Tag: thinking

Read Me

Kelly Tenkely6 Comments on Read Me3618 views

What it is: Do you want your students to become deep thinkers?  Read Me is an incredible set of engaging resources that will have your students thinking deeply about who they are and how learning and thinking is vital to their life.  The resources have been designed to reach 11 to 14-year-old boys, to excite them about reading in and out of the classroom.  I can tell you that as a girl, I am enjoying these resources just as much,  I think that would be true of girls in the 11 to 14 age range as well.  Read Me (by the National Schools Partnership) has created six modules that connect with students at their interest level and teach them how to be reflective, deep thinkers and learners.

This is me- covers an understanding of autobiographical texts in traditional (diary) and modern (blog) contexts.  This is me includes teachers notes and presentations that will help students to explore autobiographical texts and self-expression through blogging.

Sport & me- asks students to explore sports websites and media texts by analyzing their structure and presentation.  Students take on the role of a persuasive sports person and ultimately create their own report or website.

Love 4 me- helps students explore different types of love by using texts from a variety of time periods and genres (including images, short extracts, music, lyrics) as well as in Romeo and Juliet.  Students engage with a range of texts that are thematically linked by love.  The culminating activity here is for students to create their own chat show and to create a collage based on love.  (I’m not sure if 11-14 year old boys would be into this topic…but this one will hook the girls for sure!)

Film + me- students use film trailers and titles to develop an understanding of how meaning is created through a combination of words, images, and sounds.  After students have analyzed film trailers and titles, they are asked to present a novel as a trailer.

Graphics 4 me- this one is my favorite because it comes with an awesome graphic novel tool (learn about it here) Here students explore how graphic novels work and become familiar with the medium and its complexity.  Students can create their own graphic novel online using this tool.

Music in me- students explore songs, their lyrics, and the impact they have on their audience.  As a result, students understand how society is presented through music and the media and stereotypes and attitudes it can help to perpetuate.

How to integrate Read Me into your curriculum: There is so much learning that will happen as a result of these six modules, but at the heart of Read Me is a goal to excite kids about reading.  Read Me has incredible ideas and resources for the language arts/literature/literacy classroom.  Use these resources to connect your students with story, passion, and understanding of how language is used.  There is something for every kid to connect with here.  Each module contains teachers notes, resources, links, and tips.  This is a truly incredible resource and collection for this age group.  Read Me encourages students to understand, analyze, evaluate, apply, and create.

Tips: This site includes a graphic novel creator.  I am writing about it separately because it deserves its own post.  You can find it here.

Please leave a comment and share how you are using Read Me in your classroom!

Mind 360

Kelly Tenkely2 Comments on Mind 3603164 views

 

What it is:  Mind 360 is a website version of the Nintendo DS game Brain Age.  The games on Mind 360 are aimed toward sharpening memory, increasing focus, build logical reasoning skills, increase alertness and awareness, boost productivity, and exercise the mind.  Each player gets a virtual personal brain trainer that helps build up brain function.  Students (or teachers) can play games and increase mental fitness by strengthening key cognitive functions including memory, attention, executive functions, thinking and reasoning, and visual perception.  Mind 360 has teamed up cognitive psychologists with game designers to boost mental health while having fun.  The brain training programs are tailored to the individual user.  Students also have the option to play against other students while building their mental strength.   The games are split up into the skill that it is building.  There are memory, attention, logic and reasoning, virtual perception, and exectutive function games.  In the training section, students can choose a student fitness program to help boost grades by “enhancing those cognitive skills required for overall better learning including attention, memory, thinking & reasoning, and more.”  The virtual personal coach will guide students through the program with constant personal feedback.  What I like about the Mind 360 website is the break down that each game and skill comes with.  Each game shows which cognitive skill it is improving, how to improve brain health, scientific studies, FAQ’s, and a glossary.  For teachers, this makes it simple to quickly find a game that meets your individual learners needs.

How to integrate Mind 360 into the classroom: Mind 360 would be an excellent way to start each day.  Many of the games take 3-5 minutes to complete (not including all the levels) making it ideal for a brain boosting start to the school day.  In the computer lab setting Mind 360 is a great site to bookmark for students to work on as they finish work.  Many times my students will ask to play on Addicting Games, Mini Clip, YouTube, etc.  This is a great game site that students will enjoy but is serving the greater purpose of increased learning.  Mind 360 is also a great site to bookmark on classroom computers.  Students can take turns visiting Mind 360 throughout the week so that each student gets to exercise their brain at least once a week.  These games are  a lot of fun and when students start keeping track of their progress, they will want to continue play using their account at home.  I am of the opinion that if students are going to play games, they should be games that increase learning in some way!  

 

Tips:  Mind 360 is currently in Beta, right now you can register and play the games for free but it looks like they may eventually charge for some of their games or features.  Mind 360 says that it is appropriate for high school and college students, however I think most of the games are appropriate for even primary grades.  For primary students, I would create a few classroom accounts for students to play on so they don’t each have to sign up for accounts.  Be sure to sign up for your own account, this is a great way to keep your brain in shape too!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Mind 360  in your classroom.