Screencast: Adventure Story Mountain

Uses in the Classroom:
Story Mountains were introduced at the beginning of the year in both Reading and Writing class. This strategy helps students to visually see how a story is built and also the steps needed to build a story.

Students and teachers can use this screen cast to practice story mountains either in the classroom or during their lab time. Students will follow the cast with either their hard copy or screen copy in the lab and fill out the mountain along with the cast. Students will be able to review this skill over and over from home or school on their own time through the classroom homepage.

This lesson will actually be used after students have learned the many pieces needed to build an adventure story through their adventure unit. This would become an Independent Practice activity with some "Think-Pair-Share" time during Writing Workshop.

Story Mountains are taught and used within our MAISA Writing Units that are aligned with the Common Core.

Issues to Consider:
One issue to consider is when to use this cast. It could be used for your fast learners who are ready for the next step and do not need a teacher or para one-on-one to get started.

Another issue could be the technology, a teacher using this screen cast would have to have the projector or lab capabilities in order for this cast to be successful.

Finally, the whole strategy of "Story Mountain" would have to be already taught prior to this lesson. This is definitely a lesson taught after much practice.

Copyright:
Nicksay, D. (Producer) (2003). Agent cody banks [Theater]. Available from http://www.mgm.com/

Screen cast: Adventure Story Mountain

Digital Storytelling

Uses in the Classroom:
Poems Provide Personal Images. Students will design a digital story using a poem from a childhood collection supplied by the teacher. They will read the poem thoroughly and write down images that each line/stanza portrays for them. Students will be asked to bring in or find a collection of their own pictures or images that illustrate their feelings. Students will sequence the images and load them into the "Movie Maker" software. With their microphone headset they will record themselves reading their poem with each line/stanze matching their image chosen.

Issues to Consider:
Technology. Student computers should have "Movie-Maker" loaded onto it and the software works. Each student should have a microphone headset to record their voice or private time with their computer's built-in microphone.
Images. Students need to bring in their own images via hard or downloadable copy. If the images are not their own, students will need to have permission to use it or the copyright information so that the correct artists are being acknowledged.

Copyright:
The example poem is "Believe in Yourself" by Anonymous. Photographs by Chad and Amy Klopf, 2013. Subjects are Ty and Parker Klopf (sons of the photographers) and Kaitlyn Pnacek (family friend).

http://youtu.be/QUy_E0ZuiTk

Talking Photograph

Assignment: Talking Photograph
Uses in the Classroom: This image can be used in discussion with the trading amongst the colonists and other countries. It can also be used to illustrate the conditions in which African slaves were treated when brought by ship. An advanced activity might be to demonstrate how to make their own talking photograph.
Issues to Consider: Due to many of the subjects in the photograph are very small you may want to zoom in after or during the caption. When teaching how students can make their own you may want pictures already loaded into student files for them to use and have the microphone/headphones for each child. Students will also want to have their caption written down and practiced before publishing.
Copyrights: IRC, (2005). Slaves in the British Slave Ship Brookes. [Image}. Available from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/

http://www.fotobabble.com/m/WFYrZVh3M090c1k9