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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tried It Tuesday {Book Flix and True Flix}

Brrr!!!  I cannot believe this cold, crazy winter weather we have had this season!  We have had FOUR snow/cold days so far and that hasn't happened in my 14 years of teaching!  As I sit here writing this, temperatures are projected at -25 tomorrow with wind chill, and I am actually hoping that we DON'T get another snow day!  Schools are already closing for tomorrow (Tuesday).

I feel like I haven't gotten back in my "post holiday groove" yet and it is getting more and more difficult.  Thank you for all the condolences last week after the passing of my father-in-law.  It was an exhausting week for our family and we are all ready to get back to a normal schedule.  With that said...
It's time for another Tried It Tuesday! :)
What have you tried recently at school or home?
My Tried It:
Book Flix and True Flix
My daughter is in 1st grade and her school has subscribed to both Book Flix and True Flix by Scholastic.  She LOVES Book Flix!  These are paid subscription sites but you can try a free trial and maybe there is someone that can requisition it for your students!  I know our requisitions are due soon for next year.
Book Flix is geared for the lower grades (K-3) but there are still many books that would be interesting for my 4th graders, especially for my lower level students.
I clicked on "Animals and Nature" and there are 42 pages with four pairings on each page.  

This is a "Antarctic Antics" video with a nonfiction pairing of a text about Antarctica.

 This is what the students say when they read the book.  The "Read Along" button at the bottom can be on or off.
 Here is a screenshot of the video that is paired with the book above.
 Here are a couple more pairings of choices for books.

 This is True Flix and is based on all nonfiction material.  The reading level is grades 3-5.

 Here are the choices when I clicked on "U.S. Government".
Again, there is a pair with a story to watch and a text to read.

 Both sites also have lesson plans for each book/video pairing.  Here are screenshots of the Constitution Lesson Plan.



Both of these sites would be great to use at centers, with small groups, or even as a whole group!  After checking them out using my daughter's subscription, I am anxious to see if our school can requisition them for next year.  If you use these sites, I would love to hear your thoughts and what has worked!

16 comments:

  1. True Flix looks like something my students would really love! I just wish they all had internet on a computer at home... :(

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  2. That looks like it would be a great resource.
    Barbara
    Fourth and Goal in Fourth Grade

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  3. Hi Holly!
    In my last school, the parents committee paid for our Bookflix fee and our new school doesn't have it. I miss it! Thanks for the link up - I love reading about great ideas and even ones that we try and don't succeed with because we are always learning as we teach.
    :) Shelley
    The Perks of Teaching Primary

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  4. That looks like an awesome resource! I'm going to have to at least do the free trial and then try to find someone to pay for it!

    Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late
    Follow me on Bloglovin!

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  5. I just went and checked both these out. They look fabulous! We are lucky enough that our area education agency provides both of these sites for us-- I can't believe I've never attempted to use them :( I will now! Thank you so much for sharing these! I now have some "new" resources to go with my science and social studies units!
    ♬Kay
    On the Trail of Learning

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  6. I haven't ever heard of these! Thank you so much for sharing, Holly! I'm going to show this to my Media Specialist to see if she has heard of it. We have TumbleBooks and a few other resources that the school pays for, but everything else in our District is the same across the board.
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

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  7. Ok wow- Book Flix looks awesome! I can see why your daughter loves it- what a great resource! I'm definitely going to check it out more!
    Aylin :)
    Learning to the Core

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  8. Hi, Holly! I've been using Bookflix for a couple years. It's great! Our Area Education Agency pays for a membership. Many teachers in my district don't even know we have it! I would encourage others to investigate to see if it's available through whatever agency they have that is similar to an AEA or maybe a public library. I'm excited to be linking up here for the first time! Thanks for the opportunity!
    Deb
    Not very fancy

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  9. These look fantastic. I am going to have to check out the free trial, this sounds like a fantastic resource!

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  10. I hope you can get these sites at your school. We have Bookflix for our whole board and there really is a good selection of books. I like how they are set up in themes. I got a trial subscription to Trueflix earlier this year and forgot all about it - eek, now I have to go find out if it is still valid. I remember thinking there was some great info there for ancient civilizations. Thanks for the reminder!! I hope this week is a little better for you and your family.I hear you - snow days are nice- but sometimes it is so hard to get back into a groove or get things done with all the stopping and starting.

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  11. Holly, I have never heard of these sites but I totally need to look into them. I'm sure my students would love a subscription!!!
    Wendy
    One Happy Teacher

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  12. Those sites look fantastic! I will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing!

    Jenny
    Suntans and Lesson Plans

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  13. Our district started TrueFlix, but I haven't looked into it yet. For some reason, I thought it was for younger students as well. Thank you for setting me straight.
    :)

    Mary
    Fit to be Fourth

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  14. I haven't seen it before today, but I definitely want to look into it. It looks very engaging!

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  15. I am going to have to try these out (my daughter's in first grade too and can't seem to read enough).
    Thank You!
    matt

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  16. I always forget that we have this at my school!! I need those government vids/books for sure next week!! Thanks for the reminder! :)
    Jivey

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