After reading their books they used this form to think about their person.
Project Checklist: Have You?
Created a Wordle
Created a Tagxedo
Started a video in Animoto
Named your video
Found images that help the viewer understand your person?
Added text slides that give details or interesting facts about your person?
Created a slide that says “A Haiku about….”
Typed in your Haiku
Added/Uploaded images to support your Haiku
Added images that help the viewer to better understand your person
Uploaded your Wordle into Animoto
Uploaded your Tagxedo into Animoto
Found an image of your book cover
Uploaded the image into Animoto
Cited your sources
Previewed your video
Checked for spelling and grammar
If you have, then you are finished and should PRODUCE!
Here's what they have produced thus far:
I usually have some form of checklist and this was one instance where I really needed one. This project has taken longer than expected to complete and the checklist would have helped keep the process moving forward more smoothly. In addition, it would have been better to create the Wordle and Tagxedo after starting the Animoto because that process gave the students time to get to know their subjects better.
The first graders had a chance to watch their biography project slide shows this week (the slide shows are at the bottom of this post). You can read about the project here: First Grade Biographers.
After watching the slide show each class reflected on the completed projects; we followed the one compliment and one suggestion rule.
The students shared things like:
"I like the way each person's picture was different."
"We should have been quieter when recording."
"We should have a recording studio."
"I couldn't hear everyone as well, some people need to speak louder."
'I liked learning about the different people."
"We did a good job of speaking slowly."
"We could have shared more information."
I put out to pieces of paper for them to further reflect on the process.
Please share what you learned during this project:
Please share what you liked about this project:
More of their comments:
Here are the biography project slide shows. Tell us what you think!
Spring is in the air and new books are popping up all over the place, which is good, because with three feet of snow on the ground nothing is popping up there at the moment. Here are some books from Chronicle that we'll be reading aloud in the next few months.
Step One: Find a story. (A good one.) Step Two: Find a reading buddy. (Someone nice.) Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.) Now: Begin.
From Goodreads: "Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel chronicle the process of becoming a reader: from pulling a book off the shelf and finding someone with whom to share a story, to reading aloud, predicting what will happen, and—finally—coming to The End. This picture book playfully and movingly illustrates the idea that the reader who discovers the love of reading finds, at the end, the beginning." My ReedAloud Plan:This engagingly-illustrated, recipe for reading could be read during School Library Month as a way to talk about shared reading experiences and the joy that books, and the stories they hold, bring. There's also an opportunity for students to write about a shared reading experience they have had - take the premise and insert their experience. It's also a perfect mentor text for the "How To" books the students have to write for their ELA units. I am looking forward to using this book with students.
"In a funny and heartfelt celebration of family, vacations, and the joy of the sea, Deanna Caswell and Amy June Bates capture the essence of summer—building sand castles, jumping the waves, and watching the stars come out after a long day at the beach—and the love that warms every moment."
My ReedALOUD Plan:During poetry month, my students will be adding their own stanzas to this beautifully-illustrated, heart-warming, celebration of summer. The rhythmic narrative evokes memories of summer vacation, while the illustrations capture summer days spent by the water.The students create their own art with mixed media, one of our apps, or one of our web-based resources. This would also be a perfect book to finish off the school year and share summer dreams.
"Some books are about a single wish. Some books are about three wishes. The infallible team of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld have combined their extraordinary talents to create this exuberant book of endless good wishes. Wishes for curiosity and wonder, for friendship and strength, laughter and peace. Whether celebrating life's joyous milestones, sharing words of encouragement, or observing the wonder of everyday moments, this sweet and uplifting book is perfect for wishers of every age."
My ReedALOUD Plan: We need more books that get children thinking about other people, a counter to their naturally-egocentric selves. Between Earth Day and our community serves day, I see opportunities to read this story and talk about how we can help others. I also see this book providing some closure to the school year by having the students write down wishes for each other.
"In this exuberant and lyrical follow-up to the award-winning Over and Under the Snow, discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves . . . and down in the dirt. Explore the hidden world and many lives of a garden through the course of a year! Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world—earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow—populated by all the animals that make a garden their home." My ReedAloud Plan: Say it isn't so! Is spring really only ten days away? If so, it's time to begin thinking about our school garden. Every new garden year needs an introduction and this book provides just that. Up in the Garden Down in the Dirt gives readers the big picture on a garden season - from waking up the earth to preparing it for another winter sleep plus a recognition of the critters that keep gardens healthy along the way. Our spring science curriculum focuses on life cycles, I can see students doing research on the plants and animals in this book. I can also see this research turning into scientific drawings and garden stories.
Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.)
Now: Begin.
I decided to use this book as a mentor text for the "How To" books the students have to write for their ELA units. We began the unit by activating prior knowledge about How To books and about reading a story. First, we jogged their memories about the How To books they wrote in first grade. Second, they each got a pad of paper and with step one up on the screen added the steps required for reading a story.
