I Have a Dream...

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the students wrote at least one "dream" or hope they have for the future. After writing, they illustrated their work. Using Audacity software, the students then recorded their "dream" which I mixed together. To listen to their speech, use your smart phone or Ipad to scan the QR code below. I made the QR code using QR Stuff.

We Are Thankful...

The students recorded what they are thankful for using Audacity recording software. You can visit our podcasting site to listen to their recording. Parents, the recording can be downloaded to any MP3 enabled device. Some of the students also wrote about what they were thankful for and some brought in pictures to share.

Five Fat Turkeys Podcast

This week we are learning more about poetry. In particular, we are learning about the use of rhyming, alliterations, and sensory details. The students practiced reading "Five Fat Turkeys" to identify rhyming words. To help them increase their self-awareness when reading and to increase their fluency, we used Audacity to record their readings. The students would give themselves a rating, a part of our Capturing Kids' Hearts process, and decide if they should record it again. Once they were satisfied with  their reading, we saved the recording. I later uploaded the recording to our podcasting site hosted by PodBean. You can also download Audacity for FREE to use at home. All you need is some kind of microphone input device which can be found at most electronics stores or Walmart/Target for cheap.

You can listen to their podcast of Five Fat Turkeys here. You can download the podcast to any MP3 enabled device.

What Love Means to Me

Today the students wrote what love means to them in honor of Valentine's Day. They wrote very sweet things! Take a listen below to their podcast:

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How To: Podcasting

Fellow teachers, several of you have asked how we do the podcasting in our class. At first I wasn't sure I could do this either, but Moseley's technology facilitator, Sharon Thornton, showed me that it wasn't as hard as I thought. Mrs. Thornton can explain it better than I ever could and has already done so at her technology integration site. She has examples of how to use podcasting in your classroom, steps to think about before you start, and step-by-step directions on how to create and implement your podcasts. She also has directions for how to download and use the recording software Audacity. She also has several options listed of sites that can host your podcasts. The podcasting host that I use is PodBean. While you are at her site, check out all of the other great resources and downloadable directions that she has shared - she's amazing!

I Have a Dream

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the students wrote their dreams and recorded them using Audacity software. These might bring a tear to your eye! The students came up with the ideas all on their own. Click below to listen to their dreams. You can download the podcast to your computer or phone through our class podcasting site.

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Short Vowel Poetry

Over the last few weeks we have been focusing on short vowel sounds. To help practice reading the sounds fluently, the students practiced the poem "Ted." You can listen to their poetry reading below. The poems were recorded using Audacity software. A link to Audacity is at the side of the page along with many other helpful links. For fluency practice, a highly recommend Dr. Tim Rasinski's poems which can be found in his books Poems for Word Study. There are several different versions of this book for different grade levels.





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You can also hear other examples of their reading at our class podcasting site.

Fluency Podcasting

As guided reading today, the students practiced recording their favorite poems using Audacity software. They recorded again and again until they were happy with their recording. The poems that we typically use are from Dr. Timothy Rasinski's book Poems for Word Study. You can hear all of their recordings at my podcasting site on Podbean. You can download the podcasts to your computer, IPhone, IPod, or IPad. Below is an example of today's recordings:

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Christmas Cheer

This week to practice our fluency the students practiced the poem and song, "Christmas Cheer." The song is to the tune of "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." Click below to hear the students practicing using Audacity software. Parents, you can download the song through my podcasting site at Podbean.

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Fluency Focus: Choral Reading

One of the many activities we do in class to increase our reading fluency is choral reading. We have "Friday Face-Offs" where the boys and girls take turns reading the weekly homework and giving constructive feedback to one another. We also use a free downloadable software, Audacity, to record the readings. The students listen to their recordings and then analyze how they can read more fluently. You can download Audacity to use at home; all you need is a computer microphone (can be found cheaply at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) and speakers and/or headphones for your child to hear themselves. The students love it because they become the stars of their own reading show. Below are a few Podcasts of some of the poems we learned this six weeks. You can download the Podcasts to your MP3 player by visiting my Podbean website.

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Reader's Theater Presentation

Below are the podcasts of the end of year reader's theater presentations. The students recorded "The Three Little Pigs" in the computer lab using Audacity software, with the help of our technology facilitator. The students were so excited about their recording that we decided to record the other two in class.

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The recordings can also be found at my Podbean website if you want to download and save them.

Fluency Work

As a part of their reading development, the students are expected to read with fluency and expression. A great way to help them practice "reading like they talk" is by using a recording software that allows them to hear themselves. At the school we use a recording software program, Audacity. Our class frequently practices reading our weekly poems into the program with a goal of becoming better with each reading. Because they get immediate feedback, the students become extremely engaged in the activity and even the most reluctant readers love to be the star of their own reading show. One of the best features about Audacity is that it is completely free to download and your child can begin immediately using it in conjunction with your computer's microphone.