Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Last week, I wrote a post about some of the great resources you can find on Big Universe that apply math concepts to real life. The series I wrote of shows how math relates to the everyday things we do. It is called “Math in Our World” from Weekly Reader. There are at least 8 books in the series and each one tells a story about kids using math as they do things such as have a party or look at the world around them.
I also wrote about how I assigned a challenge to some of my students to read through these books and then start to create their own version of it. I am happy to say that the students are very involved with and motivated by their projects. In fact, each day, the students are at my desk first thing in the morning asking me when they can go to the computer lab to work on their collaborative, math infused books. This project has really only begun, but it has brought many things to light.
Motivation – I knew the kids would enjoy this project, but I didn’t think they would be SO overwhelmingly excited and self-motivated. They have truly taken the bull by the horns on this one. I’m just coaching them along.
Organization -My students have thought through and organized everything from deciding which student’s Big Universe account to use to create the book to finding the time to work in the library or Computer Clubhouse. One group has even been creating a storyboard, writing out plans of what pictures they need, where they can take them, and checking them off a list as they go.
Collaboration -Each group was created by the kids. In other words, I didn’t choose their partners for this project and it has been working out great. So far, they are communicating really well as they share ideas and work through the decision making process. They have been sharing the load and assigning each other jobs such as photographer and typist, as well as sharing the fun parts like creating backgrounds on pages and uploading photos.
Use of Technology -It’s been fun watching the kids use the writing features on Big Universe. For some, it took a little extra time to get used to the tools and for others it was like second nature. One group has discovered that you can upload photos into a book and that has led to the use of the digital camera. One challenge we have had is that our student computer is not very good, fast or reliable. The students have learned patience and have been seeking out the other resources we have in the building.
Taking the Initiative – As I said, every morning, the kids are waiting to discuss times they can go around the school and take pictures or times they can spend on school computers. My job has simply been to say yes and guide them to the right place at the right time. The rest has been ALL them! It’s a teacher’s dream come true: students taking ownership of their own learning!
Grading Criteria – The students and I spent some time this week discussing the criteria we should be using to create such an ebook. We decided on three FCAs (Focus Correction Areas):
- B (introduces the story), E (concludes the story)
- M (includes 3+ math equations with illustrations)
- Glossary with 3+ math terms that are included in the story
I highly recommend this type of project for your students. It has been a wonderful use of time for some of my advanced students who always do good work quickly. They have been excited about their learning and they have worked with each other very well. Other students have seen what they’ve been doing and are excited when I tell them that they will have the chance next month. My hope is that this group can instruct the next group on the challenge.
It has been fun to use Big Universe to integrate reading, writing, math and technology, not to mention the numerous 21st century skills that have driven the assignment.
I hope to write a part three soon and share the students’ ebooks.
~EMP
We always want math to be practical and relevant for our students. We want them to see the value in learning the concepts. Math is everywhere, but sometimes our students don’t notice it.
Just the other day, I came across a series of books that shows how math relates to the everyday things we do. It is called “Math in Our World” from Weekly Reader. There are at least 8 books in the series and each one tells a story about kids using math. In Making a Model with Solid Figures, kids recreate a playground with 3D shapes they find in their own homes. In Graphing Favorite Things, kids use data collection strategies to plan a neighborhood party. Using Math at the Class Party is a different scenario where math equations are shown and explained in story form at an end of year party.
These books are simple and straight forward. They explain basic concepts in math very well and are a great model for writing similar math stories.
I showed the last book mentioned to a small group just yesterday and then challenged them to create their own math book on Big Universe to explain or pose a question about math in the classroom. This type of assignment requires some high order thinking and collaboration for sure! Once they all read the book and added it to their shelf, this group of students needed to think of a story that would lend itself naturally to math, write a storyline and think of equations they could showcase.
This week, I will get more details from them to see in what direction they are heading and offer guidance. I hope to give you an update on their progress with their book next week.
~EMP
I finally had an opportunity to play around with the WRITE feature of Big Universe and got hooked. (It was a good thing that I had dinner in the oven and the timer went off, or else I may have been stuck in the writing universe for a very long time!) In the time I had on the site I was able to create a couple interesting pages as I learned the ropes of how to easily insert backgrounds, images and text.
As I was working, stories were arising from the page and into my mind. I noticed that as I picked out backgrounds and characters, I was implying setting and events. As unrelated as the images my have seemed at first, I started to make them work.
