Welcome to Kidspiration!

This fun-filled learning session is brought to you by: Cheryl Carruthers Peggy Hanzlik Tami Schwartz Jeff Tveit We will each introduce ourselves, telling what we teach and how we came to be involved in this program. Kidspiration is a program to allow for visual learning. Research in educational theory and cognitive psychology tells us that visual learning is one of the best methods for teaching students of all ages how to think and learn. Kidspiration provides an effective way to address standards-based curriculum goals with graphic organizers. With Kidspiration, K-5 students work with and create graphic organizers such as diagrams, maps and webs to express their thoughts and create connections between pictures, words and meanings. These connections help students build comprehension skills, develop emerging literacy skills, categorize and group information and express and organize their ideas. This program works with graphics to help students clarify their thinking and to process, organize and prioritize information. We are going to share with you some examples you can do with students through this power point. After showing you some examples and demonstrating a short tutorial we will have you turn on your computers so you can delve into the program yourself. The three of us will be circulating around the room at that time to assist you in this process. Let the game begin!

Templates Reading and Writing Social Studies Science More The neat aspect about this program is there are several templates already included. They are divided into these four categories. Each of these areas contain 12 templates illustrating a variety of concepts. You can have the first templates be used as they are. Then students can use these patterns to create their own. By the end of this program each of you will be able to create a template to add to the Kidspiration library for everyone to share.

Reading and Writing You can use a template for students show the character traits of the book’s main character. The program contains 72 pictures of people. One of them should resemble the main character of the book you read. When you bring up this template the people pictures are already displayed. This save time in finding the exact area for people pictures. Students list the character’s name, three traits and examples of each from the story.

English Skills You can create an activity for students to do based on a story you are reading. Words from the story were listed in boxes. One can simply drag each word to the correct SuperGrouper box thus combining reading with the English skills you are teaching. SuperGrouper is the term in this program to describe tools used to group items together. Students can also create this themselves based on the story..

Start a story Students can create a story web from the templates provided.

Social Studies Templates are available which will fit into units you are already doing. Students can fill in words or symbols depending on the level of their ability.

Using the pictures provided on in the kidspiration program you can match the symbols to the words. As you drag in the symbols the words get small as you can see with the two examples already shown.

Science Words can be added to show the concepts taught are understood.

Using the 54 pictures provide a food pyramid can be created.

Create Patterns Patterning can be done by adding to the present one or creating your own with the over 1200 symbols provided in the program.

Concept Map A concept map can be made using the text, linking, and symbol palette.

Writing a report The concept map can then be transferred into a the beginnings for a written report.

www.kidspiration.com This site is on your handouts to provide you more information and ideas.