Nancie Atwell's status of the class for determining which children are in which stages of the writing process can be applied to any class in which there is a multi-day and multi-step assignment.
You can create a Plicker question to represent the status options or create a blank Plicker question and ask it
on the fly. Use in art class, for PBL, writing workshop, etc.
It lets you instantly prioritize checking in/conferences, see if there are larger issues, and proactively take care of concerns before things spiral out of control. Additionally, if students need to peer conference, you have in your hand which students are looking for that and can pair them up easily.
Many times accommodating learners who have oral administration for assignments can be challenging, not because reading assignments aloud is difficult, but because during the testing scenario quiet is often needed for other students so you don't want to disturb the class, keeping your eye on the rest of the class while also reading aloud is tricky, or sometimes students are embarrassed to ask for the accommodation.
I was challenged by an inclusion teacher for a way to use tech to help with audio recordings and I came up with a way that is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Using OneNote from an online version of Office called Office 365 you (1) insert the assignment, (2) insert the audio, and (3) get a shareable link or QR code. Link to video.
Note: you can do it in the desktop version, but if you make it in the desktop version as of the time I am writing this, the uploaded file will not appear on the online. So we decided to solely use Office 365.
This is a fun little conferencing students can do with a journal entry. In groups of three, students listen as each students reads a short piece aloud. What they are listening for is what that writer does the best. The other two listeners give them awards of "Best Voice" or "Most Inventive Dialogue" or "Diction Diva" or whatever it may be. The reader draws a trophy or medal and label what they did the best.
When all three have finished, students are in charge of using their peers as inspiration and improving their writing in one of the two ways the other writer. As experts, students can discuss and offer suggestions.
Simply put, participants solve a series of problems in order to unlock the main Breakout box. Clues are content related and typically involve a mixture of physical and digital tasks. Breakout can be content specific, team building, or even professional development.
What do I need?
Breakout instructions - many made by classroom educators - will take no more than what is in the breakout kit (minus some office supplies). I was able to put together my own for $60 (which involved me getting 3 extra locks because I did locks that came as pairs. That way it was less per lock and I could add in more puzzles if I wanted) using Walmart roll-back plastic toolboxes and locks and finished up the kit with locks from Amazon. Or you can order a kit from www.breakoutedu.com. Some people are able to get their kits paid for by Donors Choose grants. Just use Amazon and you can get 2-3 kits. Crowd-source it with a team of teachers and there should be enough for the smaller group Breakouts. Kit includes:
USB drive
4-digit lock
3-digit lock box (I made mine with a smaller plastic toolbox and a small 3-digit lock)
large Breakout box (some games require the little box to be in the big one, so I would
directional lock
word lock - 5 letters
key lock
hasp
invisible ink pen
UV flashlight (I bought the pens with the UV light on the cap. Many breakouts involve separating batteries from flashlight. I just take out the bulb and battery combo)
some games will ask for little things like paperclips or whatnot, but it shouldn't require additional items that wouldn't be commonly found in a school. In fact, there are a lot of cool ciphers and puzzle ideas on the Facebook group and Pintrest.
How do I start?
Sign in to breakoutedu.com - MAKE SURE TO CHECK THE PAGE AFTER YOU SUBMIT YOUR INFO! THE PASSWORD IS IN THE INSTRUCTIONS!
Get a sense of how a breakout works by trying it out with loved ones. I knew I wanted to create a dystopia Breakout so I picked Dr. Johnson's breakout as a trial run. I hid the zombie virus anecdote in my large breakout box - it was for my hubby so I made sure it was a proper payment for giving up his time to do this ;) - set up the game in the playroom, and watched him go to work. He had to do all the steps to get into the large box while also avoiding the red herrings out into the game (and a sneaky wife who hid things under the blinds).
Make sure you sign up to the Facebook group! People will show off neat ideas and share tips.
Can I make my own?
That's what I did! I started with what I wanted my students to cover content-wise and then I looked for opportunities for the texts/visuals/concepts to fit one of the types of keys. From there, I created clues. For example, I knew I wanted the students to look at the etymology of utopia and dystopia. When I was on etymonline.com, I noticed it mentions who coined the terms. I decided to play on the homonym of "coin" and created a coin to put in the box that would lead participants to a letter lock clue.
If making your own sounds daunting - I saved time by adapting parts of a webquest I've used in the past - you can instead add to an existing BreakoutEDU. Add in a couple more puzzles to get to existing clues or add more puzzles with new locks.
Breakout in lower elementary:
Breakout in upper elementary:
Breakout in middle school (this is created by 7th graders for 8th graders!):
Padlet is one of my "go to" applications for beginning or end of class activities. Since it is device agnostic, it is perfect for a BYOD classroom. In situations where tech is not 1:1, which is my usual day, I have students use the BYOD as small groups.
To make things easier to incorporate Padlet, I've created templates for Padlets. Now when I want students to work on a KWL, Venn Diagram, or similar graphic organizer I have them already set up and ready to go. I just make a copy of the original for my class and share out with QR code or shortened URL (I prefer Bit.ly solely because I love having a puffer fish up on my task bar!)
How to create Padlet Templates to Facilitate Do Now. Closure Activities:
Step 1: Create Template
I use PowerPoint because I like the SmartArt Feature, but you can use anything that will save as a JPEG.
Step 2: Save as a JPEG
Step 3: Create a Padlet. Click on the clog in the upper right hand corner to modify. Scroll down to Wallpaper and select "MORE"
Step 4: Select your JPEG by clicking on "ADD YOUR OWN", "UPLOAD", and then either drop your image in or "CHOOSE FILE" and confirm.
Step 5: After saving changes you should be able to see if you need to adjust your original image to fit the screen how you want. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have the desired look.
Then each time you want to use the chart, Venn Diagram, or similar template, just make a copy and rename with the specifics of the lesson. For example, KWL's copy becomes "KWL - Holocaust".
Possible Sentences is a great way of having students predict and check their predictions for informational texts. In Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's Reading Nonfiction, the strategy is described with examples. It isn't just a great strategy in the ELA classroom! It could be used very well in history and science readings as well. I encourage you to read the section of Reading Nonfiction, but in a nutshell:
Students are supplied with 10-15 key words for the nonfiction text they will be reading
Students create 5 possible sentences that will be in the text
Students read, clarifying their understanding and then revise their sentences for accuracy.
It got me thinking about Newsela (pronounced like news ella). I love how Newsela has leveled
versions of the same article as well as text sets novels, core content areas, and hot topics. In a Pre-AP classroom, I have students who have a reading level putting them around a senior reading level and other students who are actually below reading level. I think it is important for students to have choice and have reading that is at a level that challenges them a bit and Newsela can give me all that! Wouldn't it be neat to let students pick the non-fiction article to pair with their self-selected novel?
So it got me thinking, how to use possible sentences for self-selected nonfiction. Then it occurred to me: http://www.wordcounter.com! Students select their article (level, topic, or both), copy and past the article in the box, and then write their possible. Then students take the top 10-15 words and create the possible sentences.
Vary with Tagxedo or Wordle for visual component.
STEP 1: Find an awesome essay!
STEP 2: Paste article in wordcounter.com
STEP 3: Get most common words.
STEP 4: follow possible sentences strategy
as usual!