We then brainstormed, as whole group, the steps required to read a story. Students added ideas before and after those already on the screen, it was interesting to watch them think forward and backward in the process. Here are the whole group brainstorm steps from each of the classes: 2T: How to Read a Story Step 1: Ask a friend for a recommendation Step 2: Ask a teacher for help Step 3: Find a story Step 4: Read the blurb on the flap or on the back Step 5: Look through the book/picture walk Step Six: decide if you like the book Step 7: Read part of the book Step 8: Think about the book Step 9: Stop and think about what is happening Step 10: Sound out words you don’t know Step 11: Look at pictures for clues Step 12: Make a prediction about the story Step 13: Think about what a character should sound like Step 14: Wonder about the book Step 15: Watch out for mistakes Step 16: See if the story makes sense – check for comprehension Step 17: Imagine what the setting and characters look like 2J: How to Read a Story Step 1: Find a book Step 2: Find a reading buddy Step 3: Take a picture walk Step 4: Read the title and author/illustrator and look at the picture Step 5: Read the summary on the flap or back Step 6: Find a quiet place where nothing can distract you Step 7: Dig into the story and take notice of the plot Step 8: Try to read the book, if you need help ask your friends Step 9: If you come across a hard word, skip it, and come back to it Step 10: Try strategies to figure out a word, Does it look right, does it sound right, does it make sense. Step 11: Read the pages Step 12: Take serious notes Step 13: Focus on your reading Step 14: Do what the book says Step 15: Compare the characters and settings Step 16: Take a break if you need it Step 17: If people are loud, ask them nicely to be quiet Step 18: Read until you fall asleep Step 19: At the end of the book, think about whether you liked it or not 2R -How to Read a Story Step 1: Learn how to read Step 2: Explore the library Step 3: Find a book that interests you Step 4: Find a cozy spot to read Step 5: Make sure it is fit for your level Step 6: Open the book to the first page Step 7: Scan the pictures Step 8: Read the first page Step 9: Look at the table of contents Step 10: Read all the pages Step 11: Make sure to thank your friend for reading with you Step 12: Repeat Steps 1-… again Step 13: Read another book, maybe by the same author 2C - How to Read a Story Step 1: Go to the library Step 2: Find a Book Step 3: Get the book from a bookshelf Step 4: Read the title Step 5: Read the description on the flap/back Step 6: Read the table of contents, if it has one Step 7: Take the plastic off the book Step 8: Open the cover Step 9: Check it out Step 10: Find a comfortable place to sit Step 11: Begin to read Step 12: Read with enthusiasm and expression Step 13: Enjoy the adventure
Step 14: If you liked the book, suggest it to a friend After the whole group activity, I showed the students the book and explained that we would read it the next class and compare and contrast the steps to reading a story. The week after that, we'll fine tune our steps. The students will each get one of the steps in the How To book from their class and write and illustrate that page. Eventually, the pages will be put it together as a class book. This is going to be fun!
The timing could not be more perfect. As this extremely snowy, cold, and long Boston winter carries on, we are given hope that spring will arrive. That hope arrives in the form of a book: Growing Up Pedro byMatt Tavares.
Yesterday I read Growing Up Pedro with the fifth graders who visited via Skype with Matt last week (see below). Reading this book on a March day that carried twenty degree temperatures and involved sledding and playing on four-foot snow piles was a salve to our winter blues.
Matt Tavares has crafted another well-researched, readable biography. This one tugged at my heart more than the others though. To say that Matt's work gets better with every book would be a disservice to his previous work, which is amazing. Growing Up Pedro feels different though. It feels more personal. Matt's respect for and connection to the subject imbues the narrative and artwork.
It is a tribute to brotherly love that knows no bounds, and Pedro's adoration of and loyalty to his big brother shines through.
The art transports the reader to the times, places, and moments that made Pedro, Pedro.
Matt Tavares' meticulous and beautifully-wrought illustrations beckon the reader to slow down and take in the details.
Here's a sample of what my students had to say about the book:
"The relationship between Pedro and Ramon is truly inspiring and the way it’s written is absolutelywonderful." –Daniela
"I love the relationship between the two brothers, Pedro and Ramon. It’s find it very inspiring not just for me, but for other people too. This is probably my favorite picture book! And I’m not that much of a baseball fan. This is absolutely awesome!"
-Toni
Last week, these students were lucky enough to connect via Skype with Matt. In the category of, "You never know where your Tweets will bring you," I tweeted out a picture of Matt Tavares, who was talking about the research trips to the Dominican Republic to learn about Pedro. Kathy Schmidt, a mutual friend (who knew!?), made the connection and the idea of a Skype visit was born. To talk about baseball and hear about Matt's trips to Fenway Park infused a spring-like attitude into our Friday afternoon. Here's a snippet of our visit.
Upon finding a little wolf baby on the door, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny become immediately smitten and adopt him into their family. Dot, once the one and only child, is worried.
It appears as if Dot is the only one to recognize the danger they are all in. New siblings are always an adjustment, but a new sibling that might want to eat you is something else entirely. Even her friends recognize the situation. For each of Dot's complaints, the parents see only joy in the new member of their family. Their complete adoration of Wolfie sends a reaffirming message about families and love.
Dot might have continued in her misunderstandings (don't all siblings misunderstand each other at some point?) if not for the fateful trip to the grocer to get more carrots. Sometimes we don't know what we have or how much we love someone until someone else helps us see it.
Ame Dyckman's funny and heartfelt story of sibling relationships is rendered beautifully by Zachariah OHora. A forward looking retro style adds to the universality of the story. When Dot says that Wolfie follows her everywhere, OHora shows an exasperated Dot in the bathroom with company she'd rather not have.
OHora's depiction of a scowling Dot is one of my favorites in the book. Who knew that bunnies could scowl?
Watch out for bunnies in red hoodies.
My first graders recently had a visit with Ame Dyckman via Skype. Her enthusiasm is infectious! Hearing Ame read her book was an added bonus to an already wonderful story.
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