July Canva Challenge – Original Poem Project

TEKS Addressed:

(14)  Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are responsible for at least two forms of literary writing. Students are expected to:

(B)  write a poem using a variety of poetic techniques (e.g., structural elements, figurative language) and a variety of poetic forms (e.g., sonnets, ballads); and

Couple of ways this can be used:

1. Make examples of literary devices (metaphor, simile, sensory detail, etc)
2. Create visuals for elements of a particular poetic form (Haiku – Japanese Nature Poem, measured in 5-7-5 syllables)
3. Final presentation of original poems, using backgrounds to match both style and content

After completing a study in poetic forms and styles, students will compose a nature poem in the style of the Japanese Haiku. Using Canva, students will design and create a photo that includes their poem and the background, text, pictures, styles, and colors all add to the overall meaning of their poem.

As examples, students will look at a variety of well-known haikus before beginning their own compositions. Examples here: http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-haiku-poems.html

You could even expand this project – Remember a time you took a vacation or spent some time outdoors. What did you feel? What did you see? What did you smell? What did it make you think of? Write a journal entry describing your experience.

Find pictures that you took of things outdoors, or go take your own to represent your poem.

Original Haiku:

The mountains of mist

Calling softly to my heart

Come to me swiftly

These are pictures of Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains in the Anhui province of China. We traveled there last summer and every day I want to go back.

For this Challenge, My Culinary classes will keep track of all recipes and things they cook in lab and at home. (edible homework)  At the end of the year, they will use Canva to create a Class Cookbook with all of their unique recipes.  For instance, we do several cooking challenges with appetizers, desserts, and small meals they can make.  They will use Canva to feature each recipe, the ingredients, and the process of making their food/snacks/desserts.  After compiling and printing an “example pilot Cookbook”, these students can then sell it to staff and family to be put back into the program to be used for them.

This cookbook will also feature anything they make in lab, such as the Apple Pies at Thanksgiving, Crepes, Tortillas, Cookies, Cakes, and their home made pizzas.

TEKS Addressed (Underlined)

(6)  The student understands the history of food service and the use of the professional kitchen. The student is expected to:

(A)  research famous chefs from history and note their major accomplishments;

(B)  identify global cultures and traditions related to food;

(C)  summarize historical entrepreneurs who influenced food service in the United States;

(D)  analyze how current trends in society affect the food service industry;

(E)  use large and small equipment in a commercial kitchen;

(F)  develop food production and presentation techniques;

(G)  demonstrate moist and dry cookery methods;

(H)  demonstrate the preparation skills of items commonly prepared in food service operations such as breakfast cookery, salads and dressings, soups and sandwiches, stocks and sauces, appetizers, seafood, poultry, meat, pastas and grains, and fruits and vegetables;

(I)  demonstrate baking techniques such as yeast breads and rolls, quick breads, and desserts;

(J)  demonstrate proper receiving and storage techniques;

(K)  demonstrate proper cleaning of equipment and maintenance of the commercial kitchen; and

(L)  demonstrate types of table setting, dining, and service skills.

Character Traits Lesson

Materials Needed: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon and Character Traits poster (Pinterest inspired)

 

Before we read the book, we will record how Camilla looks just from viewing the cover. As we read, we will stop and discuss Camilla’s feelings and how they change throughout the book. Students will help add more traits to the poster.

TEKS: (9)Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. B. Students are expected to describe characters in a story and the reasons for their actions and feelings.

This book also teaches a valuable lesson, to be true to yourself. After the lesson students will create their own pic collage showing what they love.They will use pic collage to create their poster. Students will use a picture of themselves in black and white. They may use doodle buddy to add stripes to themselves like the character in the story or they may print the picture, use markers and then take a picture of it to use in pic collage. Students will add text and/or pictures showing who they are and what they love. This will be a great beginning of the year activity.

 

Transformers: Turning Your Poster into an Essay

Lesson Plan

Teacher : Mrs. Paben

Date: TBD

Overview & Purpose

Students will use images or quotes to develop the layout of their expository essay and understand their need to use specific details in their writing.

