Daily 5 Diva

Well, I'm not exactly a Daily 5 diva, just yet.  Personally, I think Gail Boushey & Joan Moser, creators of Daily 5, structured their program around a very basic philosophy: position all word work and writing in the context of READING! Ingenious, I know.  If you aren't familiar with this program that seems to be taking primary classrooms around the country by storm, I encourage you explore this website, chock full of a host of friendly explanations and *FREEBIES*.

In a nutshell, students participate in 5 different activities throughout their reading block -- each that can be appropriately differentiated to suit their individual needs.  Many teachers over on Pinterest have created some pretty spectacular anchor charts, clearly depicting the expectations for each of the following:

1. Read to Self: Students are held accountable for selecting "just right" fit books.
2. Read to Someone: Students sit with a partner and practice building fluency and comprehension. 
3. Listen to Reading: Students listen to books on tape/CD, computer, iPad, or Kindle.
4. Word Work: Students play word games and manipulate letters.  These are those tried and true center activities that I've seen functioning in many an elementary classroom.  I'll admit that plenty of the worksheets/activities/exercises are a whole lot of busy work that result in a towering pile of papers, so Daily 5 limits said activities to only those that are purposeful.
5. Teacher Time: This would be your guided reading session. 

Based on my own research, many teachers pair Daily 5 with the CAFE program, an acronym for "Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary."  These crucial skills then become the focus of a minilesson that spearheads your literacy block.  Please take a peak at this website that details FAQs about this program. 

If you're interested in Daily 5"ing" your literacy block [Keep in mind. this program is well suited to support any curriculum...I've seen teachers in West Hartford implement it seamlessly with Harcourt's Storytown!], check out some of these resources:

• Daily 5, by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser
• FREE Daily 5 signs
• FREE CAFE signs 
• Daily 5 Anchor Charts -- You can "see" exactly what students should be doing at each activity. 
• 3rdGradeThoughts' Daily 5 Series:  I absolutely adore this teacher who is a Daily 5 guru.  The link will take you to a variety of resources she provides, including an explanation of the adorable, yet very  practical "Teacher Time Bin" graphic, included at the top of this blog. 

Any Daily 5 experts out there?  What are your thoughts on this popular approach?

Rolling out the Red Carpet...Digital Story Premiere!

We're right smack dab in the middle of awards season.  With the Oscars looming, I can't help but imagine what it might be like to walk one of those swanky red carpets. Cue music, cameras, couture gowns, teetering heals, sparkling diamonds, and men in pristine suits.  A girl can dream, right?

Last year, I had the good fortune of walking my very own red carpet alongside my TK celebrities!  My littles worked unbelievably hard illustrating and authoring their own pages for our digital storybook.  We found some inspiration from George Ella Lyon's Poem, I am From, and reflected on the people, places, and special memories that contribute to our unique identity.

Given minimal access to technology, I scanned and uploaded students' work into LittleBirdTales, a *FREE* Web 2.0 application that enables narration, story publication, and sharing via email.  Let me assure you, this tool is a gem!  It boasts a simple interface and captures the sweet voice of childhood...time to "ooh and ahhh!"  Obviously, I had to do something fabulous to recognize the talents of my 17 budding authors, so I invited parents and special friends to attend our Digital Story Premiere.  I rolled out a makeshift red carpet, secured red, gold and black balloons around the perimeter of the classroom, and outfitted my little ones with some celebrity inspired shades!

If you'd like to learn more about LittleBirdTales, take a peak at this short, introductory video:



I found some other incredible examples of digital storytelling, using a program called PhotoStory 3...

I was very impressed by this story, introducing Helen Keller's life.  I can imagine that it would be a powerful representation for children of all ages.



And, I absolutely *heart* this precious story: The Crayon Box That Talked.  If you haven't seen this yet, you're really missing out.  Using a crayon box as a metaphor for cultural diversity, these kiddos shared a very powerful message, retelling the original story with their own set of props.



