Standard+6

Home. Standard 1. Standard 2. Standard 3. Standard 4. Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7. Standard 8. Standard 9. Standard 10

The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
 * Standard 6: Communication. **

media type="file" key="Number the Stars-Time and Place.wmv" width="162" height="162"
 * Evidence**

The photostory I put together for Number the Stars was designed to give background information on World War II and the events in Denmark leading up to the start of the book. I designed the photostory for my fifth grade students before reading the book. I took information that we typically read together in the classroom and added pictures to it to help students gain a greater understanding of the text. I have yet to present it to the class but hope it will alleviate some of the confusion and questions often related to the reading of the background text.
 * Rationale**

While creating the photostory I realized how powerful pictures can truly be. The hardest thing going into reading the book was creating the situation in students’ minds of how awful the situation was in Denmark during this time in history. I’m hopeful students will come away with a better sense of how the book starts and can appreciate the severity and risk involved of the main character’s family helping their friends escape Nazi capture. The hardest part of developing the photostory was picking images that send the right message without going too far.


 * KSD:**

The photostory is meant to add more meaning to the text that is normally read in the classroom. I think about how I would rather watch a television show that is narrated with pictures compared to a person speaking at a podium. I know how much more meaning I gather from visual images compared to only audio. I put the lessons learned from watching television into the classroom as much as possible.
 * 6.K.4 The teacher recognizes the importance of nonverbal, verbal and media communication techniques.**

I created a photostory but did not use a program such as Storybird of Microsoft Photostory. Instead Microsoft Moviemaker gave me more options to easily add narration while including pictures. For future projects I could even have students create their own photostory with a program as simple as PowerPoint.
 * 6.S.5 The teacher knows how to use a variety of media communication tools, including audiovisual aids and computers, to enrich learning opportunities.**

I utilize both pictures and narration of text to convey meaning of an important issue before reading a class novel. I understand that most students are visual learners thus I encourage them to respond in the way they feel most appropriate. I give choices for projects and give credit if students show work using whichever way works best for them. I truly value all learning styles and continue to adjust my presentation techniques, along with assignments and projects, to meet all of my students’ needs in the classroom.
 * 6.D.2 The teacher values many ways in which people seek to communicate and encourages many modes of communication in the classroom.**