Tag Archives: Collaborations

Monsters and Marzano

As I’m listening to Monster Matches today, I hear the students working hard to identify what is similar and what is different between their monsters. In the session I’m listening to now, both teachers are having their students identify things that are similar and different. The teachers also have the students think about how they could have written their description better.

It occurred to me that this fits nicely with Marzano’s strategy of having students identify similarities and differences.

As an instructional strategy, it includes various activities that help learners see patterns and make connections. For example, students compare things that are similar and contrast things that express differences. They classify when they identify features or characteristics of a group of objects or ideas, and then develop a scheme to organize those objects.

After identifying the differences, students make connections (organize?) by trying to determine what they could have done differently to help the other class better understand what they meant.

Here’s a challenge for you today: How are YOUR videoconferences using research based instructional strategies?

Monster Rides a Wagon

Here’s a story of persistance for you!

Sylvester Elementary’s videoconferencing system isn’t working, but they are in the same town as us. In fact, just across a parking lot and a field. So for one class’ Monster Match today, they loaded up their monsters and donned their jackets for a trip over to videoconference.

One monster was very large, so it rode a wagon on the way over, with two students holding it carefully so it wouldn’t fall over. Over the fields and through the woods, to Grandma’s videoconferencing room, we go!

Monster Pairs Part 3

Whew! Made it through a second day of Monster Match. I had eight classes participating today. I captured monster pair pictures for two of them for you to enjoy. I heard some really careful thoughtful comparison and contrasts today, as well as describing how we might have written a phrase differently to make it clearer for the other class.

6th & 8th Grade Edwardsburg, MI and El Paso, TX

Three Oaks, MI and Fairfield, TX, 1st grade

Great job, everyone! Two more days to go.

Presidential Energy Debate with Florida

Today, amongst several Monster Match videoconferences, we have Dowagiac Middle School connecting with Lake Stevens Middle School in Florida for a presidential debate about energy. These are two science classes studying the environment.

Our class started with an introduction by two students posing as McCain and Palin, and then some introductions from the “mayor” of Dowagiac. Some students also told about the Potawatami Indians living in our area. Then the students presented in groups various aspects of the McCain-Palin energy policies, complete with visuals.

The class in Florida started with an introduction from students posing as Obama and Biden. Their presentation included a little section of Obama saying “McCain says…” and the rest of the students shouting “That’s more of the same!” During their debate/presentation section, the students not presenting were more like a live audience during a campaign speech. Lots of spirit!

After the presentations, the students asked each other questions. Everyone was pretty excited to talk to each other. Here are some examples:

  • Have any of you experienced a hurricane?
  • What are the gas prices there?
  • How long are your summers?
  • How many kids are in your school?
  • Have you guys ever seen snow?

Everyone really enjoyed this connection… We found it on CAPspace.

Monster Pairs Part 2

And, I captured one other set of monsters today from a middle school 6th grade connection for Monster Match.

One of the monsters didn’t match very well at all:

I’m sure the students learned a bit more about writing directions in this pair!

Their second one was a much better match:

That’s it for snippets from today! Look for more pairs from tomorrow’s 9 Monster Match connections!

Monster Pairs Part 1

This week I have 45 videoconferences, 15 just today! The majority of them are Monster Match connections with Roxanne‘s schools. I’m hoping to collect some examples and pairs, and this is the first post in a series of captured monsters….

First, Lakeshore Middle School, MI and Dew ISD, TX. 6th grade students.


Had a little trouble with this one.


There was some confusion over the hat/head decorations and the skirt on this one.

Second, Mars Elementary, MI, and Franklin Elementary, TX, PreK students.

A little more teacher help with the younger students, and you can tell!

After the monsters the kids ask each other some questions. We had snow this morning, so weather was a hot topic. My favorite question though was from our PreK kids to TX: “Do you have cows?” Then, “do your cows have long horns?”

Stay tuned for more Monster Pairs throughout the week!

Diwali and Halloween

This morning 1st graders from Three Oaks Elementary are connecting with students from Kothari International School, Noida, near New Delhi, India.

The classes each shared about an October holiday – Diwali for India, and Halloween for the United States. Both schools shared a little about their area, visuals showing the food and dress for the holiday, and even a song. Three Oaks shared their Fall Poem, complete with actions! Each class had nice visual demonstrations for each other.

We connected at 8:40 am our time in the morning. The students had just arrived at school. In India, it was Friday evening, about 6:10 pm and the students gathered at a home with access to videoconferencing.

Here are some of the questions they asked each other:

  • Do you carve pumpkins in India?
  • What does your food taste like?
  • What is Halloween all about?
  • What is the weather like there?
  • Is it snowing there?

The students had a great time interacting with each other. Our students are going to study Diwali more to understand it further. We look forward to future collaborations with our friends in India.

Tips for Posters

In this post, I am collecting several tips for doing posters well that I’ve collected through many videoconference sessions.

Simple Short Text
Don’t write too much on the poster. Write the key words, the part the other class should write down (if necessary). Put full sentences on the back for the student to read when presenting the poster.

Big Bold Text
Any text that the other class needs to see or write down should be big & bold and written with dark colors. Use large text, strong contrast with no light colors for lettering, and very large pictures or drawings. Huge thick lines for drawing and writing are best. Test your poster by holding it up across the room to see if you can still read it.Compare and contrast the following examples:

Hold Still & Zoom In
If the poster is moving around, the camera never focuses on it, and so the other class can never see it clearly. Hold the poster still and zoom in (or set a preset for zooming in.) Some classes even tape the poster to a chalkboard or set it on an easel to hold it still.

Read off the back
If you read any notes from the back of the poster, it’s easier to keep the posters still and therefore readable for the camera.

Following these tips should make for a much more pleasant experience for the class listening to your presentation.

Please comment if you have any other tips to add.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I thought I’d write about a few Canadians I’m thankful for today! Hope you all are enjoying your pumpkin pie! I had mine for Sabbath dinner. Yum Yum!

And, for the Americans reading this blog, check out a little history of Canadian Thanksgiving. Did you know it was celebrated before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth? Wikipedia concurs. Wouldn’t that make an interesting videoconference, to compare the history and celebrations of Thanksgiving in these two great countries?!