Quizlet

Dear students,

Here is the link to Quizlet for our Facing Slavery unit.

Storybird and Math

Another Web 2.0 application we use in the classroom is called Storybird! To quote from their website, "Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print. Read them like books, play them like games, and send them like greeting cards. They’re curiously fun."

So far, I have used it to create a story for math in which we practice comparing fractions. However, we are able to create student accounts so that students can create their own stories using this tool. I like the way that a choice of images can inspire creativity. It also looks great on the SmartBoard. I think students would really enjoy writing their own stories and sharing them with classmates using this tool!

We are learning how to compare and order fractions. This is an activity to give students practice in comparing fractions by using decimals, percents, and equivalent fractions.

1/3 Vs.1/4 or The Lost Alien! on Storybird

Routes of Exploration to the New World and HIstory Alive Tutorial

Image via WikipediaWe have nearly completed our study of routes European explorers took to the new world. Students have completed their mini-research projects and their products. Many students have given their presentations to the class. We have learned about Spanish, English, and French sponsored explorers such as Cortes, Coronado, Cabot, Hudson, Cartier, de la Salle, Ponce de Leon, and others. This week we will wrap up the unit as students turn their research into short essays.

Students will write about why the Europeans came to the New World, how their arrival affected history, and what areas of North America were claimed. We will work on perfecting our thesis statements and adding supporting details in the body of the essay.


As we complete this unit of study students can practice for the unit test which will be given next week. Our social studies text has a wonderful online tutorial available at History Alive You will notice a link to this site listed on the sidebar to the right. Students can simply follow the link, sign in and take the "test". This is unit 5 so students should select that chapter when given the option. I urge them to use their textbooks to find answers if necessary. Using the textbook also helps when students forget the spelling of difficult words or the names of specific explorers. Finally, upon completion of the tutorial students will see a screen informing them of their grade and showing which questions were incorrect. I ask students to print these out and bring them back to school. If printing is a difficulty, students can simply copy the score and ask a parent to check and sign the paper before it is returned to school. These online tutorials are a wonderful way to "study" for the test.

Cape Cod Meeting

Image via WikipediaHere we go again! As I write, we are in the middle of a rain, freezing rain, ice storm! I earnestly hope that we do not have another snow day! Let's hope that we are able to carry on with our Cape Cod informational meeting on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. We will discuss the itinerary, costs of the trip, and the possibility of fund raising to help defray student costs of the trip.

If you are not able to attend the meeting, we will send home paperwork and information with students the following day. We will need to know soon whether or not you plan to be a chaperon for the trip. We do have chaperon guidelines and they will be handed out at the informational meeting.

One thing that is new is the need for fingerprinting and a background check for parent chaperons. We will have more information about this when we see you on Tuesday.

Interesting observation: Apparently the word "chaperon" can be spelled with, or without, the final "e". Evidently the preferred spelling is without the "e". It also is a medical term (spelled with the "e"). As I have been typing this post, the spell check keeps underlining the word spelled with the final "e" and so I finally gave in and went to the "preferred" spelling of the word.

Voice Thread - Awesome!!!

I have been learning about a wonderful "new" technology called VoiceThread. Using this web 2.0 tool, we can create digital stories, post them, and then add comments on each other's stories.

Here is my first experiment with the tool. Right now I do not have an audio component that I have recorded but that will change soon!

How Cool is TripLine?

Another technology I have recently discovered is TripLine. As soon as I learned about this site I started thinking of ways we could use it in social studies. Actually, it can be used in many subject areas. But, since social studies is one of the areas I teach, that's been my focus. I am still thinking of how I might use it for math. There must be a way!

Anyway, we are just beginning a study of the routes of exploration of European explorers. After we read the corresponding chapter in the social studies text, students will choose an explorer they would like to research in a bit more depth. When their research is complete, students will present their "report" to the class. Students will be asked to represent their learning in a poster including a map of their explorer's routes, sponsors, the impact of the explorer, and other interesting information. Once students have completed this part of the assignment, they will then use their new learning to create a "TripLine" interactive map/digital story.

Here is the sample I made to introduce students to the idea. Christopher Columbus made four trips to the new world. This interactive map shows some details of his first trip.

XtraMath

I seem to be posting a lot about our various uses of technology and the online extensions of our units of study. Earlier, I posted a bit of information about XtraMath. Here are some more details about this wonderful free tool.

Basically this website offers students an opportunity to become fluent with math facts. By the time students are in the fifth grade I expect them to know their addition and multiplication facts by heart. This is not only my expectation, but is also the educational standard expectation for fifth grade students. Many students, however, are weak in their recall of these facts and this hampers them greatly as we learn the processes of division and the concepts of fractions. Using XtraMath requires only 10 - 15 minutes each day (optimally) and will keep students working on specific facts that need more practice. Eventually students will master all required addition facts and will be moved on to subtraction. Mastery of multiplication is the next step, followed by division.

At first, undeveloped keyboarding skills prevent students from responding to each fact in a timely fashion. But, with practice, most students are soon able to master this hurdle. If your computer keyboard does not have a numberpad on the side, OR, if your child is a "lefty", inexpensive number pad peripherals are available at office supply stores such as Staples. These devices have a USB connection, are small and portable. Many of my lefthanded students use these with good results.

Please help your child use this website frequently so that they learn to be fluent in their math facts!