Alberta Seasons
http://www.stmonica.ecsd.net/seasons.htm

This project is part of a provincial collaboration under the coordination of teacher, Sandra Gluth, from Edmonton Public Schools. Both Miss Borrelli and Mrs. Vaage and their classes were part of this project. Learning activities for both fall and winter are highlighted on this web site. 

Animals Around the World
http://www.animalsaroundtheworld.ecsd.net  

Some of St. Monica grade ones studied animals around the world. They  investigated methods of researching and recording data in the process of discovering information about their interest in animals. 

Author-in-Residence
http://www.authorinresidence.ecsd.net

In 2001 - 2002 Mrs. Vaage worked at St. Mary School as an author-in-residence/teacher because she had published one children's book Bibi and the Bull. She worked with the fifteen grade 3-6 classes in this school, and with interested teachers at St. Monica's. Students have writing in several genres posted on this site.

Beginning to Inquire
http://www.beginningtoinquire.ecsd.net/

A telecollaborative project created by teachers and students as they come to understand inquiry-based learning.

Birds and Flight
http://www.birdsandflight.ecsd.net/

Classes across Alberta joined together to create a wonderful resource on birds and flight. The younger children focused on birds, and the Grade 6 students contributed their knowledge of flight.

Beyond 100 Day
http://www.beyond100day.ecsd.net

Teachers and students share activities for their 100 days-in-school celebration and how they extended the learning.

Bugs
http://www.bugs.ecsd.net

Teachers and their classes from k-3 became "bugsters" during May and June. This site showcases some of the study and exciting learning that happened!

Building Classroom Community
http://www.classroomcommunity.ecsd.net/

Each year teachers and students come together in the fall to begin a year of "living" together. Students and teachers have shared what they do in their classroom to help make a positive learning community.

Canada Goose Rhymes
http://www.canadagooserhymes.ecsd.net

Using rhyme is important for young children's early literacy development, but most traditional Nursery Rhymes are based on European history. This project attempted to work with classes on Nursery Rhymes to create original ones based on Canadian/North American settings. An unexpected disappointment followed when we realized that the children were not able to reach this level of abstraction and change of perspective at the kindergarten and grade 1 levels. However, the teachers created 40 different verses that can be used in classes. We still welcome new additions any time.

Canada Project 
AWARD WINNING!
http://www.canadaproject.ecsd.net

This project involves 11 kindergarten and grade 1 teachers and their classes sharing their interest in and research about Canada. The web site includes links to a breadth of topics to enhance children's research. Children's research is displayed on the site.

Canadian Author Studies
http://www.canadianauthorstudies.ecsd.net/

Several teachers and classes from kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, a-a-a-and Grade 3 collaborated to create this web site dedicated to our favorite Canadian authors.

Castles Under the Rainbow
http://www.castlesundertherainbow.ecsd.net

In the fall of 2002, the staff started off with a focus on literature with the story Sky Castle. Subsequently, many classes were involved in a study of castles, fairy tales, fables, and legends.

Children of God
http://www.childrenofgod.ecsd.net

Our religion is embedded in everything we learn and teach. This project highlights some of the ways catholicity is permeated in our classes.

Dinosaur Project
http://www.dinosaur.ecsd.net

This project involved 10 kindergarten and grade 1 teachers and their classes as they explored the world of dinosaurs. Children collaborated with the other classes as they shared their knowledge to build this web site.

Documenting Young Children's Learning
http://www.youngchildrenslearning.ecsd.net

This project is an attempt to capture children's learning in non-traditional ways, using multimedia and electronic formats. Twenty teachers, administrators, and professors from across North America are collaborating to develop this web site using the philosophical base of Reggio and Assessment for Learning. The children in each program were active participants in selecting, gathering and formatting the data.

Early Literacy
http://www.earlyliterature.ecsd.net

This site continues to be one of the best practical literacy sites I know of for teachers of k-3. We compiled almost 2,000 poems organized by topic so that teachers could find and access them as needed. In addition, we summarized current research on early literacy development and the classroom implications and relevant strategies resulting from that research. Any contributions of poems or strategies are welcomed.

Electronic Portfolios
http://www.electronicporfolios.ecsd.net

People are often amazed at how quickly young children grasp technological skills. This project highlights some of the work K-2 children have accomplished on their own.

Franklin
http://www.franklin.ecsd.net

Franklin the turtle is a favorite story character for young children. Ten kindergarten and grade 1 teachers and their classes created a web site to celebrate Franklin, his creators, and his stories. Children contributed original work and graphics to share with others around the world.

Halloween
http://www.halloween.ecsd.net

A telecollaborative project with K, Gr. 1, and Gr. 2 to celebrate the spooktacular fun and learning for this holiday.

The Human Body
http://www.thehumanbody.ecsd.net

The grade 2 class at St. Mary School, with Mrs. Vaage, with was very keen to do research and share it with the world... This interest evolved from a health topic that became a fully integrated topic involving science, language arts, social, fine arts, and math.

Inspired by Music
http://www.inspiredbymusic.ecsd.net/

Planning for this project began early in the school year, when the teachers began discussing using music to assist developing long-term memory for kids within content areas of learning. Ongoing dialogue has continued throughout as our projects developed so that we could share ideas and encourage each other. Teachers and classes reviewed the components and posted comments on the summation page outlining the benefits of using music to enhance learning.

International Author Studies
http://www.internationalauthorstudies.ecsd.net

Several teachers and classes from kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 collaborated to create this web site dedicated to our favorite International authors.

