Flip Flip Hooray!!

The flipped classroom concept has intrigued me now for over a year but I have been challenged to find a way to make it happen in an ELA classroom.  The mathematics classroom seems to have been the forerunner into this concept where instruction occurs via video lessons viewed at home by students and hands-on assistance with problems and concepts takes place in the classroom.  Knowing the Flipped Classroom idea had merit, I decided to 'flip' the instruction of vocabulary in my classroom, leaving time for sharing, games and interaction rather than rote copying of definitions, synonyms, antonyms, etc.

Here's How I Did It.

Step #1.  Registered Students with Edmodo and created class(es)

Step #2.  Generated/Located Vocabulary Videos.

• Use existing videos like the ones at wordahead.com
• Create your own using apps:  videoscribe      educreations
• Create your own using Web 2.0 Tools:  xtranormal.com      voicethread

Step #3.  Upload.  (I used SchoolTube as it interfaces nicely with Edmodo)

• A video I created using videoscribe 

Step #4.  Assign Video via Edmodo
Step #5.  Provide students with a notetaking sheet
Step #6.  In class, share and play games.  I have my students come share their sentences and illustrations under the document camera.  We discuss, edit and make suggestions.  They LOVE this.

Game Ideas

Here is a small selection of some of the games we play in class to help us interact with our WOW words.

Swatslapper game:
Use this Smartnotebook file.  Write Synonym/Antonym on the chalkboard.  Read synonyms and antonyms for the W.O.W.word.  Students SWAT the correct answer with a flyswatter.  Keep score using Smartnotebook file.

Vocabulary Bingo:  
http://yoursmarticles.blogspot.com/2011/12/vocabulary-alpha-bingo.html

I Have, Who Has:  
Create sentences that describe the key word.  "Mary completed her homework". Another student should have a card that says "Mary was conscientious".  On the back of the second student's card there should be a new sentence/example.  If done correctly, every student will have a match and it will create a chain eventually leading back to the starting person.

Search it:
Teams search for AS MANY related words to the W.O.W. word as possible.  Eliminate teams Boggle style  (if another team has the word, it gets crossed off)  The team with the most unique words wins.

Hop On It: 
 Create 2 sets of  hopping mats...one that says synonym, one that says antonym.  Have students line up and  'hop' on synonym/antonym when a word is read.

Now that's some Flipping Smarticles!