Merlot Evaluation: Introduction of Primary and Secondary Colors for Early Elementary Students

Merlot

The resource on the Merlot site that I decided to evaulate was a lesson plan that that was targeted for the lower elementary skill level.  This appealed to me, as I have always been in a first grade classroom.  The author of this lesson uses a combination of tools to teach the students primary and secondary colors.

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=567226

Quality of the Content:

The quality of the content for this particular lesson is perfect for  the lower elementary school level.  It is valid and accurate. The plan flows together perfectly from beginning to end. The software aspect was brought into play, as the instructor used Corel Painter on the SmartBoard in order to show basic principles of color mixing. The teacher first models how to use the software by virtually showing them how to mix paint. Then she allows the children to actively participate by helping to “mix” colors in groups. Schools are actively receiving and requesting SmartBoards in their classrooms, as they are amazing educational tools that engage learners. They can be used in all classrooms and have material on all topics.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:

The materials used in the learning process would be in the demonstration stage. During this time, the teacher is using the Corel Painter software on the SmartBoard to demonstrate how mixing different colors together can create new colors.

At the end of the lesson, students will be able to mix primary colors to create secondary colors, identify the primary and secondary colors and verbally recall how to mix secondary colors, categorize colors as primary or secondary and use their knowledge of mixing colors to create a painting.

The target learners are lower elementary students, such as Kindergarten and First grade. They should be able to identify different colors by this age. This activity will introduce them to how they can create new colors when they are creating art pieces (a new discovery for this level learner).

The interactive presentation of material improves the students’ abilities to learn the material.  This is  Instead of just watching a video on colors being mixed together or just showing a picture, the students actually get to participate by choosing different colors and virtually “mixing” them together on the SmartBoard. The students have the opportunity to guess what color will be created from the ones they are choosing to mix. Since technology is fast, the children get their answer fast. At this age group, it is essential to make sure that the students are engaged and involved in their learning. They have a tendency to lose focus easily. The interactive presentation of material also improves the faculty’s abilities to teach the material in regards to using the SmartBoard in general.  It gives them the ability to project the information onto a huge screen so that all learners can see and participate. In art class, all students want to gather around the table to see what the teacher is doing, but SmartBoards improves this aspect of the project. In addition, new material for SmartBoards is always being released. This means new downloads for the faculty to use to improve their learning and teaching on different topics.

SmartBoards can be integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline. You can use pre-made templates and interactive lesson activities through the SmartBoard software. It also houses images, graphics, and multi-media activities that are broken down by subject area. Teachers use United Streaming for thousands of videos, searching by subject or grade level. This site also features a writing prompt builder, which allows you to combine a video segment or image with a prompt of your own design. Interactive whiteboards can be incorporated into classrooms of every age and ability. They are used to differentiate lessons and address a variety of learning styles.  The actual lesson that I am reviewing would be brought up in a lower elementary classroom, as well as an art class.   

In addition to the advantages of being able to integrate into all curriculums, SmartBoards can be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals. As an example, an instructor may want to teach children about collaborative learning. Doing a lesson on the SmartBoard is a perfect opportunity to achieve this learning goal. The same goes for achieving teaching goals. All classes may be learning different topics, but using this remarkable tool will allow the teacher to achieve their teaching goal for that particular topic. I would also add that it is a great teaching and learning goal, in general, to learn how to use a SmartBoard and all its features and functionality.  In regards to the lesson itself, the teacher could possibly use it an as assessment tool where the students had to tell her what colors would make a certain color and mix them, but it is mostly a demonstration tool.    

The teaching-learning goals are easy to identify within the lesson. It is stated in the beginning of the lesson plan.  It is then reiterated throughout the lesson, as the teacher circles back around to the topic with different strategies, such as a book, song, technology and hands-on learning.

Learning assignments can be written for using SmartBoards. This information would be created by another teacher or curriculum specialist.  A children would not be someone that would create learning assignments for the SmartBoard.  SmartBoards are not the type of application where you would write out instruction for a student to follow (not at the lower elementary grade level). It will important for the teacher to model how to appropriately use this technology tool. The lower grades would benefit from the teacher first modeling what the assignment is and then having the students work in pairs or small groups. Since there is only one SmartBoard in a classroom, it requires a lot of sharing. The teacher will have to keep a close eye on it. The class will be able to practice different concepts together as a large group and then take home assignments that compliment that lesson.  Perhaps the teacher can create those assignments on the SmartBoard.

Easy of Use:

This lesson is well written and organized. It has a beginning, middle and end that are easy to follow. A substitute walking into the room would not have trouble following the lesson. Have no worries about getting trapped or lost in the material! The information is basic and straight-forward. If something is not working properly with the SmartBoard, then there will be information that comes up regarding the system status. User’s responses are not captured on SmartBoard for this particular lesson. The students can see the end product of their color mixing and have a group discussion. The teacher can capture those responses with anecdotal records. SmartBoards are very flexible in their use. A kindergarten student can be successful with this technology, as can an experienced teacher.

This lesson does not require a lot of documentation or technical support. The teacher models how to virtually mix the paint together. She then has the students come up in groups to practice this action. The class has been in the classroom or art room before where they have interacted with the SmartBoard, so students are successful with it. They are however not allowed to use it alone at that age group. The children may also be familiar with the SmartBoard and how it operates if their another classroom teacher has one.

This lesson plan presents information in ways that are attractive to students. The creator of this plan definitely understands the skill level and age group that she is working with. Incorporating the reading of a book, singing of a song, interaction with a SmartBoard and a culminating activity of actual mixing of paint is perfect! How could these students not be engaged and entertained?