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meeting common core standards with pixie ® grade 3 1 www.tech4learning.com

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what is pixie contents grade 3 language arts reading literature key ideas and details 3 craft and structure 4 integration of knowledge and ideas 5 pixie is software third grade students can use to write paint pictures and tell stories pixie provides a fun way for students to explore and respond to curriculum topics related to the common core standards students can add text to a pixie page to practice their writing draw ideas from their imagination using the paint tools record narration for stories and more your students can share their work in pixie as a printed page comic book or even a video reading informational text key ideas and details 6 craft and structure 7 integration of knowledge and ideas 8 reading foundational skills phonics and word recognition 9 writing text types and purposes 9 production and distribution of writing 11 research to build and present knowledge 11 using pixie with third-grade students speaking listening comprehension and collaboration 12 presentation of knowledge and ideas 12 in third grade a student s ability to read write do math and explore the worlds of science and history is expanding rapidly their work with pixie is growing more sophisticated as their writing and drawing includes more detail and complexity respond to student work in the same way ­ with more detail and complexity and ask them lots of questions about their work language vocabulary acquisition and use 13 lesson plan digital book talks 15 grade 3 mathematics operations algebraic thinking represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division 17 understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division 17 solve problems involving the four operations and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic 18 pixie use improves student test scores number operations fractions develop understanding of fractions as numbers 18 during the 2010-2011 school year independent research firm seg measurement conducted a study of approximately 1,000 third fourth and fifth grade students across five states to examine the effectiveness of pixie in reading comprehension and mathematics findings showed students participating in the treatment group demonstrated an additional half-year s growth over students in the control group on a nationally recognized standardized test read the report at www.tech4learning.com/pixie/research measurement data represent and interpret data 19 geometric measurement understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition 19 geometry reason with shapes and their attributes 20 lesson plan fantastic fractions 21 877.834.5453 2

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grade 3 language arts reading literature key ideas and details 1 ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers what i have read and who where when and how have students complete a leveled reader then have each student complete the 5 w s activity in pixie students should write the title of the story in the middle and identify who when where what and how in the appropriate circles once they have finished have them share the activity with a peer and use it to help them summarize and retell the story to extend the project ask students to add pages to the pixie file and use the paint and text tools to recreate their favorite scene what could they draw in the background to indicate where and when what can they add as clip art or draw with the paint tools to show who and what click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the graphic organizers folder open a 5w s activity 2 recount stories including fables folktales and myths from diverse cultures determine the central message lesson or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text folktales folktales ­ traditional stories that include a moral ­ can be found in cultures around the world explore examples of a variety of folktales you can find a great collection of american folktales at www.americanfolklore net once your students are familiar with the format have them choose one of their favorite folktales and use pixie to create and print booklets that retell the story to give the project a more authentic spin have the students retell the stories in the form of comic pages rather than using a template have students create and illustrate four or six pages in pixie then click the print button on the toolbar and choose the postcard 4 panel or comic 6 panel layout to create one comic sheet with each pixie page as a panel click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the booklet activity 3 www.tech4learning.com

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reading literature key ideas and details 3 describe characters in a story e.g their traits motivations or feelings and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events character cause and effect third graders begin to understand the motivations and traits of characters within a story to help assess their growing ability have them complete pixie s character description activity to show the traits of the main character in a book you have read as a class or they have read independently to challenge your students to share what they comprehend about the actions in a story have them complete the cause and effect activity to describe events in the story make sure they identify the who for each cause when they are finished have them use both of their pixie files to explain how the main character s motivations and feeling impacted the events in the story click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the comprehension folder open the character description and cause and effect activities reading literature craft and structure 5 refer to parts of stories dramas and poems when writing or speaking about a text using terms such as chapter scene and stanza describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections response to literature asking students to share what they think and understand about what they have read helps you assess comprehension and validates their perspective after students read a story or poem have them respond to and illustrate the prompts on each page of the response to literature book ask them to identify a chapter scene or stanza as they respond to and illustrate each sentence students can also use pixie to create a booktalk video or podcast see the digital book talks lesson they can share excerpts from the story retell an important scene and record their thoughts about the story click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the comprehension folder open the response to literature activity 4 877.834.5453

