Category: For Teachers

A Different Kind of Webspiration Wednesday

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on A Different Kind of Webspiration Wednesday4628 views

Webspiration Wednesday normally consists of teachers gathering together in the library to watch and discuss an inspirational video or TED talk, followed by discussion about its implications in our classrooms.  Today was a different kind of Webspiration Wednesday.

On March 10 I got a late night phone call that one of our second grade teachers had died.  I was convinced that I was hearing wrong, Val was only 53 and I saw her that morning.  She wasn’t feeling well when she got to school, so we called her  a sub.  Being that she is a teacher, she came back to school at 4:00 to write up sub plans and get everything ready for her absense the next day.  Her husband and 7 year old daughter were with her, and gave her 5 minutes to get her plans laid out.  Of course 5 minutes turned into 30 as she set out plans, answered emails, and wrote a morning message for her students at the board.  As she was finializing plans, she collapsed.  Paramedics weren’t able to revive her.   Our school body went into a state of shock and mourning.  The next day we had no school.  Teachers gathered and cried together, and we asked a lot of questions about how best to minister to grieving kids.  We brought in grief counselors and came together with our students the next day to help the students process the loss in any way that we could.  As a school body we felt utterly depleted.  An amazing thing happened, schools from  around the country came together to support us.  My PLN on Twitter immediately sent articles and podcasts for how to help children through the grief process and offered words of hope.  Jason Schmidt (@jasonschmidt123) had his students write notes of hope, encouragement, and prayers for Val’s little girl.  They arrived the day of Val’s funeral.   A neighboring school showed us love and encouragement by providing our staff the opportunity to come together over a catered lunch.  Today we broke bread together.  We talked, and laughed, and reminiced together.  We don’t often get that opportunity with staggered lunches and busy schedules.  We were inspired today not by a video talk, but by the love showed by others.   Thank you all for your inspiration, words of encouragement, and hope.

Poetry Idea Machine

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Poetry Idea Machine4020 views

Picture 1

What it is: April is national poetry month, the Poetry Idea Machine is sure to help you infuse your classroom with some inspired poetry writing.  Students learn about different kinds of poetry by selecting from Haiku, Limerick, Cinquain, or Free Verse.  The Poetry Idea Machine takes students through the steps of making each type of poetry.   The Poetry Idea Machine makes an excellent introduction to types of poetry and will have your students writing their own in no time.  

How to integrate Poetry Idea Machine into the classroom: The Poetry Idea Machine does a fantastic job of introducing students to different kinds of poetry.  After students learn about the poetry, they have a chance to create their own poem with the Poetry Idea Machine interactive.  In my classroom, I use the Poetry Idea Machine with the  whole class using the interactive whiteboard or projector.  I invite students up to create their own poems as we talk through the process.  Choose one type of poetry each week so that students have an opportunity to practice writing the poems.  During the week, give your students time to write their poems, allowing them access to the Poetry Idea Machine on classroom computers as an idea center.  Let students work in small groups to create unique poems using the Poetry Idea Machine.

Tips: Read poems by Jack Prelutsky, Karla Kuskin, and Jean Marzollo for inspiration.  Ask students to determine which type of poem each is based on what they have learned with the Idea Machine.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using the Poetry Idea Machine in your classroom.

The World of Peter Rabbit

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on The World of Peter Rabbit2695 views

Picture 2

What it is: Beatrix Potter has captured the imaginations of countless children with her classic Peter Rabbit tales.  The World of Peter Rabbit is as enchanting as the stories, bringing Beatrix Potter’s incredible artistry to life.  The whole site is fashioned into a virtual popup book where students can meet the characters, watch videos of the stories, play games, and find fun things to make and do offline.  Students can play a game of find Peter (before Mr. McGregor does!), take part in an Easter egg hunt, collect snowflakes to earn special downloads, help Peter find his way through a maze, and play a vegetable picking game.  Students can read character descriptions of each of Beatrix Potter’s characters and even watch video clips of Peter Rabbit.  Students can also create their very own interactive Peter Rabbit puppet show.  They can star in the puppet show by uploading a picture of themselves or a favorite pet.  

How to integrate The World of Peter Rabbit into the classroom: I can’t remember the last time I was so utterly captivated by a website.  The site is absolutely beautiful and true to Beatrix Potter’s classic characters.  If Beatrix was still alive, I imagine this is the site she, herself, would have built.  Introduce your students to the classic Peter Rabbit tales with this site.  My students fell in love with the characters and were eager to hunt down the books in our library.  Invite your students to star in their own puppet show, each show will be unique as students make decisions about what will happen to their characters.  Allow students to view each other’s puppet shows.  After reading through character descriptions, students can write their own Peter Rabbit tale, staying true to the character traits they read about on the site.

Tips: Students can learn more about Beatrix Potter by visiting “The World of Beatrix Potter“, they can even explore her home in the Lake District with an interactive map.  Beatrix Potter would make an excellent subject for an author’s study.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using The World of Peter Rabbit in your classroom.

