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by Judy Donnelly Inspiration Response Activity
This image shows a variety of ways for children to drag vocabulary terms
and match to photographs that were cut and paste from the Internet.
Labels can have borders around them or left plain, arrows can be linked
from the term to the correct picture, students can define the word within
the arrow, or users can draw lines from a term to the correct part of a
photography. The template can be set up ahead of time with photos
on one side and terms on the other, or photos can be stored in a file and
advanced students can copy and paste the photos into the file. Students
can work on this project in a small group and the visual format of the
diagram can be left open-ended; the only requirement is that the terms
are correctly matched up with photographs. For enrichment, students
could even use this diagram as the basis of a "homepage" and then
provide links to a web site about each term or links to a page they wrote
that further defines each term.
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by Judy Donnelly Inspiration Template  This outline represent five important details from each chapter of the text. To prepare this activity for students, the teacher scans through the book and types in major headings and important details ahead of time and saves this outline. To prepare the sequencing activity for students, first save a copy of this file. Then use the tools in Inspiration to mix up the sequence of five events within each chapter by dragging them to a new location. Students are given this "mixed-up version" and small groups are assigned to each chapter. Using the book to refer to, the students open up the mixed-up template and drag the events back into the correct order. Discussion can follow during which each group presents their sequence and the rest of the class decides if they are correct by revisiting the text to locate the details within each chapter. The following screen shot shows an example of what they "mixed-up version" of Chapter 1 might look like to the students as they begin their sequencing activity. Compare it to the correct version above.
For advanced students, this outline could even be used before students read the book as a prediction type of activity. This way, students are given exposure to most of the important details (although not in the correct order), which helps prepare them to read. After each chapter is read, they can go back and revise their template file to make the sequence match the story. As an extension activity, the group assigned to each chapter could then be asked to type these important details into Kid Pix Studio (or HyperStudio) so that they form a summary sentence and then add an illustration that includes those details to accompany the summary text on a slide. A five card summary slide show may be the end product. |
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by David Adler
Inspiration Response Activity
The first time this type of outline is used, teachers should guide students
through filling in the blocks as a whole group as each part of the story
is read. Use of an overhead TV or large monitor is suggested.
Predictions can be made and then later revised on the same file as new
parts of the story are read. The last column (How does clue help
to solve the mystery?) could be left blank, the rest printed out and students
could fill the boxes in independently with a pencil for homework.
The next day, group members could discuss their opinions and the group
could come to a consensus about what to fill in the boxes on the computer
image. The Cam Jansen series lends itself well to this type of structure
and with a little practice, students have little trouble identifying the
clue "ingredients" that make the mystery exciting. After reading
one book together in a guided reading setting (and had the process modeled
for them on the computer with discussion), students are encouraged to read
another one of the series with one or two partners and then complete parts
of the blank mystery template (found below). Students should be able
to identify and fill in the mystery ingredient and with a little group
discussion, should be able to add some details to the other components
in
the diagram.
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Inspiration Template
This blank template could be adapted to meet the structure of many types of mystery stories. This type of template could also be used as a first step in the draft process of having students write their own mystery, using the same pattern and remembering to drop "clues ingredients" into their writing as the mystery moves forward, taking care to not tell too much at once and then revisiting these ingredients in further detail as they become important clues that can solve the mystery. |
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by David Adler
Screen Shot from the Internet
This is a screen shot of a mystery slide show published online by second graders at Edelston County Primary School in the United Kingdom. For the rest of the slide show, visit The Mystery of the Missing Plans. |
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by David Adler Students can access lots of interactive activities with the software
Dinosaur Hunter. This is a screenshot of an activity that can actually
be done online at the Dinosaur
Hunter preview site.
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