistan, Texas, and Taiwan (to name a few) will be helping to design our big friendly Monster. So...that makes our classroom as big as we want it to be, stretching out to other rooms in other states and countries. We read all of the intros, visit web pages of participants, compare class sizes, find locations on the map and globe. Then when the descriptions begin rolling in: bumpy, fangs, twisty, etc, the real fun begins - now kids begin to build upon the foundations of our earlier Monster discussions and activities, and start to envision these adjectives in their own creative hands...the main observation here: kids engaged with the concept. Questions abound, ideas are popping out everywhere. At last, after getting together enough materials to begin the project, I assign the parts to the students. They must read the description from, for example, Buffalo, NY, then design a small prototype of their part. Next, on whose part does their part connect? Eyes must go on the head, Nose also, Feet on the Legs, Arms on the Body, and so on. ++ Part of our process: Monster Movies: Here is an example - media type="custom" key="1905657"

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 * Miss Hope -New Jersey- Preschool ( 3's and 4's) 15 students**

We were fortunate when one of our [|Symbolic Butterflies] landed in Mr. Smith’s class 3 years ago. My group then was fascinated by Mr. Smith’s classroom website and “all the cool things” that “the big kids did”.We were THRILLED when Mr. Smith allowed us to join the Monster Project. This is a REALLY BIG job for the little ones. But it is **an incredible** opportunity to learn new vocabulary, enhance problem solving skills, foster cooperation and collaboration and soooooo much more. We send home our “Friendly Monster Flyer” at the beginning of the school year.Parents and children begin collecting all types of recycling materials. (You never know what we might need! Our little ones are capable of so much creativity!) We read lots of Monster books, play online games, visit the participant websites and create a large map to see where everyone is from. We also create math games from downloaded pictures of past years monsters and make monster puppets for our puppet theatre.When we are all finished building the Friendly Monster... It “lives” in our hallway and gets many visitors! We are thrilled to meet new people from around the world and look forward to hearing from you! Click on our projects page for online games and Monster Fun. http://www.misshope.com/ Here is a picture of some of last years Monster Makers hard at work.

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Mrs. Brandy Magdos-Webster-Texas-First Grade- 21 students


I am very excited to be participating in the monster project again. The kids got really excited when I showed them pictures of last years monster and they remembered him lurking in the hall! This year we are describing the monsters head. The mapping of monser building buddies is goin to great this year with Japan, Pakistan and Taiwan among the places we will have to find and label. Our 5th Grade Buddies are going to help us out this year with the construction of the monster. We are going to work together as a team to create some fascinating monster stories as well. You can visit our class wiki at http://Magdos.wikispaces.com to check out what other things our class is up to, as well as find pages relating to our monster project. As of now, some pages are "under construction", but we hope to be adding more stuff soon!

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Mr. Ferguson - Franconia, NH - 15 Students http://nlcommunities.com/communities/ferguson/default.aspx

This is our first year with the monster project and with a [|classroom blog/website]. As our class was searching for classroom blogs to read and post on, we came across Mr. Smith’s classroom. Since then our classroom has been raised to the next level. With his class we started a chess match which my students love playing and is the first thing they check in the morning. The monster project is another project that our students constantly share with parents and peers. I have been using the monster projects to reach many different curriculum materials. We have been exploring the metric system and how it compares to the standard measurement. It brings the measurement piece into a real life application. When writing our description for the eyes the students the students were considering the global audience and children whom English is not their native language. Collaboration has been a constant theme throughout the process. How can you combine 15 ideas into one final project? In the beginning stages, I was having the students look at the “big picture” of the monster Lastly the students have begun filming the process and hope to make a two minute movie when it is all done. This will hopefully serve as reflection piece.

P.S. Thank you for the monarch butterfly resources! (Symbolic monarchs and etc.) Our students enjoy Mr. Smith’s movie and related to a lot of the information.

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Mr. Meyer & Mrs. Wickham - Laingsburg, MI - 5th & 4th - 49 students We are very excited to work with such a diverse group on the monster project. We believe that the tools of web 2.0 should be introduced to students, as that they give kids the means necessary for success in the 21st century. Students in both classes were broken into four groups (head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth; neck, necklace, bellybutton, belt, and body; arms, hands, and fingers; legs, knees, feet, and toes) each headed by a project manager from 4th and 5th grade. Students were divided into pairs or trios having both 4th and 5th grade students. We really wanted to work on the aspect of building community, and working collaboratively on the project was an excellent means to accomplish that goal. We are in the process of assembling our monster in the hallway, so we'll see how our assembly line process works out!

Students worked on writing creative stories individually, and together with a partner, will revise their stories to include an "encounter" with our monster. Check out our blogs to read those essays as they are finished and posted [|here].

Former students of Mrs. Wickham, and current students of Mr. Meyer's [|produced an entertaining video involving a large purple dinosau]r.

We've thoroughly enjoyed the monster videos written, filmed, and produced by Mr. Smith's class, and hope to do the same before Halloween is over!

We hope the 2007 Monster Project leads to exciting involvement and engaged learners using the web 2.0 resources of the read / write / publish / and share web!

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Hi,
===Here IT is! We are working on a name and making monster books. I can't see the join from the Wiki. I figure by the time I get it working the project will be over! I love your web page and videos. That perimeter video is GREAT! Your kids will always understand what perimeter is!===

Rose Gardon, Buffalo, New York
[|Elmwood Franklin School] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Teacher - City - Grade - # of students (Erase this and type whatever you want!)

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