How do you spell that?

One of my personal flaws that I am first to admit to is I cannot spell!  I try.  When I was a child, I was so happy when I discovered most computer programs included a spell check.  I will rewrite sentences to avoid using certain words that spell check cannot even figure out to make a suggestion.  I know I'm not the only person out there with this same struggle!  Spelling has been a personal struggle all of my life and I'm okay with that now.

Electronic spell checkers have come a long way.  I actually use two different tools that are extensions for Chrome.   The first one is Ginger.  I have used this tool for a long time.  Well, "long time" is relative, right?  Ginger is user friendly and very helpful!  I use the free version of this product.  That means I have a limited number of words per week Ginger will correct for me, but it always finds the errors.  I know it's been a bad week of spelling when the popup messages asks me if I want to purchase!  No, I'll just rewrite the sentence, right?  Watch this video to see how Ginger works...

I also use Grammarly.  Grammarly and I have a love hate relationship.  I love the suggestions and corrections for not only my spelling, but also grammar.  I have a habit of trying to correct my mistakes before I go on with my writing.  This habit involves my fingers reaching for keys before my mind realizes where the cursor is on the screen.  Grammarly and I fight back and forth as to where the cursor needs to be!  Grammarly will also send you a weekly email to help you learn where your mistakes are happening so you can become a better writer.  At first I didn't think very much about receiving another email.  Now, I like it!  Watch this video to learn how Grammarly works...

What do you use to check spelling?

Ladybug Life Cycle

So, what do you know about the ladybug life cycle?  The 2nd graders are now experts after spending a week doing research and developing their own eBooks.  First, students used a teacher created Blendspace to gather basic information by watching video clips and reading from teacher selected internet sources.

  

Did you know all the great resources for learning more about ladybugs can be found using National Geographic Kids and the San Diego Zoo websites?  The 2nd graders were amazed with the information they found from these resources.  

After students had collected as much information as they thought they needed, students used Google Drawings to create their own ladybug life cycle graphic and identify the parts of a ladybug.

Students mastered their Google Drawings skills by practicing how to create a copy of a document, using the different drawing tool and manipulating images.  The students also learned how to download as a .jpg file and then upload to another location.  Great work!

The final step was to create a eBook for publication to share their learning using FlipSnack.  FlipSnack is a free resource for creating online books that provide a variety of layouts and ease for moving through the publishing process.

The final publications are very professional looking filled with many great details from the students' research.  Click here to see one of the many great final products!