Straughn Elementary School third graders are learning reading standards in a modern technological way.

After SES reading teacher Leah Grimes went to a professional development class on Thursday, she decided to put her newfound knowledge to work in her classroom Friday.

“We had a professional development class Thursday with an Apple representative,” Grimes said. “And I just learned so much and thought it would be a great day to bring it to the classroom and get my students involved.”

Her third grade students had to use an iPad to promote a book they have read with a movie that they created themselves.

“The project was to promote a book enough to get other students interested in the book,” Grimes said. “They had to use photos from the books and pictures of themselves. They really did an amazing job with it.”

She said that the project took them only an hour and a half.

“These kids are so technologically advanced,” Grimes said. “Even after I took a class on how to do everything they could do it just as fast as I could. I was really amazed by the process.”

Grimes made sure to include all the reading standards that are required at SES.

“With the movie, I made sure that they had to include all of our reading standards,” Grimes said. “For example they had to include the setting and characters. It’s a form of communication and they got to publish their information. It just helped students show how much they have learned.”

Grimes believes that a lot of the professional development classes truly help give her the tools to give her students everything they need to become successful.

“We had a great group of coworkers come to the professional development class,” Grimes said. “I think these classes really benefit us as teachers because having these skills really helps in the classroom. It is an advantage for our students to be able to use technology like this, and if we didn’t know how to use it then we wouldn’t be able to give our students that opportunity.”

Grimes said that she is very excited about the coming semester and all of the projects that they will do with the new technology.

“We will use the iPads for a reading review project throughout the semester,” Grimes said. “The students will actually teach it themselves and make another movie about a certain reading standard like compare and contrast. I want them to be able to teach each other because if you can teach someone else then that means you really know the material.”

SES is all about hands on learning, Grimes said, and that is why she believes this technology is an advantage to her students.

“At Straughn we are all about hands on learning,” Grimes said. “When you get to incorporate this type of technology with the reading standards, it makes it special. Some students can’t sit down and read and enjoy it like other students, but when they get to make a movie on an iPad and really get into it they learn about the book. It engages all students.”

All of the students were able to post their projects to a website. To view some of their ‘movies, visit https://padlet.com/leah_grimes/f5xyrlhfc4lc.