As weather improves, this may be a fun way to get fresh air (or escape an over heated classroom?) and do something different....
[Source]
A place to share my experiences as a TTOC and Middle School Teacher. Resources, ideas and important issues in education.
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Outdoor Bounce - Parts of Story
As weather improves, this may be a fun way to get fresh air (or escape an over heated classroom?) and do something different....
[Source]
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Cool Site: Storyline Online
http://www.storylineonline.net/ is a cool website I quite love. It features famous and well-known actors reading stories such as Harry the Dirty Dog read by Betty White, Me and My Cat read by Elijah Wood.
It is free, it is fun, and something you can do to change things up as a TTOC or in your own classroom.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
ipad apps for Story Telling
Technology Tailgate posted these great ipad stroytelling apps:
Storytelling apps are one of the most powerful aspects of the iPad. They
allows for collaboration and creativity that I couldn't really achieve
before using the iPad. Here are some of my favorite Storytelling Apps.
Little Bird Tales (post with examples HERE from web tool but app is similar)
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Flocabulary
It has been a while since I used Flocabulary regularily, but recently, I have been using the SMARTboards more and more and one of the things I like to do at the end of the day with Middle Schoolers before planners and clean-up is show a short video.
Of course, I prefer educational videos, but also videos they will enjoy. Luckily, Flocabulary is both of those things.
There are a number of education rap videos available for free, and many more for members. You can do a 14 day free trial to access these videos. Also, a few are available on youtube.
They do a week in rap video most weeks that talks about current events (though it is American based) but also has Socials Studies, Language Arts, Math and Science videos.
Check out their site, there are so many cool videos. My students love them and sing them throughout the day. They know their Parts of Speech, Elements of a Short Story and Prefixes very well now because they rap and sing the song from Flocabulary!
One of my favourites is 'Five Things: Elements of a Short Story':
Of course, I prefer educational videos, but also videos they will enjoy. Luckily, Flocabulary is both of those things.
There are a number of education rap videos available for free, and many more for members. You can do a 14 day free trial to access these videos. Also, a few are available on youtube.
They do a week in rap video most weeks that talks about current events (though it is American based) but also has Socials Studies, Language Arts, Math and Science videos.
Check out their site, there are so many cool videos. My students love them and sing them throughout the day. They know their Parts of Speech, Elements of a Short Story and Prefixes very well now because they rap and sing the song from Flocabulary!
One of my favourites is 'Five Things: Elements of a Short Story':
Monday, 27 August 2012
First Day Jitters
Lessons to try with the story:
- http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literature_guides/firstdayjitters.html
- http://www.uniqueteachingresources.com/First-Day-Jitters-Lesson-Plans.html
- http://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-grades-3-5/42630-first-day-jitters-book-summary-and-activities/
- http://www.charlesbridge.com/client/client_pdfs/downloadables/FirstDayJitters_ActivityGuide.pdf
Here is a youtube reading of the book:
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Primary Reading Strategy
Today I met a friend and colleague for an afterschool chat and she shared a great reading strategy she saw in a class today.
Each student had a sticky note with their own name on it.
As the teacher read a picture book, a student could at any time, come up and put their sticky note name on a page if they had thought of a connection.
After the story the teacher went through the book and when a students name was called they would say: "This remind me of...."
What a simple, but fantastic strategy to encourage listening, connecting, and sharing.
I absolutely love it and can't wait to try it!
Each student had a sticky note with their own name on it.
As the teacher read a picture book, a student could at any time, come up and put their sticky note name on a page if they had thought of a connection.
After the story the teacher went through the book and when a students name was called they would say: "This remind me of...."
What a simple, but fantastic strategy to encourage listening, connecting, and sharing.
I absolutely love it and can't wait to try it!
Saturday, 21 April 2012
High Five Reading Out Loud
I don't remember where I read or heard this idea recently, but last week I tried it out. I was at a Middle School covering various classes for the Grade 8 articulation (When Grade 7 classroom teachers meet with High School Counsellors to discuss students heading to Grade 8 next year)
Anyways, in one of the classes we were reading a Science text book out loud and since I did not know the students names, reading levels and no one was volunteering to read, I decided to try this trick.
