Gallery of Student Work
On this page, you will find examples of my fourth graders' work across the curriculum. I picked examples that showcased not only their academic skills, but also their ability to be creative and collaborative, as well as communicate well while thinking critically. I strive to always engage my students in work that they can see being useful in the outside world, and that builds future-ready skills that transcend just that one particular assignment. I hope that a common theme in their work samples is evidence of higher-level thinking.
On this page, you will find examples of my fourth graders' work across the curriculum. I picked examples that showcased not only their academic skills, but also their ability to be creative and collaborative, as well as communicate well while thinking critically. I strive to always engage my students in work that they can see being useful in the outside world, and that builds future-ready skills that transcend just that one particular assignment. I hope that a common theme in their work samples is evidence of higher-level thinking.
Animoto Book Trailers
For our historical fiction reading unit, students created book trailers to advertise the book they read in book clubs. Our goal was to showcase the mood and tone of the book, and hint at the problem the characters encounter. By using the Animoto app, students were able to use music, images, text, and color to portray the book's atmosphere.
Eric's I Survived Book Trailer William's Snow Treasure Book Trailer Zoe's P.S. Be Eleven Book Trailer
eSpark Frontier: Successful Failure
To learn the process of Project Based Learning, students researched, synthesized their notes, and created a Google Slides project that answered the guiding question, "How can failures help me learn?" By learning about famous figures who faced adversity before finding success, students also gained strategies for adopting a growth mindset and exercising resolve.
For our historical fiction reading unit, students created book trailers to advertise the book they read in book clubs. Our goal was to showcase the mood and tone of the book, and hint at the problem the characters encounter. By using the Animoto app, students were able to use music, images, text, and color to portray the book's atmosphere.
Eric's I Survived Book Trailer William's Snow Treasure Book Trailer Zoe's P.S. Be Eleven Book Trailer
eSpark Frontier: Successful Failure
To learn the process of Project Based Learning, students researched, synthesized their notes, and created a Google Slides project that answered the guiding question, "How can failures help me learn?" By learning about famous figures who faced adversity before finding success, students also gained strategies for adopting a growth mindset and exercising resolve.
kr_successful_failure.pdf |
Historical Fiction Open Responses
Throughout our narrative reading units, students focused on finding the heart of the story, or theme, of a text. Using Google Docs, students completed open response questions where they chose a theme of our read aloud text and defended it with examples and evidence from the text. Using the technology, I was able to comment back to push their thinking and focus on key aspects of their work. It was a great way to make our thinking about reading visible!
Throughout our narrative reading units, students focused on finding the heart of the story, or theme, of a text. Using Google Docs, students completed open response questions where they chose a theme of our read aloud text and defended it with examples and evidence from the text. Using the technology, I was able to comment back to push their thinking and focus on key aspects of their work. It was a great way to make our thinking about reading visible!
U.S. Regions Project
To demonstrate their learning on one of the five U.S. regions, students stepped into the role of travel agent and convinced their peers and parents to travel to their region. Using a variety of technology tools (Google Sites, Smore, MovieSpirit, etc.), students created brochures, websites, and travel videos to persuade audiences. Not only did they have to know details about aspects of their own region, but the others as well, so they could realize why theirs was the most desirable for travel!
https://www.smore.com/62uzy-come-to-the-southwest
Student-Created Math Videos
After watching my flipped math lesson videos all year, students took the lead in creating their own for our last unit. Not only did they have to study the lesson pages in the teacher's guide to learn the lesson, but then also know the concepts well enough to explain them to their peers. Using the Educreations app, students could record a voiceover while writing on the "white board" space or screenshots of the math journal pages.
Lesson 8-2 Lesson 8-5 Lesson 8-11
Concussion PSAs
For the culminating project for our neuroscience unit, students used their knowledge of the the human brain to create public service announcements on how to prevent concussions, and how to detect them early. Groups used a variety of tools to capture their recordings, and did outside research to gain more of an understanding on some of the symptoms of a concussion. Finally, students took on a professional tone to inform their audiences.
To demonstrate their learning on one of the five U.S. regions, students stepped into the role of travel agent and convinced their peers and parents to travel to their region. Using a variety of technology tools (Google Sites, Smore, MovieSpirit, etc.), students created brochures, websites, and travel videos to persuade audiences. Not only did they have to know details about aspects of their own region, but the others as well, so they could realize why theirs was the most desirable for travel!
https://www.smore.com/62uzy-come-to-the-southwest
Student-Created Math Videos
After watching my flipped math lesson videos all year, students took the lead in creating their own for our last unit. Not only did they have to study the lesson pages in the teacher's guide to learn the lesson, but then also know the concepts well enough to explain them to their peers. Using the Educreations app, students could record a voiceover while writing on the "white board" space or screenshots of the math journal pages.
Lesson 8-2 Lesson 8-5 Lesson 8-11
Concussion PSAs
For the culminating project for our neuroscience unit, students used their knowledge of the the human brain to create public service announcements on how to prevent concussions, and how to detect them early. Groups used a variety of tools to capture their recordings, and did outside research to gain more of an understanding on some of the symptoms of a concussion. Finally, students took on a professional tone to inform their audiences.