Little Betsy Bookworm & the Wormgerm

Betsy Bookworm Story Lesson

These standards apply for grades K-1 in which students learn about basic hygiene.
EALR 2.0 – The student acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain a healthy life: Recognize patterns of growth and development, reduce health risks and live safely.
Component 2.2 – Understanding the concept of control and prevention of disease.
Benchmark Indicator 2.2.1 – Identify and demonstrate skills that prevent and reduce the risk of contracting and transmitting communicable diseases.
Grade Level Expectations: Understand how to prevent or reduce the risk of contracting a Communicable Disease

Kindergarten: Demonstrate basic hygiene techniques to reduce illness (i.e., washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough, not sharing combs. Prevention of tooth decay)
First Grade: Identify ways to prevent germ transmission and diseases (i.e., sharing food, hand washing, immunizations)


Teachers could use podcasting in the classroom in a variety of ways. The first use that comes to mind would be recording long lessons or lectures depending on the grade level. This would allow the students to go back and listen to the actual lesson again if they needed to. It would also allow the students to truly pay attention to the teacher and not worry as much as taking notes. This would also be beneficial to students who may miss a class. The teacher would not have to devote additional time during the day to "catch-up" these students.

Podcasting would also allow the teacher to record parts of lessons before the school day starts. These could be stationed around the room and the students could listen in using headphones. This would allow the teacher to be in more places at once and allow the students some options and freedom to choose which lesson they wanted to work on at which time. It would allow the teacher more time to work with individual students or groups on specific tasks or projects instead of always having to be in front of the classroom. Additionally, the students would be able to control the sound level. This would be very helpful for students that might have trouble hearing or focusing sounds when there is a great deal of surrounding noises.

Students would also be able to use podcasts like a weekly or even daily newsletter that parents, other classrooms, and teachers would be able to tune in to and hear what is going on. The students would be able to work in a variety of subject areas to accomplish this lesson. Students could also use podcasts to present works like bookreports or "Who am I?" projects. I can see this being helpful for students who are not quite ready to give live presentations. It would also provide the teacher a reference point in case something happened and she missed a section of the report. The teacher could also use this podcast as a frame of constructive feedback for presentation skills with the student. The teacher could listen with the student and give feedback about voice, emphasis, clarity, and so on. When the students do give live presentations to their classmates, these could be recorded as podcasts and could also be posted publicly for parents to actually hear what their students are doing in the classroom. Most teachers would love to have parental involvement daily in the classroom and even have parents present for their student's big report, but this is impossible for all parents to do. Students could also use podcasting for interview assignments outside of the classroom. They would be able to share the complete interview and not have to give just a synopsis of the information found.

Teachers would also be able to connect interior classroom learning with popular devices like the Ipod. The students could take their lessons with them everywhere and stay up-to-date with the classroom even over weekends and holiday breaks.


Lesson Source

PDF of Story