Today's Tech Tuesday is about Storybird. Now, just because you don't teach English doesn't mean you can stop reading!! Writing is a great way to take your subject matter to a higher level! Think about it. You just finished your unit on (fill in the blank) and now you can have the students use that knowledge to write a story - or a poem - or a picture book - applying that knowledge. And the kids get to pick the artwork that inspires them the most.
For instance:
You just finished your unit on equations. Now you can do a picture book about that poor little x who just wants to be left alone so that he can see just how much he's really worth. And the book is directions on how to make him happy. Or even a recipe book on how to separate x from the rest of the ingredients.
You just finish your unit on The Outsiders. Now you can write poetry from each character's point of view about Dallas's death. Or a chapter story in journal format about the items that might be found (literally and figuratively) in Ponyboy's pocket.
You just finished your unit on the Periodic Table. Now you can write a picture book explaining how it is organized. Or journal entries from the point of view of several of the elements telling their feelings about where they are located on that table.
You just finished your unit on Explorers. Now you can write poetry from specific points of view - even the points of view of the countries that have been discovered. Imagine how happy they are to finally have someone come and live with them. They were so lonely before!!
See? Any subject can use writing! And don't worry about the poetry. It's all done in the magnetic poetry style with word boxes that can be manipulated on the screen to form the poem. Very easy!
Here are two examples I did just for fun. They are very simple, but you will get the idea.
https://storybird.com/books/reasons-we-read/?token=4t34x4ffts - A picture book example
https://storybird.com/poetry/poem/gsnpae7re4/ - A poetry example
What's the twist this week? Well, the twist this week is App Smashing! That's where you use two technologies incorporated into one assignment. For instance, have the kids get the link to their creation and put it on a Padlet for all to see. You can grade from there, and it's a great way to "publish" the kids' writing. If they're REALLY good, we could even link their work to the library's Destiny system and anyone searching for them as the author will find their creation in the library!
Oh, and if you need more information on Padlet, let me know!
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