Computer Curriculum -- Fifth Grade
Projects Teach Fifth-Graders New Computing Skills
All fifth graders should be at an intermediate or advanced level in typing, unless they are new to our school. Each student will be tested and placed on an appropriate level on the Typing Tutor program, and progress at his or her own pace. Being an accurate and fast typist is an important skill that every fifth grader must have by the end of the year. The standardized testing requires students to be proficient typists. All students should practice typing from home two to three times a week, and their typing skills will be monitored on weekly basis.
This semester will start off with cyber safety conversations and presentations. The importance of usernames and passwords, and the discretion around them will be explained thoroughly. We will also start the year by reviewing our research skills, as we re-teach and review what is copyright and plagiarism. At the beginning of the year, we will work on a tri-fold brochure. Creating the brochure will act as a review of basic word processing skills and will teach some advanced tools, such as replace, word count, find, and line number. Students will next start working with Google Apps. Each child will have his or her own Google account (with email disabled) that will act as a cloud drive for files, videos, photos, and websites. Students will work with Google Apps all year to build an e-portfolio website, upload their projects, etc. Next, we will work with an online app called Prezi, a presentation software program. We want students to be exposed to more ways of presenting their work and learning new applications. Prezi is a fun, exciting tool that teaches students a few good presentation ideas and skills. The last project for the semester will use Excel to build a calculator. We will apply it to compute our weight on different planets or figure out the time in different parts of the world. This project involves a strong understanding of formulas and the relationship of cells to each other. All fifth graders should bring a pen drive to Computer Lab every week. They should understand the save process on different drives, as well as the difference between working on the hard drive versus the pen drive. Students will upload all of their projects to their personal drives, and embed them on a website to build an e-portfolio site. Next semester, we will be working on a movie and stop motion animation projects. Please contact our Computer Lab instructor, Mr. Richmond, at srichmond@computerwisekids.com if you have any questions about the program. |
Balboa students prepare for the future in the school's Computer Lab.
Help Keep the Computer Lab Open
The Computer Lab's instructor is paid by the Balboa Spirit Club's COMPASS fund. Contribute now to keep our students computer-literate.
How to Login to the Portal
Students can login via the portal at http://www.cwksmarts.com/portal.php to use:
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