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| The Julius Caesar Podcasts ~ Jeremy Lehan |
As a culmination to our study of the
great Shakespearean tragedy, Julius Caesar, students were asked to
memorize a famous speech from the play--an assignment I’ve
traditionally given. On a test, students wrote down the memorized
lines and explained what those lines revealed about the character.
After some inspirational training from the folks at “MLTI,” however,
I decided to add a technological twist. Students would turn their
memorized speeches into a Shakespearean Podcast; this new product
would—I hoped mightily—add to their repertoire of computer
skills as well as deepen their understanding and appreciation of
the Shakespearean language.
I think the results speak for themselves. I’ve included my
own humble effort along with a smattering of the delightful student
products. Enjoy! |
Student Produced Math Instructional Videos
Sarah Salisbury ~ Instructor |
Students created three minute instructional
videos on how to solve systems of linear equations for a specific
method.
In my students words… “When kids my own age are doing
the teaching, I’m more likely to listen and learn”
Objective: “To create an educational video that teaches people
how to do one of the three ways to solve systems of equations (substitution,
graphing, elimination)”
What did you learn? Many students felt they learned the mathematical
process better in having to create their video. Other responses were:
how to use video equipment, import data, edit movies, create own
music, and create effects on i-movie. One student said, “I
learned how to use a ton of technology even though it was causing
many problems too” |
Poetry Reading
Laura Libby's English Classes |
I was inspired to create a poetry
project after visiting the Favorite Poem Project’s website.
http://www.favoritepoem.org/project.html Robert Pinsky, former Poet
Laureate of the United States, founded this project in 1997 with
the intent of encouraging people to read, share, and celebrate the
poems that they loved.
The site features videos of people from all walks of life reading
and talking about poems they love. We showed many of these videos
to our students as we prepared for their readings. In our classes,
students selected poems that meant something to them, spent time
rehearsing their readings and reflecting about why they responded
to these poems, and then we filmed the readings, edited the films
using iMovie, Fireworks, and GarageBand.
This project has given students a chance to practice their speaking
skills, to explain their interest in or history with a poem, and
to learn some new technology skills. |
Poetry Reading
Elizabeth Wathen's English Class |
I got the idea for the poetry reading project after
researching the Poetry Out Loud competition and the Favorite Poem Project.
http://www.favoritepoem.org/project.html I used elements of both to
create this project. We started reading different poems and working
with those, we wrote poems based on styles, and I also showed them
video clips from the Favorite poem project as models. The students
proceeded to choose favorite poems and find information on the Internet
about the poems and the authors. The students then presented to the
class and were videotaped. The last step for them was to use technology:
imovie, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Garage Band, in order to finalize
their projects and make them fit for the Internet. Through this project
students were able to utilize fluency and analysis with poetry while
using the available technology to enhance these skills. Another remarkable
thing about this project is that it gave students a way to interact
with the poetry on a personal level because they explained why they
chose their poems and related them to their lives. |
| Whitten Brook |
This stream study reflects the State
of Maine Learning Results by demonstrating standard strands in the
categories of Skills and Traits of Scientific Inquiry where students
need to methodically plan, conduct, analyze data from, and communicate
results of in-depth scientific investigations including experiments
guided by a testable hypothesis, and in the strand of Systems where
students apply an understanding of systems to explain and analyze man-made
and natural phenomena in addition the Science, Technology, and Society
strand where students describe the role of science and technology in
creating and solving contemporary issues and challenges. |
| Sports Entertainment and Marketing |
This course allowed students to develop leadership
and academic skills through the process of creating a community brochure
and video. Students were divided into advertising teams in which they
had to come up with an advertising team name and slogan. After coming
up with a team name and slogan, teams created business cards to use
when out in the community meeting and talking with business owners
and community members. Each team decided as to whether they wanted
to do a project on the Run of the River or Skowhegan Downtown Revitalization.
This project involved students in work that was challenging, complex,
and filled with student choice and decision-making, and promoted collaborative
working partnerships between youth and adults. The students really
learned a lot about their community, the importance of encouraging
people to use their downtown. Students could actually see the value
in completing the project, knowing that their work will be used in
their community |
| This I Believe-Our Essays |
This I Believe is a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. NPR airs these three-minute essays on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow. |
| Health PSA Project |
Tobacco Public Service Announcement
Each Group will create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) associated with the harmful effect of tobacco use and abuse. This project is designed to get all members of the group involved in creating the project. Each member will be graded on the specific area that they committed to doing. |
| Climographs |
A climograph is a useful tool for displaying the average temperature and average precipitation of locations around the world. By combining a line graph showing temperature fluctuations over the course of a year and 12 bars representing the monthly rainfall, a quick understanding of climate is revealed.
Students in my Honors World Studies class were charged with the task of creating individual climographs and analyzing them in light of the 4 factors that shape climate: latitude, wind patterns/ocean currents, elevation, and landforms.
In the process, students gained valuable familiarity with Excel (creating graphs), Fireworks, (editing images), and Dreamweaver (webpage creation). Whether developing new skills or honing previously held ones, this will serve them beyond my class. |
| SAPPI |
Chemistry students work with
mentors from Sappi Fine Paper Company to solve hypothetical
"real" world water quality issues. From the hypothetical scenarios,
student teams are required to locate and isolate a given water contaminant.
Students are then required to develop scientifically and economically
feasible solutions to the problem and present findings and solutions
to a team of evaluators made up of mentors, administrators, teachers,
and peers. |
| Math |
The curriculum for "Contemporary Mathematics
in Context" builds upon the theme of mathematics as sense-making.
Investigations of real-life contexts leads to discovery of important
mathematics that make sense to students and, in turn, enable them
to make sense out of new situations and problems. Each year the four
strands of mathematics are studied: algebra and functions, geometry
and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and discrete mathematics.
Web pages that summarize the relevant topics are created and used
by students, teachers, and parents who are interested in review,
preview, and learning. |
| Teacher Portfolio |
Mrs. Wathen's portfolio is an example of how
we are working to improve the comfort level of our teachers as they
use technology. Elizabeth is a regular in our Staff Development courses
and is constantly seeking to improve her skill level along with the
skill levels of her students. |
| Biology |
Mrs. Bolvin has put her Biology curriculum
online. The links contain information such as
class expectations, grading rubrics, class projects, chapter/unit
expectations as well as links to obtain more indepth information
on the topics covered in class. |
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"What is being attempted here is an exercise
in intellectual summation. From my perspective as instructor, my
greatest concern is that the aggregation of knowledge and skill has,
at some point in their tenure here, a focus. I believe that the portfolio
is an excellent vehicle for that focus. It provides each student
with the ability to select, refine, and enhance the best that they
have done to date. It is a cross-curriculum exercise, for it involves
language arts, music, dance, mathematics, history, and drama."
Nick
Pierce, SAHS Honors English Teacher |
SAHS Blogs
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Weblogs or blogs have provided an opportunity
for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate in
a new and exciting way. A blog (short for weblog) is an interactive
web page where individuals can post entries, articles, links, and
pictures and ask others to join in conversations. The Blog provides
a comfortable venue for many students to express their ideas. It
promotes a risk-free environment by creating opportunities for all
students in and out of class to join the discussion. The blog has
allowed teachers to expand the boundaries of learning beyond the
classroom as students engage in conversations with fellow classmates
and students from other schools outside of the regularly scheduled
class times.
MLR Alignment |
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