You’ve just finished using the Animated Step-by-Step on the
interactive whiteboard to pace your class through a recipe. As you plan to
create a followup writing activity, every step in the process has been photographed
with closeups of students performing various steps in the process. Be sure to include every student across the
continuum of pictures. You are now able
to use presentation software to create a document for a future writing project.
I typically use a template created with PowerPoint, but numerous other programs
would work equally well (e.g., Keynote, Smart Notebook, ActivInspire). My template includes three lines for text and
a circle in the upper right corner for a page number. When using interactive whiteboard software (Smart Notebook, ActivInspire) you have the ability to model the process of handwriting before converting that handwritten text into printed text (some might argue that this makes a more official looking final product).
Once the pictures are inserted, the writing document can be used in a variety of innovative ways.
1.
Use
the file on the interactive whiteboard
to conduct a collaborative group writing activity. The pen tools and the eraser are
essential to this writing process. This format allows the teacher to model and
guide the writing process.
“We just finished page 3 and now we are
moving on to page (rising intonation) ….. (writing the page number in the
circle in the upper right corner)
“ What do we want to say about this
picture? Any ideas?”
(students offer suggestions … consensus is
reached)
Okay … Here we go … Indira …. Indira can
you spell your name for us?
“is
… I think that word is on our
world wall’
“stirring’ …. What’s that sound I hear at the
beginning? Yes that’s right stirring starts with the ‘s’ sound etc.
Although your first instinct might
be to have the child in the picture decide what the caption should be, consider
inviting other child to perform this role. When conducting a group lesson you must always think in terms
of maximizing group engagement. The child featured in the picture is already engaged
because he/she is the 'star of the moment'. It therefore makes sense to broaden
your ‘engagement reach’ by inviting the remaining students to compose the caption.
If you’ve generated a collaborative group writing project, consider printing the final document on heavy weight paper. Laminate and bind the pages. Don’t forget to include a title page and a listing of the authors. Consider establishing a bin in your classroom where books co-authored by the class can be available for reading.
If you’ve generated a collaborative group writing project, consider printing the final document on heavy weight paper. Laminate and bind the pages. Don’t forget to include a title page and a listing of the authors. Consider establishing a bin in your classroom where books co-authored by the class can be available for reading.
2.
Print
out individual copies of the template with the pictures inserted and
encourage
students to write their own captions. If a student is unable
to use paper and pencil, consider making a digital version that substitutes a
text box for the handwriting guidelines.
I think
you’ll find that personalized books tend to be very popular!
… 'til the next post …
© 2015 Carol Goossens’, Ph.D.
canadiangoosse@gmail.com
