Five Ideas for using Instagram in the Classroom

I have always been a huge fan of taking pictures, and now technology has made this hobby even more easy and entertaining. Our students have the world at their fingertips with Smart Phones, and are constantly snapping pictures, editing, and uploading their lives online. I found a list of lesson ideas that you can use with your students that will encourage creativity, critical thinking, and writing, along with having the fun of Instagram to use for school assignments.

1. Digital Storytelling: The students have the option of taking pictures from their neighborhood, and they can tell their story visually, annotating it through comments on each picture.

2. Grammar Practice: Students will take pictures, write sentence captions underneath, and then label each part of the sentence.

3. Photojournalism: Students will choose a school sporting event, a classroom community service activity, or a local election to photograph and analyze while using their mobile device to express their social voice.

4. Find the Context: Students will document math as they see it in their world.... linear relationships, data, fractions, etc.

5. Ethnographic Study: More of a social studies activity, blending writing and pictures. Students will take photographs of the spaces they inhabit and then analyze the cultural, political, social, and economic elements that define the space.

Don't let your Brain Freeze Up...

What's the smallest positive number, when spelled out, has an "a" in it?

Snow Days for Days...!!!

 

 School has been out for over a week now due to the extreme weather we have been having. I have posted a link to SumDog which is an interactive math practice website. The kids really enjoy this, so log on and learn while trying to keep warm while school is out. Enjoy!

 

Click here for SumDog

Our Gifted Classroom

Halloween Activity

Although I started this blog in 2014, I wanted to highlight a special assignment my class took part in around Halloween. The students had to pick a fruit or vegetable to carve that wasn't the normal pumpkin. My students chose a variety of fruits and vegetables such as a pomegranate, watermelon, apple, pear, and a potato. Along with carving their fruit/vegetable the students also had to create a spooky story involving their carved creation. This is a video one of my student's created about their "Jack-O-Melon".

Building Competitions

Between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas my students had a series of challenges they completed. The students were provided with limited supplies such as paper clips, index cards, and a small amount of masking tape in order to create bridges, towers, and cars (that were fan powered). The picture is of one of the groups winning tower. The students learned to collaborate in their groups and create structures in a timed competition.

New Year. New Blog.

     I currently teach gifted students at both the middle and elementary school level. This blog will feature my middle school gifted class. I will be posting the latest in gifted education, along with keeping you updated on projects we do, the things that we learn, and other fascinating things about our class.