Wallwisher: A way to get everyone involved!

Have you tried Wallwisher yet?  Wallwisher is an online bulletin board where people can post ideas or comments about a subject. 

Above is  a wall that my class made as we did a prereading lesson about differences.  The students linked up to the site, and then from my prompt, they added their own ideas.  (In this case, the first prompt was how are people different from each other.  The second prompt was how are we alike?)

I find the site very easy to create walls.  Once the wall is created, the site gives you the link so you can send it or post it for others to access.  As people post their ideas, a simple refresh lets them or you see what others are thinking. 

I have done this a couple of times this year.  I find it interesting the students who are willing to post their ideas here but would not typically participate in a class discussion of the same topic.  My students were engaged, and this was a great springboard for our class discussion.

This would be great for meetings or for a time when you are introducing a new concept.  People could post ideas or questions here for all to see in real time.  The walls remain accessible to the creator from the Wallwisher site.

I hope you find this useful.  Let me know of a great way you have or are going to use it!

Happy Veteran's Day!

     For the past couple of years, my team and I have included in our Veteran's Day observances a reading of America's White Table by Margot Theis Raven.

     My students enjoy the story and many can relate to an uncle or other relative who honored our country with their service.  The personal connections my students make to it are strong, and I really believe that it makes the meaning of the day stronger for them.

     After reading the story, we take our 3rd graders to the cafeteria and set a table on the 10th so that is set up for the 11th.  If you don't know the story of this military tradition, then this story is a must-read for you.

     We are lucky to live in our country and to have so many brave men and women who have protected us in the past and present.  Thank you to all of the veterans out there.  Words can not express how much we appreciate all that you have done for our country.

What would you say?

I have been asked to a couple of different groups in the next week, and I would be interested to know what you are thinking.

First, I am going to speak to a Citizen's Advisory Council about the use of social media in the elementary classroom.  I have a few ways that we use it in our 3rd grade classroom, but I am wondering if you have ideas of things that should be said.  I will explain our Classconnect site, our blogging, and our recent Twitter account as places that we have started.  Do you have anything that you think should be mentioned?

Also, I am speaking to our staff about Web 2.0 tools.  I have a short time, and I want to share easy sites that I know they will be able to use easily.  I am thinking about Wallwisher, Wordle/Tagxedo, and ClassConnect.  Some of our teachers are very tech savvy, but not all, so I am thinking I will hopefully give everyone one new thing to take away.  Is there a tool that I am forgetting about?  What would you share with your staff in 20 minutes? 

I am excited to spread my passion for technology to these groups, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone or make them feel like it takes something special to use these sites.  I want something easy that they can use and understand.  Am I on the right track?

Some thoughts on Words their Way

So, I have now been using Words their Way in my classsroom for the last 10 weeks.  It works well with my Daily 5 approach.  Students spend time at school working with their words and with with me learning about their word patterns.

I have developed the plan that the words are current for 2 weeks.  Students complete activities for me and do activities on their own with the same set of words before I assess their ability to spell them.  (Spelling is still a grade, and it still matters to parents, so while I try to encourage the concept of word study, the kids still think of it as spelling.)

 I have four different word groups.  Two groups are at different points in the Within Word stage, one is in the Syllable Juncture stage, and the last group is in the Derivational Constancy stage.  Most of my direct instruction time is with the groups in the Within Words stage.  My time with the other groups is spent making sure that they know the meanings of the words.

Here is what I have found so far:  The students in the Within Word stage are not having great carryover into their every day spelling.  Even though we have student CVCe since the beginning of the year, they still do not put that rule to use on their own.  When prompted, they might know what to do, but they rarely do it independently.  The other two groups are growing in their knowledge of word structure and vocabulary.  They were already good spellers, and their daily writing shows this. 

I am working to put more into my Within Words groups to help them move along.  Do you have any ideas?  Are you seeing progress with your students?  Certainly, I don't believe that these students are being harmed by WtW, but it is also not having the effect that I had hoped for either.  What do you think?  Do you have something that you are finding to be more effective?  I would love to hear your ideas!

Happy Halloween! A Freebie!

As we prepare for a week when our students are all hyped up for the thrill, mystery, and candy of Halloween, I am sharing a freebie.

It is a story board, and I am sharing the SMARTBoard version as well as the handout for the students.  You won't need a SMARTBoard to do it.  Here's how it works:

Each student needs a die and a pencil.  I have taken different story elements and put them atop each column.  Under each story element, there are 6 options.  Students ROLL their story.  They roll the die to determine the setting, the conflict...(They love this part!)  As they roll an element, they circle it on their storyboard.  The SMARTBoard version is so that you can model how it works, or you can use it to write your own!

When they have completed the storyboard, they use the elements rolled to write their story.  I usually need to remind my third graders to add details (like naming the characters...)  It is a fun activity, and I hope your kids like it.  If they do, you can easily set others up more storyboards for other times of the year!

What Awesome Science Videos!

I want to meet Mr. Parr!  Have you seen his science videos on YouTube?  I was searching for something to "jazz up" my ecosystems/biomes unit, and I came across the one below.  And while this is a great one, he has many more!  It gets me excited to teach new units!  Check out the one below, and then get to YouTube and check out the rest.  How fun will this be for the kids (and me).

An oldie, but a goodie for Columbus Day

Although we had school off yesterday for Columbus Day, October 12th is the true date of Columbus Day.  If you are looking for something to do, you should consider using this book with your kids.

This book tells the story of Christopher Columbus's landing in San Salvador, but it tells it from the view of Taino child on the island.  The point of view is the key difference in this story from other books about Columbus.  The child is warned in a dream of the arrival of the Europeans, and although he pleads to the adult leaders on his island not to welcome them, his warnings fall on deaf ears.  The afterword tells of how the arrival of the Europeans led to the end of the Taino people and change in its culture.  It is a great book to get kids thinking differently about things that they have always before just accepted.  I hope you can get your hands on a copy of this book to share it with your class before the week is over!