Digital Story

Here is my digital story!  I created my story using Storybird.

 My digital story has gone through many changes.  Originally, my students were going to create a story, in groups, based on our Writing for Many Purposes writing unit.  The stories were going to flow like The Jolly Postman.  The students would then illustrate their stories, and I would record the students telling them.

The blizzard, however, threw a wrench into those plans.  The time-table I had was not enough, so I had to go back to the drawing board.  That's when my new idea came to me.  Our next writing unit is persuasive writing.  I have begun planning, and collecting mentor texts.  After I read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, we were going to talk about the pigeon's reasons to get us to let him drive the bus.  Using Storybird, I created a story about a persuasive little girl named Imogene.  The students and I will discuss how persuasive Imogene is, and revise my story to make Imogene more persuasive.

Animoto: Writing for Many Purposes

This week, I began my new writing unit!  I introduced the unit by discussing what Writing for Many Purposes is with the students.  We then talked about why, and what, people write.  We brainstormed a list of the kinds of things that people write.  As the students thought of things, I looked up the pictures.  The students chose the picture that they thought best showed the kind of writing that they brainstormed.  The students were very engaged in the making of the video, and they could hardly contain their excitement!  They were personally invested in the Animoto, and therefore, they were encouraged to put "their all" into the making of the video.  I feel that my students have a clear understanding of what kinds of things they will be writing because of their personal investment in the intro of the unit.  I'm hoping to make a Voicethread, or maybe a Digital Storybook (a la The Jolly Postman) as the final project for the unit.  (Students will write one of each type of writing, that will revolve around a story that a group of students come up with.) 

Writing for Many Purposes

Speaking of Writer's Workshop, and Writing for Many Purposes, does anybody have any suggestions for mentor texts?  My colleagues are using:

amazon.com

amazon.com

amazon.com



I've tried looking online (through regular searches and, my newest search, blogs!), but there's not a  list of mentor texts for this unit...

Animoto Project Ideas

So, I've been thinking about how to use Animoto in my classroom.  I LOVE how Anna had her Kindergarten students make a class Animoto to define adding.  That gave me the idea to have my students create an Animoto about the purposes for writing, since our new writing unit (Writing for Many Purposes!) will begin sometime this week.  I think this will be a great way for students to think about, and connect with, the unit.  In this way, they are thouroughly introduced to the topic, and are more invested in their learning!  I think that this will also be a great way to collaborate, since students will be making the video as a class.  Maybe groups of students can be responsible for different types of writing???  What do you think?