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reading literature integration of knowledge and ideas 7 explain how specific aspects of a text s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story e.g create mood emphasize aspects of a character or setting pictures tell a story chris van allsburg s books like jumanji and zathura are as well known for their illustrations as they are for their stories share one of his books with your class and do a picture walk ask students to share what they think happens on each page based on the illustrations open the key ideas activity in pixie and project it so that students can see it work as a class to enter information about what they infer about characters setting and events using only the pictures in the book next read the story how close were the students guesses to the actual characters setting and events in the story find a part that students didn t know from the pictures ask them what the illustrator could have done to better help them understand ask students to develop their own illustrations for this passage at a center in your classroom and record their voice to point out the extra details in the illustrations and explain how they enhance the story click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the comprehension folder open the key ideas activity 9 compare and contrast the themes settings and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters e.g in books from a series compare stories have students read a series such as the hidden stairs and the magic carpet series by tony abbot after students have read two stories use the compare 3-5 activity in pixie to compare them write the name and draw a small picture of each story in the large yellow and red boxes brainstorm ways that the themes settings and plots are similar and write or draw them in the orange boxes in the middle brainstorm ways that the themes settings and plots are different and write or draw them in the corresponding yellow and red boxes on the sides click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the literature folder open the compare characters 3-5 activity 5 www.tech4learning.com

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reading informational text key ideas and details 2 determine the main idea of a text recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea explore main idea have your students think about the main idea as an umbrella that covers all of the content and holds it together share a couple of different nonfiction books related to a science or social studies topic you are studying look at the cover picture and title what is the main idea now explore the titles pictures and text inside the book how are they organized project a copy of pixie s main idea umbrella activity for students to see work together to add text to describe the main idea of one section also brainstorm key details from each paragraph in that section have students complete the main idea umbrella activity on a nonfiction topic they will be exploring in their writing workshop this will help them collect information for their writing you can also have students create a page that illustrates the main idea using clip art text and the paint tools click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the comprehension folder open the main idea umbrella activity 3 describe the relationship between a series of historical events scientific ideas or concepts or steps in technical procedures in a text using language that pertains to time sequence and cause/effect thanksgiving on thursday before the thanksgiving holiday read the magic tree house book thanksgiving on thursday by mary pope osborne talk with your students about jack and annie s adventure what facts about thanksgiving does the adventure share what else do your students know about thanksgiving use pixie as a class to complete a timeline about the events students can remember about this holiday use the magic tree house pilgrims research guide to learn more facts and details have students choose one event from the class timeline to research and share have each student create a page in pixie with text illustrations and voice narration to share information and facts about each important part of the thanksgiving story click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the graphic organizers folder open the timeline activity 6 877.834.5453 877.834.5453

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reading informational text craft and structure 4 determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area vocabulary trading cards students are more eager to learn new vocabulary when they get some choice in the matter as you are exploring nonfiction on a topic in your classroom ask your students to keep track of new words they encounter give them the definition or have them look up the meaning of each word on their list at the end of the week or unit ask students to choose their favorite new word and create a trading card to teach the meaning to other students students should define the word so that other students can understand the meaning use it in a sentence with the same context as the unit you are studying and draw a picture that helps describe the meaning have students print enough copies of their page using the postcard style 4 to a page with the repeat page option checked to cut out and distribute to the rest of the class click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the vocabulary folder open the vocabulary trading card activity 5 use text features and search tools e.g key words sidebars hyperlinks to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently creating non-fiction books when we were doing research projects i noticed that my students were not making effective use of the features of non-fiction text to find the information they were seeking after discussing text features like table of contents types of print photographs captions close-ups and labeling i asked my students to create non-fiction animal reports that utilized the text features they began by reading an assortment of non-fiction texts identifying the features students then selected an animal and used pixie to develop their own non-fiction book to show their understanding of the animal s characteristics habitat offspring and amazing facts it was exciting to observe as they explored each tool increasing their skills as they added to the creativity of the pictures in their project the result was a collection of unique colorful high-quality nonfiction books sheila buscemi frederick md 7 www.tech4learning.com www.tech4learning.com 7

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reading informational text integration of knowledge and ideas 7 use information gained from illustrations e.g maps photographs and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text e.g where when why and how key events occur five w s of pictures locate a nonfiction book about an unfamiliar historic event or person show the cover of the book to your students what can they tell about the topic from the picture or pictures on the cover page through the book or pass it around so that students can look at the individual pages open the 5 w s activity and project it so the entire class can see work together to do a picture walk and try to answer who what when where and how have students choose one event from this time period or person s life and create an illustration that includes details to answer as many of the 5 w questions as possible what could they draw in the background to indicate where and when what can they add as clip art or draw with the paint tools to show who and what click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the graphic organizers folder open one of the 5w s activities 9 compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic information display read and share two different texts about one topic with your students open the venn diagram activity in pixie so that it is projected for all students to see let your students know you want them to compare the two books students will likely first come up with differences in content between the two books if necessary lead the conversation toward identifying differences in style and delivery record their observations on the venn diagram ask the class to vote on which one they like the best after you have tallied the voting ask students to share the reasoning for their choice were the pictures better in one of them did one have a better cover is this difference noted on the venn diagram why or why not make changes and edits to the venn diagram to ensure that it shows both content differences and methodology differences click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the graphic organizers folder open the venn-2 activity 8 877.834.5453

