QR codes that play audio

It has been said that I'm a technology freak. I don't deny it. I am also obsessed with QR codes. I use them all the time with my class and they love the instant feedback. After much deliberation about what to have the kids make as gifts for their parents for the holiday, I decided to skip the cheesy ornaments and do something academic and timeless. I found this awesome activity by the awe-inspiring Amy Lemons called, "The Story of...A Student Writing Booklet". It helps students organize a narrative about themselves using different verb tenses.

 First, you brainstorm verbs describing things the kids did when they were little. This can be hilarious. Some classic examples:
pooped, cried, spit up.

 Then, you brainstorm verbs that kids can do now. Mine needed a little prompting but caught on quick. This melted my heart! One kid wrote that she could read really hard chapter books!

 This is the fun part! A few of my little darlings said that they wanted to be teachers when they grow up! One said she wants to drive a pink limo. Her buddy next to her said, "That's gonna be hard to find".

Here is the title page. When I told the kids that we would be laminating these, they started to really take this project seriously. They felt like real authors!





After much editing (first with peers, then with me) and some dictionary practice, they were ready to write their final copies. I'll post pictures of the final products as soon as they're finished.

Now, here is where the QR codes come in! I recorded the kids reading their stories into my iPhone, then emailed them to myself. I saved them to Dropbox and then clicked on Share Link. After that I copied the link and pasted it into my favorite QR code generator site www.qrstuff.com and made QR codes for each kid. Now, all I have to do is print them out, glue them to the cover of their books and laminate them. I really think each parent will love to hear their child's precious voice reading the book they wrote and illustrated. I can't wait to see the finished product because they are looking awesome so far!