Global Read Aloud 2015 - Fish in a Tree

Global Read Aloud 2015
One Book to Connect the World 

+Pernille Ripp is the organizer and creator of The Global Read Aloud. After participating last year, I knew I couldn't miss this amazing global opportunity for my fourth graders. My students were so excited to read, write, and work collaboratively with other classrooms.

Last year we selected the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. One classroom we connected with was Melissa Dowling's class from Sunnyvale, CA.  We read, Skyped, and blogged with our new friends from California while reading the book.  

4th Grader Natalie M. Created a Movie Trailer for our 2014 GRA

This year I selected Fish in a Tree written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.  Being my second year participating, and the success from the previous year, I decided to collect some resources that may be helpful.

The Global Read Aloud will take place October 5th and ends November 13th
There is a breakdown for each book so you know what chapters to read each week. 

Sign up for the Global Read Aloud 2015

Global Read Aloud Frequently Asked Questions

Tools to Use for Facilitators

Fish in a Tree

I purchased the book from Amazon.  

Fish in a Tree

About the Author - Author's Website

Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Text Complexity Results

Edumodo

I signed up to collaborate with other classrooms using Edumodo. It is new to me so I am excited to see how it will connect my students to other classrooms.

Join the Fish in a Tree Edumodo Group

Twitter Hashtags

#GRA15

#GRAFIAT

Global Read Aloud
Facebook

Resources to Use with Fish in a Tree

Penguin's Classroom Classics -Making Connections - A Free Teacher's Guide to use with A Fish in a Tree.

LOVE this!!! Blog Post written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt on the launch of her book. Some awesome ideas and FIAT life-sized characters from the book. The cupcakes would also be a great way to start the GRA!

Happy Birthday, Ally Nickerson.  Fish in a Tree Swims into the World.

Background on the Book - Podcast Lynda Mullaly Hunt did with Matthew Winner. 

Scholastic Resources

Classroom Connections by Caroline Starr Rose

The Nerdy Book Club - Who is Travis Nickerson from A Fish in a Tree?

TeachersPayTeachers

Free Printable's to Accompany the Novel

Free - Fish in the Tree - Quote

Novel Study - Common Core Aligned $5.75

Study Guide and Response Booklet $6.00

Pinterest Page for Fish in a Tree

I look forward to my students connecting with others globally. I also plan to have my students create Movie Trailers for the book.  I also use Kidblog so my students are able to share their writing with a global audience. 

I will continue to add resources as they become available. I would love comments or other suggestions for the book.

Follow Pernille Ripp on Twitter @pernilleripp

Follow Lynda Mullaly Hunt @LynMullalyHunt

Our Most Valuable Resource as Educators - Each Other

As I get ready to begin my 30th year in the education profession, I look back and reflect on the most valuable resource and gift we have as educators - Each Other.  It is so important that we collaborate, share, and work as a team.  We expect this from the students we have the privilege of teaching each day, so it is important we are being role models. They are observant and know when we are truly "Walking the Talk".

Author Unknown

I learned some of my most valuable lessons in my first few years of teaching.  I was blessed to begin my career in a building where three of the most amazing educators became my mentors and friends.  They were there for me each time I felt like I failed my students, (which was often) and cheered me on when successes were celebrated. They were my biggest advocates and loudest cheerleaders.  Never once did I feel like I was being judged for my failures or successes. It is not surprising that two became building administrators and the other the director of counseling services.

Robert John Meehan

As teachers, I feel sometimes we are often our own worse critics. Our job is more challenging than ever and many days are emotionally draining.  Do I feel the profession has changed over the years, honestly, at times my answer is "Yes". Teaching has never been about competing, judging others, or talking negatively behind each others' backs. Involving parents in these conversations is also not what our profession is about.  I realize we are all different, and we may not be "friends" with all our colleagues, but I believe there needs to be mutual respect, kindness, and professionalism.  

Dave Willis

Let's be there to listen, support, and encourage one another.  Not only for our students, but for each other. As Learners Together...

Listen
Encourage
Accept Differences
Respectful
Nonjudgmental
Empower Each Other
Relationships (What Teaching is all About) 
Supportive


I am excited as I begin my journey into another school year. As Rita Pierson stated in her TED Talk "Is this job tough? You betcha! Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference."  

Celebrate Each Other

Edmunds Lee

Be There for Each Other 

Nelson Mandela

Take Chances Together

Author Unknown

Celebrate Differences

Laugh Together and Enjoy the Moment 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My tech coach +Ann Feldmann sums it up perfectly! #BetterTogether

Coding in the Elementary Classroom

Our students are growing up in a completely different world than we did. Coding has become an integral part of all our lives.  Learning the language of computers should be a vital component of our curriculum. Technology is a huge part of our students' future. 

I try to incorporate computer science activities in my classroom weekly.  Over the course of the weeks not only do my students learn how to code, but they learn so many important life-skills.  Students participate in "Plugged" and Unplugged" activities.  Each year, with some guidance and little help, my students begin their journey into coding and programming.

What do my students learn?
Persistence
Collaboration
Problem Solving
Logical Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Cause and Effect
Being Inquisitive
Communication Skills
Having Fun

They also learn about algorithms, debugging, variables, events, conditionals, and how to loop. Having persistence is one skill they develop very quickly.  Yes, my students learn how to create code to run programs, create games, animation, and interactive stories.  I have a lot of enthusiastic future computer scientists in my class each year.