When it was time to try out the text feature, I was at first at a loss of what to do. I had no plan for a story book. Then, I decided to go with poetry – a form of writing that can tell a quick story or describe a scene. My book, titled “Poems from Pictures” has become just that: a collection of poems inspired by the interesting illustrations I have created.
This poetry book is a work in progress, but I will look forward to sharing it with my students as we begin to explore the writing section of Big Universe. I can already see the focused group of students, busy clicking and smirking as they work compiling images and writing poetry.
~EMP
I am a big fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, and have been avidly following her Fourth Annual Write Fifteen Minutes A Day© Challenge. I haven’t joined the challenge, and don’t write along with her, but I am savoring her advice and filing each morsel away for a time when I have a spare fifteen minutes a day!
A recent post to Ms. Anderson’s blog reminded me of one of my favorite writing exercises for younger children. When given the chance to create stories, many youngsters cannot seem to get a storyline started; they wait for inspiration, as if the whole story will leap, fully formed, onto their paper.
To help them overcome inertia, we often turn to Fairy Tales. Many fairy tales, some new and some old favorites can be found in BigUniverse, under the category Fairy Tales and Fantasy. After reading a few classic tales, we challenge the students to “revise” the stories by changing the characters or setting. For example:
- What would happen if Goldilocks re-visited the bears’ house the next day? What if the bears visited her house instead?
- What if Cinderella lived in the present? The future? Under the sea? In space?
- What if the Three Little Pigs were dogs? Or lived in the city?
There are some very interesting fractured fairy tales in BigUniverse as well, but it may be best to share them after the students have written their own stories. For example, the Three Little Pigs story is updated and given a robot theme in Watch Out for Wolfgang. Two bullies who chase a young lady called Red through the woods are taught a lasting lesson by her Hopi grandmother in Little Ruth Reddingford and the Wolf. Multiplication of whole numbers and fractions helps Peter undo the damage that Rumpelstiltskin wreaks in Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin.
Giving the students a familiar framework and a direction often helps them be more creative, and gives them the confidence to write a complete story. Try it with nursery rhymes, too! I wonder if the Itsy Bitsy Spider was smarter the second time around? Or what the King’s men would do for Humpty today? Or if Little Miss Muffet ever learned to deal with her pesky arachnid?
If there is one thing my students learn early on in the school year, it’s the BME Rule. I have a sign in my classroom that states: “The BME Rule – All Good Writing is Following It!”
It has to do with the fact that all good pieces of literature have a beginning, a middle and an end. But in my class, students get this concept drilled into their heads as we listen to music each day during our Active Listening time. When I talk about the BME Rule, I always mention music very simply like this: “All good pieces of writing (and music!) follow the BME Rule!”
And it’s true! Music is a composition that needs to be pleasing to the human ear, just as a story, an article or a poem needs to be as well. Our brains love organization and even the most abstract piece of music will still have some B, M and E!
If you listen to any piece of music, you can find its beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the beginning may be short and the ending can be abrupt, but they are there just the same. Paralleling the BME in music to the stories, reports and poems we write can be yet another effective way to show students an important aspect of good writing.
And you can take it further too. Ask students what makes a good beginning, middle and end in a piece of music:
B – Does it grab the listener’s attention? Does it introduce anything? (instruments/character, themes, foreshadowing)
M – Does it have details? (layers of sound) Does it tell a story? (with various themes or lyrics)
E – Is it exciting/subdued/abrupt? Why and what does that do for the listener? Does the ending wrap things up? How? Does it bring back a familiar theme (ABA form) or introduce something somewhat new (coda)?
This can then be applied to your students’ writing and story creation on Big Universe as they use the writing feature on the site. Their beginning story page will not only introduce their setting and character in words but with the many images they can piece together. Their middles will contain the sequencing of details in words and pictures and their endings will need to be well thought out to make the point they want at the conclusion of their story.
Integrating all these pieces together: music, story, images and creation on Big Universe is a sure fire way to emphasize and utilize the BME Rule!
Balanced Literacy involves students writing about what they are reading. Here are a few ideas for writing projects to go along with reading:
- I challenge you to write an invitation to an event for a character in a book you have read (there are lots of great book here on Big Universe Learning to choose from). The event may be anything you choose, but it should have something to do with the character and the plot of the story. Remember to include the necessary information: type of event, name of person for whom the event is being held, time, date, place, and an RSVP line with a name and an imaginary phone number for guests to respond.
- Think about a story or novel you have read that features a memorable character. Now write a letter of recommendation for that character, suggesting him or her for a particular job that you think is suitable. Remember to use proper business letter format.
