"May Your Adventures Bring You Closer Together - Even as They Take You Far Away From Home" ~ Mysterious Benedict Society (Day One)

Texas is a beautiful place full of exciting things.  The last two days in my classroom we have been taking the state assessment STAAR.  It is a very important assessment.  The children are in my room for four hours straight - laboring over their test with pencils laying about them.  Sweat pouring down some of their faces.  Yawns escaping from some mouths.  Feet tapping, restless, nervousness.  Complete silence except for the occasional sneeze or cough.

After these thoughts I was looking through my lesson plans on what I needed to teach.  We are learning about maps.  Directions.  I began to think of my summer trips planned.  I thought about REAL WORLD applications.  When I plan a trip I think about HOW to get there.  WHERE it is.  How much MONEY I will need.  Then I began to GOOGLE.  

I found a link to:

Google World Wonders Project

Under the "Primary School" button, I downloaded a basic "plan" on how to use their site to take my kids from Miller Elementary virtually into other countries.  Although I read their "plan" I am embellishing as I go along this journey.  

We are currently reading a book called The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.  It is  the second book in a series.  In the book the children get on a ship and travel to Portugal.  After reading the book to my classroom and talking about the need for maps and directions, my kids were given the task of pretending they were in caveman times.  We then pretended that we wanted our friend to come to the pond to play with us, but when we got to the friend's cave our friend was asleep.  Our friend's mom said to leave directions written in the dirt.  Since neither of us can write or read - we were tasked with drawing pictures to make a map for our friend to follow.  

Next - we flashed forward to now.  We thought about how we get around today.  Some thought about how their mom's typed in an address on their phone and the directions would come up.  Some thought about how their dads "just knew where to go."  I then told them about the Google website.  They formed their own groups (some decided to work on their own) and they had to pick one of the places on the site to "visit."  They explored and told me the name of their place.  

The Great Barrier Reef

Next, we talked about HOW to get there.  We walked through getting to the Grand Canyon.  We could fly OR drive.  We talked about how it would be cheeper to fly if it was just one person going BUT if 3 people were going - driving cost less.  Driving was only 24 dollars less and one child pointed out that 15 hours in a car wasn't worth 24 dollars.  He wanted to pay the extra money to spend a longer time in the Grand Canyon.  

Kyoto, Japan

Prague

So - I sent them on their task of HOW to get to their destination.  Some tried putting in directions like we did for the Grand Canyon.  Since ALL of their places are not in North America - no one could drive to their destination directly.  One group found the site http://www.distancefromto.net/  It is a GREAT link that will tell the distance from anywhere TO anywhere!  The group began to share with others.  For this part of the project they have to find the distance TO their destination, the cost for one person to go and for a family of 5 to go.  They are looking for the cheapest, most logical way to get there.  Some are going into great detail figuring exactly how much gas from their house to the airport and then adding plane tickets and things.  Others are just counting the plane tickets.  But - the idea is the same.  They are using math, logic, and their ipads to begin to plan their journey.  They are 100% engaged! 

Next - where will they STAY?  Hotel? Tent? How much more money will they need for a place to sleep.  How will they get around?  City bus?  Taxi?  Walking?  Rent a car?  They are pricing each of these things.  We are planning for a 5 day trip.  

When asked about what they thought of the project I got these responses:

- "I liked getting to explore a different place on my ipad!"

- "I liked working with my friends."

- "I liked planning a trip so that I know how much money I need to save to go to Japan!"

- "I think I might want to be a travel agent when I grow up!  Looking up trips is fun!" 

Although we have just begun our trip and diving into maps and directions, my kids look forward to working on this project.  More to come on these exciting adventures across the sea!

Not just words - actions.

This morning at LaRue Miller Elementary we began with a huge assembly (like we do every Friday). But, this Friday we had all of the volenteers come and visit to show our thanks we had a program and breakfast ready.

After the assembly one of the student's moms I taught four years ago stopped me in the hall.  We chatted about many things.  Then she said that her daughter was recently asked in a committee meeting what she had been taught at Miller that stuck with her.  It needed to be an activity or lesson they remembered.  Everyone else picked something they had done in 5th grade.  Jessica didn't.  She picked the clay animation project she had done in my classroom with technology.  They had to write a script retelling the story, create the characters out of clay, and use a camera to capture the story.  Finally, they recorded a voice and they had a movie.

For those who want to see - you can visit this link to see what that particular class created.
The Three Cabritos

For Jessica - it was the actions - making the story come to life that she remembered.

SO- the story Jessica's mom told me was one that made me smile.  I thought of this quote, "In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work.  It is invisible and remains so, maybe for 20 years." ~ Jacques Barzun.   I thought it was a GREAT time to try out a new journal app.  I have noticed that my students enjoy putting visuals with their words.  We have the APP called "Private Journal" by Yoobee Version 2.0.
  

This journal lets the kids add music, photos, tabs to a page, stickers and so on.  For now the app is free.  Free is good!  (See note at the bottom of this blog for multi-user ipad tip.)

I started class with small groups of them getting the assignment to think of an adult in the building that taught them something.  It could be a teacher or someone else.  I wanted them to think of a specific time that they remembered this person and what they learned.  Next, they had to go and take a picture of that person alone and then a shot with both in the picture.

We then began with the topic of: Tell me about someone who taught you something at Miller.  Working with technology always engages them!  Many sat and thought for a long time.  One child was worried about how to spell something and then quickly found she could sound things out and spell check.  Journals are not places to worry about spelling.  They are places to let your words flow freely from your heart.  After a few minutes I let them know that I would be sharing this with the people they picked.  One student said, "You mean I am going to get BUSTED again?!  I picked discipline.  She taught me NOT to cheat!"  The things they remember.....

Other sweet things they said about Miller people:
"...So I tried my best, she pushed me to do better on reading.... So I did my best in all subjects and sometimes I didn't try my best and I remember that she said to me "try your best" so I will never forget Mrs. King."

"Mrs. Bolgiano taught me to read and today I thank her because now I LOVE to read."

"She (Ms. Daniel) was very fun and she dressed up like a superstar."

"Mr. Fio is an art worker.  He draws and paints art.  Also he is a good art worker.  His art is awesome and sweet.  He is funny and awesome."

Kids thoughts on this app/project:
"It's cool because you can add pictures and write."
"You get to add your own music, bookmark it where you want it, make as much pages as you want..."
"I really like it because you can do it about someone and it can be exciting for the person who gets it."

One SMALL thing I should mention.  The journal app doesn't export TO anything.  We took pictures of our pages and then CHIRPED them to each other.

If you don't know about chirp it is found under iphone apps.  (It works for the ipad, too.)  My students LOVE the technology sound it makes while it sends information. You do have to be kind of close to the other ipad to get the information. It is a way to share photos, text, etc easily.  I use it daily.

Morel of this post?  Kids remember most when we love them and push them to do their best.  We may have to dress up like a superstar or be able to draw to get our point across - but we do make our points. So, teachers - keep on making GOOD points and let your children grow wings and fly!

"The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher." ~ Elbert Hubbard

Tip for multi-user ipads.  

I found another journal app that lets you create more than one journal at a time and lock it with a code.  It is an app called: Max Journal by Omaxmedia.

This journal app allows many journals inside of the app.  This is great if more than one student uses the ipad.

You can add up to 30 pictures per journal entry and even have them scrolling at the bottom of the entry.  I am using this one personally to keep up with the scrapbook journal for my family.  Not an official scrapbook - more like a string of thoughts with pictures and stories that go with the pictures so that when I come back to scrapbook later - I remember more.