Angles that rotate is a new Geometry concept for my 3rd graders. We practiced drawing angles with different rotations and various angle degrees using straws and twist ties. I walked around with an iPad and used the camera feature to show students examples of what to do and what not to do. This showed up on the TV using Airplay. Then students did a "gallery walk" and silently observed their classmates angle rotations. Their mission during the "gallery walk" was to find an angle drawn correctly and an angle that needs some improvement and us their iPad and capture an images of these angles. They then imported these images into Explain Everything and described the angles. Next, volunteers used Airplay to share their findings with the class. Once students were put in a judging position by looking at their peer's work they were then able to better analyze their own angle rotations. To round up the activity students applied their improved understanding of angle rotations to their own work.
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In effort to open the walls of our classroom through technology we played an exciting game of Mystery Skype today. We called a class somewhere in the world using Skype (arranged by myself and the other teacher ahead of time through Twitter). The students then used resources such as atlas, globes, and Google Earth and Google Docs to try to figure out where the other class was located and keep track of our questions and answers. Sadly for us, the other class found us in only 3 questions! But they played on and let us try to find out where they were located. Each student had a job and while some jobs were more vocal than others everyone took part. We are a 3rd grade class and they are a 6th grade class. It was great to see how they communicated once they knew the age differences. My students even asked to be their pen-pals Afterwards we reflected on how it went and how we can make it go better next time. One reflection was that we need everyone to stick to their jobs better to make things more equal. Another was that we communicate with the other team that no one should ask about countries to encourage only talking about geography. All in all, students are asking when we will do another Mystery Skype. This was one lesson packed full of relating skills and resourcefulness and even quite a bit of resilience. Here is the Doc I shared with my class. This includes job descriptions and a spreadsheet for collecting questions and answers. Next time I will have my students apply for jobs they want to allow more student choice and add another layer of importance and engagement to their roles in the activity. Here are some other really useful links: https://education.skype.com/mysteryskype http://pernillesripp.com/2011/10/25/so-you-want-to-do-mystery-skype/ http://mysteryskypes1213.weebly.com/ We used iPads in four different ways while learning about forces applied on paper airplanes. 1. Each student used their iPad to watch a BrainPop video on airplanes. They had the chance to rewind and re-watch and even use closed captioning to see the text. After students were finished we had a class discussion on what new words or concepts they absorbed. They were then presented with a question, how far can you make your paper airplane fly (flown by hand)? Together we began to take notes for the scientific method. Students wrote in their inquiry notebooks telling the question, their hypothesis, materials and the procedure. 2. Students then read my Airplane Forces iBook (created with iBooks Author) about the forces related to flight. They took their time and went at their own reading pace. At the end of the book students explored two embedded video resources containing tutorials on making paper airplanes. Next, they began making their planes while excitedly talked about the planes using key words they previously didn't have in their vocabulary. 3. After a discussion on the scientific method and process students put their notes into Explain Everything. Students gathered their materials which at least included their plane, a measuring device, and their iPads. We went to our student determined flight testing area and a team of students marked off bench mark meters. 4. Soon the planes soared and swirled, and dive bombed as students executed their tests. Their partners recorded the action with the iPad video cameras and they measured their best flights. Once the testing was complete students headed back to the classroom and recorded their observations. To finalize their Explain Everything documentation they embedded photos and video from the process and added a voice recording. These will now be added to their ePortfolios, ready to reflect on their learning process and share with their families. |
Kate White
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