Literacy Project

I was away for our April 12th class, so I had a lot of catching up to do. I had an idea in mind for my literacy project, but hadn't yet begun it. During our April 19th class we had the chance to play around with Weebly, which I liked at first and thought I would use as the platform for my project (I was in awe of all the background options). I started typing in some of the research I had done on my project (fairy tales for second grade) during class, but then when I got home I realized it wasn't as easy to work in as Blogger is. I had trouble linking to other websites, formatting pictures, and so on. So, I created a new blog--Lisa's Fairy Tales Blog--and transferred all of my information on fairy tales to it. I like this platform much better, probably because I'm so much more familiar and comfortable in Blogger because of this blog.

I can definitely do a lot more with the fairy tales blog, but I'm feeling stressed out that I haven't finished the entire project yet. I included four fairy tales for students to read/have read to them through a cool site I stumbled on called "Speakaboo" (I shared it through Diigo). I didn't realize there is a subscription attached because the stories I listened to were provided. I'm guessing the first few are free as demos. I provided links to related sites as well as collaborative activities. I still need to complete the lesson plan in the preferred template, add a rubric, and get reaction from students (actual second graders or from our class). I also came across some great activities to use on a SMART Board (fairy tales Jeopardy!, a vortex game with "Real" vs. "Fantasy," a fun concentration game, etc.), but I have no idea if I can cross-link smart notebook activities in a blog or how to get that information across on this platform. If I was doing this unit with a class, I would simply put the activities up. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them!

From fairytalesforsecondgraders.blogspot.com
Image credit: Google Images

Aviva Dunsiger

I'm so thankful for today's snow storm and early dismissal--I was able to catch up on some much needed school work, including the opportunity to really go through Aviva Dunsiger's classroom blog and class wiki. After looking through everything I was completely blown away. First of all, I'm amazed at how much information is there and that she's able to find the time to update all the pages so frequently. I run my school's before and after care program, and, oops, tomorrow's March 1st and I haven't even started composing and printing the March invoices yet!

Second, I love her idea of posting a video of the classroom layout prior to the first day of school and putting it on the class blog. So many students have anxieties about the first day of school; I'm sure it helped tremendously for Ms. Dunsiger's first and second graders to see the room beforehand and know what to expect. I kept thinking about one of the students at my school last year--as a kindergartener, he had severe anxiety about moving on to first grade in the fall. His stress began at about this time last year. Even though his new first grade classroom was right downstairs and he could visit it, the very idea upset him. For months he would randomly run out of the room, act sullen, and/or kick walls and chairs, shouting, "I don't want to go to first grade!" I wonder if something as simple as having a video like this would have calmed him, especially during the summer months, so he could take comfort in knowing what was coming.

Third, I LOVE all the technology evident in Ms. Dunsiger's classroom, from the "Blogger's Cafe" to the wall of computers to the use of Nintendo DSs (!). That really shocked me. I have never seen a teacher incorporate DSs into her curriculum, and yet, it makes perfect sense. Kids are attached to them like they're a third arm (as I type this I can hear my first grader in the other room playing "Mario 3D Land" on the 3DS he got for Christmas). Why not utilize them for good (i.e., educational purposes) instead of for evil (recreation; okay, not really evil, but you know what I mean).

I'm looking forward to Skyping with Ms. Dunsiger tomorrow night and seeing whether or not she'll be wearing a Super Woman cape (provided the snow tapers off, that is!).

Explore

·    I LOVE Lesson Plan Sites for K-12 Teachers! I’m going to send the link to my colleagues at school.

·    "11 Must Read Education Blogs" is great! There’s so much amazing information, it’s almost dizzying.

·    Animoto: This site is incredible! I had fun just putting together a silly little 36-second video held together with a few random photos. I can definitely see the potential for creating some unique projects. I’m thinking of possibly experimenting with all the photos taken tonight at my school’s exhibition night. This would be a great way to capture the enthusiasm and creativity on display throughout the halls.




Image credit: Lisa Cushing (my two boys)