Visualizing Stories

I recently found a video of 1st graders using the iPad to visualize a poem that their teacher read to them. After students drew what they imagined, they got into pairs and explained their drawings to a partner. The teacher also circulated to listen and to ask deeper questions of understanding.

The concept  inspired our Kindergarten teacher and me to try something similar with our five and 6 year old students. Learning how to listen or read a story and being able to visualize the setting, characters and storyline is an important skill. Being able to “translate” one media (oral text) to another (an illustration)  is a critical literacy skill.

Our librarian helped pick a book “How do Dinosaurs say Happy Chanukah”, appropriate for this time of year. The Kindergarten teacher explained to the children, that she would be reading the book to them without showing them the pictures. A gasp was heard around the room: “What? No pictures?”. Instead they were asked to use their imagination and draw the pictures in their heads first.

We then handed out the iPads and ask them to draw the picture they had formed in their heads on the iPad with the help of Doodle Buddy. Once finished, we saved the images and emailed them to the teacher.

Dinosaurs And Chanukah from langwitches on Vimeo.

How could we expand the above visualization technique to other grade levels and subject areas?

• have students visualize math word problems
• create visual notes when watching a movie
• introduce and perfect sketchnoting skills
• documenting a science project or lab
• summarizing a book read

How do you see visualization techniques embedded into your area of influence?

iPads in Art

Our wonderful Art teacher, Shana Gutterman, has been a wonderful supporter

• to collaboratively work with classroom teachers (I wrote about her collaboration with the Language Arts teacher in a previous post – Transliteracy- QR Codes and Art)
• to test out iPads
• to not only have students create analog artwork (water-colors, ceramics, etc.), but also to create a digital image to be able to share and disseminate her work on her Art Blog with the parent community and other Art teachers from around the world.

She is becoming (or maybe already is)  fluent in “upgrading” traditionally taught Art lessons to include much needed skill practice (communicate, collaborate, connect, create) with transliteracy methods. Shana is also growing as a reflective professional and blogger. It is a pleasure to read and follow along as she is expanding her curation, reflection and social networking arena to amplify her connections and learning.

If you are interested in Arts, check out shoshyart on her

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Take a look at Shana’s first attempts in incorporating iPads, as she was expanding and upgrading a traditional lesson on contour lines with fourth graders.

Students started out with drawing their hands with a pencil and moved on to using the app “Brushes” for their self-portraits.

Shana’s reflection below:

I had my second lesson teaching iPads in art. Its so easy for me to teach an old fashioned art lesson, with paints. Teaching on the iPad will require some more practice.

We used an app called Brushes. The students learned about contour lines and created a self portrait.

I am still trying to figure out the best way to demonstrate the app- do I do it before the project or demonstrate as we do the project?

The first group of fifth graders  got a demonstration before and during the project- it seemed too lengthy.

The second group of fifth graders just got the step by step demonstration and that seemed to go better.

When they are drawing on paper its easier for me to scan to see if they need assistance. The iPads are harder to tell where everyone is at.

The students liked it and we will try it again next week now that they mastered Brushes.