Twenty-First Century Challenges: Grades K-1

Spread the News!

Download Student Sheet(s) for printout in PDF format.

Read a Letter to Educators about twenty-first century challenges from CyberSmart!

Overview

Children learn what it means to communicate, recognize the computer as a communication invention, and plan their own way to communicate a message.

Objectives

  • Define "communicate"
  • Describe communications inventions
  • Recognize the computer as a device used to communicate

National Educational Technology Standards for Students © 2007

Source: International Society for Technology in Education
  1. Technology Operations and Concepts
    1. understand and use technology systems.
    2. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

Home Connection

Download the Home Connection sheet related to this lesson.

Site Preview

No Internet site is used in this lesson.

Materials

  • Activity sheet (1)
  • Crayons

Introduce

  • Pose the following to children: Our school's principal has some very exciting news to tell. How will he communicate the news to children? To teachers? To parents? To the neighborhood? List children's ideas about which communications methods to use, encouraging them to consider the best method for each audience.

Teach 1

  • Have children reflect on the story about the principal's news and tell what the word "communicate" means. Summarize responses that reflect the conveying of information (for example: to tell, to announce, to speak, to write).
  • Ask: How do we communicate in our classroom? (by speaking; by writing; by drawing; by raising our hands; by smiling or other facial expressions)

Teach 2

  • Have children plan a way to communicate something exciting to the whole school. (Children might enjoy creating a "pretend" event such as a horse visiting the school.) Tell children they must communicate the news without speaking, but can use their faces, hands, other parts of their body, or special tools.
  • As a class, plan how they will communicate their message. Have them consider how they will deliver their message around the school.

Teach 3

  • Distribute the activity sheet.
  • For each picture, ask: What is this invention called? How is it used to communicate? Many children think of the computer as primarily a device for playing games. Encourage them to think of it as a communication device, like a telephone.
  • Invite children to color the picture of the child using the computer. As they do, explain that computers can be used to send messages from one person to another. Invite children to share their knowledge of E-mail.

Assess

The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.

  • Ask: What does "communicate" mean?
  • Ask: What kinds of inventions are used to communicate?
  • Ask: How is a computer used to communicate?

Extend

The following activity can be added for students who completed this lesson in a previous grade.

  • Have children draw or cut out pictures and use them to make a collage showing a variety of inventions used to communicate (for example, telephones, computers, cell phones, beepers, letters, radios, televisions, and posters).

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