Students gather 'round "Rapid Fire"

Sue Sorrentino sits on the floor with a group of seven-year-olds, all clustered around a computer. They squirm a little, but their eyes are big and she has their full attention.

"Listening ears, all up here!" she calls. "Let's find the lightning bolt." Her voice grows hushed and dramatic. "It's the ra-pid fi-re button!" She pauses for effect, then clicks. "Whammo blammo! There's your idea. In its own bubble!"

It looks like the class is playing a game. Actually, Mrs. Sorrentino, a special educator and second grade developmental reading teacher in upstate New York, is showing her students how to use Inspiration. (Story continues below photo.)

"Some teachers think what I do is impossible," Mrs. Sorrentino says. "They think that you can't use sophisticated computer programs like Inspiration with small children and keep their attention. But you can, as long as you remember two key things." When working with younger students, she advises, design lessons involving Inspiration that are relevant to the curriculum -- and make them fun. It should look like the class is playing a game.

Also, she says, before beginning a lesson, make sure the computer is accessible to students. Bring it down to their level and hide the hardware. For her one-computer classroom, here's what she does:

She puts the computer's hard drive on a desk and places the monitor in front of it, so that the hard drive is hidden from view. Then she sets a low bench in front of the desk and rests the mouse and the keyboard on that. The students sit on the floor in a semi-circle around the bench. This way, the screen (with Inspiration displayed) is at the center of attention, and the students can take turns operating the mouse and the keyboard at a height that's comfortable for them.

Then she designs a lesson on a subject that captures young students' attention and taps their natural excitement. It's easy to do with Inspiration, because Inspiration works with students' ideas -- so you're really just getting students excited about their own ideas. As an example, Mrs. Sorrentino explained a lesson she devised that covers surprises.

When Mrs. Sorrentino begins this lesson, she first leads a discussion about surprises. "What kind of surprises are there?" she asks. "How do they make us feel?" As students call out answers, she shows them how to add their ideas to the diagram. Then they scoot up to the keyboard and type into Inspiration themselves. "They love to press the Rapid Fire button and watch their idea burst out," Mrs. Sorrentino says. They see typing as a treat, so they eagerly offer ideas. When she lets students type themselves, it channels their energy into the project and keeps them focused on the lesson.

"Coincidentally," Mrs. Sorrentino smiles, "this lesson follows New York state's specific school-to-work standards, such as career development and integrated learning." The students learn brainstorming and collaboration skills, as well as the actual application of Inspiration. They also learn how to organize ideas. "These are skills my students will need in the workplace," she says. And no, second grade is not too soon to be planning for careers!

And second grade -- even kindergarten -- is not too soon to begin working with software like Inspiration, she emphasizes. "You not only can, you should. Lessons like 'Surprises,' which integrate Inspiration into the curriculum, take advantage of students' natural enthusiasm to both enhance and reinforce their learning experiences in the classroom."

For more lesson plans that link Inspiration to state and national learning standards, check out Meeting Standards with Inspiration.