Now, I mentioned earlier in this post about a handy program called PhotoStory 3.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm no professional videographer/producer/editor/, so I need a platform that is super simple to use, yet still creates an impressive product.  Check out this step-by-step guide to PhotoStory 3.  Based on what I've read, this program is comprehensive, allowing users to import photos, add narration, customize motion and transitions, and add background music.  Best of all, it looks like this video making novice will be able to tackle it successfully.  Has anyone else experimented with PhotoStory 3?  Or, do you have another favorite video making tool?

photo credit: Out Of Chicago via photopin cc

Pleased to Tweet Ya!

Err meet ya?  For the longest time I've been a Twitter "lurker," if you could even call it that.  I've sat in on a few teacher chats, perused some Twitter pages/ archives, checked out the latest gossip on several of my favorite celebs (Sorry, I'm not sorry!), but I just haven't been able to muster the strength to jump aboard the Twitter Revolution.  Tweets seem to come flying in and out of cyberspace, appearing for a few brief moments and then disappearing into the dark abyss. Being the organized, methodical, and seemingly conservative girl I am, I really didn't find this tool to be practical in my day-to-day life.

But...I just secured an interim 3rd grade position at my alma mater [Yep, I am THRILLED to pieces!], and the wheels have started to spin at full force.  While I know that my position as a long-term substitute is to continue with the procedures already put in place by the current teacher, I can't help but fantasize about my future classroom.  Mhm I feel one HUGE step closer to my dream, so it's only fitting that I begin to contemplate the possibilities.

And, that brings me to Twitter.  I've mentioned in previous posts just how much I love the idea of shooting a quick tweet out to parents periodically throughout the school day.  Right now, I'm comfortable with this potential use of Twitter, given support from administration and parents.  I have to be honest, though, as an elementary school teacher, I would not be comfortable with my students using Twitter directly.  For example, the recommendations put fourth in this article: 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom, are just that...truly inspiring, yet, perhaps, more applicable in a secondary classroom or college setting.

Sure, it would be great to post bulletin board-"esque" updates on Twitter, or invite students to share questions, generate concise synopses of classroom topics, or track their adventures on a field trip, but said tasks would warrant (I believe...) individual Twitter accounts for students.  I just don't think I can go there yet.  Nevertheless, I'm really liking how teachers use a single classroom Twitter account to connect with students and teachers from around the globe.  If nothing else, will ya please take a peak at this kindergarten teacher's implementation of Twitter with her students?  These littles are tweeting with another classroom in Texas!  Students are given a voice on Twitter by using sentence strips to  record potential tweets, followed by a Twitter bird to signify their intent to post.  The tweets are then secured to a classroom bulletin board for the teacher to push out onto Twitter.  I can't help but smile at all of that sharing and connecting :)

Do you think any of the uses I've mentioned are realistic to implement in your own classroom?

Animoto with a Flair for Fashion: What's in Miss Rosenfield's Purse?

Miss Rosenfield's rather unwieldy purse!

I'm thrilled to pieces with how this little video turned out.  Although, I certainly cannot take full credit...Babbling Abbey over at The Inspired Apple (her posts are FABULOUS!) shared this lesson with a rather unique take on inferring.  I have a slight addiction to purses - a collection of sorts if you will - so I couldn't resist taking some inspiration from my fellow bloggers as I designed my newest Animto.

Please take a peak at the Animoto below.  Keep in mind that it will serve as an introduction to the concept of inferring.  Together, we will attempt to generate inferences about ME based on the contents of my bag.  Ladies out there, wouldn't you concur that the state contents of your purse say a mighty lot about yourself!?  I sure do :)




I find that my kiddos are awfully eager to learn more about me, so this might be an ideal hook for introducing the crucial, yet complex skill of inferring.  Here's how I envision the lesson to play out...I hook the little one's interest by sharing this video, and then bring out the real deal!  We review the contents of my purse and create an anchor chart detailing specific items and corresponding inferences.  For example, I am a faithful carrier of Wet Wipes.  A likely inference might be: "Miss Rosenfield likes to keep clean."  [Or, she's totally a germaphobe!]  Both would be accurate.

