A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively
engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.
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Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:
The teacher will begin the activity by sharing the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
After the reading and discussion of the book, students will brainstorm a list of descriptive words and rhyming words associated with fish.
Using these words, students will write a simple poem.
The students will draw and color their own unique fish (a fish template can be used if needed).
Students will create their own media art project by combining their poem and their drawing into the app Fishypaint, which will animate their fish.
The students will use the tablet camera and the FishyPaint app to capture their fish image into the app.
They will take a digital photo of themselves and add this to the app.
They will then record themselves reading their original poem. They will save their completed animation and then share their finished movie.
Assessment Strategies:
The teacher should read student poems to see if the students are using descriptive and rhyming words. The teacher should evaluate the student project to determine if the students created a media project that combined writing the poem with their drawing and narration. The students should reflect on their work with the self-evaluation tool.
The teacher will need access to the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.
The app FishyPaint needs to be downloaded on student iPads. Markers and crayons for each student should be used to draw and color the fish. A fish template may be used to assist students. A sample of a completed fish would be helpful for students. Prior to this lesson, the teacher should read aloud several simple poems for kids. The students should already be familiar with taking pictures with an iPad.
Variation Tips (optional):
Variations on this lesson include using various art techniques to create the fish like stamping, printing, collage, etc.
The type of narration can be varied to fit multiple English Language Arts curriculum content. For example, the students could write and then record a sentence about a fish, a dialogue said by the fish, or a personal narrative from the fish. Please check to see how long the student may record before selecting other options.
Students could also work with partners to complete this assignment.
Teacher guided instruction might be needed to help students use the app and record their poems.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
This lesson would be good for EL students to practice speaking.