Notability to Make Observations

I used the app Notability recently to work with the 5th graders on Observation, Inferences and Predictions. We used the National Geographic Picture of the Day as our inspiration. That day the picture was of a fox running across a field. The students had to open Notability then open a PDF I saved for them in DropBox. The students then filled out the form using the Notability app. The document was then saved back into the Dropbox location and where I had access to all of them. Here is a picture of one of the documents. Notability is a great app to replace writing on individual sheets of paper with pen or pencil and turning them in. I simply had to create on document and save it to DropBox- the students filled it in and saved it back. The only thing I might change is to ask the students to rename it so I can tell the difference between files.

What Are You Reading Monday?

I am very much looking forward to reading Kevin Henkes' chapter book The Year of Billy Miller. I have been a fan of Kevin Henkes since the early 90s when I first saw him at a Peggy Sharp class called Meet the Author (love Peggy Sharp!). Kevin and I are around the same age, so he was a youngster then, and I was in my first or second year of teaching. Even though we have only crossed paths as strangers at book signings, I feel as though in some ways we have grown up together as professionals. I have been able to watch his career grow and become a huge success. I have always enjoyed his chapter books, so I was delighted to hear he won a Newbery Honor for The Year of Billy Miller. I have been looking forward to it like a deep dish Chicago style pizza! Chomp!

iPads in the Elementary Library

This year I have been lucky enough to have my own set of iPad minis in the library. I wanted minis because I lend them out to students and staff to use as eBook readers as well as using them with classes in the library. I presented at an ISLMA mini-conference in early March to share some of the ways I have used the iPads this year. Here is one of my favorites, and the one the students keep begging to do more: Nearpod.

I use the NearPod app so students can interact 1:1 with the material I am sharing with them. It replaces the questions I ask that only one or two students answer and instead lets everyone answer first, then one or two share their responses.  I have also used it in staff meetings to ask for feedback. It's easy to use, here's how.

From the NearPod.com web page (yes, start on the web) create an account. This is where you start your NearPod session that you share to students on the iPads. 

Here are a few of the presentations I have created to share lovely picture books with students up through grade 5. My questions remain the same but the answers the students will give me change quite a bit. I ask for predictions, character traits, quick drawings, why explanations, and so on. I ask them to cite evidence in their answers and to use the word because.  We have some great discussions! 

When I am all finished I get a results table that I can look over and use as a formative assessment. Some students give consistently weak answers because they don't really know what to do. I know to focus on them next time and ask them to share out so I can coax out a stronger answer with more to it than one or two words. 

Here is an example of a question I might ask. I mark the spot in the book with a sticky note so I know to stop there and share this page with the students.

For this question I immediately follow up with, "How do you know?"

I can also add links to web pages, so at the end of this NearPod presentation when I finished the story I let the students tap the link at their leisure to listen to Peter Brown talk about his story. At this point the students are free to get up and move around with their iPad to listen without all of the iPads blasting the video at once.  

Here is the video:

Now go forth and make your own NearPod presentations!