Afterwards, I'm going to try out this adorable writing activity courtesy of Abbey, where the kiddos have to use all of the clues from my bag to draw conclusions. I'm anticipating some pretty cute responses.  For another take on this activity, perhaps for any male teachers out there, take a look at this FREE resource, What's in My Teacher's Trash? I think this lesson would be a perfect fit for a first, second, or third grade classroom...a strong follow-up lesson might include this impressive "Inferring Investigation" from Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT), in which students sort through a pile of clues to determine how each character in a mini-story, spent his/her snow day.   Personally, I don't mind investing in high quality resources that I can strategically implement in the classroom.

As for Animoto, I've already shared just how much I *heart* this resource.  It's so simple to use and offers tons of neat backgrounds and music to select from.  I slowed down the pace of the video, so that my littles will have an opportunity to really investigate each "clue" from my purse.  I can confidently say that Animoto vidoes are engaging for viewers of any age and can serve as the perfect way to set the scene for a lesson.

My Personal Diigo Library

Here's a snapshot of my desk drawer.  I *heart* all things Post-its.

By this point, you should already know that more often than not I find myself in an organizing frenzy  (that is, tweaking previously organized systems) and I absolutely love school supplies, particularly Post-its of any shape, color, or size :)  Given my obsession with these handy notes, it should come as no surprise that Diigo continues to be one of my closest companions.  The highlighting and notes feature is just so darn useful!

The beauty of Diigo, which I mentioned previously in this post, is the simplicity of its organizational scheme and its universal accessibility from any computer.  No matter where I go or if my current computer comes to a crashing halt, my favorite articles/websites/cooking projects/lesson plans/ Google Docs will always have a library to call home.  In addition to some of the other features I've mentioned, Diigo allows you to take a screenshot of the webpage, or share the page  via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or just plain old email.  Talk about convenience.

It's most ideal feature (as if there could possibly be one that outshines the rest :) may very well be "tagging," or organizing your library schematic by topic.  For example, say you find an especially helpful link re: classroom design.  If I were you, I'd create a tag for "classroom design" - simply type it into the "tag" box and you're on your way to establishing a Dewey Decimal-esque classification for your links.  Next time you want to retrieve this link, just type "Classroom Organization" into your search browser, located  in your Diigo library, and only those links with that particular tag will pop up.  Ingenious, right?

For now, I'm going to share this link to my Diigo account.  I can't guarantee that you'll find everything there applicable.  After all, it is my own personal, customized library!  Nevertheless, you'll certainly find some worthwhile resources, organized by tags, on digital etiquette, Wikis, transitional kindergarten, and classroom organization, among other educationally related topics.  So, if you're still interested, go take a peak!  How have you found Diigo to be useful or, perhaps, not so useful in your personal/ professional lives?  We're all entitled to our own opinion, so make sure to share 'em!

Screencasting for Dummies

If you're like me, you may have raised an eyebrow [or two] at the thought of screencasting.  And, if we're being truly honest, you might not even be familiar with the term...Let me re-introduce you to Jing, a handy little application I mentioned in this earlier post.  If I were you, I'd go download it pronto :)

Take a peak at the graphic to the left.  This adorable sun lingers at the top of your screen, waiting patiently to capture the perfect image.  Each of the three descending bubbles has a unique job.  From left to right (1) Capture, (2) History, and (3) More.  For the sake of simplicity, let's stick with the first [and most exciting!] bubble...can you say CHEESE?

Step 1: Click on bubble 1.  An adjustable grid will appear for you to set the parameters of  your picture.  Once you have secured the appropriate area, simply click on the grid.  Voila!  You've just taken a screenshot!

