Thing #21

I have heard so much about Wikis for both business and education but really didn't know what they were until today.I found a wiki on apples that has inspired me to try something similar. In September, we do an apple tasting in my class. I bring in 4 or 5 different types of apples for my students to try. We could do a wiki about this apple tasting and ask families to add to it. The students could type a sentence about their favorite apple or how they like to eat apples.

During our life cycles unit students study the monarch butterfly. They are always so interested in this unit because I bring in monarch eggs and caterpillars which I have found in my garden and around Newington for students to observe. During this unit, as a class,the students chose one caterpillar to observe. With my help, students write and illustrate their observations in a journal. I would love to do a wiki with photos and written observations. I know students would enjoy sharing this with their families. The only hurdle that would stand in the way of using a wiki would be the time involved. Our curriculum is so tight as it is and trying to fit this in might be difficult, but I think it is something that young students need to be exposed to. If first grade classes around the country are creating and using wikis then. We can too!