iMovie

I had seen the idea of students creating book trailers for books, but it all sounded far too complicated to really try. I think the end of the year bug hit me, and I decided why not squeeze a possibly challenging project in to the last two weeks of school? :) Also, my students have been doing their book clubs with 8th graders, so I knew they would have a lot of support in the project.

We decided iMovie would be the best source since they have templates for trailers. I am so incredibly glad that I found an amazing resource at Learning in Hand. These iMovie trailer planning PDFs are AMAZING. My students summarized the story, decided what was important to go into the trailer without giving anything away, and planned out every shot with the planning sheets.

I'm so impressed with the final product. The students had a blast making them and enjoyed watching each others' even more. This will be an activity I repeat for sure!

Here is a little clip from one group's trailer for Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman:

Self-Reflection

I am a huge fan of self-reflection for my students. It is very important for them to be able to acknowledge and celebrate their successes throughout each week, as well as look for areas where they can grow the following weeks. This is why (almost) every week my students fill out a Friday Report. The best part is...it's done entirely by the students! We talk about the first half together, ensuring they remember all that happened throughout the week. The second half they fill out based on their opinions of their progress. I like to add comments to the write of the S/N section, especially give them praise for an accomplishment they might not have realized. It's also great for the parents to see what is happening in the classroom! Check out my TPT store to get it!

Valentine's Day Container Challenge

Love is in the air! Yesterday I introduced my students to the Valentine's Day Challenge, and they are pumped. I forgot how much fun it was until I started looking through old pictures and seeing the creativity come out as my students worked on their original designs. If you're looking for a way to spice up your Valentine's containers, this is a fun challenge. I posted the file for everything you'll need on my TPT account. Next week I'll post some pictures of the final projects. For now, here are a few from last year.