Lesson Plans and Resources AB.ca curriculum

Turning paper documents into editable digital files

2010-08-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I am blown away by this one. If you are struggling with old master copies of outdated resources that have to be updated, or brought back to clean black and white life, there is a program that will read your scans or photos and turn them into editable word .doc files. It even preserves the original pictures.

The program is called Abbyy Finereader and it does all it says it does.

You can download a free trial on CNET, and if you don't have the hundred bucks, it is available for PC or Mac on thepiratebay.org

Resources for Shop / Industrial Arts

2010-08-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've been finding it difficult to find resources for shop and industrial arts, however here are some useful links

Safety (specific tools)

How to (specific tools)

Leather working (video series)

Turning work on a Lathe

Video/Audio capture made simple

2010-08-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

There's an update on atubecatcher (I posted on this software a while back).

It now allows you to capture anything on your screen, as well as audio. Effectively this means you can now use it to burn movies, videos, anything you can see and hear on your computer and record it as a video file to use somewhere else. It is high definition and high quality audio and works with about 4 mouseclicks, clean and simple.

I donated $10, because this new update solves dozens of problems for me.

Wow.

Video Converter .mov to .avi

2010-06-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've had an iPhone for a while now, and I'm really happy with how simple and high quality the video is. You can shoot for hours, and well, yeah.

The one frustration I've had is that I can't edit .mov files in Windows movie maker, and use them, for anything. I don't have a mac and I'm not getting one, so.

I found a solution. It's called Prism video converter, it's free, and it will convert folders rather than single files. It's also quite quick.

The only other issue I've had is that videos are often 90 degrees rotated when they are converted. This happens with Prism too, but if you are editing, it's a quick fix on WMM, in that you only have to select effects, click rotate 90, 180 or 270 degrees, and your clip is back to normal.

Whoot.

Enjoy using your iPhone.

Cheers

Dave

CTS CON 3040 Stair Construction Module (1 credit course)

2010-06-22T17:06:00.004-07:00

I've just finished planning a course for CTS. Here is a link to the homepage.

It will be part of a larger offering (5 credits) but none of the work is finished for that yet.

If you'd like to see the shell of the portal, it is here.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2010-03-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

The King with Six Friends - Read aloud

2010-03-06T15:42:00.001-08:00

Here is a great Picture Book I loved when I was a kid.

Enjoy.

Paper basket weaving activity grade 1

2010-03-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a template for a paper basket and curricular outcomes from Jena Ursel

EXPRESSION
Component 10 (iii) MEDIA AND TECHNIQUES:
Students will use media and techniques, with an emphasis on exploration
and direct methods in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, fabric
arts, photography and technographic arts.

D. Sculpture
Create three-dimensional forms, using paper sculpture techniques of
folding, scoring, cutting, curling, weaving, rolling, twisting, joining.

ELA grade 3 unit plan - Folktales, Legends and Myths

2010-02-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here is an ELA unit plan for grade three minus lesson plans and assessment tools.

The outline is clear and complete though.

Zipping and Google Docs

2010-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today I want to talk about a couple of handy tools that have allowed me to set up this blog as a resource base for ed. The first is zip tools. The second is Google Docs. For my Art classmates, this is what I was rambling incoherently about at the end of class on Monday. Basically how to upload large files to the internet so others can access them.

Zip tools have been around for a fairly long time, but they are something that non-tech people often don't know about. If you've ever wanted to send a bunch of pictures, music or documents to someone in an email and are frustrated that you have to upload and download them one by one, a zip file is the solution.
Here is a link to download zip software.

1 download and install filzip using the wizard
2 select a file folder with whatever files you want to share in it
3 right click and hover over filzip, then select add to zip

You will now see a little green icon. This is your folder, but it is now a zip file or closed file that can be sent as one piece.

The problem with emailing zip files is that most email providers limit the size of attachments, so you can't send a movie or a huge folder full of files.

Google docs is a solution.
Click here to go to google docs. You need a google account to access this site, set one up if you don't have one. Here is how you upload and download files.

1 Once you are logged in, click "upload" in the upper left hand corner.
2 Click "select files to upload"
3 Select your files or zip file if you've created one (no need to unless you are sharing a bunch of files, like a unit plan or bank of lesson plans). You can upload any file type you want, including movies, powerpoints, notebook files, so you can share every digital resource you need to teach a unit.
4 Uncheck the box that says "convert to google docs" this is impotant, as it will wipe out all your formatting and make a slick lesson plan look terrible.
5 click "start upload"
6 Once the file is uploaded, click on the google docs icon to go back to the main page.
7 check the box beside the file you would like to share, then click "share" in the dropdown menu above.
8 click "get the link to share"
9 check allow anyone with the link to view
10 select and copy the link

Now you can email this link to someone, you can post it on a blog, or whatever you want. When a person clicks it, they will download your file.

