This was created for Hyperstudio on the Mac but can be used for various other graphics and multimedia programs on another platform


Junior and Senior Kindergarten:

Hand Tool - used for page turning in book stacks (Color Me/Chef Tom)
Arrow - used for selecting items from the menus
Paintbrush - used for drawing their first pictures on the computer
(many discover that double-clicking will allow them to change
the shape of their brush)
Eraser - I try to steer them away from the eraser...
(You need to emphasize the fact that it is not a paint brush or they will spend too much time using it to fill their screens with bricks or hearts. Once the eraser has been contaminated by changing it to a color, any new stack started or new card will be filled with that color or pattern. It should remain white.
Using Command N to get a new card rather than waste time erasing
Paint Bucket - used for filling in the areas of the Color Me Stack
(it takes quite a bit of practice to get the drip area of the bucket
into the white sections and not on the black line of the picture, we use Undo often)
Magnifying Glass - used for coloring in areas too small for the paint bucket
Selecting New Stack and Open Stack from File Menu
Selecting Undo from the Edit Menu or using Command Z
Double-Clicking on a pattern or mixed color in order to mix a new color
Tearing off the Tool and Color Menus


First Grade:



Line Tool - used for creating a simple horizon line in their drawings
Spray Paint Can - used for adding soft shading to spheres or clouds
Circle and Box Tools - used for making areas that may be filled with
colors or patterns they have edited
Filled Circle Tool - used for making snowmen on a dark blue background, the sun in a light blue sky, a crescent moon on a pitch black night, grapes, or a color wheel
Filled Box Tool - used for making brick houses, color wheels with square blocks, robot bodies
Pencil Tool - used for adding small details to self portraits such as eye lashes, adding the ''pricklies'' on cactus, or for creating a mountainous horizon line
Text Tool - used for adding names or short sentences to their pictures
Using Command > and Command < to move forward and backward through cards without buttons
Double-Clicking on the line and brush tools to change the size or shape
Selecting Draw Filled from the Option Menu



Second Grade:

Editing Box - used for erasing areas or moving clip art or pasted down text
Lasso - used for capturing clip art
(This is a skill that we spend several sessions on in a variety of ways
because it is one of the most difficult to master and the most useful.)
Using Load Background from the File Menu
(We load a background like a tree, and then practice lassoing clip art to create a scene)
Using Save Screen from the File Menu in order to save their drawings
Using Command B to Add a Button that will trigger the path animation NBA
(This requires step by step instruction, and not just a simple demonstration)
Using Save Stack As... from the File Menu in order to create their Hyperfolio Stack
Getting the students used to saving and naming their work

Third Grade:

Using Command C to copy a graphic and Command V to paste
(This is very handy for creating a custom border, and the same keyboard commands are used in other paint programs such as Print Shop Companion Editors, ClarisWorks, and Superpaint.)
Double-Clicking on the Text Tool in order to change the text size and style
By this time, the students are fairly comfortable with all the paint tools, but some may still need practice lassoing clip art. They understand the concept of cards, buttons, and stacks in general, and now can use the program as a complete tool. We create buttons, practice using the transitions, and add sounds from sound disks. By this time, students have at least one or two ''keeper'' screens from earlier years in their Hyperfolio, but now they can design the ''Cover Card'' for the stack.

Fourth Grade:

Using Command T to Add a Text Item in which an AppleWorks file can be imported
(Since third grade is when I introduce them to AppleWorks, they should have a few stories or poems stored on their disk which can now be brought into their Hyperfolios.)
Using the microphone to record their voice and add it to a button (Wear ear plugs! Sound is very attractive to the students, but be sure it is the absolute last thing they need to do to complete a project. If you let them work with the sound too soon, you can kiss productivity good bye!)

Fifth Grade:

Using Replace Colors... from the Options Menu in order to clean up scanned graphics
(This is a good age group to make an electronic book. Use a book commonly read in a primary grade and scan the drawings. Then have the students choose Standard Colors from the Options Menu. Replace the three colors surrounding a corner color with that corner color and then make sure the black outline is clean and free of holes. The students color the pictures and add the text. This project engages the fifth graders in the graphic process, teaching them attention to detail, precision work, and when they see the little ones reading the book, it gives the entire process a practical meaning)
Using the Color Editor under the Extras Menu, the students also learn how to colorize a black and white scanned graphic.
Students will continue to work on their Hyperfolio text files. They can also scan drawings they have done, load them as backgrounds for their stories, and colorize them.

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grades: should be able to combine all elements in a wide range of projects.

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