Classroom "App"lications: Turkey Time

 November edition of "Classroom 'App'lications" is underway, better late than never right? Be sure to link up your iPad integrations at the end of this post!

My students absolutely *love* Pic Collage. This is a free app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod.  With ease in adding pictures from the web, the iPad, text, and stickers, the students are constantly creating collages of things they like. That's why, when I mention we are going to use that app in a lesson, they immediately have bought in.

This year, Thanksgiving caught me by surprise. {Does that really surprise anyone with the lack luster amount of posts lately? Life is just steamrolling ahead!} Anywho, thanks to our schools wonderful app and iPad integration specialist had an idea, I put it into action, and by the end of the hour, kids were telling me that they had fun. I'd say that's a win!

The prompt, was that the turkey needed to be somewhere, anywhere school appropriate, and as a result of being there, he'd be too busy to make it for Thanksgiving and of course, too busy to be eaten.  With only one day to complete our project, students only needed to write a short paragraph in the very least, although they were given the option more.

Think the paper turkeys that have be disguised, only digital. Students searched for background that they wanted; the place the turkey was visiting. Then they added a turkey with props to help make it seem like the turkey was truly there. Finally, they added their short note of apology for not making it to dinner. So cute and so fun!

The picture from my example. {Go Wildcats!} Images in Pic Collage can be layered, by tapping on them. The jersey and turkey were "cut out" of their backgrounds, by double tapping the picture and clicking on "clip". From there, just use your finger or stylus to outline the object, click on done, and your object has a background no longer.

The following pictures are from the student creations and displays on the Apple TV. Sorry for the poor quality when the lights were turned off!

Student cutting out his turkey. Not seen, under his hand, is the green outline that shows where the object will be cut.

This student found all of his objects and is beginning to build his picture

Adding text to create his letter.

This young lady, added her text above her picture.  "I'm so sorry I won't make it for the holiday. I am eating my own food. Just playing with other turkeys. P.S. I won't be back next year. I'm getting a ticket to go to Hawaii-- Tom the Turkey"

This turkey was filing the role of Willie the Wildcat.

A couple of young men enjoy history, particularly World War 2. They created Pic Collages that had their turkeys participating in this part of history.

The creations, writing, and sharing of these turkey creations was a favorite of my fourth graders. Last minute idea, but if you end up using this writing idea I'd love to see pictures and hear about how it went. Comment or leave a link, with your students' creations!

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Workshop Wednesday: Writing Bingo

Quick post tonight {I cannot wait until the two classes I'm taking are over. Homework overload!!} I had to take a brain break to join up with one of my blogging buddies, Jessica, for her wonderful Workshop Wednesday!

The activity I'm going to share with you can be used at anytime of the year with various topics: Writing Bingo. I used this during one of my practicums when discussing the ideas trait. Even as an undergrad I had heard more than one student complain that they had nothing to write about. In steps this activity.

Basically, student's work to fill out 8 of the boxes using prompts that I gave. For this example, it's about the first days of school. The center is a free space where students can jot down ideas on a topic of their choice. It was called Writing Bingo, because my practicum partner and I had the student's say "bingo" when they had a designated number of ideas in each box. We gave them a small incentive for doing so.

{Please don't judge the document... it's never been beautified. This was created before my obsession with fonts and clipart. I just wanted you to get the just of it.} You can click to download it if you would like.

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Scribble Story

We are in the midst of our biography projects in Written Communications. Neck deep. Our first research project is a little trying at times...

So to switch things up this week {and to be completely honest... for all parties involved...students, teachers, and paras to regain their sanity} We did "Squiggle Stories" as seen on What the Teacher Wants. With this burnt-out and weary bunch I wasn't sure what to expect, but these stories turned out GREAT!

We took the idea from this blog post, and tweaked it ever so slightly and it went over great. To start, I couldn't get the file to open. {Does anyone else have internet issues when your on a short notice, rushing around, or maybe just forget to print things off the day before?... Maybe not, but I sure do!} So I quickly took a screen shot of what they had and made it work. You can download (the much cuter original) here. 

Then, my wonderful teaching partner gets a BRILLIANT idea. {Brilliant in it's creativity, not only for the writing, but also a way to keep the kids engaged and make this activity last for a whole 55 minute period. It worked. So it's worthy of being called brilliant.} Have the students trade their stories and pictures every ten minutes, adding to what was written previously. Simple. It worked wonderfully.

Students had 10 minutes to make their squiggle into something. Anything, as long as it was appropriate for school... no blood, guts, gore, etc. This time included, if so chosen to add some color to the pictures. Then students were given 10 minutes to start their stories. When time was called they had to stop... adding nothing more. If your stopped midsentence you can't finish it. You pass your illustration and start of the story to the next person at your table, they pass theirs to the person next to you and so on. Then the same thing repeats, 10 minutes to write until time is called, until you get your story back. 

The stories were hilarious. Black holes. Magicians. Tornadoes. Pancakes. Clothing. Parrots. Evil trees. These were just a few of the topics that were woven into different stories, and although the stories didn't go exactly like the original author might have intended, all of the kids got a hoot out of what was created. This pass-and-go activity really kept the kids engaged, ideas flowing...more so than their worn out brains might have done if  they could only work on their story the whole hour. I wish I would have saved a few stories to share... but I did snap a few pictures of the kiddos illustrations. To think. They all started with a squiggle. 

A monster destroying a city.

A stylish shirt.

A hand band, not an ordinary head band, but a glow in the dark head band.  

In the student's own words: "This is a Jurassic scene" 

One of my favorites. A "rapping grandpa".  I loved how the student chose to do a side perspective. Blew me away. 

This project could take as little or as much time as you need, depending on how involved you would want it to be. The original post on this suggested this as an activity for substitutes. I'd have to agree, it'd work great for days like that. I think we will pull this out again another time or two throughout the year when we all need a break!

 

  

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It Makes Me Want to Scream When..

• Names aren't on the tops of student's papers.
• Student's come without pencils or just broken pencils for first hour class (they are suppose to get things ready to for the day in home room.)
• Grades aren't posted in a timely manner for my graduate courses. 

 But, enough about what makes me want to scream.......

This was our latest writing prompt in Written Communications class this week. Using Edvard Munch's painting as inspiration, we wrote about things that make us scream. They could be serious, such as a fear, or something silly, such as my teaching partner's topic of the last Diet Coke disappearing from the fridge. 

The kids enjoyed the topic. There were many stories about annoying siblings, scary movies, and having to come to school. We also added another fun element to this project: putting ourselves into Edvard's famous painting using the "Amazing Booth" app.

I just happened upon this app when it was on the "Apps Gone Free" application. (If you have any sort of Mac device that uses apps. Download this one.) I think Amazing now costs a dollar or two. Similar to photobooth, it has a few fun alterations including adding yourself to famous painting such as the Mona Lisa.

Here are a few of our photos that were included with our written work for display during parent-teacher conferences earlier this week!

What makes you want to scream?

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