The ABC Project

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Ed Technology
  

Grade

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12

Brief Description

Older students use PowerPoint to create alphabet slide shows for younger students.

Objectives

Students will

• learn to use the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint.
• gain a sense of responsibility in creating a product to help younger students.

Keywords

ABC, alphabet, alphabetical, project, PowerPoint, cross-age

Materials Needed

• presentation software (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint)
• Internet access

The Lesson

In this lesson, older students create ABC books for younger students. The books might be general ABC books that build letter-sound relationships based on known vocabulary, or books tied to themes that are of interest to younger students or part of their curriculum. Elementary and ESL teachers will love the completed ABC books.

Because the presentations will be created using PowerPoint or another presentation software, the best presentations might be selected for download onto a school Web page, so all students can access them for education or entertainment purposes.

Set guidelines for students to follow as they create the slides. Each letter slide might contain

• an upper and lowercase alphabet letter;
• a word and/or description (more information);
• clip art, motion clips, and/or real picture(s) to represent the word(s);
• backgrounds; and/or
• animation; and/or
• sound.

If students are unfamiliar with the presentation software package being used (e.g., PowerPoint), you might teach the basics in a computer lab setting, and then have students create the title slide (title of the presentation, the student's name and school name) and the first letter slide in the lab setting. After that introduction, this can be a long-term project that students complete on classroom computers. Estimated completion time: 6-8 weeks.

Assessment

Students will successfully create 28 slides (a title slide, 26 letter slides, and an ending slide) according to the established guidelines. (You might establish a number of slides that must contain images and/or sound.)

Submitted By

Beverly Thomas, Alief Hastings Ninth Grade Center in Houston, Texas

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