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.

Some Animoto Inspiration!

Yep, I absolutely LOVE Animoto! I was lucky enough to experiment with this incredibly simple application when on the hunt for a platform to share my TK'ers (Transitional Kindergarten) understanding of digital citizenship. As I'm sure many of you will attest, our students -- even four and five year-olds -- are "technology natives"/experts/biologically programmed to use the latest and greatest gadgets, insert whichever attribute you like :) Last year, my kiddos could seamlessly navigate an iPad, access games on Mom or Dad's iPhone, and download books on their Kindle account. I'm not sure whether I could say the same about myself...

Nevertheless, tech skills are not synonymous with digital literacy. I wanted my little guys to have a basic understanding of the rules and responsibilities that come with being a member of our physical and digital world. Visit Hector's World for child-friendly videos and activities about how to stay safe online. Anyways, I used Animoto as a means of publishing short student interviews where I asked students to share what they learning about being safe online. While I don't have permission to post this video here, let me assure you that it was PRECIOUS and parents commented on how professional it looked...oh the secrets of the trade!

Until watching several sample Animotos from previous semesters, I didn't realize all of the potential ways to integrate this handy tool into daily instruction. I am a big fan of Meghan's "Plant Vocabulary" Animoto, where she pairs plant terms with their corresponding pictures. She even selected the most adorable plant background to compliment her theme! I was also inspired by Taini's "Frog and Toad Vocabulary" Animoto, where she matched new terms from the story with visuals and definitions. What a fantastic way to hook students' interests AND set a purpose for reading!

Now, I'm finally ready to share why I chose that sweet little visual at the top of this blog post! You might have wondered how a purse and its contents could strike any relation with Animoto. Well, my wheels are turning and I'm thinking about designing an inferring activity for first graders, using the contents of my purse. And, Animto might be the ideal way to hook the kiddos' interest. I'll keep you posted as my plan evolves.

Have you come upon any Animoto inspiration? If so, do tell!