Explain- to explain is to bring out
into the open, make clear, to analyze. This term is similar to
"discuss", but place more emphasis on cause-effect relationships or
step-by-step sequences. Explaining requires going beyond facts. Useful
action verbs/phrases - give the reasons or causes for being as it is, make
plain, to clarify, to account for, tell why, give reasons, give details, tell me
about it, show in writing, help me understand, what is the problem? Additional
synonyms: construe, explicate, expound, interpret, spell out, clarify,
decipher, analyze, break down; clear up, resolve, solve
TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
TIPS:
1) PowerPoint or Word - Create a transactive
writing piece explaining the process of doing a simple task (making brownies,
changing a tire, saddling a horse, shooting a foul shot). Add digital photos or
scanned images for additional clarity.
2) Explaining Photographs/Images- Display
a photograph or a painting and have students explain what is happening and list
the reasons why they have reached their conclusion. If you can't find
interesting images, take a digital photo or access the links on 3b below for
Norman Rockwell paintings.
3) Internet Activities - a)
Read about the Iditarod
sled dog race starting this week in Alaska. Go to the Portrait of a
Musher section, and have students explain how a musher gets ready for the
race. Go to the "How Does the Iditarod Track Dropped Dogs" link
and have students explain the process.
b) Download and print the unit
about Norman Rockwell's
wonderful paintings. Click on Family Fun at the left, then click on the guide
link under the painting on the right. Show some of the pictures to
students, and have them explain what they think is happening in the picture,
giving examples of clues that made them come to their conclusion. (You
will probably need to print out at least some of the pages with pictures... the
layout of this page makes it hard to see the paintings on the computer
screen) Here is a wonderful link where you will find Rockwell
paintings to display on your computer or a large screen . Click on the small
photo of the painting your want and it will begin loading. Once the photo loads
on a full screen, it will "shrink" so you can see the whole image. To
look at details, hold your mouse over the painting for a second and you will get
a graphic you can click on to go back to full screen. Look at the bottom for a
guide to pages - there are dozens of paintings available to display.
c) Inventions That Changed the World- Complete
instructions for activities listing important inventions, choosing the most
important, and explaining why they have the most influence. From Mentorplace
4)Inspiration/Kidspiration-
Once again, this visual organizer can be used to make cause and effect graphic
organizers, as well as sequencing. There is a template for cause and
effect relationships. Look at the example for the Cause and Effect of the French
Revolution (Social Studies) and The Path of a Red Blood Cell (science) Click for
online
examples . Remember, if you don't have access to this software, you
can download it for free for 30 days.
5) E-mail
-
Write a message to your state legislators explaining
why you support or don't support a piece of legislation or funding.
Two hot topics now are general funding for schools, raising the cigarette tax
and prohibition of selling junk/snack food. Look up the bill numbers
by topic here, search bills by
keyword here, find your legislator and send
email here.
6) Online Dictionaries-
Look up the word on online dictionaries as a whole class activity to introduce
and brainstorm ideas and activities about the word. Use the PC to TV device or
other projection system if possible. Here are some good online
dictionaries:
-Miriam Webster
seems to be the easiest and most concise http://www.m-w.com/home.htm
-Your Dictionary.com
at http://www.yourdictionary.com/
Similar to above
-Wordsmyth http://www.wordsmyth.net/live/home.php
This one is interesting... when you click on the word to see the definitions,
more sections automatically appear, which could give ideas for instruction or
activities - such as synonyms, similar words, examples in a sentence, etc.
-One Look (
searches for the word in a multitude of different online dictionaries)
http://www.onelook.com
For more ideas or help using any of these
computer programs or websites, please contact your technology resource teachers: