Posts on “ vocabulary ”

We met Melissa Katz at the  Celebration of Teaching and Learning conference Tweet-Up, hosted by BrainPOP and Promethean.  She was eager to share with us how much she loved both BrainPOP and Promethean ActivExpressions.  Check out how she successfully integrates them into her learning environment. BrainPOP ROCKS in my classroom!  I use BrainPOP mostly to introduce or reinforce a lesson.  BrainPOP movies are the perfect length (3 to 5 minutes) packed with content and perfectly aligned to the NYS science standards! BrainPOP makes it easy for you to connect the content and resources with your state standards via the State Standards Tool. When I introduce a topic, I will play the movie first and give my students the corresponding BrainPOP vocabulary sheet.  Under each movie, you’ll find an Activity Page section, for you to print or have your students type on directly.  I then send them on a research mission related to a real world problem with the condition that the answer to the research must utilize all of the vocabulary words.  Sometimes students will create PowerPoint presentations and sometimes they will create their own, “BrainPOP movies”.  There is no greater flattery then imitation! At the end of class, I love to use… Read the Rest»

Toni Sexton is a Math Teacher in New York City. You can check out her fabulous lesson plan on Pi Day here! Gauging a student’s true comprehension of a concept can be difficult, especially in math! Students can go through the motions and memorize the steps without understanding why they are performing them. For this reason, applying language arts methods into a math lesson will actually enhance their comprehension of mathematical concepts as well as further their reading and writing skills (not to mention your administration will applaud your application of cross-curricular activities). Listed below are five tips that are easily applied to any routine; however, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind in order to maximize effectiveness: Accept only complete sentences-the same standards that apply to an English course Push vocabulary-this is a great chance to get students to use proper terminology Here are five tips to integrate LA into math in order to assess a student’s grasp on content: 1. Instead of working out multiple problems, have them write a paragraph explaining how to solve a problem. 2. For lengthier problems, have them describe each part (as if it were a proof) out to the side… Read the Rest»

Looking for a way to reinforce the vocabulary from your favorite BrainPOP unit? Try the game, “I Have/Who Has.” Create and then distribute cards that feature one vocabulary word and the definition of a different vocabulary word from the same unit of study. For example, if you’re exploring our Fossils unit, a card might contain the word “fossil” and the definition “inorganic substance,” which corresponds to the word “mineral.” Pick one student to start the game off by reading his or her word and definition as follows: “I have ‘fossil.’ Who has ‘inorganic substance?’” The student whose card contains the matching word – “mineral” – then jumps in. Continue the chain until everyone has responded. In such a way, students strengthen their vocabulary and learn valuable listening skills. Comment below to tell us how you reinforce BrainPOP vocabulary in your classroom!

Create a Word Wall in your classroom using the vocabulary in BrainPOP Jr.! First, find some index cards or sentence strips and copy the words from the Word Wall section of your favorite BrainPOP Jr. unit onto the cards. Then, post them to a bulletin board or pocket-chart. As you and your class watch the movie and engage in the supplemental activities available, encourage students to add any additional new or unfamiliar words to the wall. You can also print the Word Wall words for each topic, which lends itself to more active participation before (previewing new vocabulary), during (note-taking, sketching), and after (review) the movies. At the end of the study, assess students by playing the Concentration game where students must match the vocabulary word with its definition. It’s a great way to motivate students and teach them new vocabulary. Tell us how you use the Word Wall feature in your classroom by posting your comments below!