Keeping Christ in Christmas
http://www.keepingchristinchristmas.ecsd.net

Several classes across Alberta shared their spiritual activities for the Christmas season within the Catholic context.

Kindergarten Literacy
http://www.kinderlit.ecsd.net

Eight teachers in Alberta attempted to record all literacy events as they occurred in their kindergarten classrooms throughout the year. This proved to be a massive task, but one that was exceptionally fruitful. As a result of creating this web site, we noticed similarities and consistencies within the unique world of each classroom. Several teachers used this information to create a new working model for Kindergarten Literacy, which we simple called "Balanced Literacy for Kindergarten". We created a list of developmentally appropriate literacy centers and planning board. This was original work specifically created for kindergarten.

Learning to Read
http://www.learningtoread.ecsd.net

The teachers at St. Monica chose as their professional growth plan to make the process of learning to read more visible - to each other, to the parents in the school, and within our classrooms. This site outlines the methods of instructing reading, strategies used, examples of children involved in learning to read, and their thoughts.

Learning to Write
http://www.learningtowrite.ecsd.net

The teachers at St. Monica School along with several other primary teachers pooled their understanding of how young children learn to write. Classroom ideas are shared, ideas for parent hand-outs, and examples of student writing are shared on this web site.

Literature for Literacy
http://www.literatureforliterature.ecsd.net

Phonemic awareness emerged as a topic from our Early Literacy Project. From the research, we learned that it is critical for children to develop this oral skill within an integrated context. This site outlines the research, classroom implications, and strategies. In addition, classes helped to locate literature that exemplified specific phonemic concepts.

Math Connections
http://www.mathproject.ecsd.net

Ten grade 1 and kindergarten teachers and their classes participated in this project to demonstrate how the Alberta Math Curriculum can be implemented using manipulatives and hands-on-learning versus a more traditional method.

Meeting Our Students
http://www.stmonica.ecsd.net/Meeting%20our%20Students.htm

Children showcased their early work with computers for the November conferences. The kindergarten students used KidPix for self-portraits, and the Grade ones used Kidspiration, KidPix and some PowerPoint.

Movie Making
http://www.moviemaking.ecsd.net/

This is a telecollaborative project involving all of the classes at St. Monica and St. Mary. The challenge was to create a one to two minute video/movie related to one or more of the following subjects:  technology, math, social studies, science, language arts, art, music, drama, health, physical education, religion or any study covered in school. The kindergarten and grade one students were involved in every step of the movie making from storyboarding to video editing and are excited to share their finished projects online. So come and check out what these amazing Canadian kids have accomplished.

Music Mania
http://www.musicmania.ecsd.net

This project explored using technology for music. It was an attempt to create a site for young children to hear simple songs and be able to read the accompanying text. It was our hope that children could create new lyrics to the midi melodies.

New Life
http://www.newlife.ecsd.net/

Several classes from Kindergarten to Grade 5 across Alberta joined together as they studied evidence of spring through new life!

Nutrition
http://www.nutrition.ecsd.net

This web site is a collaborative effort of students and teachers to build a resource center building awareness of good nutrition, and sharing ideas for good health and educating each other.

On-Line Books
http://www.onlinebooks.ecsd.net

In an attempt to use the electronic media of the worldwide web, several of us  collected stories created by our classes and published them online for easy access at school and at home.

Readers Theatre
http://www.readerstheatre.ecsd.net

In a search to find appropriate materials for grades K-3, we became aware of the shortfall in many areas, and so enlisted our classes to help create and locate appropriate pieces for Readers Theatre. We have over 150 small poems and pieces that can be used with young children. We welcome any new submissions to help the repertoire grow.

Rubrics by Kids
http://www.rubricsbykids.ecsd.net/

A telecollaborative project showcasing rubrics designed and used by children in elementary schools.

The Sea Project 
AWARD WINNING!
http://www.thesea.ecsd.net

The creation of this site earned St. Monica School "The Blue School Award" because of the knowledge and involvement of our classes in appreciation of Canada's oceans and marine life. The site contains student research and activities, ideas for teachers k-3 to implement a unit on the sea, and links to wonderful sites on the sea.

Snow Theme
http://www.snowtheme.ecsd.net

Because we have such a long winter, much time is spent at play outdoors and at work indoors. This site outlines some of each.

Space
http://www.space.ecsd.net/

This telecollaborative project shares incredible learning about space - Mars, planets, the moon - with Alberta teachers and students from Kindergarten through to Grade 6.

Watercolors
http://www.stmonica.ecsd.net/watercolors.htm

Two grade one classes practiced watercolor skills and shared their work with older children.

Webs on the Web
http://www.websonwebs.ecsd.net

To encourage divergent thinking and higher level organizational brain work, we attempted to develop this site to share brainstorming webs with other classes. We have several brainstorming topics displayed that can be copied and printed or added to. This was a first attempt to work with Inspiration software.

Words for Beginning Readers
http://www.beginningreaders.ecsd.net

Grade ones spend much time practicing sight words to build their reading vocabulary. Because teachers know that children transfer knowledge if it is connected to something real, rather than practicing it in isolation, they wanted to find examples of literature that used these sight words repetitively. The children helped in the search for books that contained these words, and in addition, they wrote their own texts for some of the words!

Zoo School
http://www.zooschool.ecsd.net

The four grade one classes attended the Valley Zoo this year and did extensive work before, at and during this trip. Several other classes became involved in animal research as a result of this, and joined in our project to create this wonderful site.