Wonderopolis
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Language Arts Games - Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, Vocabulary
Sheppard Software's Language Arts page features a variety of games for different grade levels. Elementary students (and anyone who needs a refresher) can play the animated grammar and punctuation games, which review basic punctuation and grammar concepts. This section is continually being refined and expanded, so check back often!
Scrine
Quality Student Blogs Part Two – Post Topics
Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Tuesday, June 19th 2012 Last week I wrote about how students with their own blogs can be guided to create quality posts. After I published my post, I showed my class the less ideal post example I used about dogs. It was so interesting to get their opinions on the fictional post. Seeing their “shock” at the lack of proofreading, lack of content and the use of multiple exclamation marks etc. was quite amusing! When students in my class earn their own blog, I generally have a chat to them about the sort of posts they’d like to write about. A common pattern Without guidance or discussion, I have found that students can get into the habit of writing blog posts such as My familyMy petsMy friendsMy favourite sportsMy favourite animalsMy favourite booksMy favourite foods…. The “My Favourite…” theme can go on and on! I saw this pattern emerge many times before realising the students could be encourage to “think outside the square”. Be observant Think about your audience
You Are Your Words - AHD
Civil War Newscasts: Part III
So I finally have some time to finish this three part post on a major collaborative project that my classes did over the Civil War at then end of the school year. If you haven't had a chance please check out my first two posts here and here. Immediately after filming was completed, students began the arduous task of editing their work. I knew this would be time consuming so the students had three days in class as well as the weekend to finish editing their newscasts. The students had an option on what type of editing software they could use. The first choice was an online editing service called Jaycut. Another editing choice was Windows Movie Maker. Options three and four were two bits of editing software using the Mac: Final Cut (more expensive) and iMovie. The final part of the project was to have the students present their newscast. All in all, this was a great cumulative project to end the year.
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Monday, November 05, 2012 I want something to do with my hands. I do not fidget. I make no motion unprovoked. Nothing taken, or lost or left without reason, thought. I write nothing. I want to do something with my hands in times of weakness, or lack of productivity. Thursday, May 17, 2012 She feels the sticky warmth of an arm of another around her waist, but she doesn’t open her eyes. Friday, March 09, 2012 I was so excited today that I’m sure I sounded drunk. focus. Sometimes I lose myself, and not in the good way. And I came to a realization somewhere after deciding that I should drive to Chicago to see Alyson and Sam next week, and that I should really, actually, fly out to California to re-assert my own hold over fate and destiny. I don’t have to live here tomorrow, I can go somewhere, and never come back. Because I can choose. I really can. Now, I am roped into a lease for the next year or so. But I have dreams, and I have time to fix everything. so I can really just go. January 2006.
Quality Student Blogs Part One – Posts
As I have written about before, I have a system in my classroom where students can earn their own blog. Adapted from Linda Yollis’ idea, I have found the system to work well in both my grade two and grade four classes. Recently, six 4KM and 4KJ students were the first to earn their own blogs for 2012. They join a couple of student bloggers in our class who were in 2KM or 2KJ in 2010. Teaching about and encouraging quality comments is a big part of our classroom blogging program. It is the first blogging skill we teach students and we invest a lot of time in this process. Teaching students about creating quality blogs and writing quality blog posts is another area that needs explicit teaching and ongoing feedback. Over a series of blog posts, I will look at aspects of quality student blogging. What makes a quality student blog post? Over the years, I have discovered my own definition of quality by working with my student bloggers. Overuse of glitter text – very tempting for young bloggers!
80+ Google Forms for the Classroom
Google Forms is a great tool and I hope to use it more throughout this year. Take a look here for a more detailed introduction and guide to using and creating a Google Form – this was written prior to Google bringing forms into the NEW menu. I have created example forms for each of the different topics, follow the links in each of the ten sections. With help from a Googler I have included a link so that you can get your own copy of the form – click on the appropriate link and it should open in your docs home. 1 ) Get to know your class Use this form to gather some indication from your new class about their likes and dislikes, their favourite lessons or after school clubs they enjoy. 2 ) Emotion graph An emotion graph is a simple line graph comparing a range of happiness to sadness against different points (time) in a story or film. 3 ) Spelling test 4 ) Comprehension questions 5 ) Weekly reading record 6 ) Maths data handling 7 ) Guided reading record 8 ) Prior learning assessment
Scrine
Publishing Learners' Writing
Light summer dresses beckon behind the door as the sun finds its path through slanted shades. Memories of green, playgrounds and crystal clear seas entice my mind. However, being an educator, summer is a time when I catch up on professional training, academic studies and research. It is also a time which allows me to look into learning tools with more leisure, playing with assumptions of what may most interest students in coming semesters. With the regular bandwagon terminology regarding E-learning, learning, ways of learning is often on my mind. Whether through games and gaming, virtual worlds or tools which challenge one's creativity and organisational skills, there is something for everyone. One motivational approach is to have learners publish their own work, whether class work, a project or a topic they are interested in and may share with others. Writing is a challenge for most learners, regardless of age or whether studying a second language. What do you want your learners to say?
Keeping Students Engaged in a 1:1 Project-Based Classroom [guest post]
Image approved for copy by Creative Commons. Source: When laptops first arrived in my classroom, I worried about classroom management. How could I create an environment where students used their computers as tools rather than toys? I was worried for nothing. Students make a plan. Much of the time, students think they have a plan. Instead, ask What are you trying to learn? When you ask about learning and communication, you are signaling that the content is more important than the technology. Students set time-bound goals. Create an outline for my essayWrite my introductionFind three pictures about…Do my voice recordingFinish four slides of my Power Point/KeynoteFind at least three database articles on…Draft at least three paragraphsUse Google docs to peer-edit so-and-so’s essayUpload my story to Voicethread Tasks should be specific. Laptop screens are “fisted” or “put at half mast”. Teachers don’t lecture much in a project-based learning environment.
