Task 5

Wow, lots of great things in this lesson, Sandy! Third graders did a Kidblog activity last year for their national park unit. I liked the blogging rubric you shared and would like to update the blogging rubric we used and include some of the wording used in the shared example. The children enjoyed doing the national park blogs and for the most part were fairly successful. I could for see trying one or more of the following items this coming school year:

• Wikis - To share and cooperatively write and share information about their Florida explorer
• Scrapblog - Using Flickr to download images of the social studies field trips we do to Cracker Country and H. B. Plant Museum and the Florida History Center. I take photos of the third grade field trips anyway. Having the children write about what they saw and experienced would be a great follow-up activity. The Scrapblogs could then be posted for parents to peruse, too.
• Pixton - This site looks like lots of fun. During the first few weeks of school, perhaps the children could create a comic about themselves as a homework assignment and post it for all in the class to view. Is this a possiblity, Sandy?
• Go Animate - During the rocks and minerals science unit, using the book Rocks and Minerals, A Gem of a Book, I think the children would love to choose a type of rock or mineral and create a "Mineral Marvels Comic Strip."
• Word Counter - I like this site for copying and pasting student written work to check for overused words or phrases in their writing samples (then, then, then or next, next, next). The transition words typically give third grade writers fits!
• Museum Cube - I love this program. I would like to use it for our first ocean unit and sea animal projects. Do you think it is too overwhelming for third graders at the beginning of the year, Sandy? I viewed some of Hillel School's animals projects with animal sounds, photographs, etc. I think the children would think this a cool ocean project!

I created a short Go Animate project:

GoAnimate.com: Welcome Animation by Rhonda S


OK, Sandy, I tried several times to imbed this animation. What am I doing wrong??

Ah ha, thanks Sandy, one little click makes all the difference!