Skip to main content

Let it (rigorously) SNOW!

Looking for ways to add some academic reason to the season as we wind down 2013? Here are some great resources to engage students in relevant and rigorous tasks.

Explore Snowflakes: Science-themed lessons on shapes, weather, and even valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory.... 


Year End Reflections and New Year's Resolutions offer a great opportunity to introduce CCSS-style writing tasks such as range and/or production of writing: 
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Consider turning content-related data into a seasonal opportunity to visually display statistics with easel.ly or infogr.am. Below is a climate-related example from Visual.ly. You can also use infographics as a great way to encourage the integration of knowledge and facts (also a CCSS skill), as well as critical consumption of content.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Setting Your Gmail Away Message

You will be away from your classroom for a bit and probably won't be checking email on a regular basis. Wouldn't it be nice to have Gmail respond for you alerting whoever is emailing that you out enjoying your summer? Setting up your vacation responder is pretty simple, a few clicks and a save. Start by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner of Gmail. Scroll way down the page. Look for the vacation responder section. 1. Click to turn the responder on. 2. Add your first and last days away. We would recommend adding something short and to the point for the subject line. 3. Whatever you add here will be the body of the email you are automatically sending out. It would be a good idea to tell them when you are planning on returning and who to call if they need immediate assistance. We also recommend not checking the two buttons at the bottom. 4. Save changes . That is it. Now your inbox will automatically alert people that you are not in your...

Who is emailing me? The Blue Man Group??? (Add an image to your Google account.)

WHY It is always nice to put a face with a name. Sometimes we need a tiny little reminder of what someone looks like because we don't see them very often. Follow these steps to add/change the image associated with your Google account. HOW Open your email. Click your image. It might just be a blue circle if you have not added something already. Click Change . Find an image you like. Your amazing new image will appear. From now on everyone can put a name to a face!

Using WeVideo to create a Crash Course video.

 IMAGE  In this post we will describe how to create a Crash Course style video using WeVideo. We will show you how to: create a storyboard setting up your surroundings controlling for sound adding different types of graphics to your video adding text layering in sound adding stock media publishing What is a Crash Course video? These videos are designed to be quick, informative breakdowns of various subjects, offering concise and easy-to-understand explanations of complex topics. The aim is to educate viewers on a broad range of subjects from science to humanities and beyond. Example Watch this video. What do you see and what do you notice? Now, watch it again with these things in mind - What is the speaker doing throughout out the film? How does her voice sound? How did they use audio, music and sound effects, to help tell the story? How was B Roll used? What about text and popup images? Storyboard+Setting Up+Editing This is the trifecta for a successful Crash Course video. St...