Technology Integration - Large Scale

Frogs and Toads are Friends, by Arnold Lobel

CyberGuide by Linda Scott

Introduction
This supplemental unit to Frog and Toad are Friends was developed as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project, funded by the California Technology Assistance Program (CTAP) and the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA).
Disclaimer: The links here have been scrutinized for their grade and age appropriateness; however, contents of links on the World Wide Web change continuously. It is advisable that teachers review all links before introducing CyberGuides to students.

This supplemental unit provides Internet resources for K-3 students to learn interesting facts about frogs and toads. They will also focus on friendship, the central theme of Frog and Toad are Friends. Students will draw and write about a special friend. As a culminating activity they will make a new friend and e-mail a message just like Frog wrote a letter to Toad. Keypals will be from another part of the United States or even another country. You will choose a class of students from 1,700 participating classrooms.

As students complete these CyberGuide Activities, they will explore the following questions:
? What do frogs sound like and look like?
? How do I make an origami frog?
? What makes friends special?
? What is a keypal?

Language Arts Content Standards

During this unit, students will:
? 02Lread2.4000, 02Lread2.5000, 02Lwtng2.2000
? Restate facts and details in text to inform and organize ideas [Reading Comprehension Standard 2.5].
? Ask clarifying questions concerning essential textual elements [Reading Comprehension 2.4].
? Write compositions that describe and explain [Writing Applications 2.0].
? Write a friendly letter. [Writing Applications Standard 2.2]

Examples provided here are Grade 2 Language Arts Content Standards.

Overview

This unit is designed to be used as a multidisciplinary supplement to a classroom unit on Frog and Toad are Friends. It is organized to be used over several days by small groups of children. Younger children may need some assistance with reading from adult volunteers or older students. Although the Student Activities were designed to be completed in sequence, each is an autonomous activity. It is recommended that you introduce the first activity on a large screen or ask students to gather around a computer monitor. When teachers model the first activity, groups are more successful when they work on the activities independently.

Description of Materials, Activities and Websites
Materials
? Class set of Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
? At least one computer with Internet connections and a printer
? An e-mail account routed through the teacher
? Other materials, to include: paper for origami (regular paper may be used), writing paper, crayons or colored markers

Activity 1 Select a Frog and Color It

While reading Frog and Toad are Friends, students will view pictures of different frogs, select a favorite picture and print a copy to color.
Color Me Frog!
URL: http://allaboutfrogs.org/funstuff/colorme.html
Grade Level Readability: This site is appropriate for grades K-3 because it is mainly pictures.
Comments: Students may need assistance from cross-age tutors or adult volunteers to print their selections. You have the option to download a .BMP file so students can color on the computer. See the link for more information.

Activity 2 Make an Origami Frog

After visiting different web pages to learn more about frogs and toads, students will make an origami frog.
World's Biggest Frog
URL: http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/strange/big.html
Grade Level Readability: This site is appropriate for K-3 readers with assistance from cross-age tutors or an adult volunteer.
Comments: Students will be amazed by this picture of a Goliath frog which is almost as large as a baby deer.
Bullfrog Prints
URL: http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/general/footsteps.html
Grade Level Readability: This site is appropriate for K-3 readers with assistance from cross-age tutors or an adult volunteer.
Comments: This is an amusing print of the bullfrog's feet and belly.
Frog Eating Habits
URL: http://allaboutfrogs.org/weird/general/mouth.html
Grade Level Readability: This site is appropriate for K-3 readers with assistance from cross-age tutors or an adult volunteer.
Comments: If you want students to work independently, they can look at the pictures and discuss how frogs eat.
Broken Link: Frog Sounds
URL: http://www.frog.simplenet.com/froggy/sounds.shtml
Grade Level Readability: This site contains a list of frog sounds to click on. Reading is not necessary.
Comments: Students will listen to all of the frog sounds and copy the name of their favorite sound.
Broken Link: Origami Jumping Frog
URL: http://www.frog.simplenet.com/froggy/origami/index.shtml
Grade Level Readability: There is no text.
Comments: There is a series of pictures depicting the steps for folding the paper into a frog. Some students may need help so they do not become frustrated. Try making a sample frog before having the students do so.

Activity 3  Ask Clarifying Questions and Describe a Friend

Students will brainstorm ideas about what is special about Frog and what is special about Toad. They will record their ideas on a Venn diagram. Next, they each will draw a picture of a special friend and write what they like about this friend.
Venn Diagram
URL: http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/tvenn.htm
Grade Level Readability: There is no text.
Comments: Students are told to print copies of the Venn Diagram. If you prefer, you can ask them to copy the Venn Diagram onto their own paper.

Activity 4 Write a Friendly Letter (email)

Students will need their copies of Frog and Toad Are Friends to read Frog's letter out loud (page 62). Just as Frog sent a letter to his friend Toad, students will e-mail a message to a new friend from a class you select from the Email Classroom Exchange.
Broken Link: eMail Classroom Exchange
URL: http://www.iglou.com/xchange/ece/index.html
Comments: You need to submit your classroom profile and select a class to correspond with. Choose students from another part of the United States or from another country. This is an easy way to find keypals for each of your students. There is no charge and over 1,700 classrooms are participating. After you have selected a class to correspond with, explain to the students how you want them to route their e-mail messages through you for Activity 4.

Performance Standards

See Student Activities for specific Performance Standards