Comments on: Tracking Students On BrainPOP

By: allisyn

allisyn — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:03:42 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas, Michele and Robert! I love the self-assessment component. Great thinking!

By: Michele Velthuizen

Michele Velthuizen — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:55:53 +0000

For the first time this year our library created information literacy tracking folders for the 5th and 6th graders (I’m a middle school librarian). Each time students come in (whether it be for a language arts, social studies, or a science project), they add the skills they learn during the lesson to their folder. This includes the type of resources they use. At the end of class students assess how well they did using a smiley face (happy, average or sad); the column next to it is for the teacher to fill out (myself or the subject teacher). This not only helps us track each student’s progress but also helps students skills they acquire in the library. You can find the checklist for the 5th and 6th graders by going to this link: <http://fc.ash.nl/~mvelthuizen/FOV2-0000E02C/S006ECF10?Plugin=Metro.
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Michele Velthuizen
Middle School Librarian, American School of The Hague

By: Robert Miller

Robert Miller — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:05:43 +0000

With any movie we watch in class, I allow my students to review it later or at home. They then decide which of the graphic organizers they would use to summarize or detail what they have learned… deciding which organizer fits their need is a higher level thinking skill itself! (Organizers are offered as .pdfs under “Classroom Tools”– I keep a stash of each in easy student reach).

My grading is done as accumulated points over the term so students turn their organizers in for an extra point or two (depending on quality). I encourage them to also have their parents join in on any home viewing, adding comments or signing just for fun. <— This is a great way to get parents in-the-know of what a great resource BrainPOP is when it comes time for renewing a subscription and hitting up the PTA for funding.

Every Friday I input their points in our online grade book, allowing them 10-20 additional points over the quarter. They like to watch their totals grow (like RC or AR points) and often will continue to submit even if they have topped out the max.

With limited time and computers in class, I usually offer the extra points to those movies directly related to what we watch in class or of our studies. Students many venture and watch other movies listed in the “Related Movies” column but with this “one degree of separation,” it keeps a focus.

By: Allisyn

Allisyn — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:51:52 +0000

Ha! I just thought of another idea. Students can create (or you can photocopy) this type of log in their own notebooks and add to it each time they use BrainPOP or BrainPOP Jr. It can become their BrainPOP Notebook, and you can collect and assess a few each week to keep up with how your students are doing.

More ideas?