ESA Kids

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on ESA Kids3612 views

Picture 1

What it is: The European Space Agency (ESA) has a great website for kids.  ESA Kids has fabulous, kid friendly information about the Universe (the story of the Universe, the sun, the planets and moons, the galaxies, comets and meteors), Life in Space (astronauts, space stations, life in space, exploration, are we alone?), Lift Off (launchers, orbits, mission control, spacecraft, new ways to space), Useful Space (TV and phone, know where you are, space spin-offs, weather, health), and Earth (climate change, natural disasters, protecting nature, water world).  This site is absolutely packed full of information and awesome images.  Students can “work in a lab” where they can build papercraft globes and spacecraft, try reading space maps, and learn fun space facts.  Students will also enjoy the space themed games and puzzles, online coloring book, quizzes, and downloads.  Each month, a new story about space is added to the News section, keeping students up to date about what is happening in space exploration.  

How to integrate ESA Kids into the classroom: When I am hunting for space related websites, I usually begin with NASA.  ESA Kids is being added to my must visit places for all things space.  The site is organized well, very kid friendly, and has fun activities that students can take part in.  Use ESA Kids for space research, when learning about the weather, climate change, and natural disasters.  After students have some background knowledge about space and space exploration, have them visit the Lab and choose a papercraft spacecraft to print and build.  Students can write a story about their spacecraft, including facts that they learned on the ESA Kids website.  They may even write a fictional story about their visit to space that includes factual elements that they learned in the Life in Space section.    Be sure to visit the Useful Space tab, I think students will be surprised at how many common items are linked to space and space exploration.

Tips: Be sure to visit this site often, the news is updated every month with current space events.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using ESA Kids in your classroom.

LEGO Smart Creativity Contest

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on LEGO Smart Creativity Contest2293 views

LEGOSmartCreativityContest

What it is: LEGO Education is looking for 10,000 contestants for its 2010 LEGO Smart Creativity Contest.  You can sign your classroom up to participate from now to July 2010, challenging your students to be LEGO Smart.  When you sign up, you will receive a free LEGO Smart kit to use for the contest.  Beginning in August 2010, your students will be challenged with a variety of activities that will encourage them to think creatively.

LEGOSmartkit

How to integrate LEGO Smart Creativity Contest into the classroom: Take a look at the activities from last year, there are math, geography, science, collaboration, and social studies projects.  The activities are all a lot of fun.  The contest is a fantastic way to get your students thinking outside the box, in new and creative ways, while working together to accomplish tasks.  Your students will be working collaboratively, solving problems, and creating solutions.  Students will be demonstrating their understanding of technology, math, engineering, science and math.  I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t enjoy LEGOs.

Tips: For most of us, the contest won’t start until the next school year, sign up today and have some awesome activities ready for next year.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using LEGO Smart Creativity Contest in your classroom.

Webspiration Wednesday

Kelly Tenkely9 Comments on Webspiration Wednesday2860 views

wnm

I’ll be honest, today’s Webspiration Wednesday was a flop.  I wanted to introduce teachers to Daniel Pink’s a Whole New Mind and did a quick video search to see what I could find.  I came up with an interview that Oprah did with Daniel Pink about his book.  It would have been great if Oprah wouldn’t have opened her mouth.  I think she mentioned that she donated 4,500 books to Stanford grads no less than 50 times.  The interview wasn’t great, Oprah didn’t focus enough on the book, she was leading the questions to get the answers that she wanted. A flop.  On the upside, teachers got enough of a glimpse into the book that they were left wanting to read it.  So even though the video was a flop, the inspiration was still there.  Our local library offers digital downloads and A Whole New Mind is one of the audio books available for download.  My hope is that the staff will listen to it and think about how it relates to our classrooms and education.  Daniel Pink has a discussion guide for educators that is free to download on his website.    In the next few weeks, I hope to show Daniel Pink’s TED Talk on his newest book Drive (also excellent).

In A Whole New Mind, Pink asks us to consider the world that we are living in. He calls the age we find ourselves in the Conceptual age.  In this age, many left brain jobs are disappearing.  If a computer can do it faster, someone overseas can do it cheaper, or what you are offering isn’t in demand in this age of abundance, the job will become obsolete.   So then, creativity becomes the competitive difference that can differentiate commodities. Pink outlines six essential senses that need to be developed:

  1. Design – Moving beyond function to engage the senses.
  2. Story – Narrative added to products and services.
  3. Symphony – Adding invention and big picture thinking (not just detail focus).
  4. Empathy – Going beyond logic and engaging emotion and intuition.
  5. Play – Bringing humor and lightheartedness to business and products.
  6. Meaning – the purpose is the journey, give meaning to life from inside yourself.

As an educator, I am interested in how we can help our students develop these senses so that they can be prepared for the world ahead of them.  Here is a clue: it has nothing to do with standardized testing!

Have you read A Whole New Mind?  What take aways do you have for us?

If you haven’t read A Whole New Mind, I highly recommend it.

Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb

Kelly Tenkely4 Comments on Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb6158 views

Picture 1

What it is: Phineas and Ferb are popular Disney channel characters. They have a new short video to help students learn cyberspace rules and online safety tips.  Disney, together with Common Sense Media, created this fun short film to get kids thinking about cyber safety.  Tips in the video include: Be careful what you put online, you never know who is going to see it; just because it’s online, doesn’t mean it’s true; not everyone is who they say they are; if you wouldn’t do it in person, you shouldn’t do it online; and get outside and spend time with real friends.  These are great tips, but delivered by Phineas and Ferb they will be remembered by your students.  

How to integrate Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb into the classroom: Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb is an excellent place to get the discussion about online safety and netiquette started in your classroom.  The short video gives them a great jumping off point for thinking about the time they spend online.  Your students could “Laser inscribe” some additional tips in a paint or word processing program.  Post your students tips for online safety and cyberspace rules on a classroom bulletin board or on a Wallwisher wall.  I like how short and sweet this video is, every classroom can fit in a short lesson (or several) during the year.  Below the video, you can download a question sheet for students to quiz their parents about.  This extends the conversation at home and encourages parents to think about their child’s online safety.

Tips: If you have colleagues that are good sports, your students could also quiz other teachers in the building with the Phineas and Ferb Cyberspace Rules of the Road quiz.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Common Sense with Phineas and Ferb in your classroom.

My Hippo Has the Hiccups

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on My Hippo Has the Hiccups4042 views

Picture 1

What it is: In honor of national poetry month (April), Kenn Nesbitt is offering his book “My Hippo Has the Hiccups” as a free ebook.  I don’t know about you, but I feel like I just opened a “happy spring” present!  If you aren’t familiar with Kenn Nesbitt, he writes poetry that hooks kids and makes them instant fans of poetry.  It is funny and engaging for readers of all ages.  The ebook is available to view online or to download (can you believe it?!).    

How to integrate My Hippo Has the Hiccups into the classroom: This ebook is a winner no matter what age group you teach.  You can read the poems as a class using an interactive whiteboard or a projector connected computer.  Because you can download the ebook, it would also be a wonderful addition to your classroom library on the classroom computers.  Students can visit classroom computers with My Hippo Has the Hiccups as a poetry inspiration station.  Invite your students to create their own silly Kenn Nesbitt inspired poetry.  Make a class book of the silly poems and post them as a class ebook on Issuu.

Tips: You have to have the Zino Reader installed to view this ebook, it is a simple click and download.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using My Hippo Has the Hiccups in your classroom.

The Zimmer Twins

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on The Zimmer Twins5452 views

Picture 1

What it is: Who are the Zimmer Twins, you might ask?  Edgar and Eva Zimmer are 12 year old twins who appear normal but have developed psychic powers.  Strange things began to happen when the twins adopted a black cat named 13.  On the Zimmer Twins website, students can create their own cartoon movie endings to a story starter or create their own animated movie from scratch.  Students can create and edit movies solo or “Collab-o-write” and work together creating a collaborative movie.   Zimmer Twins runs well in Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari making it easy to get to and use in any classroom setting.  You will need Flash 8 (or higher) installed for the Zimmer Twins to work properly.  

How to integrate Zimmer Twins into the classroom: Your students are going to love this site!  They can direct and produce their very own animated movies.  The easiest way to start using Zimmer Twins in the classroom, is to use it as a story starter.  Students can watch a “starter” video and finish the story however they would like.  The first time you introduce the site, it might be fun to complete a video as a class.  Then students can take over and create their own ending to a Zimmer Twins movie.  These video clips make excellent story starters for journal writing even if you can’t take the time to make it into an actual video.  To use as a story starter, show the beginning of the short animation to your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector, then let students take over on classroom computers, working together, or writing a journal entry.  After your students are familiar with the Zimmer Twins website, they can start a story from scratch.  Students could direct “screen plays” of their writing, as a way to publish their finished work.  Zimmer Twins would make an excellent alternative to the traditional book report.  Students could create a movie where the main character is being interviewed, the story is being summarized, or retold.  Students could also create movies about historical events, describing a science experiment or concept, in math as a story problem, to demonstrate understanding of character education or for vocabulary practice.  My students have really enjoyed creating movies to show what they have learned on any topic, it is always a sure winner!  Are you looking for new ways to engage your students? Why not create a Zimmer Twins original yourself to introduce a new topic.  If you are looking for more great ideas for using Zimmer Twins in your classroom, be sure to check out the lesson plans on the teacher page, there are some good ones.

Tips: Students can create a movie on Zimmer Twins without registering; however, they will not be able to save their creation.  Creating an account requires an email address.  If this presents a problem in your classroom you can do a few things: 1. create a classroom account that every student logs into and saves their videos on.  Students will need to include their first name or a class number in the title of their video to differentiate it from others in the class.  2. Set up an account for each student using your email account.  You will have to check this email account to provide your students with their passwords. 3. Ask parents to set up accounts for their kids to use at school.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Zimmer Twins in your classroom.