from Educators' eZine
As a teacher one of the more difficult task is developing innovative lesson plans that will gain the attention of all students. In doing so, I find that my sixth graders thoroughly enjoy using technology and helping younger students. Therefore, I decided to incorporate both of these into an intensive reading activity.
Positives of technology integration
Students are always excited to work with computers. They find a since of ownerships when developing their books.
Students feel like they are needed because their projects will be used in a second grade classroom for learning.
Technology allows students to continually change and improve their projects as they learn new techniques on the computer.
Students gain a basic understanding of GarageBand, iTunes, iMovies, and scanning images.
Basic Idea:
Each sixth grade child will take a basic picture book and turn it into a digital picture book using GarageBand, iTunes, scanners, and iMovie.
Preparation:
Each sixth grade student was asked to bring in his or her favorite childhood picture books. It is important that students bring in books that can easily be understood by a second grader. Dr. Seuss books are not a good selection for this activity. Students are to practice fluently reading these stories, until they know all the words.
Adding Expression to Reading:
After students have chosen a book and are comfortable reading their story we start to incorporate expression and voice. I then do a lesson on expression and how a reader's tone, volume, and voice inflection can change a story. Students then move around the room to practice reading their stories aloud showing the expression of the book through their voice. After students are comfortable they partner up and read their story aloud with a partner. The key to this lesson is that students feel comfortable and fluent with their book.
Using Technology
Once students have practiced adding expression to their reading. I will show kids how to tape themselves using GarageBand. Students go into GarageBand. Click on new podcast track. Then they pick female or male track. They click on the red button and begin reading into the microphone. Students read their entire book recording themselves.
Then students will listen to the recording editing out mistakes using GarageBand tools. Once students have edited reading students will add introductory music and page turn cues using the different musical instruments in GarageBand. After students have the new sounds in place we take the GarageBand podcast and put it on our school iTunes. Now the pod cast is available for the second graders.
Second Graders' Listening Center
The sixth grader's podcast will now be used as a listening center in a second grade classroom. How this works is that when the second graders get on their laptops they access the books on iTunes. They pick the title of their book from iTunes and then listen to the story. To check for comprehension the second grade teacher had the entire class listen to one story. Then each student drew a scene from the story. The pictures were put into iMovie and the GarageBand file was added to the iMovie to make a digital book.
Troubleshooting
Make sure students pick shorter books because the second graders have a short attention span.
Also, sixth graders will work on this project for a very long time if they are not given limits. I suggest only allowing students one minute of extra music.
Make sure that students articulate and read the book clearly.
Also, I recommend showing each student the programs before starting this program.
Email:Sarah Shotkoski
