Sunday, November 24, 2013

Literacy Ad Ideas and Tips - Practical Stuff

Working with the Literacy Advisor through the better half of 2014 we have had to reflect, revisit and rethink our teacher and experiences behind writing. These are some of the ideas and tips that have been the most beneficial.

What is a sentence ? Ask the question. If we set the WALT before the lesson begins
-My hair wakes up stupid.
-My sweat smells like peanut butter.

Discus with your partner whether these are sentences or not.
-I bike.
-When I was seven.
-He cried.
-Like a hockey stick.
-My Gran likes strawberries.

Kids whole mission in life is to write a sentence and MAKE sure there jus a Capital letter and full stop. These are the most non essential parts when we consider that a great sentence is about the language.

Can we check together ?
-Correct models and incorrect models are as important as each other. Always use the correct model first. They need to know what is expected.

Construct a sentence own your own now.
-Keep them with you.
-Checking they can do it.
-Send them away when we know that they can do it.

Run on sentences - The on and on and on and on and on kids.
-Do we understand your message? How am I reading your work?

Joining two ideas makes a compound sentences.
A compound sentence joins two or more sentences with a conjunction.
-Fanboys

Choose a conjunction from the FANBOY to join these sentences.
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

STOP writing Recounts.

Complex sentences help link ideas and bring out a logical relationship between ideas.
Words to start complex sentences.
AAAWWUBBIS A, although, after, while, when, unless, because, before, if, since

Write your own complex sentence using AAAWWUBBIS.
Do all complex sentences need to begin with AAAWWUBIS ?
Search through your reader and find 2 or 3 complex sentences.

Make sure the KIDS are do all the talking. This is how we will know it is working.

Use your READER to look for sentence starters. Look for it, Record it, Display it.

Use the text the kids are reading to use during writing time. Why should we continue to teach both reading and writing explicitly? Make the links, integrate, read and write together. Some of the best models are School Journal Stories.

Get kids to bring their current reader down with them in their writing group. Can they find a sentence? or look for the focus that we are looking at in writing.

Precise Nouns.
-NOUNS are far more effective than Adjectives.

WALT - We are learning too
SC - Say this... What do you need to do to be successful.  NOT this... Success Criteria.

Gaming in Education - Webinar Screen Shots









Friday, November 22, 2013

Art Blog - #inspired

I love finding little gems of ideas, new techniques etc. This ART blog has just inspired me to think about using different media and trying some new stuff. 


Kids love ART and MESS so this idea is on my must try before the end of school bucket list.

Marbled Peacocks created with shaving foam : ) 



Thursday, November 14, 2013

Webinar - Gaming in Education

Loved being a part of a brilliant Webinar on Wednesday afternoon. My first Webinar and I am hooked. So thankful that people like Karen Melhuish Spencer - @virtuallykaren and Hamish Chalmers - @HamishChalmer are pushing the boundaries of IT in education but more importantly the fun and challenging topic that is Gaming in Education.

My own 1 to 1 journey and the power and control that my students have gained and been given has led us to Gaming in Education. We initially, like most 1 to 1 classrooms looked at the games/apps that could enhance what we were doing. Then on a cold Monday morning back in Term 2 my self appointed class IT specialist (Joshua age 7) introduced me to the colossus that in Minecraft.

It swept in with one child and it encapsulated half the class by lunch break a mere 4 hours later. I was still a sceptic, mainly due to the fact that I have become used to the almighty HD quality games that graces our Retina displaying screens. My reason for not dismissing Minecraft completely, was simply for the huge engagement level, focus, collaboration, cooperation, high interest level and wonder of sounds that was pouring out of both the iPads and students as they began to explore crafting and mining away...

No more than a week down and I was hooked. Game play against and with one another became collaboration on projects, which then became competitions, which have all been superseded by classroom and curriculum integration. Writing about our worlds,

Term 4 - Are we now experts ? The kids would say yes. What I will say is that gaming has become a huge part of my own and their (the students) education. We are at a point where they are coming up with the ideas about how to use Minecraft in class. Its full integration has been amazing. The power that a game can bring to a students education are just incredible.

This year has been huge for my own pedagogy, for my understanding of 1 to 1 integration and now for the use of Games in Education.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/f507c/grade_7_science_teacher_uses_minecraft_to_teach/

http://hamishonictsineducation.blogspot.co.nz/