I discovered Seesaw this year and there is no turning back! It is an amazing tool for both teachers and students. If you haven’t heard of Seesaw, it is a student-driven digital portfolio where students “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links. It can be used on a Chromebook or laptop and as an app on an Ipad or other tablets.
The great thing about Seesaw is that you don’t always have to have all of these activities pre-planned and assigned in order for them to happen. Students can simply take and add pictures and/or videos themselves!
Here are 4 easy ways that you can incorporate Seesaw into your reading groups!
1. Recording Reading
Recording student’s reading is great for so many reasons! Students can hear what they sound like when reading, it documents their progress, and together you can identify strengths and target areas for improvement.
One way is to take a picture or a screenshot of a specific page. Students can either record themselves reading that page only, or record themselves reading the entire book or chapter.
Students can also record themselves reading a word list or flashcards that go along with the skill that you are working on or they can work as partners could also record themselves doing Reader’s Theater.
2. Work Samples
This is another great way to document student work and show growth. Students can take a picture of their work and submit it. They can take it a step further by taking a picture and then explaining their thinking using the recording feature.
3. Exit Tickets
Exit tickets are a great way to check for understanding. Students can take a picture of an actual exit ticket like below or they can use Seesaw to create their own. Students can take a picture of a text and explain the main idea, type or write some words based on a spelling pattern or record themselves answering a question. The possibilities are endless!
4. Parent Communication
Seesaw is a great way for parents to take a peek into what is going on in your classroom! If they use
the app, they will get a notification every time their child posts something. Students are proud to share their Seesaw work with their parents, and it is a great conversation starter about what happened in school.
For me (a non-classroom teacher) it is a great way to communicate about what we are working on in our intervention groups. Parents can “like” and comment on their child’s posts, which is always motivating for the students!
If you are interested in a FREE reading and writing assessment that will help you organize your reading groups - check this out! Thank you so much for stopping by!