Link to the Code.org Glossary

What do we use to code?  My favorite site is Code.org Site for the basis of my lessons, but that didn't stop us from using several other programs and apps to code. With budget restraints over the years, we use all programs and apps that are free and there are plenty of great ones out there.

On day one, we create a Padlet Wall to share what we already know about coding or what we want to learn. Here is what some of my soon to be fifth graders had to say.

Coding Padlet Wall - What does it Mean to Code and Why is it Important?

Hour of Code December 2017

Computer Science Education Week:  December 4th-10th
Hour of Code Activities
Robots and Circuits

There are several new Hour of Code activities that have been added to the code.org site.  Follow @teachcode on Twitter to keep updated on all the exciting new activities that are being added and updated.

Hour of Code with Khan Academy

Box Island: Hour of Code 2017
Now a new free app by Radiant Games has been added to the Hour of Code - Box Island: One Hour of Coding.

Post on Box Island 2015

Swift Playgrounds is one of my students new favorite coding apps. It was just released September 2016.  You can learn programming and the language of code while having fun using  Swift Playgrounds on the iPad. Your iPad does need to be updated to iOS 10 in order to download.

PBS Kids ScratchJr  MIT Media Lab PBS Kids ScratchJr  is based on ScratchJr programming language. Student select from over 150 PBS characters to create games and stories using coding concepts. Using colorful coding blocks students can get their characters to dance, sing, hop, run, and move in different directions. Students can create their own projects or select a Story Starter. Within the app there is an Interface Guide, Paint Editor Guide, and Blocks Guide to assist students in learning how to code.

 Code.org - Website 
We used the Code.org site each day.  It was the basis for the programing class. We completed both "Plugged" and "Unplugged" activities. 

Code with Minecraft

Student select either Jack or Steve as their character. You will use blocks to code through the Minecraft world.

Code with Star Wars

Students will create a galaxy with code. Two options are available; using drag-drop blocks,or drag-drop box using JavaScript.

Tynker and Hour of Code  Tynker will be participating in Hour of Code by offering programming some new coding activities for students from Kindergarten through the 8th grade. For students in third grade and older there is Hot Wheels and Monster High puzzle sets.  For older students they are offering Code Commander and Code Monster. I will be using the Tynker website with my students.

Free Apps and Sites for Programming and Coding

Scratch - Website 
Students will need to have an email account to use Scratch on the website.

ScratchJr - App 
ScratchJr was one of my 
students favorites for coding. Students were able to program their own games and interactive stories. They created characters that they were able to make move, dance, jump, and even sing.  They were extremely motivated as they were using language and math to design projects and solve problems.  ScratchJr was developed by MIT.
                          

Lightbot -                            
One Hour Coding - App
Students can guide a robot to light up tiles in LIghtbot. They used procedures and commands to solve 50 different levels. As they work through the levels they collect challenge stars. Students use their programming skills with procedures, using loops and conditionals. It helped introduce my students to programming concepts.

                       

LEGO - Mindstorms - 

Fix the Factory - App  There is a LEGO robot that students use code and commands to program.  You pick up multi-colored battery packs and put them where they belong.  Students program the robot to get through a maze to power up the factory.

The Foos - App  

Students had to program characters in The Foos to complete the different levels.  There are forty-two levels plus a toy box for students to use.  They can creatively create their own programs. 

CodeSpark Academy with the Foos Hour of Code
codeSpark Academy with the Foos

  







Cargo-Bot    Students teach a robot to move crates by using code in Cargo-Bot. There are 36 puzzles and it uses the program Codea.

Cargo-Bot

Kodable
Kodable is a kid-friendly way to introduce programing concepts.  It is much better with the current updates. Students guide a character along a path and they use loops and commands. Students unlock levels and fuzzes as they work their way through the program. New functions have been added now there is even an underground. 

Hour of Code with Kodable 

Codeacademy

Codeacademy provides students an overview of basic concepts involved with coding games and software.. They are given step-by-step samples of code. Students complete projects broken into three different stages.

Tynker - App 
When using Tynker there are story puzzles where students can solve by dropping and dragging to create code blocks that are visual.  Students have to break down problems into small steps. They are able to create their own puzzles. The major disadvantage for my students was Tynker had only one free game available and the rest are in-app purchases that we were not able to get.
Tynker - Website
Tynker Hour of Code

Hopscotch - App
Hopscotch is similar to ScratchJr.  My students enjoyed it as they used building blocks to create animation, programs and games.  They had to drag and drop blocks for their protects   My students really liked the aspect that they can play each others projects.  

Hopscotch Hour of Code

KineScriptLite - App
Students use visual programming language to create stories, games, and animation. My students really liked the movements and sound effects. What they created can be shared through email.

Pyonkee - App 
Pyonkee is based on Scratch.  Students create visual blocks to create animation, games and stories of their own.  It is  more challenging than ScratchJr and Tynker as they start programming right away without step-by-step guidance.  

Daisy the Dinosaur - App 
This was too easy for the students I was working with.  It is geared toward five and six year-olds. Students have to get Daisy the Dinsosaur to dance by using loops and commands. After students make it though the challenges they created their own games.

Inspirational Videos for Students to try Computer Science
Computer Science 

Students Top Six Favorite Coding Apps from Summer 2016

Click Here to View

Fourth Graders Created a Video on Beyond the Hour of Code

Madison, Lainey, and Ava did an awesome job explaining what we used for programming and coding!

I would love to hear how you teach and use coding in your classroom.