Keyboarding
Anchor standard W.CCR.6 has an interesting skill set embedded in it - Keyboarding!
Note: No where in the CCSS is a "page" or "single setting" defined. Because the standards were developed to be vague enough to allow for local districts to be flexible with teaching the standards, it would probably be best for each district to define pages using a word count and a single setting using a specified number of minutes.
Keyboarding Resources:
Word Count: (Interesting keyboarding tidbit: 5 characters or keystrokes including spaces is considered a "word".
Keyboarding Lessons:
Keyboarding Games:
- Grade 3: With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
- Grade 4: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
- Grade 5: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
- Grade 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
Note: No where in the CCSS is a "page" or "single setting" defined. Because the standards were developed to be vague enough to allow for local districts to be flexible with teaching the standards, it would probably be best for each district to define pages using a word count and a single setting using a specified number of minutes.
Keyboarding Resources:
Word Count: (Interesting keyboarding tidbit: 5 characters or keystrokes including spaces is considered a "word".
- I have a blank page. How many words do I need to type to make a page? - http://www.wordstopages.com/
- I've already typed something. How do I find the word count? Google Docs: Tools, Word Count; Microsoft Word: Review, Word Count
Keyboarding Lessons:
- Typing Club: http://www.typingclub.com/
- Typing Web - http://www.typingweb.com/
- Dance Mat Typing - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ (aimed for younger kids and requires Flash)
Keyboarding Games:
- Excellent listing of keyboarding games can be found at http://nextgen.apps.sparcc.org/kb .
Constructing Responses
It is important to create brief daily assignments along with longer assignments to build endurance for testing.
Tools:
Tools:
- Blogger, Edublogs, Weebly (can be used for shorter or longer assignments)
- Google Docs or Microsoft Word
- Read Write Think - Ex. Printing Press Tool
- Fold that Story (younger students - 200 character limit)
- Hack Pad
- Hemingway App
- Pen.io
- Turn in work using a Google Form
- The Share Button - Give collaborators access to a document and work together in real time!
- Share settings determine who sees and edits your files. Google Share Cheat Sheet
- Guide to Google Drive Sharing by Shake Up Learning
- Shared documents can be found under the Shared with Me link on the left in Google Drive.
- Guide students to create a folder to share with you. Anything placed in the folder will automatically be share with you. Tip: Give students a naming convention for consistency.
- Make tracking student progress in writer's workshop a breeze. Use revision history to hold students accountable. See it in action!
- Crowd-source a virtual art gallery by sharing a presentation.
Visual Text
In today's world, it is just as important to know how to understand, evaluate, and respond to visual text (multimedia) as it is to written text. Next generation testing will include multimedia. So, where do you find sites with good quality videos that you can use with students? Give students the task of finding quality videos, information if that is age appropriate for your grade level. Below are also some great sites.
Practical Tips for Videos:
Visual Text Resources (other than YouTube):
Or do an advanced Google Search just for videos!
Want to embed reflection time or questions right into a video? Try eduCanon - https://www.educanon.com/ or try Google Forms!
Practical Tips for Videos:
- Show clips no longer than 5 minutes.
- Have purpose for viewing.
- Periodically, ask students to go to a certain part of video (time stamp) to answer questions.
- Test on school network
Visual Text Resources (other than YouTube):
- CBBC (Children's BBC News): http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/
- CNN Student News (CNN news specifically for middle and high schools): http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/
- Disney Educational Media: http://dep.disney.go.com/
- Meet Me at the Corner (virtual field trips and educational videos): http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/
- NeoK12 (K-12; Aggregator of high-quality educational videos from around the Web): http://www.neok12.com/
- Nick News: http://news.nick.com/
- PBS News Hour Extra (PBS news for grades 7-12): http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra
- PBS Learning Media (catalog of learning media for all ages): http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
- PBS Video (free video from PBS programs): http://video.pbs.org/
- ProCon (9-12): http://www.procon.org/
- School Tube (videos from students and teachers): http://www.schooltube.com/
- Time for Kids: http://www.timeforkids.com/
- Watch Know Learn (free educational videos...organized): http://www.watchknowlearn.org/
- eduCanon: https://www.educanon.com/
Or do an advanced Google Search just for videos!
Want to embed reflection time or questions right into a video? Try eduCanon - https://www.educanon.com/ or try Google Forms!
WrittenText
In the Common Core standards, an entire standard is devoted to increases in students’ ability to read complex text over the school years to the point of college and career readiness. It is important to have an understanding of what text complexity levels are, and ways to find texts for the classroom. Students may encounter writings such as speeches, novels, plays, poems, short stories, myths, legends, historic documents, research, current events, etc.
Tips to help students with complex texts:
Readability Resources:
Written Text Resources:
Tips to help students with complex texts:
- Use anchor texts to model
- Set purposes and read for the gist during first readings
- Teach them to reread and close read
- Spotlight text evidence
- Write about the reading using evidence
- Build stamina with independent reading
Readability Resources:
- Read Able Tool- http://read-able.com/
- Complete Levels Chart
- Lexile Analyzer - https://lexile.com/analyzer/
- PARCC Lexile Chart
- Passage Selection Information (Power Point)
- Literacy Complexity Analysis Worksheet
- Information Complexity Analysis Worksheet
Written Text Resources:
- Newsela (articles by Lexile Level) - https://newsela.com/
- Tween Tribune (K-12 categories) - http://tweentribune.com/
- DOGONews - http://www.dogonews.com/
- PBS News Hour (current news article for 7-12) - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/
- Library of Congress: Digital Collection - http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html
- Nat Geo Books (younger students) - http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/natgeobooks
- Lit 2 Go (PDF downloads and audiobooks available) - http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/
- Google Scholar (articles and case law) - http://scholar.google.com/
- Read Works (passages with plans) - https://www.readworks.org/
- Random Writing Exercises - http://writingexercises.co.uk/index.php
- ThinkCERCA - http://www.thinkcerca.com/
- Actively Learn - http://www.activelylearn.com/
- Wonderopolis - http://wonderopolis.org/
Want to read a book in ePub format on a Chromebook? Download the Readium app from the Chrome Store.