Movie Making Cluster: Making Nerd Ninja

Making Movies: Nerd Ninja

It never ceases to amaze me what Grade 4 and 5s can do. In 2011/2012 the L.C.S. Movie Making Cluster (part of weekly Enrichment Clusters) wrote and filmed their own movie, Nerd Ninja. Here is the trailer they made for the movie. 

First of all, the ten Grade 4 and 5 year students, brainstormed ideas for a movie and comedy was chosen. They then started thinking up ideas for the film and the students suggested a movie about a nerd ninja.  As they were wrangling with the story line, and trying to get ideas for the script, we had mini lessons on movie making techniques, storyboarding and filming.

They used Celtx to write out the script and after sharing our ideas for the plot took different scenes to write. The script writing process took six hour and a half long sessions. This is what the 4th and 5th graders came up with:

Nerd Ninja Screenplay

In February , when clusters started gain, they reviewed the script and made some changes and then had a read through and then started filming!

Here are some photos of the process: 

After many weeks of filming, including during the Easter holidays, and in an after school activity, we finally finished filming in April. Originally, I had hoped that the students would edit the film but alas we ran out of time and I ended up editing the film. I learnt a lot about using iMovie 11 and though it took hours, it was a very rewarding experience. It's far from perfect but for a first time effort to 'produce' a film I was pleased with my efforts. 

 Here is the finished product, I hope you enjoy it.

The Movie

To show the film we held a premiere in the school. Here are some photos of the prestigious event:

Premiere of Nerd Ninja

I think you'll agree, it's amazing what nine and ten year olds can do! It was a lot of work for all of us, but we all agreed it was worth it. 

Math Apps for the IPad

                                                                                                                                                      Equivalent Fractions

At LCS, we use Everyday Mathematics program from the University of Chicago as part of our maths program. With this Equivalent fractions, you have to find fractions that are equivalent. The more you get right in a row, the more bonus points you get. As with all the Everyday Mathematics apps, it gives you instructions on how to play the game.

Baseball Multiplication

                                                                                                                  

             

This game is to practise your rapid recall of multiplication facts by getting through the bases.

Divisibility Dash

This Everyday Mathematics app is a bit harder and is to test your division facts. Can you spot the multiples of the target number. 

Fast Facts Multiplication

This math app works on the iPhone and iPad and can be used to practise your multiplication facts.

Motion Math

This is a visually stunning app to practise your understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. There are 3 different levels. You have to move your iPad from side to side to help place the bouncing ball in the right part of the rod, depending on the fraction/decimal/percentage given.

Motion Math Zoom

This is another app from Motion Math. This app is testing your number sense and your understanding of place value. Again there are a variety of levels for you to choose from. You can practise whole numbers, decimals and negative numbers.

Motion Math Hungry Fish

Hungry fish is a great game for those students who need to brush up on their maths facts. If your goal is have rapid recall of maths facts, then this is the app for you. You can practise different types of  number bonds. The number of levels means this is an app that different grade levels can use to help you learn your facts. 

Recreating Ellis Island

On April 17th 2012, forty-five grade 4 LCS students turned the clock back 100 years. Dressed as 1912 European migrants, the students disembarked the HMS Lincoln at Ellis Island Immigration Centre, also known to us as the school’s VPAC/NPAT performing areas. Like the original immigrants, our migrants had to go through various tests before they were allowed to enter America. We had set up various centres, based on how Ellis Island centre was set up. (See Scholastic’s great interactive site for more information on Ellis Island: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/tour/)

The ‘migrants’ first had to stop at the Baggage Room and leave their baggage. After registering they then had to walk the stairs and have the 1 minute physical where someone watched them walk up the stairs to see if they had a limp. Some of the tests included literacy and numeracy tests, head lice check, physical examination and questions about family background. This was an excellent migration simulation and many of the students said afterwards that migrants ‘really suffered’. They really got a first hand experience of how intimidating it was to have to go through all the tests required by Ellis Island. (Our immigration inspectors were very strict and as many said ‘very mean’).

Before the simulation, the grade 4 students had done background research about the historical events of the time from their country of origin and had created scrapbooks of diary entries from their fictional migrant character. They also came dressed as a 1912 migrant (see photo slideshow) and had to bring baggage with items that they would really have brought with them to America.

