I’d like to explain how you can create a language rich learning environment through visual online resources and projection of images through an IWB. The aim of this unit was for students to write a persuasive text in preparation for the 2011 NapLan writing assessment task. The issue I chose was child labour. To begin, I needed to give students some background knowledge so they were able to decide on a position. I chose the novel, The Tiger’s Secret by Gordan Volke which is part of The Austral Legacies series (an Internet linked adventure series). Before reading the novel I introduced students to the series online by following the link below:
In this novel, Asha is one of the chosen children who is guided by tigers in order to find the second Astral Legacy in Asia. Pages 10 -12 and p22-26 are ideal for helping students begin to develop their feelings in relation to the issue of child labour. Here is a quote from the novel: “Every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset, Asha had to make the long trek through the dusty, parched Indian countryside to and from Nazir Kapoor’s clothing factory where she had worked since she was five” (Volke, G 2009, The Tigers’ Secret, p11). ASIDE: For a fantastic online referencing generator using the Harvard Author Date System (abridged) you may like to visit St Aloysius College’s Library Links page. Here is the web link:
I then went onto YouTube to find a visual persuasive text for students. This is what I found (written and narrated by Le Sheng Liu):
After viewing the clip on the SMART board, we then discussed the position that Le Sheng Liu has taken as well as the text and/or visual images which Le used to convince the viewer of his position. Students were then ready to read a persuasive text on child labour which I found online at:
Before we began reading the text, we discussed the image and caption, All work and no play: A boy stitches a soccer ball in Pakistan. Students brainstormed information gained from the image and we began to explore the feelings which the image engendered in us. The use of a SMART board then enabled us to sort and/or group ideas by moving the text with the touch of our finger. We then focused on the first four paragraphs and undertook the following; (1) Discussed what we thought the author’s position on the topic was (2) Used the pen tool to underline the adjectives in the first paragraph and then rewrote the paragraph omitting the adjectives. We then compared the two paragraphs and discussed the purpose of adjectives in persuasive texts (3)Used the pen tool to underline the facts in the text. Then discussed why we thought the author included these in the text? (4)Discussed the irony in the text and why we thought the author used this literary tool. One particular feature of the SMART board that I like is the ability to highlight key words from a text and drag them out with your finger. This is how you do it:
Students were then ready to use an online graphic organiser tool from www.readwritethink.org to map out their argument for writing a persuasive text. Follow the link below for access to this tool:
SMART Notebook Math Tools is an add on to Notebook software. There are many features of the SMART Notebook Math Tools software but I’m just going to focus on one in this article. Watch the video below for a short demonstration.
I really like the SMART Math Tools add on but your school may not be in a position to purchase the licence, so I’ve used the shape division tool to generate some fractions that you can use within your own unit of work. The Notebook isn’t interactive, but it contains of a range of fractions which you may like to copy and place under ‘my content’ in your Gallery.
Many of my new posts relate to NAPLAN, persuasive texts, as it is a ‘new’ genre for testing in Australian schools this year. The issue for the following persuasive text activity was: ‘Should dogs be kept as pets in the city’? Initially, I introduced the issue and as a class we brainstormed ideas using a PMI on the SMART board (created using the line tool and pen tool). Students adopted a position and then formed their own statement, before writing their own persuasive text. We then calculated the majority position of our class in regards to the issue.
Reflecting on the lesson and the texts that students wrote, I decided to revisit the issue. My aim was to help students to develop each argument further by including detail in order to elaborate each argument, thus increasing the length of each paragraph. I went onto YouTube and searched for short, 1 minute video clips on various topics in order to provide visual stimulii for students. The YouTube searches included those which students had previously written about (ie dog fights in parks, cute dogs, dogs in a pet shop, training dogs, stray dogs, active dogs, dogs barking at night and dogs pooing in the garden) and were downloaded using saveyoutube.com. Video clips were then inserted into a Notebook document so that I didn’t have to rely on internet or access. After viewing each of the video clips, students discussed whether or not the video footage supported the majority position of our class.
Before students were asked to rewrite their persuasive text, I used a scanner to scan students’ initial texts (unfortunately I don’t have a document camera). As a class we were not only able to correct the grammar and punctuation, but also to use digital ink to add sentences in order to elaborate on original arguments.
