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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat

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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat https://t.co/ILNXGMQDU1

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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat pic.twitter.com/ILNXGMQDU1
— Miranda Zygiel (@HSSD_mirazygi) January 5, 2018

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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat https://t.co/ILNXGMQDU1

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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat https://t.co/ILNXGMQDU1

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Had so much fun doing a @Seesaw challenge over winter break! ❄️ Great way to connect and awesome conversations when we returned to school! #BHsailors #Seesawchat #3rdchat

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@EHSMrsJ

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Seesaw is the perfect place to host a digital book club. For this activity, a separate Seesaw class can be created, perhaps with a Folder for each chapter or segment of a book.

Questions and writing prompts can be posted, and student projects and artwork (and definitely #booksnaps!) corresponding with the book can be added as well. A teacher can also post a question, and let students "discuss" using audio comments.

One additional exciting idea to try would be to invite a local (or famous!) author to join this book club as a co-teacher or as a student. These special guests could then respond to student feedback or add their own.

Consider using Twitter or other social media to reach out to some of your students' favorite authors; you never know who might be willing to join you!

Additionally, Seesaw Book Clubs over holiday breaks is a great way to keep in touch with students. I had a Thanksgiving Break book club this fall with some of my big kids and it was a great way to stay connected even when school wasn't in session. I'm going to invite more students to join us when we reconvene over the winter holidays! ETA: Read more about my holiday break binge-reading challenge here.

As a goal for 2017, I'm also inviting adults to join book studies/book clubs in Seesaw for personalized PD. (A hidden benefit to Seesaw Book Clubs with grownups is that it will hopefully introduce them to some Seesaw features they don't often use and/or increase their expertise!) Look for more info about our Seesaw Book Clubs coming soon!

ETA: The 10-minute webinar recording about Seesaw Book Clubs is here. Our grownups' book study in Seesaw is in full swing right now; we're reading this. We're all co-teachers in the Seesaw class and are posting questions, comments, #booksnaps, and more!

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Seesaw is the perfect place to host a digital book club. For this activity, a separate Seesaw class can be created, perhaps with a Folder for each chapter or segment of a book. Questions and writing prompts can be posted, and student projects and artwork (and definitely #booksnaps!)

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I let my 3rd graders know that they could post any activities they do during the break and post it in the HOLIDAY folder.    I find this easier to see and get them share what they do during the break, instead of asking them after the break and they would say, 'I can't remember what I did.  OR I didn't do much just stayed at home, etc.'  I told them that every single thing they do (playing with sisters/brothers, helping mum, playing with Lego,  reading a book, drawing, etc.) is a great thing to share.  I also encourage them to share their wonderings and perhaps the questions if possible. Be Caring and Inquirers!
@yunisantosa

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I'm using Seesaw to connect with my Tech Club kids over the break as well as my class. I just shared this #awesome link to the Control Alt Achieve's "Build a Snowman" on our Seesaw class. I asked students to experiment with the slides to come up with a snowman and then write a Math Task for the Global Math Task Twitter Challenge to post to Twitter through the share link on Seesaw. @swampfrogfirst

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Do you want to build a snowman?

Well now you can with this fun, and educational, Google Slides activity. This is a great way for students to be creative and to work on their writing skills by describing or writing about their snowman.

Here's how:

Make a copy of the Google Slides "Build a Snowman" template, found further down in the blog post.

The template has a blank snowman and several slides full of items to add to your snowman including eyes, mouths, hats, arms, feet, hair, and more.

Copy and paste the items to build your snowman.

If you need different pictures, you can search for more.

When done building, write about your snowman or snowwoman in the textbox. You can describe them, tell a story about them, or explain who they are.

When all done you can download a picture of your snowman and writing to share with others.

See below to get your own copy of the template, as well as more detailed directions and a video tutorial on how to do the activity.

Get a copy of the template

This activity is created with Google Slides. To get your own copy of the template simple click the link below.

"Build a Snowman" template - Google Slides link
(Original version with movable snowman.)

"Build a Snowman" template - Google Slides link
(Version 2 where snowman cannot be moved. May be easier for younger children.)

Your students can click this link to get their own copy, or you can use Google Classroom to push out a copy of the template to each of your students.

Video tutorial (11 minutes)

If you would like a step-by-step video tutorial on how to use the template, see the video below:

The Google Slide template has multiple parts for the activity. These include:

Slide 1 - The title slide

Slide 2 - A brief set of directions

Slide 3 - The blank snowman. This is where you will build your snowman (or snowwoman) and where you will write about them.

Slides 4 through 10 - Items for building your snowman. These slides contain images that you can copy and paste onto your blank snowman. The items are grouped on the slides by topic including Eyes, Mouths, Arms, Feet, Hats, Hair, and Extras.

Building your snowman

To build your snowman, simply copy and paste images from the items slides onto your blank snowman. You can copy and paste in several ways.

To copy an item:

Click on the picture and press "Ctrl" and "C"

Or click on the picture and click "Edit" then "Copy" in the top menu bar.

Or right-click on the picture and choose "Copy" from the pop-up menu.

To paste an item, go to the snowman slide and:

Or click "Edit" then "Paste" in the top menu bar.

Or right-click and choose "Paste" from the pop-up menu.

