Technology-enhanced lesson

Right now in my first grade class, we are doing a water unit. The students have had an introduction to water and have learned about the water cycle. The water unit will last for a couple weeks. To enhance a lesson with technology, I think it would be fun to let children use the temperature thermometers that hook up to a computer. (We used these in class.) The students will need to learn about water as a solid, liquid, and gas. They will also need to know how water can change states. Thus, I can teach about water as a solid, liquid, and gas by showing water in each of these forms. Then, we can discuss how water came to be in that form. Afterwards, we can use the thermometers to measure the temperature of water in each of the stages. We can also perform experiments such as seeing how ice, the solid, melts into water, the liquid. During this time we can measure the temperature and see how quickly it changes. Children can also do activities like we did in class and see if they can make fun pictures with their thermometers. In this process, we have taught the content with technology. The teacher can continually teach as she models. (Review what children already know and have learned about water. Introduce different states of water with example so that children can see them. Talk about what happened and why. Model how to use the thermometers. Model and explain how children will do the activities/experiments. Have children make some sort of graph or table or write a paragraph where there show and/or explain their findings.