Tuesday Teacher Tips November 5, 2013 Picture Book Month, Journey, and iPads in Primary Education

These were the tips I sent out to my teachers today. If you have time, you really should spend time on the blog Mr. Andrews Online - which I discuss below!

To promote Picture Book Month,
I'm using little call outs
taped to some of our favorite picture books

Celebrate Picture Books This Month

November is Picture Book Month. Each day of the month, at the website Picture Book Month, you can read thoughts by featured picture book authors and illustrators.

You will also find activities related to picture books, and a calendar of suggestions by clicking [here].

Check out the Picture Book Month video [here], and see how many of the picture books featured you have read to your class.

Journey

What if you could draw a magic door and escape to anywhere you wanted to go? Where would you go?

In the wordless book, Journey, by Aaron Becker, a lonely girl does just that.

The illustrations fantastically capture beautiful scenes and the power of imagination.

This would be a perfect book to share with students as inspiration for writing.

See the breathtaking book trailer [here] & Aaron Becker’s amazing website [here]. On the website, there is a documentary about the making of the book, which might be interesting to share with students.

iPads in the Primary Education

If you are stuck on how to use iPads in your classroom to enhance skill instruction, you have to check out Mr. Andrews Online by clicking [here].

The blog’s author, David Andrews, who you can follow on Twitter, by clicking [here], has so many good ideas that you really need to make it a point to revisit often.

In one particular post, Andrews details how students used a number of different apps (some paid, some free), to study World War II.

Check out the post [here]. In the entry he describes students using: iThought (paid app), QR Codes (free), Sonic Pics (paid app), Strip Designer (which looks amazing), Pages, Keynote, and Silent Film (paid app), Creative Book Builder (paid app), iMovie and Pic Collage (free).

You really have to read the post to see the examples of the awesome student learning and work that resulted from the process.

Comments

Library Centers for Kindergarten & First Grade

Center Inspiration After much debate at the end of last school year, I was able to get 10 extra minutes added on to each of my classes for this year boosting class library time from 35 minutes a week to 45 minutes a week for my fixed schedule. For me, 35 minutes a week, just wasn't enough to pack in all the awesomeness I wanted to achieve. It seemed like we would just be getting started into something great when it was time to go. I was thrilled to know that this year I was going to have the extra time to work with my classes on research skills and technology projects while working in more time to allow them to browse the shelves and look at books. That being said, truth be told, I was completely freaked out about what to do with my kindergartners for 45 minutes. Did I mention in my former life, I was a high school English teacher? Four years ago, my first two weeks in an elementary library were a complete culture shock to me. I was used to walking into a room and just say

Project Genre-fy the Fiction Section!

After a lot of thinking, I finally decided to take the leap this summer and move the fiction section of my elementary library from the traditional first-three-letters-of-the-last- name organization to a genre based organization. Now that the project is almost complete, I cannot wait to get the kids back in the library so I can show them! Deciding Factors There are many reasons individual teacher librarians might choose to genrefy their library. For me, I was driven to start with the fiction section because I've noticed an alarming drop off in students checking out books by the time they get to fifth grade. This drop off could be for any number of reasons: increased activities after school, loss of interest in the materials they see on the shelf, lack of time, or they could be overwhelmed by book after book organized by letter. I realized, too, that although my 3-5 graders don't ask for "funny" books or "animal" stories, they seem to get stuck on c

Digital Interactive Notebooks: Getting Started

Post appeared also on FtEdTech It's no real secret that I love Digital Interactive Notebooks. I create them every chance I get and encourage teachers to use them for everything from long term Project Based Learning (PBL) projects to weekly unit work with vocabulary . The Interactive Notebook (INB) has long been a staple of the classroom to engage students more directly with their notes. The traditional interactive notebook often includes traditional student notes, questions, and interactives that students cut, fold, color and paste into their notebooks. You might find graphic organizers, pockets with measuring tools, data charts, and foldables that act as study aides. In the NSTA article " Science Interactive Notebooks in the Classroom " Jocelyn Young explains the benefits of INB when she shares that " By using notebooks, students model one of the most vital and enduring functions of scientists in all disciplines—recording information, figures, and data.

Learning in Progress

Search This Blog