Allowing Students a Way to Present Information In Their Own Unique Ways
"The whole idea of using these Flipcharts with my students was to scaffold their learning so the students experienced all aspects of being gradually released from the teacher’s accountability for their learning."
The most tedious issues with using traditional anchor charts to use with students is that they are permanent. Once students write on them, you cannot erase what has been written on them. But how else can students create their own anchor charts and graphic organizers to convey understanding? You give them the Wipebook Flipcharts and some dry-erase markers and let their creativity shine without the fuss of wasting paper!
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Wipebook Flipcharts, with their dual versatility of grid lines areas (on one side) and a blank slate (on the other side), is a convenience and adventure for students as a canvas for their writing in group collaborations. My most common use for the whiteboard Flipcharts is an exit ticket parking lot for students to place their final thoughts about a lesson we have learned. The sticky notes have to be Post-It brand because other types will not stick.
Sharing Book Reports
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Students were preparing a video book recording, they had previously read the book, “The Circus Thief” by Alane Adams. Students had discussions around story elements and asking and answering questions about what they had read. Once they were finished reading, their task was to specifically examine the theme of the text, as well as the sequence of events. As a collaborative effort, students worked together to write the book reports. Each student in grades 3-4 wrote their own three to four-sentence plot line for that story. The reusable workbook was used to provide them with a visual to help them remember their oral lines just in case they needed a cue to record their portion of the book report.
One of the most convenient benefits of using this with students is the vertical non-permanent surface (VPNS), which is similar to what they would see at their seats working individually. The whole idea of using these Flipcharts with my students was to scaffold their learning so the students experienced all aspects of being gradually released from the teacher’s accountability for their learning. While students were using the Wipebook pages, they encountered ways to work alongside their classmates to determine what the best way was to write their sentences - whether it be in color or black and white, or whether the letters should be big or small amongst other details for their presentations.
Collaborating on Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces
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The students really enjoyed the collaboration and the fact that the VPNS allowed them to erase and write smoothly without the marker running out of color or becoming dry. Many of them settled into roles without being told by the teacher. It was an professional experiment to see if the use of the whiteboard Flipchart would give them the initiative to delegate roles for completing the collaborative activity without being told assigned. Of course, I was on standby just in case they had been unable to determine how to divvy up their “roles”. Surprisingly, there were no arguments or disagreements as students took turns accountably contributing to the presentation. I was proud, to say the least.
Displaying Students Hard Work
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To be able to allow students to leave their creations out on the walls of the classroom to marvel at their collaborations; as well as return to completing their presentation at later dates throughout the week, I took to using a digital format to capture their “masterpieces”. There is a Free Wipebook Scan App, which I recommend for those who want to get the full effect of the experience with the reusable workbook. The students’ work can be saved to a favorite cloud service like Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox and OneDrive. The best part of all is that the app is FREE!
Wipebook Flipcharts provide a quick, fun, and easy interactive way to save and share creations in all subject areas. Every teacher should try it...it will definitely change the minds of students from compliant (writing on paper to throw away) to imaginative (writing on VNPS to preserve)!
Dr. Toria Randle, ESL Teacher, Whitehaven Elementary School
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