Story Starter Sample!

I recently posted about Scholastic Story Starter. Here is an example of one of the creations of my students! Remember their goal was include correlative conjunctions in their writing!

Does Netflix Have a Future in Education?

Netflix and Educational Use

Netflix Turns a Blind Eye to Illegal Use by School

These are two blog I found that is discussing Netflix and educational uses.

Puzzling Puzzlemaker?

In a recent post regarding Discovery Education, I mentioned that they offer a free puzzlemaker to non-subscribers. I was curious as to how easy this puzzlemaker would be to use. To me, if it isn’t easy, a tool like this, may not be worth it.

I discovered that the Discovery Education Puzzlemaker is very easy to use! As for how you could use it in your own classroom, word searches can be great ways for students to familiarize themselves with vocabulary words; crosswords can be engaging ways to review definitions. You could even have your students create their own puzzles as a review of vocabulary words or concepts. They can create their own, print them out, and share them with their peers.

*One thing I really did like about the Discovery Puzzlemaker was that it allows you to easily go back to your work and edit and revise! This is something I am always looking to see if a Web 2.0 tool allows you to do!

Here is a snapshot of an example word search I created!

Another Aspect of Prezi

After creating my own Prezi presentations, I wanted to know can I use Prezi in any other ways in my own classroom. (I would love to have my students create their own Prezi presentations, but at this time my students do not have email addresses that have been okayed by my school.) I am always looking for new ideas or different ways to approach the concepts I discuss with my students, and it turns out Prezi is a great resource. You can use Prezi’s search feature and look for already created Prezi Presentations. Since I am exploring conjunctions with my students, I found some neat Prezi Presentations that I could share with my students and/or get inspiration for myself!
Currently I am discussing conjunctions with my students, so I searched for some neat conjunction presentations. Here are some already made and shared Prezi presentations about conjunctions! I really like the one titled "Coordinating Conjunctions," by user Meredith Maddux.
http://prezi.com/explore/search/?search=conjunctions

Try searching the presentations for a topic or concept you are discussing in your own classroom!

Starting the Story

I am always trying to get my students engaged and excited about the writing process. I usually gear my class into writing about things they know, things they have personally experienced, but the other day, when we were covering correlative conjunctions, I just wanted something fun and engaging where my students could practice using correlative conjunctions in their own writing! Thus I discovered Scholastic Story Starter!

Scholastic Story Starter is a Web 2.0 tool that will generate a silly story prompt by “spinning a wheel.” Students type in a name, then chose their appropriate grade. Students can then chose the format they wish to write, notebook, postcard, newspaper article, or letter. It is simple and easy to use! My students enjoyed the interactive nature and doing something different!
Get a story starter for yourself! Check it out at the website below!
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/storystarters/storystarter1.htm