TEKS:

7.17A

Objectives:

1. Students will write a multi-paragraph essay to convey information about a topic that presents effective introductions and concluding paragraphs, contains a clearly stated purpose or controlling idea.

2. The essay will be logically organized with appropriate facts and details while not including any extraneous information or inconsistencies.

3. The students will accurately synthesize ideas from several sources, and uses a variety ofsentence structures, rhetorical devices, and transitions to link paragraphs.

Materials Needed:

1. Teacher Canva Demo

2. Student iPads with Canva App

3. STAAR Writing Paper

4. Writing utensils

Verification:

Steps to check for student understanding.

1. Students will use images that relate to the writing prompt.

2. Students will provide detailed sentences to be more specific in writing their expository essay.

Activity:

Describe activity that will reinforce the lesson.

Students are given the following writing prompt:

Studies show that by children playing sports, it helps develop character. Explain why or why not this statement may be true.

Students will use the Canva App on their iPads to create a poster by adding five pictures in sequential order in accordance to their expository essay (introduction, body paragraph 1, body paragraph 2, body paragraph 3, and conclusion). Then, students will use the images to develop detailed sentences into their expository essay to keep it from being too generic.

Modifications:

Depending upon the needs of the individual student, the essay may be shortened to three or four paragraphs and include fewer transitions.

Teacher Canva Demo:

My Google cardboard project depends on finding the right app which I haven’t yet, and having maybe five in a classroom. I want to either find a tour of a historic literary building (The globe theatre, the library of Congress, Canterbury cathedral) or a particular author’s hometown (Shakespeare, Poe, Hawthorne) and have a scavenger hunt between teams where they have to find certain info about the literary significance, the relation to the novel, stuff like that.

I usually have students find pertinent/interesting information about authors before we begin novel studies so they have a little background on why that author is the way he is- this makes it a little more interesting and seeing stuff rather than reading it is easier to remember and really understand.

I was not excited at all when my superintendent told me that we were getting a 3D printer. I felt like it was just one more thing that I had to do. I have been very apprehensive about this whole thing since talks of getting one started because it seems scary. I felt like I would fail big time. I’ve never seen a 3D Printer. When would I have the time to do this? The list went on and on. After many talks, and me pushing the idea away, I finally came to the conclusion that this was happening, and I was going to have the printer to begin with. I was going to learn how to use it. I was going help teachers learn how to do this. This was equivalent to the SMARTBoard that I pushed out of my room several years ago. I would compare myself to a toddler having a fit because…I don’t want to. Let me say that I am extremely thankful for a superintendent that always lets me “get there” mentally in my own time.

I talked myself off the ledge, started researching, started digging, and in true Daisy fashion I got really excited. That’s where I am now. After watching several videos and reading books and articles I realized just how much power this “thing” could have in the classroom. I immediately started brainstorming lesson plans and cross-curricular activities that I feel will really have an impact on learning in the classroom. The era we live in is one of learning in 3D. Learning coming to life. We need to touch and see and create with our own hands, which really creates deeper understanding. The thing with 3D printing is that kids really have to think. Especially if they are creating from scratch. Even if they are not creating from scratch they still have to go in and change dimensions, which means you have to use math no matter what.

Today I visited April at Region 5. She showed me the basics of printing, some projects that she had completed, and we talked about really integrating this into lesson plans for teachers. We were really excited! Here are a few things that I took pictures of that she has already created, and a few of my ideas to go along with it.

This activity is quite simple. A student uses a sharpie to draw an object. You are then able to print it. So think big teachers. Geometric shapes for math or a descriptive story for 4th grade writing. Students could also draw a flower for science that they will later label. high school teachers -what about molecules?

 

 

 

This is a book that April suggested that I purchase. The students can read it then design the characters in it. That is what April did. The little sheep and the girl are in this book! Kids could do this with any book – but even cooler, what if they wrote their own story and designed their characters. What a great incentive for kids to really get into story writing – they get to bring their characters to life. Then you could display them in the library. Kids would be so proud!

 

A catapult – math and science teachers. There are lots of various activities you can do with this. You can start basic in elementary ages with just mean, median, and mode. Then you can go as high as high school students using physics and predictions for their activity. April said one teacher then surprised her class with a little catapult for every student as a Christmas gift.

