Highlighting Second Grade

Second grade has plunged into the world of computers. Students are starting their exploration with learning how to work the trackpad. Highlighting with the trackpad requires a certain amount of patience and practice. While some students master the skill with ease, others will need more support and multiple opportunities to practice this skill. The first two programs the students use are Word and GarageBand.

The students manipulate text in Word, changing the size, font, and color. Currently, the students are playing with the letters in their name. As the year progresses, we will find more opportunities to manipulate text in other programs such as PowerPoint. 

In addition to strengthening their skills with the trackpad, the students are introduced to the toolbar. Students start to become comfortable with where to find multiple tools.

Once the students gained some confidence in Word, they were challenged with GarageBand. Here the students worked to edit recordings of Elephant and Piggie books they made earlier in the year. The students delete parts of the recording they don't want, such as giggling, or false starts. This gives them further practice using the trackpad to highlight sections of their work.

Although sometimes frustrating, their confidence and skills are growing fast. It is a joy to watch the students learn and surprise themselves with their skill.