I even thought that as an extension activity: students could each select their own characteristic and comply pictures that depict that characteristic! Can you think of other ways students could explore this content further with Animoto?
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Characteristics and Feelings to Foster Connections
Its February, and in my school that means we are in the middle of "CMT Push." An unpleasant time when we cram as much testing taking practice and comprehension skills into our reading instruction. One area that is a heavy-hitter on the CMT is good-ole Strand C: Making Connections. My students generally struggle with the making a connection verse identifying a mere a coincidence. I teach students to make their personal connections to a character action, feeling or an overarching theme. I created this Animoto to foster inferencing of characteristics and feelings through the analysis of pictures- check it out!
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I think this Animoto serves as a fantastic resource for integrating the practice of inferring and identifying connections! Your pacing is perfect -- I like how you return to each of the pictures that you initially presented and allow just enough time for students to brainstorm attributes before introducing your list of potential terms.
ReplyDeleteFor another take on an extension activity, how about about inviting each of your students to select a photograph of himself/herself, ideally engaged in a special event or activity or one that is especially expressive, and randomly distribute these photos. Then, ask the students to infer what characteristics their friends are depicting based on facial expressions and body language.
Super nice presentation for making connections -- the beauty of multiple possibilities leaves the door open for personal creative expression, which I think is very important for kids. At what level were you thinking this would work best?
ReplyDeleteGood work!
Brian
I think this would work well with all elementary CMT 3-6 students. I would create different extension projects for the students to complete depending on their grade level. I appreciate your feedback on the openness the video lends itself to; in my school our classrooms have mixed grade levels so it is always nice when you create an activity that has differentiation built in. I showed the video to a colleague who made some suggestions so if you're interested, I will be putting up an updated version soon.
DeleteShannon I love the video! We kick start our connections unit with characteristics and feelings as well. I am definitely going to use this. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteI updated the video if you're interested. I broke up the list of words on two slides after each picture so that students had more time to read and analyze the choices. I am glad it will be of use with your students!
DeleteI thought the images you included were wonderful. They were great for discussion because each one could have multiple terms to accompany it. I agree with Andrea. I thought it was nicely done that you introduced the images first and encouraged students to come up with their own terms before giving a list of possible characteristics.
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