Recently, my students and I were fortunate enough to connect with Hue and try out their HD document camera and stop motion animation kit. Before our exploration of this new tool, I knew nothing about stop animation other than what it actually was. I had no idea how the motion films were created, how exciting it was to create films using stop animation, or what all went into creating such a project. Was it hard? Easy? Could this be something that my 5th graders could do without me? When our kit came in, I opened it up and installed the software super quick. I love how easy it is to plug the camera in the laptop. This means that we can take the camera and laptop anywhere in the room, building, or school with no problem! I played around with it at home just to feel comfortable enough to show my kiddos how to run everything, and then I brainstormed a list of ways that we could use this tool in the classroom. *Content specific short films *How-To videos *Student modeling of ...
Archives for May 2016
I’m Not Ready…to Say Goodbye
I know that summer is getting close for many teachers and students. Many of us are just days away from the end of the year. But, I am NOT ready to say goodbye. This happens every year. There are countdowns, end-of-the-year celebrations. Parties. And, I am just barely holding it together. I don't want to do countdowns. I don't want to celebrate saying goodbye. I don't do goodbyes well. Each year, these students become my family, and I am not ready to send them on. I literally could cry if I really let myself think about just how much time I actually have left with my students. This year has been magical. It has been beautiful. The new grade level has been challenging. Some days I thought that I was the worst teacher in the world and other days I felt we had it going on! Did I mention that this year was magical? I don't want it to end. I love these students. I am going to miss them writing on our ...
Our Donors Choose Project for Book Clubs
Recently, my students and I put together a new project on our Donors Choose page. Just like our last project, the idea was completely created by my kiddos. The only thing I did was locate the books on Amazon and help type up their plan. Our book club dream actually grew from our AMAZING Global Read Aloud experience that we participated in this year. As a class, we read the book Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. After the book was finished, the students begged for more. They had enjoyed the discussions, the shared reading, collaborating together on tasks and reflections, and wanted to do it again. Here is an overview of our project incase you are looking to write your own Donors Choose request! Book Clubs: Embarking On A New Reading Adventure My Students "Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark."- Kate DiCamillo As the school year matures, my students are finding that they enjoy discussing and sharing books with each other. However, only ...