Reading, Language and Technology Come Together at Lyman School

Classrooms are changing. Pencils and blackboards have been replaced by iPads and Smart Boards. Throughout Regional School District 13, teachers and students have embraced the change. This week, Patch asks teachers in Durham and Middlefield to share their stories about the impact technology has had in the classroom.

Teacher name: Carlye Kohs

School: John Lyman School

Grade: Library Media (Grades K-4)

Technology: Students in first – fourth grades at Lyman have created book trailers using the iMovie app. 

• Students in 1st & 2nd grade read several Jan Brett books with me and then each class selected their favorite.  Students then summarized the book using expressive language to entice other students into wanting to read the book. Retelling and summarizing is part of their language arts curriculum and Common Core.
• 3rd & 4th graders worked independently or with one partner to provide a book recommendation to other students through their book trailer.  Students summarized their books and then created their book trailers using iMovie.  (Some chose to create trailers with text and no voiceovers… a unique option with theme music that mimics a movie trailer).
• All book trailers were uploaded to SchoolTube by students and myself, and then we embedded their trailers into the Lyman Library webpage.
• Students then created QR codes for their book trailers so they could share their work using any smart device and a QR code reader. QR codes will also be attached to library copies of the books so future students can access the book trailers using iPod Touches.
• I used Twitter to share the links to these book trailers with a broad audience.

How have students benefited from the technology? Students were actively engaged in their learning for several weeks as the book trailers were created.  From the initial step of writing out a book summary to the very last step of creating a QR code for their trailer, students were focused and determined to create a movie that would encourage others to read their recommended book. This activity strengthened the retelling and summarizing skill they learn as part of the LA curriculum.

Memorable moment: Students at a school in a nearby town saw the Lyman students’ book trailers and were both excited to read the books and inspired to create their own book trailers, so this project was surely a success! 

Other Technology in the Classroom articles:
New Tools to Learn About Insects, MLK and PoetryFrom Textbooks to Tablets, History in the Making at Coginchaug Classroom Conversations Take on New Twist with Twitter, Skype
Online Bulletin Board Helps Latin Students
Skype, iMovie and Blabberize Keep Students Connected