Revisiting the “Little Book”…

by recesstec reflections tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 4-25-2011

These next few weeks will find our students busy with year-end activities and field trips.

With that, I have been thinking about the “Little Book” that was featured in our March 28th Tip.

I am planning to use this “Little Book”, but my students love lines on which to write,
and they often love to include their own drawings.

So on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I designed two templates to give them a choice.
One I will use for a book on Geometric Shapes with definitions, and they can use the blank pages to construct their shapes using the templates that are provided with our Math series.

In our school arboretum, each of my students is assigned two trees for which they are responsible. They can make a book for each tree, and use the pages to draw the tree and leaf shapes, or to use for a rubbing of the new leaves as they emerge.
(As we wait for the rain to stop…)

If you need to refresh your memory as to how to make the “Little Book”, please visit the link above to watch the video.

I have uploaded a pdf copy of each of the templates.

You’ll find the links below.
Please feel free to use them and share them.
We would love to hear how you have used them in your classroom.

If you are returning to school after Spring Break,
we hope this next week finds you rested and motivated to make these last few weeks the very best.

Make sure you take time to have fun with your students.

Little Book With Pictures

Little Book With Only Lines

How to Make a Little Book

by recesstec tips writing

Monday Morning Message ~ 3-28-2011

This is not necessarily a “technology tip”, but we thought using a piece of technology can give you several ideas for your week.

We LOVE this “Little Book”, and we can think of countless ways to use it in our curriculum.

What better way to “show you how” than with a video?

(Consider that our piece of “technology”.)

There are several tips here, in addition to the “Little Book”.

  1. YouTube is more than funny videos that are posted on Facebook and sent in emails. It is a very valuable resource for us as teachers, and in our personal lives.
  2. Consider using videos for your students’ “How To” projects. It is a great way to motivate students to write “Steps in a Process” papers.
  3. If you don’t have access to a video camera, consider using digital photos and creating a “stop-motion” video using Windows MovieMaker or Photo Story 3.

As we “spring ahead” into the final days of our school year, continue to push your students to learn and grow to be ready for next year, but don’t forget to make it fun!

*Note: We would LOVE to hear from you in the comment section how you might use this “Little Book” in your curriculum.