Step 2:    Now, another set of bubbles will appear in the lower left-hand corner of your screen.  Click on the "Capture Video" bubble (second one from the left).  A pretty snazzy "3, 2, 1" warning will appear and then you and your kiddos are on the air!  As Richardson (2009) recommends, try developing some sort of script/guideline for what you'd like to say in order to keep your screencast under 5 minutes.  Not to worry, you can pause and/or delete if necessary.

Step 3: If you're pleased with the final product, go ahead and save it to your computer. You may also share your screencast via Screencast.com - simply follow the prompts.  Easy as 1-2-3!

To sum up in the event I lost you, screencasting allows you to capture any image of interest on your screen and then add audio narrations....

Now if we're still on the same wave length, you're probably left wondering how this application can be used strategically in the classroom.  I'm envisioning myself sharing "tutorials" on any number of tricky concepts.  How about a multi-step math problem?  It would be pretty advantageous for my kiddos to have a link to a screencast where they can review directions and/or prompting directly from the horse's mouth! Or, what about having the students attempt to annotate their own work?  Could be a fantastic platform for self-reflection and peer feedback.  Are you seeing the possibilities?  

Digital Mark-Ups: Dressing up Screenshots with Skitch!

An inside look at a recent organizing project...the dreaded make-up drawer!

Yes, I know this is supposed to be an educational blog.  But, for this color loving/scrapbook aspiring/personal organizing wannabe/elementary school teacher, I just had to share my new favorite tool that has great promise in the classroom.  Don't you love it when personal hobbies and professional pursuits come together so perfectly?

Above is a pic of the make-up drawer I recently tackled (I think it's safe to say that these drawers can often be the bane of our existence, right ladies?).   To take my photo-imaging skills one step further, I jazzed up this picture with some handy labels, bright colors, arrows, and image boxes.  Welcome to Skitch! With this free download, I easily took a screen-capture of the image [I had already saved it to my Dropbox!] and began experimenting with all of the neat, yet super easy-to-use design tools.  I also downloaded Jing - a free screenshot and screencast software that enables quick photo sharing via Twitter, Flickr, email, and Blogger, to name a few.  Are your wheels beginning to turn as you envision the classroom possibilities?

I'm thinking about the perfect combination of digital-visual storytelling!  I'm imagining students diagramming historical photos and/or pictures in detail, developing online portfolios with digital images of their work and accompanying annotations, and  documenting class field trips/ special activities with all of the eye-catching tools built into Skitch.  If I was giddy using this neat application, can you even fathom the children's response?

Given the visual world with which our students are accustomed, do you see photo-sharing as a real possibility in your classroom?  

Try your Hand at QR Codes...Introducing Interactive Books!

You heard that right! Today, I'm going to convince you how interactive books (and I'm not talking about downloading titles to your Kindle or Nook!), can enrich and extend some of your more traditional texts. Just the other day, I watched as a 2 year-old buddy of mine stared rather quizzically at her hard cover, two dimensional book, attempting to enlarge the illustration with the classic iPad induced, thumb and pointer finger swipe. Yep, she can navigate any Apple product with ease :)

Unfortunately, not all of us are lucky enough to have a 1 to 1 iPad/Kindle Fire ratio, and I doubt that any of us are willing to dismantle our classroom library in favor of going completely digital, but I do recommend that you check out Farrah Kilgo's newest post at Think*Share*Teach, where she blogs about how her fourth grade kiddos paired up with their second grade pals for some shared reading. These fourth graders created QR codes (Please see my post here re: the nuts and bolts of QR code generation) to accompany a biography about George Washington Carver. Picture this: Small groups of children reading a book...QR codes are embedded throughout to allow for easy access to video clips, primary documents, art, photographs, etc. that bolster the text and add an element of 21st century learning! Pretty neat, huh?