Once your item has been pasted in you can adjust it in many ways:

Drag and drop it to move it around.

Press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move it around.

Hold down the "Shift" key and press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move it one pixel at a time.

Click and drag the blue circle on top of the image to rotate the image if needed.

Click "Arrange" in the top menu bar, then "Rotate" and "Flip horizontally" or "Flip vertically" if needed.

Click and drag the corners of the image to change its size if desired.

Click "Image options" in the top menu bar, and then "Recolor" to adjust the color (works better for lighter colors).

Adding your own images

Although the template provides a large variety of items to use for your snowman, you may still want to add some more of your own. You can add more images as follows:

Click "Insert" in the top menu bar, then click "Image".

You can add an image in several ways including "Upload" or from your "Google Drive" or with a "Search"

If you use the "Search" option, you may want to choose "Clip art" from the "Any type" drop down menu to limit your results to clip art style pictures.

Writing about your Snowman

When you are done creating your snowman, now you will want to write about him (or her). You can type in the textbox to the right of your snowman to enter your own writing. This could include:

A description of your snowman.

A story about your snowman.

An explanation of who your snowman is and/or what he does.

Be sure to include your name at the bottom of your writing.

Downloading your Snowman

When you are completely done, you can download a picture of your snowman and your writing as follows:

Make sure you are on the slide that has your completed snowman and your writing.

Click "File" in the top menu bar.

Choose "Download as" from the drop-down menu.

Choose "PNG image" from the sub-menu.

This will download an image of just the slide you are on and not any of the rest of the slideshow.

You can now share your image in several ways:

Email it to someone.

Turn it in through Google Classroom.

Post it on your class website.

Share it through social media.

Combine it with others to make a new slideshow with everyone's creations.

Conclusion

The "Build a Snowman" Google Slides activity can be a great way to let kids be creative and to improve their writing at the same time. One of the great things about creativity, is you never know what students will come up with. Below are a few examples of what my boys and I created.

Feel free to email me images of your students' creations. I would love to see what they make and will be glad to share some examples here to inspire others.

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Do you want to build a snowman? Well now you can with this fun, and educational, Google Slides activity. This is a great way for students to be creative and to work on their writing skills by describing or writing about their snowman.

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I just posted this from my friends on Twitterjust in case my students are bored already. I asked them to share their creations in  Seesaw for us all to see.
@MvoyeNVES

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I'm going to have a crack at videoing myself doing a welcome back to school for both my students and their parents. @MrsTCHSS

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Here's what I'm posting in our Seesaw class so parents know what to expect. I'll grab a $5 Sonic or DQ gift card as a prize for one student who brings back the secret words.

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@MrsBirzer

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Many of us are preparing for our beloved holiday breaks. We have Thanksgiving and Christmas break plans on the horizon and we are more than excited! Yes, we are still working our tails off preparing lessons, assessing students, and wrapping up our semester, but we are anxiously awaiting the days when we can sleep in, munch on delicious food, see family, and take unlimited naps.

But while we are on our holiday breaks, many of us often think about our students. We wonder what they are up to, where they've been, or who they are seeing. We look forward to our return to school so we can see our students and hear their exciting stories.

So, with a similar idea from @AmandaBuethe, I decided I wanted to connect with my students over their holiday breaks. And that's just what I did, with the help of my favorite app, Seesaw.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Why would any teacher want to take time away from their holiday break to check in on their students? Aren't we supposed to be enjoying our time away from the hustle and bustle of work? Why would I want to bother my student's family during this family time?

Well, my theory is... go for it, bother your students, connect with them over break! And here's why:

So let me tell you how I use SEESAW to do this:

1. Inform students that during the break you will be sharing something on Seesaw periodically. Our class chooses 3 books that they would like hear during break. I also inform them that at the end of each video there is a secret word. If they bring back all the secret words, they will be entered for a prize.

2. I share a video of me reading a book - that way my students are at least hearing text while they're away from school. They can grab their parents device and watch the video and even comment if they would like. The possibilities are endless - try anything!

3. Take 5 minutes out of your break on 2-3 separate days and record and share your video on your class Seesaw. At the end of each video share one secret word and remind students that if they want to be entered for the prize they must write down and bring to school the secret words.

4. When you head back to school, put names of students in the hat if they bring back all the secret words. Choose a student out of the hat to receive the prize. I gave out a $5 Sonic card but this is definitely not necessary.

Variations

Post a picture from your break and have students comment on what math they see. Challenge them to see math wherever they are during their break.

Post a discussion question and let students comment.

Secret words and prizes are not necessary.

Check out my Seesaw examples here:
Spring Break Read Aloud 1
Spring Break Read Aloud 2
Spring Break Read Aloud 3

Let me know if you have questions or a new idea to share!
Enjoy your holidays!
-Andrea

@MrsBirzer

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Holiday Breaks are for Naps, Good Food.... and Connecting with Students!

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Many of us are preparing for our beloved holiday breaks. We have Thanksgiving and Christmas break plans on the horizon and we are more than excited! Yes, we are still working our tails off preparing lessons, assessing students, and wrapping up our semester, but we are anxiously awaiting the days when we can sleep in, munch on delicious food, see family, and take unlimited naps.