Posted in 21st Century Learning, English, iPad, Projects, Roanoke County Schools, social studies, STEM, Video

Pic Collage and Videos with Famous American Speeches

Students in Ms. Barger’s fourth grade class just finished a huge unit on Famous Americans.  As part of a STEM activity, students were responsible for writing a speech about a Famous American.  They also had to create a poster to use in their speech with a pop-up and movable part.

As students were given speeches, I filmed them (on their assigned iPad).  Students took notes when other students gave speeches.  Then students watched their own speech and used a self-evaluation sheet to foster self-reflection.  They used their notes and each other’s posters to create a Pic Collage containing three facts they learned from listening to other classmates’ speeches.

Students enjoyed the project, and it really gave ownership to giving speeches and listening to others.  Both these skills are important Fourth Grade English SOLs.

Posted in Geocaching, QR Codes, Roanoke County Schools, social studies

Greece and Rome Geocaching

Third Grade went Geocaching in Mrs. Weikle’s room during their study of Greece and Rome! Using GPS units, students worked in teams to locate hidden boxes outside the school. The boxes contained clues about either Greece or Rome or neither. Students had to figure out which! It was cold, but everyone had a blast!

There are two versions of the activity–one that uses GPS units (Geocaching), and one that uses iPads or iPods with QR code readers.

Geocaching:

1.  Print the cards on different colored tagboard (blue, red, yellow).  Use the Answer Sheet to divide the cards between 6 boxes.

2.  Hide the boxes around the school yard and mark each location with the gps unit.

3.  Divide the students into no more than six groups.  Give students the blank answer sheet, a pencil, gps unit, and an order strip.

4.  Have students find the boxes in the order on the strip.  When they find the box, they read the clues and determine which color card matches which civilization.  They record colors on their answer sheets.

 

QR Codes

1.  QR cards on tagboard.  Divide them between 6 boxes.

2.  Place the boxes around the room (as stations).

3.  Divide the students into no more than six groups.  Give students the blank answer sheet, a pencil, an iPod/iPad loaded with a QR code reader (we use Inigma).

4.  Have students rotate through the stations and scan the QR codes.  Students must determine which color card matches which civilization.  They record on colors on their answer sheets.

Cross posted on the Oak Grove Digital Archive and Adventures in Learning Geocaching Blog.

Posted in 21st Century Learning, Roanoke County Schools, social studies, STEM

Company of London Brochures

Students in one of Mrs. Mulvaney’s Classes became Company of London travel agents!  They created brochures to persuade settlers to come to Jamestown (in 1625).

 

During this project, students were able to choose how to make their brochures. They could use Microsoft Publisher or the Printing Press from Read, Write, Think. Students also learned to save and use pictures from a copyright friendly website (Pics 4 Learning).

You can look at their creations below!

https://app.box.com/embed_widget/0xu3w4bhib3q/s/53jdvl7y30dspr2ja08p?view=list&sort=name&direction=ASC&theme=blue

Cross posted on the Oak Grove Digital Archive