Literacy Project

This lesson is part of a unit on personal narratives.  This lesson falls toward the very end of the unit. Students have written and been scored on a pre-assessment piece, reviewed the components of Writer’s Workshop, conferenced in small groups and with the teacher, collected and gathered ideas, reviewed the writing cycle, reviewed exemplar pieces, have access to and practice with their Writer’s Notebooks, and practiced organization and elaboration strategies.  The students selected for this activity are general education students.  Pre-assessment data collected determined that these students would benefit from this guided & independent practice that will highlight their strengths and provide opportunities for growth. The objectives of this lessons were to complete a personal narrative and to create a digital story as their published piece. We used iMovie to create this story. I guided the students with this process and assisted with timing. This story was written, illustrated and narrated by a student who shows some difficulty with writing concepts and skills. I found this lesson to be highly motivating and engaging. I plan to work with other students to publish their work in similar manners.

Web 2.0

Thank you EDUC 584 and Judy Arzt for assisting me throughout this process.  In addition to my growth, my students, their families, and the school community have greatly benefited from my interactions and work in this class.

MORE Digital Storytelling!

After reluctantly embracing this process, I am pleased to say that I have completed another digital story. My grade level colleagues and I were planning a math lesson that integrated the book, Two of Everything, by Lily Toy Hong.  The problem was that we only had one copy for 3 classes to share. And then, it struck me!  I could create a digital story for my peers to project in their classrooms!   In addition to this, I have posted the story on my classroom website for students and parents to access at home.  The second time around was much easier than the first...I hope you enjoy this!

Digital Storytelling

This is the first time that I have created a digital story.  I plan to use this as a way to introduce personal narratives to my class.  I will also provide a link to this on my website for parents to access.  In addition to students drafting a personal narrative, I plan to have an enrichment group use a digital storytelling tool to create their own project.

Diving Into Digital Storytelling

Third graders develop their writing skills by drafting and publishing personal narratives.  Instead of modeling my typical personal narrative, I've decided to take more of a risk and dive into the digital storytelling world.  By doing so, I hope to spark the interest of my students as they embark on their personal narrative journeys.  Stay tuned...a video will be posted soon!

Animoto: All Smiles In September

We all know how much children love to be the star of the show.  This year, I have decided to make a monthly video, or two, that will allow my students the opportunity to be on display!  I plan to share these chronicles with their parents and families to increase parental involvement and hold students accountable for their daily routines.  I'm hopeful that this will motivate my students to stay on task and communicate their tasks and assignments more clearly with their families.  I'm also hoping that the parents will leave positive feedback on our classroom blog.  Do you think this is a good idea? I hope you enjoy the show!

Blog Inspirations

The beginning phases of blogging can seem tedious and tireless.  There are blogs that astound me and some that overwhelm me.  However, reading other teachers blogs have inspired me and encouraged me to be more creative and dedicated to quality posts.  I've come across a few blogs that have really motivated me as I adjust to this process.  I hope you enjoy my top 2 highlights!

1.  Stephanie from Third Grade Thoughts has some wonderful ideas!  

2.  Adventures of Ms. Smith has ideas for teachers to try at home and in school.  

Check them out and let me know what you think.