Digital Story

This is just a draft…still working on it!  (I need to add my voice over.)  What do you think?

Storybird

I tried out Storybird…phew!  It was overwhelming!  There were so many pictures to chose from! However, … I made a short story that I can use in my classroom.  I teach at Asian Studies Academy @ Dwight/Belizzi in Hartford, CT.  I made a very short, counting book that translates the numbers 1-5 in Mandarin.

I love it!  I cannot wait to add more and share with my students!

Diigo

The more I explore and use Diigo, the more I am enjoying it.  It is a great way to organize articles and websites.  I have enjoyed tagging and labeling articles and websites and organizing them into "item lists" for easy access.  It is easy to search for topics by tags.  I have found that I can also get information about subjects quickly by joining groups based on their topic.  I have also added many of my peers from class.  They have included useful websites for students and professional purposes.

Read Across America

Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss!?!  Read Across America is a great way to share how Dr. Seuss created stories that are silly but have important meanings.  I mentioned previously that the National Education Association has many great resources, including tips for parents, Dr. Seuss inspired recipes, and so much more!

I wanted to share some of my favorite Dr. Seuss books and activities that you can use in your classroom!
I created two Pinterest boards for Read Across America and Dr. Seuss Activities.  They include worksheets, recipes, read-alouds, and so much more!

  

Yum!  Fishy cupcakes!  The Foodista has a recipe to create these delicious cupcakes.

Another favorite activity for students is having them draw pictures of Dr. Seuss quotes.

 And like Dr. Seuss said, "Fun is good."

Have a fun Read Across America!  

Dr Seuss

This Friday is Read Across America.  The National Education Association (NEA) has a lot of resources to support your celebration of everything Dr. Seuss.  It is a great resource to offer parents and colleagues tips on reading activities with their students.  And who doesn't like green eggs and ham?!

Snowed in!

We are snowed in!

So I thought it would be a great time to share snowy day books and activities!

Have a great snowy day!

Class Resources

I was reading articles in my Diigo Library and came across a great website. 

It has many resources for classroom teachers.  I found this website because it had reviews of Common Core State Standards apps.  It has a link to books being read by actors online.  It is called StoryLine Online; you can watch the videos through YouTube.  If you can't access YouTube in your school, they referred a website called SchoolTube.  SchoolTube lets you listen to books being read and provides many other educational videos.  It also has links for educational games for students.  

Common Core State Standards

I needed to share this!  I found a free app for smart phones that helps students, parents, and teachers read and understand the Common Core State Standards.  I need this!

Chinese New Year

I created an Animoto video for the Chinese New Year.

Animoto

I created an Animoto video with my students.  We created a video about shapes.  We were learning about shapes and reading some great shape books.  My students created signs and pictures and used their bodies to create the shapes.  This was a great project for my students.  They were able to chose aspects of the video process they were most comfortable with.  Some students were camera shy and chose to write the names of a shape and draw the shape.  While other students enjoyed working together to create shapes.  We will use this video to review shapes and will share with our first grade peers.  This video would be great to introduce shapes and have students participate and make shapes with their bodies.  I think it would be a great assessment piece:  students can match the names and shapes and create them with their bodies.




Here are some of the books I used to teach my lessons about shapes:

Digital Storytelling

I was looking on YouTube for ideas for my digital story and I came across this video.
What a great idea!  It reminded me of the Animoto video Kelly made.  This would be a great way to review the alphabet and introduce unfamiliar animals.

Storyboard

I found this great video on YouTube about using Storyboards in classrooms for reading comprehension.  I love the idea the teacher shares at a workshop and can't wait to have students retell using the Storyboard.

Inspiring

A fellow teacher introduced me to "Whole Brain Teaching" and thought I would share it with you all!
There are many videos on YouTube about "Whole Brain Teaching", however this video inspired me to try "Whole Brain Teaching" in my first grade classroom.  It engages students and activates their brain while listening and learning.  I use the oral cues and rules in my classroom and my students respond quickly and are excited to be active participants.

Kidblog

I did it!  I started a Kidblog!  Now don't get too excited!  Baby steps…  I created the blog and added my students and wrote an introductory post.  Now the fun begins!  I can't wait to work with my students with creating their blogs!  They were so excited about our Animoto video I know they will be excited to share their learning with their families and other students.  If you have any ideas on what I can do with my class and their Kidblog, please leave a comment!



I am reposting this helpful YouTube video about how to use Kidblog in your classroom.  It explains how easy it is to start Kidblog.