Word Play with Brittany Bowers

When Learning Specialist Emily Hoppel told me about a reading tree with videos of teachers reading aloud, I knew I needed to visit the tree's creator for a blog post. Brittany Bowers, First Grade Teacher at Promise Road Elementary, knows her students arrive with much experience navigating iPads. She consistently looks for ways to blend technology with paper & pencil to enhance their learning experiences.  

Read Aloud

Teachers record videos of themselves reading their favorite picture books. Brittany then prints a QR code and a mini-book cover for each video. She attaches everything to a Reading Tree painted in a Promise Road Elementary hallway. (see graphic) Students scan the code to enjoy the read-aloud. Brittany, the Literacy Lead Teacher at PRE, has plans to keep building the Reading Tree.

Digital Texts

Who chooses a non-fiction database when given a menu of activities on an iPad? First graders do! Brittany's first-grade students regularly choose Pebble Go for exploration. MyON, which heavily leans toward non-fiction, is another classroom favorite. Both platforms have built-in accessibility tools to support emerging readers. Brittany recognizes the importance of providing access to abundant informational texts as part of her classroom collection.

Word Play

Brittany calls herself a phonics nerd and couldn't wait to show me the wet and dry-erase tokens she has been using for orthographic mapping. She loves using fun manipulatives like the tokens to help kids better understand the rules for sounding out words. Also, her team uses Seesaw for daily word work activities. I was impressed with how they've organized Seesaw activities in a collaborative spreadsheet. Students also use Raz Kids and Teach Your Monster to Read to supplement their literacy work.

Next time you walk through Promise Road, make sure you have your phone on you! You will want to take advantage of the Reading Tree.

Kristin Patrick, Blended Learning Coach