Now, take a breath. These interactive books are very easy to create. In fact, I tried my hand at one a few weeks ago, using Joan Sweeney's whimsical book, Me on the Map, as inspiration. This adorable book provides our youngest students with a basic understanding of location and sense of place, starting in the home and situating the home on a street, in a town, state, country, world, and universe. I decided it would be an even more meaningful read, if I affixed QR codes to each page of the book that corresponded with my students' relative location. So, when the book introduces the notion of a house, situated on a street, I created a QR code that links to Google Earth, so the kiddos can see a picture of where our school sits on the street. It's all about making learning tangible...

Here are 3 simple steps for how to craft interactive books: 1) Generate QR codes, 2) Print QR codes (simply paste them into a Word document), and 3) Attach QR codes to corresponding pages in a book. All your students need is a tablet, smartphone, or iPod to interact with these neat little codes. For more information on how to generate QR codes and/or use them in books, go to Technology Bits Bytes & Nibles where you will find directions with visual accompaniments.

Any ideas for how you might develop an interactive book?

Organization 101: Tweet, Tweet!

I've mentioned in previous posts that I'm a little bit (or a lot a bit!) of an organizing fiend. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I get such satisfaction after tackling an unweildy organizing project. Yep, I do like to admire my handiwork, so I look for boxes/containers/dividers that combine functionality with visual appeal. The pictures I've shared above are a glimpse at my newly minted "teacher supply station," located in the dungeon of my basement.

So, you can imagine how excited I was when I learned about these handy RSS Feeds and my quick, super easy-to-use Google Reader. The truth is, I stumbled upon RSS while reading Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step at a Time, but I didn't quite "get" the purpose. I do think the text assumed a certain level of digital expertise that I'm still in the process of developing...Anyways, Richardson (2009) gave me the push I needed to activate my Google Reader (if you have a Google account, you've already got this neat application!). I unsubscribed from all of those Blogger email updates that were the bane of my existence [I despise clutter, even in my inbox], and watched as the new posts came to me! Talk about productivity!

If I'm lucky enough to get my kiddos blogging individually, you better believe I'll use Google Reader to keep track of their posts. Not only that, but this is a tool our budding student researchers can try their hand at as well. Students need to learn how to be productive (and wise...) consumers of information, and I think creating RSS search feeds are the way to go. Diigo and I have been longtime buddies, particularly when I was knee deep in research articles and in dire need of a hub to store it all. I'm still learning all the ins and outs of this incredible tool, namely the "label" function that enables seamless retrieval, and I can't get enough of those handy post-it notes and digital highlighters. I love any kind of school supply, albeit digital! While I've yet to capitalize on Diigo's collaborative features, I see great potential in using this platform to collect/share resources among team teachers.

Last but not least, I have to end with some remarks on Twitter. Initially, I was a Twitter-skeptic and, perhaps, I partially still am. I'm slowly learning the rules for appropriate hashtag usage, and I recently participated in an #elemsci chat where I scored a whole slew of valuable resources. Teaching is synonymous with sharing, isn't it? I still can't seem to get myself into a habit of using this platform on a regular basis. Pinterest, on the other hand, is an addiction for this visually inclined girl who loves to see lesson strategies/organizational schemes/materials in action, yet I do acknowledge the unique benefit of real-time feedback offered through Twitter. I highly recommend Cybraryman's website, where he organizes teacher chats by subject/grades and supplies a list of helpful hashtags to reference.

One way I can realistically see myself capitalizing on Twitter is by using it as a means of keeping families up-to-date on classroom happenings. PLEASE, make sure you look at this educator's Twitter page, where she provides parents with hour-by-hour pictures, comments, and questions. I love how parents can jump aboard Twitter for just a minute or two, to read a quick post (140 characters or less!) and know exactly what their child is doing. This eliminates the dreaded, "What did you learn in school today, dear?" and the inevitable "I don't remember" response. Parents can now ask targeted questions, courtesy of this teacher's Twitter page. Could you see yourself implementing Twitter in this fashion? If so, do you think your administration and/or parents would be supportive?