 

 

Guys, I am the worst about putting myself in a box and staying there. I hate getting out of my comfort zone, but that is detrimental to our students’ success. If I am not willing to grow and change and learn then why should they? This is their future. 3D printing = creation, collaborating together, deep thinking- and that’s what drives the world today.

Educators, don’t be like the me that wants to fight against all this new “stuff”. Don’t let your self be overwhelmed with what seems like an unending task of learning new ways to teach the same subject. Kids are different every year. As technology progresses we will keep experiencing constant changes in teaching practices and even classroom management. Just roll with it. Students deserve for us to keep going that extra step for them even when we really don’t feel like it or see the point – because we want them to do the exact same thing in our classrooms.

 

There’s a part of me that wants to word this very carefully so that I do not offend anyone because I don’t like ruffling feathers. Then there’s a part of me that says to just say what I want to say, and what I want to say really isn’t that offensive. I just want to say – Be Better. Teachers, administrators, educators, Be Better. 

We want respect for the teaching profession – give respect. We want students to follow classroom rules – then follow rules handed down by administration. We want students to turn things in on time – then we should as well. We want students to be to class on time – then get to work on time. We want parents and the community to value us, our word, and what we do in the classroom – then stop putting their kids, the school, the community, and your coworkers on blast via social media. The little memes that are supposed to be funny – yeah, I’m over them. They are degrading to students, other teachers, and our professionalism. 

Be better. Come on, guys! We are adults, and even though we live in an era of free speech and do what makes “you” happy – we can’t. We, educators, were made to serve others. It’s deep in our souls. If we are truly going to do that then we have to set the best possible example. Sometimes that means not posting, not doing, turning the other cheek, and making sure we do the best that we can do in every aspect of our job. Even bus duty.

We chose this profession. Let’s be the best we can for kids and our fellow coworkers. If we are not careful we will push away future teachers. Why would they want to work in a profession where the employees are seemingly so unhappy? Let me tell you something, this profession is not for the faint of heart. It’s hard, and there are some bad days. But the good days are so much better. If your day stinks call your mom. Vent to your teaching partner. That’s what they are there for. But please – don’t publicly bash my profession. Don’t publicly bash students or your community. I love this job. I am where God wants me to be, and I know that with every fiber within me. I want more excitement. I want more teachers working through the trenches to make a difference. To make a change. And regardless of paperwork, cafeteria duty, or situations that break your heart – scream the positives. Drown out the negatives. We are in this together. Let’s Be Better. 

*Thank you Bethany Hill for inspiration. 

 

“Sugar and spice and everything nice; that’s what little girls are made of.” And big dreams. They forgot to add that line into the poem. I can imagine that we (young females) never said that we couldn’t wait to grow up and date the wrong guy, fall into debt, betray our best friend, make unhealthy choices, choose the wrong career, or get divorced. Unfortunately, it happens. We make big, fat mistakes, and when we do the devil cleverly smiles. He knows exactly how much havoc the repercussions of each of these failed moments will take on you. He knows just how strong the grip of guilt will be on your psyche and your soul. He knows that if you don’t turn to God, truly surrendering, that you will never quite step out to become what God has intended for you to be. What exactly is that? I truly believe that God intends for us to be FIERCE. I said it – God wants his women to be fierce.

Webster defines the word fierce as showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity. Can you imagine if all of God’s girls walked around with this mind-frame? Can you imagine if we poured our heart and souls into everything that God set in our paths to accomplish for him? If we were so passionate about our relationships, our family, our jobs, about Jesus, that no one had any doubt at all what we stood for? Can you imagine? The devil doesn’t want this. He wants to strip you of all confidence. He wants to mockingly whisper in your ear that you can’t do this because you did ….that. Sweet sister, whatever “that” is for you – it is time to let it go. It’s time to break through. It’s time to be fierce.

Women are the driving force of most households. You’ve heard the saying, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” It’s true. You can see why the devil doesn’t want us to break free. He wants us to live with the guilt and pain of past mistakes. He wants it to fester because when things fester – they become malignant. They take over and consume your entire life, and staying silent about these things just magnifies them. God wants us to pray. He wants us to pray out loud, and he wants us to be intentional. Specific. These past mistakes, the regrets, the “what ifs”, they aren’t of God. They don’t define you. God wants you and intended for you to be so much more. He wants you to be fierce.