To take this lesson further, you may like to read ‘Because of Winn-Dixie’ (p.16-19) by Kate Di Camillo. In this text Opal convinces her father to let her keep a mangy stray dog. Or, ‘Mutt Dog’ by Stephen Michael King. This is a picture book about a scruffy dog that is all alone, until one day someone decides to look after him as part of their family. Special thanks to Wendy Redden for the literature links for this unit.
This week I had one of those amazing lessons that make you feel so excited about what your students can achieve. I had planned to read pages 7-10 of Charlotte’s Web by E.B White and then ask students to brainstorm arguments for and against the issue: ‘Should the runt of the bunch be killed’? However, teaching at an all girls school the response was 100% one sided, ‘the runt of the bunch should not be killed’. So I decided to use the pen tool to record students’ arguments for their position.
Arguments were recorded on the SMART board, but before I wrote each new argument I placed the pen in the tray (or covered the sensor light on the pen tray). After arguments had been recorded I was then able to ask the students: Which arguments are similar? Which arguments can be grouped together to form a paragraph? Placing the pen in the tray and taking it out again (in-between each new comment), enables you to use your finger to move words and or sentences in order to sort them. Students then had a basic structure from which to write their own persuasive text.
This goes to show, it is possible to use SMART board tools to generate interactive lessons without having to always spend time preparing Notebook documents. Once you have the basic SMART board skills the rest is up to your imagination.
There are many different ways to download YouTube video clips. The best program comes down to personal preference, I personally prefer the quickest and easiest option. Previously I have used Zamzar.com which is a simple four step process. However, recently I have changed http://saveyoutube.com/ because it is even quicker. Saveyoutube.com was previously known as Kickyoutube.com. The main thing to remember when downloading any video clip that you want to insert into Notebook software is that the file format needs to be flv. I’ve inserted a short video tutorial to show you how it works. Don’t forget to post a comment if you find this helpful (it will take you about 30 seconds).
During the January school holidays I did some work for a publications company. I created Interactive Notebook documents relating to puberty and how it affects boys and girls. The Notebook documents are aimed for students in years 6,7 and 8.When creating the resources, I took particular care in trying to make the resources as user friendly as possible. In particular, I wanted to make it easier for male teachers who may find this topic somewhat difficult to teach.
I would like to thank a particular teacher (who I named Erin in order for her name to remain anonymous) for allowing me to record her experience and my husband for recording the experiments. There were many bloopers and at times we ended up in stitches from laughter. Erin has recently had a beautiful little girl called Jada. Here’s one of the bloopers!
The final recording and the Notebook resources are available to download from the site below. When you download them, they will be in a zip version (374MG) so you’ll need to unzip them before you can use them. Some parts are a bit ‘wordy’ in that there is alot of text. This is because they wanted teachers to be able ‘run with the entire program’ without having to refer to a manual or teachers’ guide. The Notebook documents also needed match up with the PPT documents. Post a comment and let me know what you think.
There are a series of five Notebook resources which have been recently shared by S.Woolford on SMART exchange which relate to the Primary Connections unit, ‘Smooth Moves’. These units are suitable for Year 4 students. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you may like to follow the link below and download the resources. I would then add interactive web links, students’ video recordings (ie of experiments) and other interactive resources that you develop whilst teaching the unit. To download the Notebook documents follow the link below (they appear under ‘recently shared’). http://exchange.smarttech.com/index.html?lang=en_AU#tab=0
From what I can work out, SMART and SCHOLASTIC have come to some sort of arrangement in regards to advertising. On the SCHOLASTIC website you can find Interactive Notebook documents and on SMART Exchange you can find SCHOLASTIC Notebook resources. On SMART Exchange there are 5 fantastic SCHOLASTIC Notebook resources related to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I like these documents because they have not only included interactive activities, but they have also inserted the audio story book into one of the Notebook documents. Therefore, you can listen to the audio book without having to rely on the Internet. All you need to do is follow the link below and then download the Notebook documents.
After dropping my mother off at the airport at 6:00am I had an hour to kill, so I sat down and read the ’2011 NapLan Persuasive Writing Marking Guide’ (as you do) and then decided to create an Interacitve Notebook in order to prepare my students for the writing task. I’ve uploaded an Interactive Notebook sample that I would use early on in the term before introducing the purpose and structure of a persuasive text. The aim of these sample pages, is that through the identification and inclusion of nouns, verbs and adjectives, students will improve the precise meaning within each sentence.
