Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Greater Louisville Reading Council

Hello All,
I am the new President of the Greater Louisiville Reading Council. Our goal for this organization is to be a Voice for Literacy! We will be recruiting members for this organization that gives you membership ($15 annually) to the local council and the state organization (KRA - Kentucky Reading Association) http://www.kyreading.org/.
We will be hosting various events and meetings throughout the year and we need YOU! We need your ideas, participation and voice when it comes to making literacy a priority in our communities, schools and homes. Should you like to know more information, please contact me via synthia.shelby@jefferson.kyschools.us so I can keep you abreast of upcoming activities. Allow your voice to be counted for Literacy by completing/mailing your membership form to KRA http://www.kyreading.org/documents/MembershipForm.pdf today!
Thank you in advance for all you do.
Blessings,
Synthia Shelby
President
Greater Louisville Reading Council

Digital Storytelling

Like any good guru, I love the art of telling a good story. I also enjoy sharing that passion with teachers and students alike. The latest use of technology that I have found useful with storytelling, voice, creativity, etc. is digital storytelling.

Digital storytelling is a great way to blend what kids love to use (technology) and the skills of writing a focused, purposeful piece. Here are a few websites to help you along your way.
http://studentdigistories.wikispaces.com/ (student digital stories - Pam Caudill)
http://www.edutopia.org/use-digital-storytelling-classroom
http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/teaching_learning/advanced_thinking_digital_storytelling_knowing_why
http://teachingteachers.com/

Examples of digital stories
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/learnshops/digital/examples.php

Please let me know what successes and challenges you find while using digital storytelling in YOUR classroom. Best Wishes!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Promoting Literacy and A Love of Learning

http://www.literacyconnections.com/ReadingAloud.php

This website is wonderful! I was searching for some ways to help teachers engage their young readers in middle school and stumbled upon this resource. It has links and other information for Parents and Teachers, Reading suggestions for children, teens and adults, and books with multicultural interest. Add it to your favorites!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Technology Resources

I have just started blogging and would like to share with you some sites I find useful. Should you have other suggestions and/or comments, please let me know.

Blogs:
http://www.edu20.org/
http://edublogs.org/
http://wordpress.com/
https://www.blogger.com/start

Teacher tip page:
http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2008/07/21/50-useful-blogging-tools-for-teachers/

In addition, I have provided you with two sites for finding free images and downloading videos. Check them out!
http://photobucket.com/
http://zamzar.com/

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Why I LOVE Writing to Learn

Shelby Top 6
- Student centered
- Allows students to be risk takers
- Develops critical thinking
- Activates schema
- Promotes inquiry

- Pushes students/teachers to think “outside” the box

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Writing to Learn

While teaching in the middle grades, I have learned a great deal about not only reading and writing, but also about how students learn. I realized I knew how to write and was passionate about teaching my students to do the same. But, what I really wanted and needed was a way to help them 'write to learn'. My students should be using their reading and writing to help them make better decisions, understand the content, and promote questions/reflections. They should not be sitting around listening to me talk all day about the content and turning me off like the remote control on their televisions at home. Rather, they should be critical thinkers, processing their own learning.

After racking my brain on how to do this and talking with my colleagues, I was introduced to the book Content-Area Writing, Every Teacher's Guide. What a gold mine! This book is full of teacher-friendly tools to help students 'write to learn'. It shows teachers how to let go of control and share it with the students, discusses the benefits and challenges of the process and provides wonderful examples. Since reading this book and other materials on writing to learn, I work to share this information with others. CHALLENGE: Read it, Use It, Love it! Your classroom will never be the same -- thank goodness.

Below, you will find a copy of one of my Writing to Learn presentations, a blank double-entry journal template and information about quickwrites.

http://www.slideshare.net/nubianbutterfly/portland-presentation-3790060

http://www.scribd.com/doc/30259259/Double-Entry-Journal-Blank-Template

http://www.litandlearn.lpb.org/strategies/strat_quick.pdf (Quickwrite)


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