- Think about a book you enjoyed reading. Write a letter from one character to another. Then write a reply from the second character to the first.
The ReadWriteThink website is a great place for teachers to find resources and ideas. ReadWriteThink is partners with the International Reading Association (IRA), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and Thinkfinity. ReadWriteThink offers Classroom Resources, Professional Development, as well as Parent and Afterschool Resources. There are a number of Student Interactives available to support learning.
I continued looking at that page and was pleased to find lessons for various grade levels that connect reading and writing, which could easily be done using the features of Big Universe Learning. Balanced Literacy does involve connecting reading and writing along with various forms of literacy.
Here are a few of the lessons that caught my attention:
image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/35240403@N02/3857853340/
What do you know about early literacy skills?
“Children prepare to read long before they enter school – early literacy is everything children know about reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy is a baby who chews on a book, a toddler who wants his favorite book read over and over, and a preschooler who “reads” the story to you from memory.
Early literacy skills begin to develop in the first 5 years of life.
Brain development research shows that reading aloud to your child every day increases his brain’s capacity for language and literacy skills and is the most important thing you can do to prepare him for learning to read.
Experts now know that:
- The development of language and literacy skills begins at birth.
- Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90 percent of their eventual adult weight.”
(from the Multinomah County Library webpage)
Reading and talking to children as well as surrounding them with a rich language environment is important for building early literacy skills.
FreeReading.net offers activities and interventions materials for various early literacy skills:
There are also ways to participate on FreeReading.net:
- contribute and publish your favorite lesson
I look forward to explore FreeReading.net even more in the future, so be on the lookout for future blog posts about this site and even ways to connect it with Big Universe Learning.
If you explore FreeReading.net and find some great things, please leave a comment here so we can all visit those activities too!
Do you think the title is a bit of an exaggeration? Can you think of some books or stories that include lots of exaggeration? That is one of the features of Tall Tales!
Wonderopolis shares a Wonder of the Day each day about a topic to promote thinking and conversations. One day this week the Wonder of the Day was “Why do they call it a Tall Tale?” To go along with this question, you can find basic information, vocabulary words, questions to promote thinking, and even other resources for finding out more about tall tales. There is even a lesson promoting the reading of tall tales as well as an activity to encourage writing a tall tale.
Focusing on reading types of stories, like tall tales, was something I really enjoyed when I was in the classroom. We would do studies where we would explore many examples of a certain type and then talk about the similarities and characteristics we found. I also liked to introduce a variety of vocabulary words that could be associated with that story type.
Here is some of the information Wonderopolis shares about tall tales:
Tall tales” are stories that are told as if they were true but contain exaggerated or unbelievable parts. Some tall tales are exaggerations of real events, while others are completely make-believe. Tall tales are usually very funny because the exaggerations in the story tend to be the main focus of the whole story.
A key part of American folk literature, tall tales are believed to have started from the bragging contests that tough American frontiersmen would start when they gathered around a fire. Most tall tales come from the 1800s, when courageous explorers had exciting adventures on their way to the Wild West.
If you were looking for interesting ways for students to write and “publish” their own tall tales, the Writing section in BigUniverse could be an option to use!
Even though it is not a traditional tall tale, you might also want to check out this tall tale: Sitka Rose by Shelly Gill. This story could be used as an example of the type of tall tale stories students could write. Students could work in groups to identify the characteristics of tall tales which are evident in this story.
Here are some ways you can use technology to support the study of, as well as the creation of tall tales in the classroom: http://www.vickiblackwell.com/talltales.html
Are there some tall tales that you enjoy reading? What are some ways you teach about tall tales?
Just to find out what might be out there about Big Universe, I did a search on the internet. I was lucky enough to find these pages with lots of pictures, links, and great information. Please click on these links to find out even more (I have given some of the highlights under the links, but there is so much more.)
What they’re saying about Big Universe
- We’re honored to receive such high marks from our members and the press
Affordable Student-Centered Learning for PK-8
- Learn more about how this great resource can be used
- Take a tour
- Ways to encourage reading and writing using Big Universe
- Benefits of using Big Universe
How Big Universe Learning System is used in schools
- Reading
- Writing
- Learning
- Sharing
Content and Features of Big Universe Learning System
- Large Library of Books Online
- Reading Books Online
- Writing and Publishing Books
- Safe Sharing Community
- Account Management
- Assessment
- Reading Logs
image from Big Universe
