Sunday, March 28, 2010

Tar Heel Reader!

   This week we had to make a story book on line for one of our assignments in my class.  I thought this was a really neat project, because by making it on line children have the opportunity to show it to so many people! I feel as though this will make the quality of the work much better and the students will want to take ownership for the work they have created.  The program I have chose to work with is called Tar Heel Reader.  I chose this program because I was able to upload pictures off of flicker that are free for the public to use, rather than just using the ones I have taken myself.  This program is targeted more for younger students, you can only write up to two short sentences on each page of the book, or they will not fit on the page when you publish it.  It was a very easy program, once you get the password, you are able to register so you can make books and read books others have written. I loved how all you had to do was type in the word of the picture you were looking for, so it even helps force my students to work on their spelling while looking up pictures they wish to use to illustrate their book.  I also really love how my students are able to express themselves freely while still learning the literary elements of making a book. I composed a story about the life cycle of a sunflower, you can check it out here.
It was a simple process but has a lot to offer, students can listen to the story in a child's voice, man's voice, woman's voice, or they can read the book on their own without any auditory. This is a wonderful way for students to be introduced to concepts in print and phonological awareness! Check it out and see what you think!

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