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reading foundational skills phonics and word recognition 3 know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words practice with prefixes pixie contains a wealth of activities on parts of speech these activities can help you zero in on specific areas for practice for english language learners rather than working as a whole class or even in a lab situation consider making specific activities available for student practice at a center in your classroom the prefixes and suffixes activities ask students to drag the prefix or suffix at the bottom of the page to complete words that include a short definition or description have students print or save their finished work to use as an assessment of skill mastery as you work one-on-one with other students students can also create a word journal using multisyllabic words and words with common suffixes for example likable admirable adorable they can extend their written journal entries by drawing pictures of the meaning and narrating each word and its sounds click the project button click activities open language arts folder open parts of speech folder open prefixes activity writing text types and purposes 1 write opinion pieces on topics or texts supporting a point of view with reasons book review have students choose one of the books they have read and enjoyed to share with others in pixie have each student open the book template have them type a sentence explaining what the book is about on the left and type a sentence telling what they liked about the book on the right have them use pixie s paint tools to illustrate their favorite parts of the book students can also create postcards or trading cards to tell other students about books in the library have each student create a page in pixie that includes a text description and an illustration of their favorite scene of a story print out the pages as postcards four to a page or comics six to a page laminate them and share them with other students at your school to help them choose books when they visit the library students can also use pixie to create book talk videos or podcasts see the book talk lesson click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the reading folder open the comprehension folder open the book review activity 9 www.tech4learning.com

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writing text types and purposes 2 write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly the very best way to get to school ask students learn how to write informative texts focus on the structure of their writing more than on the content ask your students to enumerate their ideal way to get to school will they take the bus or hire a ferrari-owning race car driver have each student use the flowchart activity to plan out the necessary steps once their steps and ideas have been added to the flowchart have them use the booklet activity activities>templates>booklet to write in complete sentences and design a 4-page booklet encourage them to use order words first after next and finally in their writing have students click the print button and choose booklet then have them fold the printed sheet and share their books with peers and family click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the writing folder open the flow chart activity 3 write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique descriptive details and clear event sequences descriptive writing burger style have students develop a personal narrative about something that occurred recently such as a family event or a trip to the zoo a familiar event should help them easily determine sequence as well as remember specific details to make their writing descriptive have each student plan their writing using the burger writing activity in pixie in this simple diagram students start with the topic and brainstorm juicy details that make their stories tasty and interesting after the introduction and conclusion the buns that hold the piece together and the juicy details have been outlined have students write and illustrate each idea on a separate page in pixie print out the pages as a comic or publish them to html to create interactive online books click the project button click activities open language arts folder open writing folder open burger writing activity 10 877.834.5453

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writing production and distribution of writing 6 with guidance and support from adults use technology to produce and publish writing using keyboarding skills as well as to interact and collaborate with others animal interview podcasts the curriculum at krieger schechter day school requires students to use different modalities as they learn we begin projects with a task or guiding question and students then work together as they read write illustrate and discuss the objectives after completing a unit on owls during a larger unit about endangered species third-grade students were challenged to `interview an owl after watching several sample interviews students decided what elements are involved in an interview we discussed perspective style and question and answer-length and students determined a structure for a good interview students worked with a partner to research a chosen owl and together wrote the introduction questions answers and ending for their interviews we typed the interviews into a word processing program and used pixie to illustrate a detailed picture reflecting the information discussed in their interview students recorded the interview by reading their written description with one child acting as the interviewer and one child acting as the owl and then combined their slides to create a movie the best part of this project was watching the students read process analyze and apply information through writing and creating detailed illustrations for their interview my classroom was loud noisy and bustling for the eight sessions it took to complete at the end of the project the students agreed that this all-encompassing project was a motivating and exciting way to learn amanda levine baltimore md writing research to build and present knowledge 7 conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic presidential research reports in a recent third-grade american history curriculum unit at copper hill elementary students used pixie to present their presidential research reports after learning how to take notes and research with the librarian in our media center students worked with their classroom teacher to use their notes to compose the life story of one of the presidents of the united states of america students typed their compositions into pixie inserted a photo from pics4learning and recorded an introduction to their work school administrators and parents had the pleasure of attending the final presentation by the third graders as the students took their place in front of the screen showing the biography and president s portrait pixie played their voices introducing the report they finished the presentation by reading the rest of the biography diane cook ringoes nj 11 www.tech4learning.com