Despite the arduous tests, and the heavy downpour, all the migrants successfully entered America. We reflected after the simulation on looking at the perspectives of the immigration officers and trying to understand why they had to be strict and see the situation from their point of view. The children also had a write another diary entry for their scrapbook about what it was like going through Ellis Island. One of our students wrote on the class website: "I loved Ellis island. 'Twas a wonderful real life experience when we lived and went through the real steps people went through 100 year ago when migrating to America".


This was an excellent learning engagement for our students. As a teacher, It took a lot of time to prepare but it was extremely rewarding as I'm sure it's one they will remember for a very long time and they really got to know what empathy means, first hand.

Here are some photos from the day:

The Educators Network (TEN) Reading Workshop

The Educators Network (TEN) Reading Workshop took place last Saturday, March 31st, at Lincoln Community School, Accra, Ghana. Seven reading workshops were given by ten presenters, see below, for 140 teachers from local Ghanaian schools.

The theme of the workshop was, 'Reading: The Key Element in Academic Achievement'. I chose to present a workshop on Literature Circles, as was told this is not something that is usually done in Ghanaian schools and might be of interest to teachers of Upper Elementary and Middle School teachers.

In preparation for the workshop I made two videos of my class which I showed during the day.

I asked my class why we did Literature Circles? This is what they said:

Here is a glimpse of some of my students taking part in Literature Circles/Book Clubs:

Here is the presentation I gave during the workshop and some of the resources I handed out:

Literature Circles

View more presentations from Miss Pickles.

Educators network literature Circles 2012

View more documents from Miss Pickles.

Here are some scenes from the day!

Many thanks to Naami Oddoye and Sylvia Ampofo who organised this excellent event. The feedback from the participants was very encouraging and hopefully the Educators Network will be able to put on more workshops over the coming months for local teachers.

iBooks Author

I have just started scraping the surface of the new app for MacBooks: iBooks Author. Last week my students finished their narrative writing project and published their work in Word. I then used iBooks Author to convert these stories into iBooks for iPad. It was easy to do as there is a handy 'Chapters from Pages or Word document' option in Insert that allows you to change your Word or Pages doc into an iPad book with one click. It even copies over the pictures too.

You then have to make small alterations, you can add a title page, as I did below, and copy and paste, drop or insert a picture. What you're left with then is a beautiful looking story book that you can open on your iPad using iBooks. You can also email it directly from iBooks Author and send your iBook to your readers all over the world! You could also set up an account and publish it to the iTunes store if you were so inclined.

My next step as a teacher is to try and make a resource book, not a textbook, for my students to use during their units of inquiry so that will be my next project!

A Grade 4 student reading her iBook on the iPad to her Grade 1 reading buddy.

For more information on the potential of creating your own iBooks using iBook Author have a look at:

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author

Watch this very helpful video on how to use iBooks Author and unleash its potential!

Speed Book Talking

Based on the idea of 'speed dating', Grade 4s did 'Speed Book Talking' in the library today. Each student had to choose one of their favourite books and had one minute only to recommend that book, or sell it, to their class mates. We formed two circles and students in the inner circle had to face their classmates in the outer circle. The students in the inner circle were the ones who started reviewing their books. After one minute everyone in the outer circle moved one place clockwise to hear a new book be reviewed. After everyone in the outer circle and heard all the reviews, they then swapped roles and became the reviewers.

The event was highly successful as most rushed to borrow the books that had been recommended. Some of the most popular books were, 'Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume' by Jeff Smith, 'Crocodile Tears' by Anthony Horowitz and 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' by E. L. Konigsberg. Here are the 22 books that were reviewed today:

This was a great activity for getting students to recommend books to one another in a lively and highly motivating way!

Thanks @tgaletti for hosting us!

World Read Aloud Day

Today at LCS, we celebrated World Read Aloud Day. Our fabulous librarian,

Tanja Galetti (@tgaletti) arranged for all the Elementary School to be read stories from around the world. She also set up Skype sessions with schools in Romania, Spain to have teachers in those schools read aloud to the pre school classes. Our former Principal, now at JIS, Indonesia, also read to her former students via Skype.

Along with these activities my students enjoyed hearing more of The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, one of my favourite read alouds. They also read aloud to their Grade 1 reading buddies. All in all a fabulous day of reading!