• Choose Your Own Adventure Stories

    Do you remember reading the old Choose Your Own Adventure Books?   Students can create these wonderful stories using either Google Forms or Google Slides. Google Forms: Step by Step Instructions Can Be Found Here: https://goo.gl/n8H92a Key Skill:   Students must learn how to select “Go to section based on answer” inside their google form. […]

  • Ipad Xmas Projects for Visualization in Reading and Writing

    We know that when our students can visualize, their writing is descriptive and engaging.  Here are two seasonal projects teachers can do: 1. Create a rebus letter to Santa. This can be done using applications of Book Creator or Explain Everything add text and images to create the letter extend the activity by asking students […]

  • Creating Fictional Origins of Idioms

    Idioms and jargons are used everyday in our lives. We know that for our EL Learners and a lot of students in our classes, idioms and jargon can be difficult.  As a literary device, idioms are extremely effective and add to “style” of writing.  Idioms are colourful, personal and vivid.   I could describe our […]

  • Using Stop Motion for A Compare and Contrast Poem

    Students can create a variety of projects using Stop Motion, but using it to illustrate their poetry, can allow to students demonstrate their own perspective through visuals.  Creating an audio bite and back drops can established the mood of the poem. Poems which contrast things are most effective.  Also Poems which have action words can be used. […]

  • Writing Newspaper Articles

    Have you ever considered having students create newspaper stories or articles?  Or even full newspapers? Students will learn to choose descriptive concise language when writing an article. Keep these in mind: Start with a lead which captures the audience Give important details and facts (who, what, where, when, why and how) which are necessary components […]

  • Creating Comics on your iPad

    Comics are very powerful pieces of writing.  Students enjoy reading and creating comics. Two apps on the iPad,, Comic Life and BookCreator, allow students to create their own comics.  One of the best ways to engage your students in a story writing dialogue activity, is to use Comics.   What better way is there to show how writing […]

  • Collaborative Writes Benefit all Students

    Collaborative Writes Benefit all Students Collaboration strengthens writing skills and improves Communication  Sense of Responsibility to complete a task improves growth in Personal Awareness Sharing of Ideas with a diversity of opinions and styles promotes Positive Personal and Cultural Identity Sharing of Expertise with Peer Editing develops Critical Thinking Skills *Bolded Core Competencies  Using the iPads, collaborative writing […]

  • Using “Book Creator” or “Explain Everything” to create a How To Book

    “How to Videos” are a craze on YouTube.  To bump up the “How to”  use Book Creator or Explain Everything.  Both of these apps give a variety of extra tools to create a better procedural writing. Bring in artifacts, such as skipping rope, card game, etc Criteria: at least one video a picture a soundbite […]

  • Using iMovie to “Produce” a Poem

    Use this poem to create an iMovie. The Bluebird Poem 1 or on Canada and government I am Canadian Poem imovieipad2 for iPads imovie8greenscreen for Macbooks  Read the poem Chunk the poem into parts (stanzas, couplets, etc) Find images for each of the parts (google image search, search tools, usage rights) and save to device Create a […]

  • Using iMovie Trailers to Compare and Contrast

    Using iMovie is a creative way for students to practice the language of Compare and Contrast. Here is a document  with key words used in both compare and contrast. Compare and Contrast Use one of the Storyboards to have students compare and contrast two things.  Each text line needs to be a sentence comparing or […]