Mrs. Passetto’s 4^th Grade Spotlight

http://www.geocities.com/pass4teach/welcome.htm

Description

This website was created by Mrs. Passetto of Berkshire Elementary School in Stockbridge, MA. Mrs. Passetto created this site for her fourth grade students. This site serves as a great source of information for both students of the school and their parents. The welcome page is very long, with a very large number of links. The design of the site seems to change depending on the time of year or the month. For example, February has a Valentine’s Day design and March has a St. Patrick’s Day theme. The webpage covers many content areas, including science, social studies, math, RLA, and spelling. One of the more useful aspects of this site is the subject content specific links. There is a link for each area of study. These links open new pages with information in that subject and also provide links to other sites that may help the student. This site has many useful aspects to help the students. One if these is the “What is our homework today?” link. This section provides the students with an organized weekly chart of their homework assignments in each subject area. This can be used by both students and parents to keep track of homework and make sure it is completed on time. Another useful part of this site is the homework helper section. It provides links that forwards students to various sites that will assist the student with their homework. The links lead to search engines and other sites that can give the students specific answers to homework question or general information on the subject. Ms. Passetto’s page also has a weekly schedule link that visitors can access to see what their schedule is every day of the week. This helps avoid confusion about which subjects students have on each day.

Commendations

This site is very thorough and full of information. Students can access the site to learn more about what they are doing, keep track of homework, and to learn more about each subject area. The site is attractive and aesthetically pleasing, which will encourage the students to visit it more often. Another commendable and useful aspect of this site is the ability to select each subject area and be forwarded to websites with information on those subjects. For example, if a student selects the science link, they are taken to a page with multiple links to Science websites.

Recommendations

While this site is very useful and full of information, it could be better organized. The page is very long and requires more scrolling than is necessary. This could lose the interest of children, especially those with the shorter attention span. A “shorter” webpage with less scrolling would make it easier for students to find what they are searching for more easily and quickly. The site could also have slightly less information on it. While more information is generally better, I feel that students may become slightly overwhelmed with the abundance of information. The last recommendation is in reference to the varying themes of this site. While the St. Patrick’s Day theme is fine, some of the themes, such as the Valentine’s Day theme, make it very difficult to read the page. Sometimes, a simpler looking webpage with less designs and pictures can be more aesthetically pleasing and easier on the eyes.

Mrs. Boucher’s Class

http://myschoolonline.com/site/0,1876,48297-172517-51-74324,00.html

Description

This site was created by Mrs. Boucher for her Poe Elementary School students and their parents. While the site offers information on the school in general, the only specific subject areas it focuses on are science and reading. This site is very simple in its layout, which is important when considering the ages visiting the site. There are links on the left which allow the students to navigate to each part of the site. These links remain on the left regardless of which links are selected. This makes navigating the site and going from link to link very easy. A very useful aspect of this site is the homework link. This link provides the students with all the information they need concerning their homework. Homework announcements and assignments are listed, as well as the grading rubric. This page also lists the homework policy and any supplies the student needs. Another useful part of the site is the calendar, which lists all important events. Finally, Mrs. Boucher’s science link forwards students to science websites where they can learn and play games about science or do interesting activities.

Commendation

As previously stated, the simplicity and lay-out of this site makes it very easy for children to navigate and find the information they need. For young children, this can make the difference of whether they visit the site often or not. The links on the left make it very easy for students to quickly select the link they want and go there. Another commendation is the fun and games link, which links the children to various sites of learning games. Students can have fun and learn at the same time. Finally, the reading section of this site deserves some mention. This link offers students and parents information on reading. Everything from tips to read better, to summer reading lists, to reading games are available at this link.

Recommendation

The site should offer more information on the day to day activities and school happenings. While a lot of important and useful information is there, the site can feel a little empty at times. For example, the calendar section of this site was full of information last month, but upon accessing the link this month (March), all the information seems to be gone. Also, I think the site should have some information on some of the other subjects such as math. Even if the information is not very in depth, the teacher could maybe provide some links to other sites on those subjects. Finally, I think the homework section should be broken down into each subject. This would make it easier for the students and parents to find and know exactly what homework needs to be completed in each subject and it will also help the students be more organized.