Ms. De Santis’ Blog

Inundated by countless videos available online?  Exhausted  serving as a filter?  Worn out looking for content?

Now there is a solution.  WatchKnow (think you watch and then you know) has partnered with Teacher Tube, YouTube, National Geographic, School Tube and other video providers to gather videos prepared for students (ages 3-18).  This site does not produce content but can help you efficiently locate videos.

f you want to teach high school science by inquiry, then consider the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (hosted by the State University of New York at Buffalo). There are dozens of cases (grouped by content from anatomy to psychology).   Each case is divided into sections with reflection questions at the end of each section to help prompt critical thinking.  These are geared to grades 9 and above.

Enjoy this Photopeach created by third grade teacher Adrienne Visone!  Her students completed the “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin Project. Can you count how many pumpkin stations they enjoyed? Everyone (myself included) had a magnificent time exploring language, science, art, and math skills- all with a pumpkin theme. (My favorite station was word making!)

Classroom newsletters are an excellent way to keep parents informed.  So how would a monthly video newsletter work?  April Magistro is using animoto to summarize the month’s activities and share the experiences with her first grade parents.

What do parents think?   ”Watching the video make us feel like part of your class.” and “Cannot wait until November’s video mail comes!”

Think of how you could use this as part of an end of year presentation as well! If you need an animoto account (or if your account has expired), please email www.animoto.com/education and apply for a teacher account.