How to: Create a Google Drawing

Google Drawings are a fantastic tool for sharing your learning with others. At Tamaki Primary I worked with a team of students to create movies to show others how to use Google Apps for Education. At one point, a new student started in the class next door and we were keen to create something to help him begin to share his learning. Here is our movie about "How to us Google Drawing".


How to Use Google Drawing from Maryanne Manuyag on Vimeo.

How to: Look After our Netbook

How do we look after our netbooks while at school? This was a question some students at Tamaki Primary addressed by creating a movie of our "rules."

Our scriptwriters wanted to try something a little different this time! We brought some props and tried to inject some humour into our movie. Our scriptwriters wanted to create the idea of "CyberSmart Angels" who came to help Toma be CyberSmart.

Enjoy watching a very child-led movie about how to look after your netbook!


Looking After Your Netbook from Maryanne Manuyag on Vimeo.

Tornado Snapshot - By Opiesi

WALT write a vivid description.
SC: I can use my senses to create vivid sentences. I can use similes, metaphors and personifications in my writing.

Class: Room 16
Year: 5&6
Age: 9-10 year olds

Tornado Snapshot - By Riley

WALT write a vivid description.
SC: I can use my senses to create vivid sentences. I can use similes, metaphors and personifications in my writing.

Class: Room 16
Year: 5&6
Age: 9-10 year olds

Tornado Snapshot - By Nishita

WALT write a vivid description.
SC: I can use my senses to create vivid sentences. I can use similes, metaphors and personifications in my writing.

Class: Room 16
Year: 5&6
Age: 9-10 year olds

Dark Alley - R16 Collaborative Snapshot

WALT write a vivid description.
SC: I can use my senses to create vivid sentences. I can use similes, metaphors and personifications in my writing.

Class: Room 16
Year: 5&6
Age: 9-10 year olds

My heart is pounding, trying to jump out of my chest. I could feel someone’s presence as I walked past the creepy house. Eyes stare into my soul, reading my secrets. Anxiety crawls up my neck, choking me. Empty streets surround me, screeching noises. Boom, crash! Boom, crash! Doors slam in the distance.  A man stands in the dark, watching. Waiting. My heart starts pounding. Broken bottles and used cigarettes litter the ground. Rats squirm around the already flooding street. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. The noise from the broken drainpipes  gives me goosebumps. I reached out to touch it, but it wasn’t water. It was blood. The smell irritates me and I turn away. I hear fans whirling as the deafening screeches of cats fills the air. Police sirens go past, then a shadow appears and disappears into the dark night. I stand. Alone. My feet shake. My mouth is dry and I cannot speak. Fear creeps closer and closer. Something or someone was still watching me.

How to Write a Snapshot!

Recently, I have been lucky enough to be relieving in classrooms where the teachers want me to focus on descriptive writing. This activity allows even your reluctant writers to get excited, and to produce amazing sentences! Boys LOVE having the visual image, and seem to thrive with this type of activity. The quality and depth of work I am able to get from their students with this "Snapshot" activity always amazes them, so here is the process in case you would like to try it too!

1. Discuss language features - metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia
2. Discuss senses - sight, hear, smell, feel, taste, touch
3. Introduce the image (some ideas are below)
4. One minute imaging time (silent!)
5. Brainstorm vocabulary as a class (this should be quick - one word or a short phrase)
6. Children have five minutes to write ideas under each sense in their own books
7. Volunteers to read their favourite aloud - children are allowed to be “inspired” by each other
8. Ideas into sentences - may join more than one idea
9. Ordering ideas into a logical sense - check that there is a hook at the beginning AND the end!
10. Celebrate!

• For a collaborative snapshot - children bring their favourite sentence to to mat to join together (I usually do this as they are reading around the circle)
• For an individual snapshot - continue as you would with normal classroom writing (eg. proof reading, teacher conferencing, publishing...)

    

Boggle Time!

I love this Maths game - its a great way to practice times tables and also encourage a healthy competition. It also means that all children at all levels of maths learning in your class can participate - an activity which extends your higher achievers and gives an element of success to your lower achievers... a BIG tick in my box!

STEP ONE
I often whip these up on a piece of scrap paper on my desk while students are working and I can see they will need an extension activity. Simply think of times table sums (eg. 3x2=6, 2x5=10, 2x4=8...) and then put each number into its own box in a table.

STEP TWO

Children write the boggle into their maths book, and then write any sums they see. They may need to start again if they get to the end and have numbers left over that don't fit! 

Pretty quickly they realise that they need to work backwards, and start with the biggest numbers, and check the factors that may add to that number. Some BRILLIANT maths problem solving!