The students really enjoyed exploring Voice Thread. They continue to ask if they can see what they posted.

Lattice Box Lesson

I taught my 5th graders how to solve a 3-digit by 2-digit multiplication problem using a lattice box. Growing up multiplication was always very hard for me. I blame my 3rd grade teacher for publically embarrassing me in front of my classmates because I was unable to understand. I learned how to use a lattice box in 5th grade and used it all through middle school and high school, making my world so much easier. So I taught the lesson with a lot of enthusiasm, the students could tell that I felt very strongly and meant what I was teaching and in return they had a lot of enthusiasm as well. I had the students who understood quickly reteach there fellow classmates which seemed to do a lot of good. By the end of the lesson, every single student could multiply 3-digit by 2-digit problems with ease.

Lesson Plan

Voice Thread

Bloom's Chart

Microburst Framework

TIE Improvement

Last night I lay awake in bed thinking of a way to improve my TIE plan and I think I came up with a twist. After the kids practice working multiplication word problems I'm going to have them create there very own multiplication word problem as a group. Then they will pass their problem to the left and let the other tables try to solve it. That will be the problem that student's post on VoiceThread and explain how they solved it. This way it will include HOTS.

TIE

I talked to my CT today about my next lesson plan. I asked her what subject she thinks would be best to tie in VoiceThread and she suggested math. I will be discussing multiplication in word problems with my 5th graders. Their desks are arranged in sets of 4 or 5 so I will select one from each table to explain how they solved a particular problem. I haven't quite decided how I am going to go about teaching them to use VoiceThread. I'm thinking of using Dr. Elwood's idea. She suggested that we pull a select few students aside one day and teach them step by step how to work it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out. Will they understand my directions? I sure hope so!

Voice Thread

The voice thread we chose incorporated not only science but writing and art as well. The students created illustrations of various weather patterns and made up a poem to go along with it. The students pulled all of their work together and created a book. This shows excellent collaboration between the students and teacher. This activity could easily be implemented into a writing workshop, the students could generate several drafts, making each one better than the last. At the end of the assignment the students can go back and see how their work has developed. This assignment does an excellent job in using Bloom's Taxononmy HOTS. This is also an effective way to organize Pedagogical Implications.

Google Presentation

Google docs is an excellent tool to use in the classroom, it allows you and your students to decide exactly who can access and edit documents. Its especially great for group projects, the students can work on it when the time permits and through the revisions history, you can see clearly who contributed to what assignment and when. What I really like about it though is that it encourages multiple revisions and peer editing, I belive peer editing is critical in the classroom. Google docs can help students stay organized and keep on top of their assignments while automatically saving all of their work. Once an assignment is all said and done, the kids can go back and see how it has evolved and think about what it is they learned on the subject.