VERONA, Missouri—Each year, teacher Mary Mael studies snakes with her first-grade students. Whether they loathe them or love them, young learners approach the topic of snakes with fascination, and technology supports their learning every step of the way.

At the end of their studies, students not only have learned about snakes and extended their reading, writing, and presentation abilities, but also have learned how to use the Internet for research and have created their first-ever science fair exhibit.

"I take an integrated approach," Mael says, "and my kids see right from the start of school how things connect." In that vein, Mael wants her students to see how their earliest efforts might lead to later experiences in school. "Our middle school runs a science fair, and this year they invited my class to present noncompetitively. My first-graders contributed their snake projects to the fair and got a great audience response. Parents loved it, the students were proud, and they got to see older kids' work. The experience let them imagine themselves in the science fair one day."

In the snakes project, each student team learned about one type of snake, and determined how its habitat meets its needs. They applied what they learned by making a realistic model of the snake and its environment.

Technology helped Mael tailor the project for emerging readers. "To get started, I worked with my adult daughter to design a Webquest for my students. This was a challenge given the students' early reading ability," Mael says. "I tried to find sites that had a lot of pictures and a reasonable reading level. Some first-graders could read quite well, and I made sure one strong reader was on every research team." Some sites were especially useful, like the Missouri Department of Conservation online magazine Outside-In (www.conservation.state.mo.us/kids/out-in*).

Because her class has only one networked computer, Mael made the snake study into a center activity, with teams taking turns using the computer for research. She used a scan converter to connect the computer to a television monitor so more students could see the screen. Using the software program Kidspiration (www.kidspiration.com*), students made concept maps to organize their research information. The resulting diagrams were useful when teams discussed their research with their teacher, and when they taught their classmates about their snakes. Research lead to the construction of a diorama. "Students sculpted their snakes out of a fast-drying clay, and then painted them realistically." Then, as Mael puts it, "They made a habitat for the snake that was as authentic as you can get." Finally, students captured their exhibits with a digital camera. (The project is described online at www.thematzats.com/snakes/index.htm*.)

Students worked on some parts of their project in the computer lab. The rural Verona district is small, and the elementary, middle, and high schools share one campus and one technology lab. Technology resources may be somewhat spare, but the lab is put to good use. Mael says the lab is scheduled as classes need it, and "projects take precedence." She credits Karen Remington, high school math teacher and district education technology specialist, with supporting class projects, managing the lab and schedule, and arranging for older students to help younger ones.

Mael says project work with technology fosters cooperation among her students, who come to understand that information can come from a variety of sources. "Up until the Webquest, many of my first-graders had only used computers for playing reading and math games. When they started their snake study, they were excited to find how much they could learn from the Internet."

What's next in this active classroom? Mael plans to engage her students in more hands-on science activities, using a digital microscope as a tool for observation. Autumn naturally piques first-graders' interest in "spiders, owls, and pumpkins," she says. "We will use the camera, microscope, computer, and TV as tools for exploring." While her students are busy observing the world around them, Mael will be keeping a careful eye on her first-graders. She plans to develop new units to match their interests.