1. Marcia Larkins – 5 th grade teacher Carson City-Crystal Upper Elementary School

2. Students were asked the following questions: What is Curiosity? “To have a lot of questions on almost everything.” -A. “Being interested and wanting to know.” -C. “When you wonder.” -J. What is Confidence? “It is feeling good about yourself.” -C. “Confidence is when you’re sure you are believing in yourself and knowing you can do it.” -K. “It makes you feel like you shouldn’t stop.” -H. “What makes you proud.” -A.

3. What Makes You Curious About Your Writing? “Adding something that I’ve never done in my writing.” - S. “Knowing that there’s a new topic to write about.” -K. “It makes me curious thinking about what other people are writing.” - J. What Makes You Confident About Your Writing? “Knowing that I made something all on my own and it’s mine.” -K. “When someone helps me with ideas.” - M. “When I get in the middle, it makes me feel like I should still write.” - H.

4. Results from Writing Attitude Survey: Most students felt good about writing Some were not confident about themselves as writers Several students were shy or nervous about sharing their writing with others

5. In order to boost curiosity and confidence in students as writers, my 5 th grade science classes gathered and researched information on human body systems to create informational, illustrated posters using the following resources:

6. Science Mentor Texts The Common Core Lesson Book K-5 Online Sources

7. “This is a fun way to study.” - J. “I get to explore, create and use my imagination.” - C. “This makes writing fun. It’s ok to take risks.” - B.

8. “You get to work with friends and get to know your classmates better.” - N.

9. “I like drawing and finding out facts.” – L.

10. “Books help me get ideas to put words together.” - S.

11. Throughout this process, students were very positive and encouraging to one another. Formative assessments included how to cite sources, determining what important/ relevant facts were, and peer editing. The students then used their informational posters to create a digital poster using Glogster which included labeled illustrations, definitions of their system, optional video clips, and interesting facts.

12. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.6CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.

13. Glogster EDU is: For Educators: “A creative, dynamic, and innovative digital outlet that captures learners’ excitement for online creations, keeps them engaged in course content, and makes teaching and learning more fun.” eduglogster.com

14. For Learners: “A fun, imaginative, and powerful learning experience which fosters Independent creative self-expression, positive learner- teacher relationships, and teamwork on collaborative class projects.” eduglogster.com

15. Glogster Examples Respiratory System Nervous System Skeletal System

16. We learned : To make mistakes and use what we learned to improve our writing To work collaboratively in groups That technology + writing = unlimited imagination To feel confident about writing and sharing our writing with others