Ephesians 6:11-13 states, “11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

The devil wants you to believe you are not worth it. He wants you to believe that you are not loved. He basically wants you to wither up and die. I have really good news. God wins. God wins, and he wants you to win with him.

 Do you want to live your life to the fullest every single day? Do you want to be a positive force in all the relationships in your life including the one with yourself? Then choose to be fierce. Be a warrior for God. Put on your armor, stand tall, and make things happen. God is holding your hand every single step of the way.

Sometimes taking the step to change your life or just a part of your life can be so intimidating. The constant thoughts that roll around in your head are enough to make anyone give up. It’s not worth it.  I can’t do it. I am not strong enough. Others will think that I can’t do it. It’s too hard. I am who I am.  Those thoughts are created from fear. Fear is not from God. Isaiah 43:1 tells us not to be scared. God has called YOU by name. You. God has called you. He loves you. He wants you to be successful in every aspect of your life. He wants you to live in peace knowing that He is holding your hand all day long.

So, how can we step out and make a fresh start when we really don’t even know what to say? Can someone just give me the exact words to pray – maybe a formula so I can get my life on track? Here is my advice. Just close your eyes, and ask God to give you the words. God doesn’t require fancy; he just requires a willing heart. Romans 8:26b states, “… We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words.” This is our hope. We are never alone. God will help you take that first step to change. God will utter that first word for you. God is the solution to any and every problem that you may face. I’m not going to lie – knowing that God will basically say the words for me instantly makes me feel 100% better. The need to be perfect, to say the perfect prayer, no longer exists.

It’s not going to be easy. Change is hard. So hard. But there are two things that I am certain of:

1. God wants you to win
2. The devil doesn’t

Today step out in faith. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Pray – even if you are only saying God’s name over and over. He doesn’t care what you’re saying; he just wants you to sit with him awhile. And if you are in a situation where you are fearful of stepping out please remember the following: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phillipians 4:13.

Say it over and over and over.

The Warren ISD Tech Champs program has taken off quicker than I imagined. I quickly realized that this was going to be much bigger than just integrating technology seamlessly into classrooms. This is about becoming a better teacher in every aspect. With that being said I know how important it is to reflect, and I am going to do just that. I plan on tracking our progress throughout the whole year, so we will be able to look back next year and make this even bigger. I have a huge support system. My superintendent, Brad McEachern, and my Network Administrator, Cherie Stanley, are constantly pushing me, questioning me, giving me feedback, helping me brainstorm, and even have a few challenges lined up for my Tech Champs. So far we have had two challenges. The ladies will also be attending technology conferences throughout the summer.

Challenge 1 was pretty difficult. They had to assemble Google Cardboard, experiment with it, and then write a lesson plan for their classroom. They all did amazing. They thought of ideas that absolutely blew my mind. Of course you can go to my website and check out their ideas under my Tech Champ tab. The second challenge was in two parts. They first had to write down their small and large technology goals for the year. Cherie and I sat down together to go over them. We then brainstormed ways on how to make these goals work for each teacher. We thought of different platforms that may work for the various things that they want to do next year. I was extremely impressed with their technology goals. I was pretty much in “Proud Momma” mode. The second part of challenge two is a year long project that they will be working on. They have a Google Doc with one date a week for the next year where they will copy and paste a link to an article that they found relevant or inspirational to them (or their class). I think it is so important to grow in your profession. Let’s be honest – I am pretty much a fanatic about being in a constant state of research and how to make things better for teachers and students. I love digging for new ideas. I love seeing what other people are doing. I hope that this will give my Tech Champs inspiration and fresh ideas for their class. Get this – the articles can be about anything. This isn’t just about technology. It can be about classroom management, positivity, curriculum, etc. Anything that makes us better – makes our students better. I am actually going to be sending out challenge three very soon. It will be easy! Half of the challenge is from me and half of the challenge is from our superintendent. Stay tuned as my Tech Champs do amazing things throughout this year.