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speaking listening comprehension and collaboration 2 determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats including visually quantitatively and orally our expert visitor it is important to connect the learning that goes on inside the classroom with the work and lives of people outside of it one common way we make this connection is by inviting experts to our classes to share knowledge and information as it relates to their job or personal history encourage students to take notes about what they are hearing after a guest visits have students complete the speaker idea activity in pixie to summarize the information they learned have students print out their pages and use them to discuss the visit with another peer or share with the entire class click the project button click activities open language arts folder open reading folder open the comprehension folder open the speaker idea activity speaking listening presentation of knowledge and ideas 4 report on a topic or text tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details speaking clearly at an understandable pace class memory book at the end of the school year let students know that they will create a page for their class memory book you might choose to have each student recount a favorite event or brainstorm as a class a list of things that happened over the year and assign an event to each student as their topic for the class memory book ask each student to write about the event use the paint tools and stickers to add appropriate illustrations and the click the record button to record their description of the event combine all of the students pages into one class book and publish it click the project button on the toolbar choose export and select movie to create a video or choose html to export an interactive electronic book you can post the product on your classroom web site or burn it to a cd or dvd for students to take home click the project button click activities open the templates folder open the memory book activity 12 877.834.5453

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speaking listening presentation of knowledge and ideas 5 create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details our preferred poetry podcast poetry is a great way to learn to read aloud with intonation cadence and expression especially when the poems are silly and written for kids collect your class s favorite poems or give students time to explore the poems at www.gigglepoetry.com have each student select a poem they want to read and illustrate have students copy and paste the text from gigglepoetry.com onto a blank pixie page have them use the paint tools and stickers to add illustrations that support the content of the poem click the record button to record the student reading the poem with intonation and inflection have each student publish their file as a podcast to post online you can also have them save the files individually and use the import pages feature to combine all student work into a class book of favorite poems publish it as a video to watch or as html so you can post an interactive poetry book on your classroom web site language vocabulary acquisition and use 4 determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content choosing flexibly from a range of strategies vocabulary trading cards as you read to the class or as students are reading independently have students raise their hand to let you know they encounter an unfamiliar word have them ask the rest of the class if anyone can help share the meaning of the word keep a list of these new words and post it where all students can see and add to it at the end of the week or unit ask students to choose a word from the list and create a vocabulary trading card to teach others about the word students should define the word so that other students can understand the meaning use it in a sentence with the same context as the unit you are studying and draw a picture that helps describe the meaning have students print enough copies of their page using the postcard style 4 to a page with the repeat page option checked to cut out and distribute to the rest of the class click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the vocabulary folder open the green vocabulary activity 13 www.tech4learning.com

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language vocabulary acquisition and use 5 demonstrate understanding of figurative language word relationships and nuances in word meanings create an idiom dictionary some idioms like all bark and no bite are easy to understand due to the obvious figurative connection but others aren t quite so easy and require cultural or historical knowledge i.e that attorney is an ambulance chaser assign each student an idiom and have them use pixie to create dictionary entries that explain their idiom with text illustration and narration once the pages are created you can print them as trading cards or postcards to share with the class since printed projects won t include narration you may also want to create a podcast click the project button and use the import pages option to combine all your students work in one pixie file export a podcast so students can explore the idioms at their own pace click the project button click activities open the language arts folder open the writing folder open the idiom activity 14 877.834.5453

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language arts lesson while individual activities can be used to address specific language standards you can also create engaging lessons that address multiple standards in one project digital book talks students explore character plot and theme as they develop a trailer to promote a book they have read engage getting students to read isn t always easy choose one of your favorite books and share it with your students in a way you think will get them excited about reading it then tell why it was your favorite book ask students what gets them excited about reading is it the characters is it the setting an exciting plot interesting themes or a personal connection with the story let your students know they will be using pixie to create a booktalk in the form of a movie trailer to promote one of their favorite books first have students determine which book they want to promote then have them answer the following questions have i read another book by the same author did i like it as much as this book what genre is this book is this book part of a series do i have a personal connection to this book to better advertise their book students need to be able to identify the theme themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work they are big ideas like friendship love and courage for example when a character stands up for a friend in a story we can infer from their actions that friendship and courage are themes in the story common themes your students can look for in their books include friendship love cooperation courage loyalty determination fairness anger and being different as a class explore how authors use themes to guide their writing ask students to reread important parts of the book and take notes as they analyze the book s characters setting and plot to determine the theme the actions of the main character are a great place to look for the theme to gather information students can use to develop their booktalk use graphic organizers like thought webs and the 5 w s to show the central theme of the book as well as events in the story that relate to the theme create next have students prepare a script for their booktalk an exciting script should include · an interesting hook · a vivid description of an event that supports the theme · the title and name of the author at the conclusion · a call to action remind students that showing the story is more effective than trying to retell the story as they write the script have them think of the booktalk as a movie trailer their goal is to leave the viewer with a compelling reason to check out that book to transform the script into a video it is helpful to have a storyboard or map of each student s vision the storyboard should include information about which portion of the script each scene will include and 15 www.tech4learning.com

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