One of the best parts about teaching in the spring is exposing students to the magic of seeds, planting, and the final products such efforts produce. You may think these kinds of hands on activities are not transferable to an online school environment. However, Heather Grimes, Kindergarten and First Grade teacher at Kansas Virtual Academy (KSVA), has proven this theory wrong! Throughout the past two months, Mrs. Grimes has taken KSVA students on an interactive online adventure exploring the life cycle of plants.
In March, Mrs. Grimes began a unit on plants. During live class, Mrs. Grimes used a document camera and webcam to plant seeds with students. While she planted these items, students were able to follow along from their home classrooms. Below are some snapshots of Mrs. Grimes using her webcam and document camera to plant the seeds during live class. If desired, students could also replicate this process in their homes.
As the weeks progressed, Mrs. Grimes continued to teach about the life cycle of plants, including topics such as importance of watering plants and allowing for proper temperatures and sunlight.
What a big day it was when the plants were transferred from the small containers to Mrs. Grimes’ outdoor garden bed. The plants are flourishing, and Mrs. Grimes provides pictures for student to discuss the maturation of the plants. She took her students on a walk through her garden during class, where they were able to share their observations.
With the use of technology, Mrs. Grimes brought the plant life cycle to her students as they learned in their home classrooms across the state. She truly incorporated magic of spring into her online classroom!
We are very lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful teacher!! We love our Mrs. Grimes!!!