"A Swisstastic Journey of Me and My Students"

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Book Trailers, Sell Me on Dewey Commercials, and Typing Club...Oh My so much fun happening in the Media Center!

Since I have been a bit busy and haven't been the best about posting lately I am combining all of my recent lessons into one post.  



Third graders have just finished up their 6 weeks of Typing Club.  I am excited to move on to something new with them after the book fair.  They have learned lots about typing and most of all have had lots of fun exploring the TYPING world with Typing Club.


My fourth graders have been learning information and media skills by creating commercials on a specific Dewey Decimal section in the Media Center.  They were able to choose whichever Dewey section they wanted and then they had to spend some time there studying what types of books were there.  They had to take notes on a Sell Me on Dewey Google Doc while they were planning.  Their commercials have to be approved before they can start creating them.  Here is an example of finished proposals


Students were able to express their CHOICE in what type of project they wish to create to show their learning.  They can use the iPads to film a video, they can make a Google Slideshow, or they can make a VOKI.  Next week they will start creating their commercials.  

Here are some finished commercials.


Monday's Class









Tuesday's Class









My fifth graders are learning about BOOK TRAILERS.  This is a foundational lesson for many book reviews and projects to come. We spend time as a class watching other book trailers and talking about copyright.  I have many 6th graders who came back this year and asked me things about making videos.  Students have to work in groups to come up with a book they have all read.  They then have to create a script of what they want their book trailer to look like.  The scripts have to be approved before they can begin looking for images for their trailers.   

Here are the forms we use while planning out our trailers.  All of these are completed through Google Docs.
The first scriptSo I would show them this book trailer and then I would show how my script matches the finished trailer.
Example of first script....


  1. __Imagine yourself alone in the wild________________________________
  2. That’s Me.  My name is Squirrel.  I am not a Squirrel but I am a stray.  A stray dog.___________________________________________
  3. My brother Bone an dI know how it feels.  We’re strays trying to survive._______________________________________________
  4. We know how to hunt and find food.  Our mother taught us before she disappeared._______________________________________________________
  5. _We try to hide from humans.  They could be mean and leave us on the side of the road.__________
  6. But we always had each other.
  7. Until Bone got adopted and I was left all alone._
  8. Scare and hunger I wondered through the woods.  Looking for a place to stay.
  9. _________I tried to track Bone like my mama taught me.
  10. I miss him.  I want a home too and I’m really hungry.
  11. Wait, I hear something.
  12. Oh, no they look hunger too.
  13. Will Squirrel ever find Bone?  Will she ever find a good home?  Find out by reading Ann M. Martin’s A Dog’s Life: The autobiography of a Stray.__________________________________________



After the students have their 1st script approved they then move towards gathering their digital pictures. We spend a lot of time discussing copyright and citing sources. We also learn how to use the Advanced Search Features of Google to find copyright free pictures. Here is an example of a digital storyboard.

Stay tuned for some upcoming 5th grade book trailers.

Monday Book Trailers
Quiroz

Grace 


Thursday