Things 17 & 27: DIY – You Pick!

My  third graders were doing a unit on animal research - worms.  We started with Diary of a Worm by Cronin. Discussed fiction vs nonfiction and then moved to nonfiction books about worms and taking notes. I wanted to integrate technology for them.  PowerPoint would be a little challenging for this crowd, so I used Kathy Shrock's site to try and find another kind of  online tool for my students to use.  I found Popplet - a graphic organizer/mind map tool.  It has a free trial version and works on a PC. We used the note sheets they had done the week before and input them into Popplet.  What worked so well for my students was the fact that they could also freehand draw in the program. The program was easy to use and follow with minimal directions and the students did great!  It is very user friendly.  Many times the students get more into changing the fonts and colors rather than their content, and this app had some choices, but not too many to get overwhelmed.  Here is one student's work.  I love the product and it has a school license option.