SR Grants: Peace Amphibian

The Peace Amphibian:
A Student Magazine with the "Write" Stuff
2001-2002 Lighthouse Technology Grant
1st and 2nd Grades

Swift River students become more effective writers and editors by using computers, scanners, and digital cameras to “desktop publish” a school-wide arts and literary magazine.

Project Summary
The Peace Amphibian, an arts and literary magazine by Swift River’s PreK-6th grade students, consists of poetry, stories, and artwork showcasing children's best writing and artistic talents. In this cross-grade, multi-disciplinary, year-round project, students word process their literary contributions using Kid Pix (PreK-K), AppleWorks (grades 1-2), or Microsoft Word (grades 3-6) and illustrate stories and poems with original artwork, ready-made clip art, scanned images, or digital photographs. Second graders use AppleWorks to write poems about flowers they paint with traditional oil pastels or watercolors and digitally alter with Adobe Photoshop. Fifth and sixth grade students edit magazine content and use Adobe PageMaker to create the layout, complete with table of contents and artful cover. The attached PDF file presents samples of student writing and artwork to demonstrate how the project aligns with Massachusetts curriculum frameworks and how computer-rich English language arts and visual arts activities turn children into more effective writers.

For more information, contact:

Linda Ruel Flynn, Art Teacher
Chris Wings (Grade 3/4 Teacher)
Carol S. Holzberg, PhD (Technology Coordinator)

Click to view pdf file.