Friday, April 29, 2011

http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/2010/05/14/google-search-tips-and-tricks-for-science-and-math-classes/

Google Search Tips and Tricks for Science and Math Classes | Teaching Science and Math via kwout


Wonder wheel saves time for students and teacher! “Google Wonder Wheel” shows you search terms related to the main word you are interested in! and allows you students to explore relevant search terms which they can include in their projects and research. Do explore the "timelines feature of google as well. Google timelines allow you to put in a search topic, and list results as a timeline. There are many ways I could see this being of use in the classroom.

Here’s how to access the tool.

  1. Go to www.google.com and type in your search topic.
  2. Click “google search” as you normally would, or let the search results automatically pop up.
  3. On the left column, below the sub header “All Results”, select “Timeline”.
  4. Your results will automatically be listed as an interactive timeline.

Check it out today – you now have an educationally sound reason to Google random words! Try implementing a timeline in your lesson plans next week!

Would you consider collaborating with this 2nd grade class on the Flat Stanley Project?

Background info and related resources on Flat Stanley projects~

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Monday, April 04, 2011

The Great Poetry Race

The idea is to "choose a poem that reinforces a specific
skill or set of skills that you’re working on with your class.
For instance, the poem might include sight words, short-vowel
sounds, or dialogue requiring expression. Next, introduce
that poem to your class, modeling how the poem should be read.
Then distribute copies of that poem, along with directions and
a form for signatures, to each student, who then has a week to
read that poem to as many people as possible. After each
reading, the student asks her “audience” members to sign their
Great Poetry Race form. The student with the most signatures
at the end of the week wins a prize. This easy-to-execute
home/school program engages both students and their parents
while increasing each child’s fluency. But just as important,
it’s a fun, simple way to get kids excited about poetry and
deliver a positive reading experience all at once!"

 I am also a big fan of Jack Prelutsky.
Choose what works for you from this unit on Poetry ... 
Scholastic and Poetry

The above idea has been taken and modified from  the April 2009 issue of Reading Teacher. 
See Wikispaces and literacymalden for a list of grade level poems.
Mrs Fullenkamp's Implementation of the Great Race

    Try using Ken Nesbit's poems and the book"I'm Still Here in the Bathtub" which are poems put to favorite, well known songs. Singing can increase flentcy!
    Some teachers endorse I Read To You... Books and Take Me out to the Bathtub series.