Creating a classroom podcast has been one of my dreams for a very long time, and this summer, I was determined to make it happen. I searched the internet for other classroom podcasts to get inspiration, but interestingly enough, didn't find very many out there, and wondered, why ever not? There are so many rich benefits to having students create a podcast. For one, it integrates so many of the Common Core standards, beginning with writing . . .
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.5--With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.4--Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. . . . and here was the standard that came as serendipity for me, which especially validated my idea for a podcast on top of all the others, and I only happened upon this after my students and I finished our first podcast: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.2.5--Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. And this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of how many standards this touches on, and of the learning experiences that students gain from creating a podcast. I knew, before diving into the world of podcasting, that my students would be able to have a very rich, very deep opportunity to communicate in a way that would extend beyond writing a first draft of a story, editing, revising, and posting it on the classroom's bulletin board at Open House. They would be able to share with a much wider audience, with friends, family, and with people outside of school. I also knew, with this new and cool technology that children typically have never dealt with, that they would be extremely motivated to read and write. I have made it a condition in my classroom that no writing can be shared on a podcast if it does not demonstrate all the qualities of good, polished writing, as agreed upon in our class rubrics. I also have made it clear that students may only share their writing on a podcast if they can read their pieces fluently and with good expression. The interest in writing stories, not to mention the amount of time my students have practiced reading their own writing, has increased tremendously. This year, I hope that students will be able to write and share about anything they are learning, ranging from social studies, science, art, literature, music, and anything of personal interest to them. I get giddy just thinking of all the possibilities that come with integrating this technology with countless topics! And above all, I find that podcasting has been so very gratifying for me and my class this past week. The children worked beautifully together, encouraged one another, and had fun as they learned. And perhaps, most powerful of all, they have been given another way to make their voices heard. Have a listen to Room 17's PhoenixCast here, and comment below to tell us what you think! PhoenixCast Episode 1 In this episode, the students of Room 17 explore the theme of friendship. Featured here is the poem, "Could We Be Friends," by Bobbi Katz, and children's responses to the question, "What do you look for in a friend?"
0 Comments
Our beloved Room 17 mascot, Eddie the Otter, is alive and well, and I never would have guessed how deeply he has endeared himself to my students. I thought of giving a brief update about our furry friend, because he has become such an integral part of our community. I first introduced Eddie as a cute little friend who could motivate my students towards good behavior. Eddie only stays with students who work quietly, follow the classroom rules, and are kind to others. If I forget to give Eddie to a student in the morning, I will undoubtedly be asked by someone in the class, "Who gets Eddie today?" Now into our 151st day of school, the children are still excited to receive Eddie as their desk buddy. Of course, Eddie dislikes unfocused behavior, disrespect, too much talking, and loud noise, so he will occasionally leave a student if he observes any of those things. I later expanded Eddie's role in our class to include writing in a fictitious journal about his daily experiences at school with us. Students reflected on his feelings in response to a variety of things that happen during the day. This is a great writing minilesson that teaches the diary format, and is a highly interactive activity in which I and the students literally share the pen when writing sentences, words, and adding punctuation. We end up editing a lot as well and helping each other with spelling. Here is sample we wrote from Eddie's point of view: January 17, 2014 What became fascinating for me was how the students began to exercise some empathy when they reflected on how Eddie might feel sad, happy, anxious, or excited about certain events. Things got really interesting one day, several months ago, when a student told me during class, "Ms. Long, so-and-so told me that Eddie hates me!" I promptly took Eddie away from the student who said these mean words. As a teacher, I try not to get upset when things don't go smoothly in my classroom (sometimes easier said than done!), and instead look for a way to turn it into a positive learning experience for me and my students. The next day, I told the class that Eddie was very unhappy that someone had put mean words into his mouth. "Eddie is in our class to help us, to be a kind friend, and to encourage us and make us feel comfortable here." I explained that Eddie would be going on a long vacation to the Monterey Bay, away from Room 17 (okay, I had actually tucked him away in a safe, secret place), and wouldn't be coming back for a couple of weeks. My students listened intently, and were aghast at this news. We proceeded to write a farewell "postcard" from Eddie's point of view, which went like this: February 6, 2014 One girl actually came to me later that day when school was dismissed to say, "Can you tell Eddie I miss him?"
The revelation then hit me: Eddie had become real to these children. We are almost near the end of the year, and Eddie has long since returned to us. The children know the rules well on how to care for Eddie if they want to be his guardian for the day. I see children cuddle with him while they read, prop him up on their desks to show him "listening" to a lesson, and make him wave good-bye to me at the end of the day. He helps the children remember kindness and compassion for others. I am indebted to our otter friend for all he has done for me and my students. This blogging teacher and mom articulates precisely the same approach I take when supporting my students in their writing development. Read her article here in Imagination Soup:
I only just now discovered National Day on Writing, the United States' national celebration of writing which first took place on October 20, 2009. How cool is that? The celebration invites Americans to consider the role of writing in everyday life. Here are a few witty student responses to the question: Why do we have to write today? For a more detailed list of student answers, visit Edutopia. These are brilliant!
This month in Room 17, we're currently learning how to craft spooky stories. We've been practicing "snapshots," parts of a narrative that describe characters, objects, and settings with rich sensory detail. And this afternoon, we delved into how to craft an engaging lead, or beginning that can hook an audience into reading the rest of the story. Here were a few examples from my students, followed by the specific writing technique they used: "My eyes opened. It was a gooey, squishy, smooth jello monster." (snapshot) "'Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Nicole. "Help!"' (dialogue) "Shablaam!! Show dashed through the ice outside and cracked my window." (sound effect) "In the dark I saw a one-eyed monster." (snapshot) "Ding, dong. 'Who is it?' I asked. 'It's me,' someone said in a scratchy old voice." (dialogue) "My heart was about to pop out of my chest!" (feeling) These story leads are quite a dramatic improvement from "One day . . ." or "Once upon a time . . . ." We had Author's Chair after our writer's workshop and many of my children were so enthusiastic about sharing the different writing techniques they used, it was impossible to squeeze them all in. Can't wait to see what else these young writers create with their imaginations. |
Archives
September 2019
Categories
All
|