The Power of Puzzles

What is the educational value for completing word puzzles? This is a great question, that has been debated by many educators. Working with spelling words and new vocabulary, seems like a justifiable use for using word puzzles.  However; when created by the teacher, the students require no creative thinking and often lack the comprehension and connection […]

Using Book Creator to Explore Non-Fiction Text Features

Before you have students create a non-fiction book in Book Creator, you must explore the features in a non-fiction piece. Text features in a non-fiction piece of writing, is like story elements in a fiction piece of writing.  Just like you need to teach students about characters, setting, problem, plot and resolution before writing stories, […]

Collaborative Writes Benefit all Students

Collaborative Writes Benefit all Students Collaboration strengthens writing skills and improves Communication  Sense of Responsibility to complete a task improves growth in Personal Awareness Sharing of Ideas with a diversity of opinions and styles promotes Positive Personal and Cultural Identity Sharing of Expertise with Peer Editing develops Critical Thinking Skills *Bolded Core Competencies  Using the iPads, collaborative writing […]

Using “Book Creator” or “Explain Everything” to create a How To Book

“How to Videos” are a craze on YouTube.  To bump up the “How to”  use Book Creator or Explain Everything.  Both of these apps give a variety of extra tools to create a better procedural writing. Bring in artifacts, such as skipping rope, card game, etc Criteria: at least one video a picture a soundbite […]

Using iMovie to “Produce” a Poem

Use this poem to create an iMovie. The Bluebird Poem 1 or on Canada and government I am Canadian Poem imovieipad2 for iPads imovie8greenscreen for Macbooks  Read the poem Chunk the poem into parts (stanzas, couplets, etc) Find images for each of the parts (google image search, search tools, usage rights) and save to device Create a […]

Using iMovie Trailers to Compare and Contrast

Using iMovie is a creative way for students to practice the language of Compare and Contrast. Here is a document  with key words used in both compare and contrast. Compare and Contrast Use one of the Storyboards to have students compare and contrast two things.  Each text line needs to be a sentence comparing or […]

Wanted Poster

If your students are doing a character profile, for Reading or for development of character for writing, creating a Wanted Poster is a great way to explore character traits. Create your poster as a Wanted Poster for a character (an antagonist/protagonist in your novel or story (or some other character you find interesting) Include in […]

Using Explain Everything to Create a Concrete/Shape Poem

Concrete or shape poems are an interesting and creative way for students to present their ideas about a topic. Using Explain Everything, on one slide, students can create a shape and add text around the shape.   Watch video Concrete poem in Explain Everything

Use Pic Collage to Make New Year’s Resolution

Did you know that New Year’s Resolutions were started by the Babylonians about 4000 years ago. Think about personal and school related goals or resolutions. Find a blank scroll picture on internet and save to photos Open Pic Collage and + add a new collage Press the + and Add Photos, choose Camera Roll and […]