TMMaths - Using Google Forms for Data Collection

On Wednesday 20th March 2013, we contributed to #TMMaths. Our presentation can be found here:

Google Docs - More Forms...

This is a follow up post to 'Google Docs - Forms' that we recently wrote.

We've been using Google Forms again for collecting information to help our class. This time, we have used it to aid our literacy teaching. With a writing lesson approaching we decided we wanted to help our children extend their vocabulary. So, we posted the question below on Google Forms:

We're looking for some help! Next week, we're writing Robin Hood stories set in a castle. Sometimes we find it difficult to think of adjectives and adverbs to use in our writing. If you can list some below it would really help us. Write as many as you can, even if it's just one!

The form can be found here.
 

Image credit: Screenshot from Google.com

We collected the words and shared them with our class to aid their writing. We shared the form with our followers on Twitter, through the school's websites and also emailed it to the children to ask their families to help. We had positive feedback from people who filled in the form saying they liked the challenge of coming up with words they thought would be useful and would extend our children's vocabulary. The results can be found here.

We also put the words into a word cloud:

TeachMeet Peterborough Presentation - BATTT

On Friday 22nd February 2013, we contributed to #TMPboro. Our presentation can be found here:

Comics and Script Writing

As an unashamed geek, I am often trying to bring gaming, comics and other things I love into the classroom. In a recent literacy lesson for script writing, I decided I could make use of a page from a comic. 

I chose a suitable comic page: one with a range of speech bubbles from two or three different characters, with some action and with some sidebars which explained the action. I also made sure that there was not too much violence on the page. 

I adapted the comic page so that none of the dialogue was able to be seen and then projected the page using  Smart Notebook. I took children through the different elements of the comic page and we did some shared writing as a class using the empty speech bubbles, obviously focusing on dialogue. Children were able to come straight up to the board and write dialogue into the speech bubbles. The nature of the comic page meant that children were straight into using question marks and exclamation marks. 

The next step was to look at the pictures and identify verbs, adverbs and adverbial phrases which you might use to describe the action. As the comic page was action packed it was not only easy for the class to develop ideas but also extend far beyond the usual 'slowly'. We had heroes 'leaping' and 'villains 'glancing anxiously'.

After this we were able to take the dialogue from the speech bubbles we had written and the word bank we had created to create an actual script of the action. In order to develop stage directions, we used the pictures themselves and the sidebars from the comic. The children were able to see the link between the dialogue and the features of the script were easy to explain in practical terms. 

The final step was for the children to write their own dialogue. For my less able children and those who struggle to come up with ideas, I gave them the option of using the comic page with some or all of the dialogue in place and converting this into script form. Everyone in the class was able to take part and create interesting dialogue using a range of adverbs. 

This was an exceedingly engaging activity. The children were all motivated by it with almost everyone in the class completing a page of script from the comic. 

Loop Cards Become Treasure Hunts

Do you have loop (follow me) cards in your classroom? Do you use them? Do the children sit and respond when they think they have the right answer? What do they do once they have answered?

Hows about all the children taking part all at once?

Make them into a treasure hunt! Print them on large paper and put them up around your classroom, playground or whole school. Give each child or group of children a different starting point and set them off. When they get back to where they started they've finished. 

Got the facility to read QR Codes? You can use them too!

As you can see we've mainly used these in maths. They can be used in many other subjects too. This has been good for identifying misconceptions, group work skills, perseverance levels and checking of incorrect answers. A map of where the questions are is helpful. They can also be differentiated; two different hunts on different coloured paper or a 'longer route' and 'shorter route'.

An example treasure hunt can be found here.

Kung Fu Literacy (Grammar)

Our previous post was titled Kung Fu Literacy (Word Types). This post follows on from that.The idea again is to use Kung Fu style moves to remind children of rules when writing.

Image credit: www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-4366401706

Display a sentence. The everyone reads the sentence aloud. When the following appear in the sentence the following actions are used by all:

Capital Letter - Hands together and bow.

Full Stop - One punch forwards.

Comma - One hand moving in a downwards diagonal direction.

Speech Marks - Both hands held above the head and fingers used in a speech mark style.

Exclamation Mark / Question Mark - One hand make the shape of the upper part and then a punch below.

These are moves we have used. More can be added. Children should be encouraged to think about the moves as they write to remind them of what's required and where.

Kung Fu Literacy (Word Types)

In the past, we've blogged about using kung fu moves in maths. We've also used similar in literacy. We have used it in a couple of different ways. One is to reinforce word types. The idea is to give the children a way of remembering what nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs are. Each word has its own move to remind children of its meaning:

noun - Place two finger on the forehead and then move them away in a an almost saluting way. This is British Sign Language for name.

adjective - Place thumb and forefinger above and below eyes and open eyes wide. Adjectives describe what things are like.

verb - Jogging or walking on the spot. Verbs describe how things move. Do also remind children of the verb to be.

adverb - Arms by your side and then swishing to the left quickly. Adverbs give more description about verbs.

We have used these for:

- a list of words and children show an action when a word is pointed to;

- reading a sentence and children show an action when they say words;

- children have also been see acting out the move to themselves as they work.

If you have any ideas for new moves, changes to moves or activities to use them with please add them to the comments below.