The only limit I've found with Google Docs is that you only have 1024 mb of free space. If you want more, it will cost you $5 per year for 20 gb which is a huge amount of space.

If you want to share a unit plan or a ton of lesson plans, follow this process then send me the link, I'll be happy to post it.

Cheers
Dave

Rights of the Child videos and plans Social 3

2010-02-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

A zip file containing 10 lesson plans and short videos from National Geographic for rights of the child unit in Grade 3.

Part 1

Part 2

If you do not have software to extract the files, it can be found here.

Art 3/4 lesson Chalk carving

2010-02-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Lesson plan
Differentiation and assessment
Video
Powerpoint
Rubric

PSII logbook templates

2010-02-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

Alright, in paying more than lipservice to collegial sharing of resources, here are links to all of my PSII templates. Some appear to be wonky in google docs, but if you download them, the formatting comes back. If you use them, please on your honor, contribute to the bank of materials. Complete lesson plans are currency. So are unit plans. Everything you submit will be posted as I have time. Grades k-12 are welcome but don't send me American resources or things that have to be rewritten to fit the AB curriculum. Only teachable AB materials. To contribute email me documents in word format at davidandrewbryant@gmail.com
Thanks

Feel free to pass this link on to others.

ELA lesson plan blank
Social Lesson Plan blank
Science Lesson Plan blank
Math lesson plan blank
Student interest inventory part 1
Student Interest inventory part 2
Intro letter to parents
Weekplanner Blank
PSII logbook
Dayplanner Blank
Complete Schedule

Meta converter

2010-02-13T04:58:00.000-08:00

If you need to convert files, so Windows works on Mac, or on your iPod etc. here is a meta converter. It does video, audio, doc's, you name it.

www.zamzar.com

handy dandy. I've used CNET for years, and most of the stuff on there these days is pay-per and useless.

Youtube video burner. Avoid the filter.

2010-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

If you've worked in a school where IT and teachers come from different universes, you might be frustrated to find that the filtering of your web access makes your internet connection about as useful as a bucket of hammers. I came across a solution a couple of years back that allows you to burn any video you find on youtube, or most other flash video sites into a hardcopy (saved to disk or flashdrive) that you can then launch from your classroom computer rather than the internet. This will also save you big problems if the wireless or internet connection goes down altogether, as you only need a smartboard and computer to play the video now.

Here is the link. The program is called atube catcher.

Download the program to your computer
install it
open it
find a youtube video
copy the webaddress and drop it into the source box (on top).
hit download

The video will download from youtube, then the program will convert it to a .avi file and drop it on your desktop.

drag and drop the file into your flashdisk and you will be able to play it on Windows Media player at school.

If you have trouble with playback try dropping it from your flashdisk to you desktop before you play it back. Sometimes the files are too large to play through a USB connection smoothly.

Cheers
Dave

Tracefonts for grade three ELA

2010-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

One of the most difficult things about teaching literacy at this level can be a child's inability to form letters in print, let alone write. I found differentiating for ability in grade three writing to be next to impossible, because while some students were writing 2-3 page short stories, others literally had difficulty producing three legible sentences in the same time. Sadly, these students may not have one on one support from an assistant, and their needs are not being served in many cases. What ideas they have may remain trapped in their head, or are illegible if they make it to the page.
One solution in writer's workshop, is to have these students orally tell their stories in a writing center, while the teacher (or assistant) scribes it with a trace font. The story can be printed immediately, with grammatical errors included (have them tell you where to punctuate as they scribe, or add it later.)
Next we print off the story as a traceable page, and have the students use the sheet to write their story over the scribed words. In this way, they are practicing letter formation, and the learning is authentic because the words come from them. The words are ones they know, but may not know how to write. Spelling is learned, correctly as they read and trace words, or it can be approached by the scribe, by asking for the occasional word to be spelled. Scribing it incorrectly in that case, allows students to proofread and correct their spelling the same way any other student would.
Finally, though I have philosophical issues with handwriting to begin with, there is a cursive trace font as well. This saves me as well, because I couldn't handwrite my way out of a wet paper bag; instead, I post my exemplars on the smartboard, trace over them, and learn to form the letters at the same time as the students do. In about 30 years I should be able to handwrite. But that's a different story.

Here are links to the fonts.

printing trace font
handwriting trace font

And instructions to install them into your word program.

extract the tracefont files (.ttf)
open start menu
open control panel
open appearance and personalization
open fonts
drag these three files into the folder

When you open fonts in Word these will come up in the list. The trace fonts are a little hard to see in the list because they are broken lines, but click on them and your font will be a traceable letter in print or cursive.

If you do not have software to extract the files, it can be found here.