Dean Kindig and Moira Prister » writing

Make Beliefs Comix

dkindig — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:04:27 +0000

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/ Make Beliefs Comix let you make comics. Excellent backgrounds, a variety of characters you can place, and cool options for customizing. I’m always on the lookout for ways to motivate writers, and this is a good one. I have … Continue reading →

Wallwisher

dkindig — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:53:00 +0000

Your class can put up feedback on a virtual “bulletin board”. In this wall
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/GIXMG8ouwO
teachers gave feedback about how an after-school technology workshop went. As a result of the feedback, we’re meeting in small groups today, rotating through stations.

Complete Sentences

dkindig — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:59:25 +0000

I’m working with a 3rd Grade boy in ten minutes, and he needs help with writing complete sentences. This Frogger-like game will help me determine if he knows the skills of complete sentence-writing or not. If he can put complete sentences together in a video game, what else could his difficulty be?

I’d first look at working memory–can he juggle all of the skills necessary to write, and do them simultaneously, or does he “forget” one or more of those skills?

If it’s not working memory, I’d look second at ADHD, inattentive type. Can he initiate, sustain, inhibit, and shift his attention at the right times?

Finally, I’d look at emotional aspects. Is anxiety talk shouting over the youngster’s strong verbal strategic talk? Is he preoccupied for emotional reasons? Is he stubborn? Bored? Too worried about what others might think? Doesn’t see how sustained effort can bring results and feelings of competence? Is it too much screen time so real life has lost its excitement?

Try out Storybird!

dkindig — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:42:56 +0000

Make books that can be viewed online or get them made into softcover books.
Making books cooperatively (2-3 kids) is a valuable activity. Make sure you have a good speller/typist in each group. I’m supplying an account for you to try it out.
Go to http://storybird.com/accounts/login/
Click the “Sign in”.

Now click “Create”. Have Fun!

Musical Intelligence

dkindig — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:16:16 +0000

We have a large number of students who respond to music. What if you had to summarize the chapter you read in your book as a rap? Wrtie it out so it’s legible, then put it to music. Here is some background music. Use a digital recorder or video cam to record the results.

http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYxzf-NQtUk&feature=related

http://quietube.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfQ5UA5yvwE&feature=related

http://photofunia.com/

dkindig — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:01:45 +0000

Need a fun writing story starter that’s visual? Take your student’s picture and run it through http://photofunia.com. It’s Fun! It’s Photo! It’s Photofunia!

Visual Organizers

dkindig — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:26:50 +0000

I’ve been looking for a good site (free is good) full of visual organizers for busy teachers. I think I have found the best one:

http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

You can adapt them quickly and save them if you register.

Wordles

dkindig — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:54:51 +0000

http://www.wordle.net/create
Paste in a bunch of text and Wordle makes a colorful word cloud based on the frequency of the words in the selected passage (without the annoying the’s or and’s).

Dean’s Book, Winning Learners

dkindig — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:59:08 +0000

My book is available at Lulu.com as a download or as a spiral-bound, ready-to-use book.
Go here: http://bit.ly/qcP5vw

WINNING LEARNERS: Prescriptive, FUN Games and Techniques, K-6 is for student teachers and beginning teachers who want to engage, motivate, and teach students with games. Focusing mainly on reading, Rochester Teacher of the Year Dean Kindig brings his 35 years of remedial teaching to the game table. Included are effective and truly involving games for remediating reading, helping handwriting, coaching creative writing, making math facts memorable, and improving spelling.

Comma Chameleon

dkindig — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:22:41 +0000

Comma Chameleon

You’re a chameleon, see, and you must lap up the right form of punctuation to end the sentence, and put it in the right place. The chameleon moves, so kids like the animation.