Educreations and a Parent Email

This morning, I had a student come in early to work on long division.  We spent about 15 minutes together, and I think I was able to help her figure out her problems.  However, I could tell that she still had a lingering doubt that she had mastered the skill. In my followup email to her parents, I struggled with how to put her mistake into words.  Then, it dawned on me -- EDUCREATIONS!  I was able to create a video and link it to my email in mere minutes. I hope it can help the parents understand the long division issues better.

Feel free to watch the video here.

How do you use Educreations to help make your job easier?

Native American StoryKit Projects

Our 5th grade history curriculum takes us through the entire history of the United States of America. Yes, you read that right. We start with a unit on geography, climate, and such. Then we delve into Native Americans. From there... It's Christopher Columbus to Barack Obama. In one year. As you can imagine, we can't stop on one topic for very long. I gave the students a research project for the Native American unit. Instead of a stuffy report or oral presentation, we went with StoryKits.

StoryKit is an iPhone app that simulates creating an eBook. Students can load text, pictures, and audio on each page.  It has more of an eBook feel on the actual iPad it was created on.  What you'll see on the links below will be more of a checkerboard of pages.  You just have to imagine it with me.  With my Apple TV and projector, students can show their projects to their classmates.

Here are some great examples.

http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=wqecdel4cflnfg5rvhx7
http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=qyemvl3e74wlcsatjquq
http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=6ma45iuahdxdbywb4ago
http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=jn3n6pn5f2hbfrjkab3d
http://iphone.childrenslibrary.org/cgi-bin/view.py?b=fquldi2zsp64m3br542z

How are you using StoryKit in your classroom?

6 Word Memoirs

The other day, one of my colleagues led our 5th and 6th graders in a 6 word memoir lesson.  I had heard of the memoirs but had no real experience with them.  Each student was to write one memoir about a Bible character and one about themselves.  Here are mine:

Hezekiah: God, You can stop him.
Me: Know the truth and live it.

Here are some other neat ones from the students.

• Jesus: I love you more than you imagine.
• Noah: Slow animals like snails! Rain coming!
• Female student: I don't deserve these blessings.
• Noah: Leave the unicorns, they're too ugly.
• Male student- Nice, friendly, curious, adventurous, nature, happy!
• Male student- Family's pain, I help them through.
• Female student - Happy, careless. Divorce changed life forever.
• Noah: Shem, go get... ROAR! Never mind
• Female student: Loves books, loves animals, love God
• Adam: First man ever, lived in garden.
• Male student: I want to go to UK.
• Job: He suffered, believed, and was rewarded.
• Female student: You carried me through this time.
• Jesus: He lived, He died, He ascended
• Female student: My Savior lives, He's Jesus Christ.
• Female student: He died, I am now free.
• Female student: Was afraid, but found His love.
• Esther: Scared afraid, but ready to lead

What is your 6 word memoir? 

More ScreenChomps

More chomps came rolling in today.  I thought I'd share my favorites.

http://www.screenchomp.com/t/IV0Iq90P
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/dnnpaZxya7
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/fFz2qG9fjk
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/xydjFDr11ZAk
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/0n2UcDDBf
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/m5IRLqoWPC
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/rD0GIJoBbw7h
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/00UooltHQpyK
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/J4zH5aXZFlcL
http://www.screenchomp.com/t/WWGpjoWl

US Westward Expansion

My fifth grade social studies class is starting a chapter on the westward expansion of the US.  So, I went on an app hunt and found US Westward Expansion.  It got good reviews, so I downloaded it and put it in my lesson plans.  After that I started playing it.  It's basic and factual.  It's lower level thinking, but it's a good review of the facts.  These kids struggle with the facts.  (In a recent test review I found that they didn't realize that we fought the British in the American Revolution.  I am ashamed as an educator. I'm glad we discovered it before the test.)

Today was their first time playing the game.  Once they got the hang of it, they didn't want to put it down.  Sometimes drill and practice is a good thing.