SHOW ME - Cool APP for Presenting Information to Students, Parents, and Teachers

I have found an Apple APP that I absolutely love!!!!  It is called SHOW ME...and boy does it really SHOW ME!  It turns your iPad into a virtual whiteboard.  Students, parents, and teachers can view the presentation either on the iPad or the computer.......and it is free and SO SIMPLE TO USE!  

You can add in graphics, pictures and even documents that you want to display and manipulate.  It is very simple to add in your own voice to explain anything you want. 

My Show ME

Information from the SHOW ME website:

"A VARIETY OF USES- Easily explain a range of topics from math to chemistry to music theory to basket weaving.- Add ShowMe’s to your Do-It-Yourself blog- Attach a personal message to any travel photos you want to share- Diagram offensive and defensive strategies for sports- Grade student work with commentary explaining the reasoning behind their performance- Use ShowMe as an interactive whiteboard substituteImplement a “flipped classroom”- Showcase your ShowMes online and share your knowledge with your students, friends, family, or the world!

FEATURES- Voice-record- Multiple brush colors- Pause and erase- Import pictures from your photo library, built-in camera, or web image search- Unlimited lesson length- Free to upload and share your recordings with friends- Easy embedding for sharing anywhere- Manage students with Groups"

Here is my first attempt at using 

the SHOW ME APP.  I did it only

one take.  :)  It is definitely NOT

perfect!  Check it out!

LOOK HERE:  MY FIRST SHOW ME - MAKING GUIDED READING GROUPS WITH DRA DATA......

Show me your SHOW ME.  ;)

Are your students REALLY Reading?

Are your kiddos REALLY reading?  
Don't Let them fake you out!!

Imagine this.  You are in the middle of working with a small group of students ... maybe guided reading ... you look up, to of course make sure that all your little friends are reading, writing, thinking, spelling, etc.  At first it looks like everything is going perfectly.  Ah, the easy life of a teacher.  :)  But upon closer inspection...  

Wait, what is that?  Your students are actually reading their books upside down, staring at the ceiling, whispering to their neighbors about eating chicken nuggets for dinner last night, staring at a Microsoft manual (these are first graders - I don't even understanding that stuff -  LOL), or walking around "collaborating" with their pals.  Ummmm, these kids are NOT reading!

Anchor Chart - Reading Rubric for 
Real Reading vs. Fake Reading 

It focuses on Metacognition, thinking about your thinking, and what it really looks like to be a real reader.  You can print this out as a poster, kids can put it in their Reader's / Writer's Notebook, or you can use it as a model for making an anchor chart with your students.  It works great to create the Real Reader vs. Fake Reader anchor chart together during a mini-lesson focused on what reader's should really be doing.  

These ideas and reading strategies were adapted from my favorite comprehension book, Tanny McGregor's Comprehension Connections.

Have you created a Real Readers vs. Fake Readers anchor chart with your students?  I would love to see it!!!  Please send me a picture or a link and I will post it to my blog.

See ya!
jen 
   

Question Stems...Huh????

Model!  Model!  Model!  There is no better way to introduce the metacognative "Thinking Stems" than to Model!  Model!  Model!  Ok...why is Marsha Brady coming to mind? 

For some kiddos, thinking about their thinking.... metacognition...., just comes very naturally.  For others, not so much!  It works best if teachers explicitly model and think aloud how they use the Metacognitive Thinking Stems.  Students need modeling, mini-lessons, guided practice, and lots of time to practice thinking! 

When students understand how to be reflective readers, their understanding and comprehension goes through the roof!  Along with improved comprehension comes an improved self-confidence.  What a wonderful cycle!!!  :)

Oh yea.....don't forget the conversations!  Kids learn better when they are able to discuss their thinking with someone else.  "Turn and Talk" to your neighbor is one of my favorite strategies for discussing thoughts with classmates.  

Jen :) 

Make Connections. Make a Salad. .......

Crazy, but when I was in school, I was nnnnneeeeevvvvveeeeerrrrr taught how to think.  So, I'm not really sure how or when I truly learned to think about text while reading.  But then again, I also learned by sitting in perfectly straight words....never speaking aloud during lessons.....seriously, WOW!  

Picture from Angela Bunyi, Scholastic.com - Thank you!

Today I helped out a bit at our kindergarten professional development over comprehension.  My focus was metacognition.....so I chose to do the Reading Salad lesson.  I adapted this lesson from Tanny McGregor's book, Comprehension Connections.  I Totally LOVE this book!!!  If you read only one book this year, read this book!  It will change your thinking about teaching.

I started the lesson by reading a page from a book straight through, without any stopping. Then, I asked the group what they noticed about how I was reading. They shared comments like: reading very quickly, being able to read all the words, etc.  I told them I had a big secret to share with them. I was fake reading! I was able to read all the words..... a.k.a "word calling", and it looked like I was reading, but I was a actually thinking about having lunch with my friends instead! They couldn't believe it! I asked them to be honest, and raise their hands if they had ever just pretended to read. All their hands flew up in the air. They admitted to thinking about P.E. recess, lunch or even playing video games, not actually reading at all!  ....They admitted to only look like they were reading.  I couldn't believe how forthcoming they were! 

Next, I chose three special friends to come up to the front to be my assistants.  As I read aloud, one friend put in green squares of paper that represented the "text" part of the reading and another friend put in red squares of paper to whenever I stopped to think aloud about the text.  Another friend mixed the red and green together.  Voila!!!  REAL READING SALAD!

Bon Appetite!
Jen Bradshaw

Mini Lesson Know How

Why, How, and When to Use a Mini Lesson???


Mini lessons are perfect for quick lessons that involve active engagement.  The mini lesson should focus on a very specific teaching point. 

If you really focus in and get specific, the lesson should take you about 10 to 15 minutes (plus or minus 5 minutes).  This is where some teachers (including myself at times) goof up.  They try to cram in too many ideas into one lesson.  KEEP YOUR STUDENTS ACTIVELY ENGAGED - THIS IS THE KEY TO THE NEW LEARNING.  

Depending on who and what you want to focus your instruction on; the groups can be for a whole group, small group, or even with individual students. 

Here is a tool that will help you plan, organize, and really focus in on your mini lessons.


Click for FREE Mini Lesson Checklist on my Teachers Pay Teachers

Click for FREE Mini Lesson Checklist on my Teachers Pay Teachers