Last week while out to dinner with my family, I stumbled across a sign with a blatant grammar error. I froze in front of the sign eyes wide and mouth agape. My initial reaction was one of disappointment because my students were not there to witness and correct this real life grammar gaffe!
I could not wait until the next school day to quiz my students on the problem with this sign. So, I took a picture and posted it to my class Instagram account with the question “What’s wrong here?” Within 20 minutes, I had three responses to my question!
I was delighted that students would chime in outside of school hours to explain the grammar mistake. There was no incentive. Instead, they were clearly intrigued by the challenge.
In an effort to connect our grammar lessons to “real life,” I’ve encouraged students to begin documenting and sharing the grammar mistakes they encounter in life. They can post them on Instagram and tag me (since I don’t follow anyone with my school Instagram account) or they can email me their photos directly if they don’t have an Instagram account.
Again, Instagram offers a way for me to enhance the learning happening in the classroom. For more ideas on how to use Instagram in the classroom, check out my blog on Instagram scavenger hunts and Instagram sensory walks!
One response
[…] During our session, we crowdsourced tips for using Twitter. I thought I’d share some of the tips I’ve learned in the last 5 years on Twitter. Tip #1: Include an image or video with your tweet. Tweets with media are more likely to be liked and retweeted. Tip #2: Use shortened URLs when sharing a link. Tip #3: Don’t just retweet, but add your own comment! Tip #4: Use hashtags, but not too many. Tip #5: Join a Twitter chat. Tip #6: Post your original content to Twitter. Tip #7: Share what you’re working on. Tip #8: Share best practices! Tip #9: Share valuable resources. Instagram: Document and Share Grammar Gaffes. […]