Tag Archives: Middle School

Shelfari

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http://www.shelfari.com/

Today Mrs. Helm introduced 6th graders to Shelfari using the youtube video above.  Todays lesson included the following:

  1. Create accounts
  2. Demonstrate how to add and review books
  3. Add three books to bookshelf – two books students have read and one book students are reading
  4. Add friends

For homework, students were tasked to identify, describe, and explain the following literary elements in their book reviews:

  • Protagonist
  • Setting
  • Inciting incident
  • Subplot
  • Theme

They were reminded to provide enough details to their reviews that inform the readers about the novel and hopefully, encourage others to read it.  Students were also reminded not to spoil the ending for readers.

If you’re interested in integrating Shelfari into your reading program, there’s an excellent example of a parent letter you can find here.  Additionally, here’s the beginning of a handout you can use with your students.  If you do use it, we’d love you to come back and comment!

BTW, students loved it.  One student said, “OH!  It’s like facebook for books!”.

Big IQ – Spelling Practice and More

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As a parent, I’m constantly looking for resources that will not only excite my kids about learning, but also make life easier for me as a parent.  Every week, both my kids have spelling lists and the rule at our house is no TV, games, computer, etc. until the spelling words are memorized with 100% accuracy.  So rather than sit and read and re-read and re-read and re-read, well you get the picture, the spelling words until they’re correct, I upload the words to BIG IQ.

BIG IQ lets me create spelling quizzes my children can take online.  The computer will read the word and use it in a sentence.  My kids will type the word and then the computer does the grading.  That’s the best part!  The computer does the grading!  Big IQ will also mark the ones that are incorrect so we can go back and study the ones that are not quite memorized.

As a teacher, you can also use Big IQ in your classroom.  You can set up classes and users and it can be a way students can study their spelling words during class.  Go check it out and tell me how you used it!  http://www.bigiqkids.com/