Walt Brame

Idea #1: For this project, I plan to institute a new routine. By now, my students have used ReelDirector, Mobile Studio, Voice Memos, and StoryKit to showcase their reading strategies and skills. The routine I have in mind is for them to choose a strategy and an app and come up with a way to demonstrate their understanding of the selection. I'll create a simple form for them to turn in a proposal and set aside time on the day they take the selection test for them to complete their work. Since we only have 11 iPODs, we'll have to do this as a group assignment.


Another idea: I'd like my students to turn their persuasive essays into recordings on StoryKit. They're already finished with the writing so they just need to come up with photos, type in the writing, and record. It would be great for them to share these with classmates, other 5th grade classes (maybe across the district as model writing), and students in lower grades.

For this activity, I photographed illustrations in the selection, A Boy Called Slow. Then I uploaded them to a wikipage and linked it to my class webpage. Students imported photos to their iPODs and then put them into ReelDirector. Students discussed predictions in groups of 3 and recorded what the story would be about based on each illustration. After reading the selection, students revised or confirmed their predictions and recorded it so it plays after the original prediction.

This time around I want to develop some iPOD routines to practice the HM reading strategies during the reading. Using Voice Memos, I plan to have students start by practicing Monitor and Clarify while reading Mom' Best Friend. Students will use the activity, Read, Cover, Recite, Review in groups of 3. Students will read a paragraph or page at a time. After reading, one student will paraphrase the text without looking back at the book. The paraphrase will be recorded. Other group members will help the student monitor for understanding by accepting the response, or by having the student go back to reread. If the student needs to reread, he or she will pararphrase and record that part of the book again. This process will continue as the group continues to read through the assigned pages.

The Process:

We began the project by reading La Bamba and discussing the main events. Next we discussed what it would sound like to listen in to a conversation the characters might have when the talent show was over. Students worked in groups to create a script to show a dialogue between the main characters. The conversation had to be a summary of the main events.

Students also created illustrations to show how they visualized the setting. Afterwards, the students typed the script so we could edit and revise. When that was done, we created slideshows so that the dialogue appears each time a character speaks.

Reflection:
I learned that I made this project way more complicated than was necessary. In the future, I will simplify the requirements so students can really focus on the standards. Students really enjoyed the process.

This project would be appropriate for 5th grade and above.

My idea is to have the students record a conversation based on the different points of view in the selection La Bamba. It would be as if all the characters came together to talk about the events leading up to the talent show, during the show and aftewards. Students will work in groups of 4 or 5 to write the conversation and then record it in a Keynote slideshow. Students could possibly use illustrations and speech bubbles to show the conversation from slide to slide.