I chose one student to read the first paragraph. When they were done they had to high five a classmate who would read the next paragraph and so on and so forth.
What I liked about this was that students were more likely to follow along because they didn't know if they would be chosen (or if it was their friend reading, they knew they might be chosen)
It was nice because I was only there for 30 minutes and didn't know the students well, so this was a fun and different way to choose readers. Most the class had a turn (no repeats allowed) and it got them out of their desk to go high five someone to read next.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Teaching in BC - fantastic read
Teaching in BC by a local colleague is an amazing read. I encourage you to read it entirely as she shares her experiences teaching.
Here is one part I particularily enjoyed because I respect Barrie Bennett and have taken a fair amount of Pro D with him and also because it is an analogy that anyone can relate to:
Barrie Bennett, a well-respected professor working out of OISE (the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto) once compared teaching to organizing a children’s birthday party.
He asked all the parents in the room to recall the amount of work and planning that went into the last party they planned. He listed all the things that needed to be prepared ahead of time, things like a cake, presents, goodie bags, balloons, and games. He discussed the challenges of bringing ten or twelve children into a single home for a period of three hours and keeping them suitably entertained. He had everyone visualize the clean-up at the end of the event, and most importantly, had people reflect on how they felt—tired, exhausted, relieved it was over for another year—after the event.
Barrie, eyes twinkling, then asked us to imagine hosting a birthday party, not for ten children, but for thirty. And instead of entertaining the kids for three hours, we had to do it for six. He casually said, “And instead of goody bags, you have to give tests.” There’s no cake. No games, no prizes, no clowns, no balloons. Instead there are required learning outcomes, unit plans, lesson plans, photocopying, adaptations, modifications and mountains of paperwork. Some of the guests won’t want to be there. Some are not ready to be there, and a few will come with adults who will tell you you’re doing it all wrong.
He asked us to recall those feelings of exhaustion after hosting a party again. Then he told us we’d have to do it again the next day. And the one after that. We’d have to plan and host the equivalent of one hundred and eighty parties. And remember, these aren’t parties where the kids are excited to be there, where you can whip out a clown or chocolate fountain to appease the masses. These are parties where there are tests and assignments and bullies and insufficient resources.
Barrie was talking about a typical class where less than 10% of the population is categorized as having special needs.
Her post goes on to talk about her experiences teaching and the conditions and circumstances she faces each day as a Teacher in BC. Please Read her entire post here
Here is one part I particularily enjoyed because I respect Barrie Bennett and have taken a fair amount of Pro D with him and also because it is an analogy that anyone can relate to:
Barrie Bennett, a well-respected professor working out of OISE (the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto) once compared teaching to organizing a children’s birthday party.
He asked all the parents in the room to recall the amount of work and planning that went into the last party they planned. He listed all the things that needed to be prepared ahead of time, things like a cake, presents, goodie bags, balloons, and games. He discussed the challenges of bringing ten or twelve children into a single home for a period of three hours and keeping them suitably entertained. He had everyone visualize the clean-up at the end of the event, and most importantly, had people reflect on how they felt—tired, exhausted, relieved it was over for another year—after the event.
Barrie, eyes twinkling, then asked us to imagine hosting a birthday party, not for ten children, but for thirty. And instead of entertaining the kids for three hours, we had to do it for six. He casually said, “And instead of goody bags, you have to give tests.” There’s no cake. No games, no prizes, no clowns, no balloons. Instead there are required learning outcomes, unit plans, lesson plans, photocopying, adaptations, modifications and mountains of paperwork. Some of the guests won’t want to be there. Some are not ready to be there, and a few will come with adults who will tell you you’re doing it all wrong.
He asked us to recall those feelings of exhaustion after hosting a party again. Then he told us we’d have to do it again the next day. And the one after that. We’d have to plan and host the equivalent of one hundred and eighty parties. And remember, these aren’t parties where the kids are excited to be there, where you can whip out a clown or chocolate fountain to appease the masses. These are parties where there are tests and assignments and bullies and insufficient resources.
Barrie was talking about a typical class where less than 10% of the population is categorized as having special needs.
Her post goes on to talk about her experiences teaching and the conditions and circumstances she faces each day as a Teacher in BC. Please Read her entire post here
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