Using the Smart Slate in Language Arts

In addition to the Science unit I'm working on, I decided to create a Language Arts unit on Similie and Metaphor.  I already had several worksheets and handouts that I had created in Word in previous years, as well as a couple of PowerPoint presentations.  I attached all the documents and PowerPoint presentations to a Smart Slate lesson, then added their titles to a single page and linked the text to the attachments.  Now all I have to do is bring up the Smart Slate lesson and click on the title of a handout to display it for the class!  This made it much easier to go over instructions on individual worksheets, since I could display the worksheet on the overhead before handing it out (I often find if I hand out the worksheet, then try to go over instructions, students begin working immediately and don't hear all of the directions!)  This will also work well for referring back to previous lessons as we progress through the unit.  One of my similie/metaphor examples is Katy Perry's "Fireworks" song.  Since I already had the song in iTunes, I decided to try to attach it and link it to the page as well, and it worked!  I was so excited!

Getting Back on Track

Between all of the end-of-marking-period "stuff" and student-led conferences, I have strayed away from the Smart Slate for a couple of weeks.  Now, though, I'm ready to get back on track and utilize the Slate  a little more in my Science classes (I had been using it mostly in Math).  I've been working on the intro to microscopes portion of my science tools unit, and am in the process of collecting all my documents and web site links into one Smart Slate lesson.  I think that having all the resources linked together in this way will make my lessons flow more smoothly, and it will be easier to refer to previously learned info.  I hope to have a page with a diagram of a microscope, and use pull tabs for identifying the main parts.  Also, I'd like to try to convert and embed a video into the lesson.  I'm thinking that Tuesday's "deer day" will be a good chance to play around with these parts, as they're bound to take a little more time and attention that the parts I have finished so far.