VoiceThread Example – Grade 2 – Making a Snack – Making things… Learning Things

This VoiceThread was created in 40 minutes with a grade 2 class of 21 students. The objective was to create a media text that captured a familiar procedure, that is, making a snack. Students were highly motivated and engaged and this was not only due to the fact they would be leaving that day with a yummy snack. Even though this VoiceThread was created with a paid account, it was done in such a way so that a similar one could be made using a single classroom computer and a free VoiceThread account.

Every student was involved in some way during the session. For the first 15 minutes, the snack was actually made and photographed at each step. A student volunteered to take the digital photos but instructed to not get any faces in the pictures so that no one could be identified. Different student volunteers took turns coming to the central table to complete a step in the creation of the snack baggies. Two other students had an idea to write the steps on chart paper as they occurred (this slowed things slightly but ended up being quite beneficial in the second half when other student volunteers made voice comments for each step. They could choose to read the text on the chart paper if they wanted to or speak the step as they remembered… most chose to read the step from the chart).

A five minute break took place in the middle of the session. Students put away the snack materials, cleaned up and assembled for the second part of the session: recording voice comments of the steps in making the snack. Also at this time, the teacher uploaded eleven pictures to a new VoiceThread, added a title and description, and made sure the headset/mic was plugged in and ready to use.

Students who were not involved in the making and photographing of the snack now had the opportunity to speak a voice comment for one of the steps. All of the remaining students were eager to add their voices the VoiceThread to narrate each step.

Near the end of the 40 minute session, the class watched the full VoiceThread together. The link to the VoiceThread could be shared with parents and other students.