Using Animated Short Films

I have been an avid follower of this blog/website for over a year now:

The Literacy Shed

 It has an extensive and amazing collection of short films, videos, and images that get children and young adults to think critically and creatively. Each of the "sheds" focuses on a particular topic or theme. Within the "shed" (links) you will find a variety of links and suggestions for using graphics, films, and images to support your teaching.

I've used these films with my fifth grade students as part of our writing curriculum, social thinking / PBIS discussions, and to promote critical thinking. As impressive as The Literacy Shed is, you may still want to supplement with other resources. A quick search of YouTube will provide you with more films than you can imagine! Here are a few that I found in just a few minutes using the search term, "animated films".

Bath Time

Homelesss

Day and Night (wonderful to use with a civil rights / prejudice unit)

As you know, it's important to preview all videos prior to showing them to children. Only you know what's appropriate for those students in your care. These videos are also wonderfully playful and engaging ways to work with children who struggle with social thinking and theory of mind. 

I've also used these as a launching pad for writing assignments, or to have students re-tell or sequence the events.  Many of these films do not have dialogue. You could use iPads and have students work in pairs to create the scripts. What an authentic way to introduce the concept.

I hope that you enjoy these as much as I did. Be sure to stop by The Literacy Shed too!

Teaching Elapsed Time concepts

Teaching elapsed time can be a struggle for lots of teachers, and a difficult concept for lots of students to learn, especially those who have a learning difference such as ADHD,  Non-verbal Learning disability (NLD) or Right-Hemisphere disorder (RHD). I've found a few products that help students to understand the "sweep of time". First off, it's important that there's an understanding of the fact that time is linear. Learning Resources has a wonderful "Judy Clock" with gears that actually moves incrementally as students figure out the passage of time. 

You can find it here.  Learning resources also features an Elapsed Time Set that has magnetic strips that show the passage of time. You can find those here.



Another helpful resource are the Magnetic Elapsed Time Bars sold by "Really Good Stuff". These bars show comparisons between segments of time (think fraction bars) in a very visual way. They are made of durable foam that is backed with magnetic strips - perfect for use on a white-board or refrigerator. Those who are teaching using the Singapore Method will like the way that these bars approach elapsed time problem solving. You can purchase them here.

I purchased each of these products myself. I am not affiliated with either company, and I did not receive any compensation for this post.