LONG BRANCH, New Jersey—Although they live in urban New Jersey, students in Laura Iandoli's class have no trouble imagining what life might be like aboard the space shuttle, or even on another planet. And though they are only in kindergarten, they already know how to shape their extraterrestrial visions into colorful electronic slide shows.

Iandoli begins the school year at Gregory School, which serves about 290 students from low-income to middle-class families, by having children team up to combine their knowledge about particular topics—such as space, Kenya, Japan, or modern transportation. Talking about what they already know builds English language skills and vocabulary for these young children, several of whom speak Spanish at home. The majority of students are African American.

Next, teams of students use the Internet to capture images and more information about their area of study. With help from Iandoli and a para-educator, students create electronic presentations to share with the class. "They include short sentences or words," the teacher explains. Sharing their slides with classmates gives students a chance to practice their oral presentation skills.

But that's not the end of the project. Next, students pose questions, designed to take their research further. "We repeat the format, asking what they'd like to learn. Students as young as five years old "can be creative and expressive in their individual way," the teacher notes, with some drawing pictures and others writing simple sentences or questions. Then, it's back to the four classroom computers to seek out answers to their own queries. A technology teacher at the school helps "with anything the teachers need," Iandoli says, which encourages her to "use the computers as much as I can with the children." She describes the 76-year-old school as "warm, loving, and great to work in."

The language arts project also allows children to develop literacy skills at a pace that fits their comfort level. "Those who have difficulty writing can look for pictures and express their knowledge without feeling pressured," Iandoli explains, "while other children who are more advanced can create labels, words, and sentences."

During their online exploration of space, students gave their imaginations room to roam. The resulting slide shows included children's scanned drawings of aliens, astronauts, and life aboard the space shuttle. "These were adorable and funny," the teacher says. "The class loved seeing a show about space creatures."

Iandoli also puts the slide shows onto CDs so students can take them home and share them with their families—giving the youngsters another chance to show off their expertise.