Moss Teaches

TUSS Resources

This page has resources that will help you with your TUSS project.  I hope this helps you!  I will add more resources as the opportunity arises.

-Mr. Moss

TUSS Forms

  • Download the whole TUSS packet as an Acrobat PDF file. (This packet has Mr. Moss’s name, but other than the name of the teacher listed, it is identical for each fourth grade class.)
  • Download the TUSS Program Page as a Microsoft Word file (so you can type in your responses and print it out, if you’d rather not complete the page by hand.

Resources and Frequently-Asked Questions

Getting Started

Q: Who is “Aunt Petunia”?

A:  Different students have different family structures.  Some kids live with a mom and dad, and some may just live with one parent.  Others may live with an aunt, or uncle, or grandparent, while others may live with someone else who loves them!  The term “Aunt Petunia” represents whoever is/are the adult(s) in charge at home.  (Not just a babysitter.)  By the way… My use of the term Aunt Petunia predated J.K. Rowling’s character in Harry Potter by the same name.  She owes me some royalties! 😉

Q: I’m trying to pick my method.  How long should my presentation be?

A:  The length of each presentation should depend on what you’re showing us.  For example, if you’re reading to us from a poster, you might only need six or seven minutes (before taking questions) to present.  But if you’re showing us a video or demonstrating a process, it will understandably take longer.  Remember to think about keeping your audience’s attention.  (Your target audience is a group of fourth graders, not your teacher.)  As a rule-of-thumb, most presentations take between 7 and 20 minutes.  If you expect that your project will take LONGER to present, please speak with your teacher well ahead of the due date.

Q: How many methods can I use to present information about my topic?

A:  You only have one presentation, but some students choose to include a few different methods in their presentation.  For example, you might have a video or slideshow and end with a game or quiz.  Maybe you want to work in a demonstration or a taste test or something interactive.  Be careful about integrating more than two or three different methods.  That can get challenging and time consuming for you and your family when you’re preparing your project.  As always, remember that you need to specify your methods on your Idea Proposal Form.  That’s your commitment.  When your “Aunt Petunia” signs that form, he or she is agreeing that they are “ok” with your plan for your chosen method(s).

Q: I’m really shy and don’t want to speak in front of my class.  What should I do?

A:  If you prepare a video, you can stand off to the side while it plays (assuming the video is narrated and includes all the important information.  Most other projects do involve students needing to speak to us during the presentation.  ALL students are asked to take questions from the audience at the end of the presentation.

Researching Your Topic

Q: Where do I find information?

A: In addition to finding books in the library, you might also be able to find great information online!  Official websites for landmarks, businesses, celebrities, or other notable things can be great resources.  You can also use kid-friendly search sites, like Kidtopia, Enchanted Learning, or Fact Monster.  Wikipedia CAN be a great resource, but remember that anyone can edit a Wikipedia page, so it may not be accurate.  You can also interview experts, watch a relevant TV show or movie, find online videos and blogs, and much more!  Be sure to keep track of your sources on your List of Sources page.

Q: How do I take notes?

A: I remember taking notes on index cards when I was in school.  That can still be a good option (because you can put each kind of information on a different card), but I think you might find that index cards don’t give you enough room to easily include all your information.  Perhaps using your APS Gmail Accounts will be helpful, because you can create Google Docs to organize your notes.  There are also some more structured methods of taking notes that I can recommend.  I’m a big fan of IIM: the Independent Investigation Method.  I’ve made a quick video showing you how to use IIM, and you can download copies of the IIM papers for your own use.  (You might find IIM to be a great tool, but remember that we DO NOT require the level of detail in bibliographic information that IIM includes.)

Q: What if I run out of room on my List of Sources page?

A: Some people will naturally have more sources than other people.  Sometimes, many of your sources will come from one category, and you’ll quickly run out of room.  You’re able to print out more copies of this document (see link to packet, above) and staple them together.

Preparing Your Project (Method)

Q: I picked a presentation method that uses technology, but I don’t know how to do it.  I know my teacher can’t teach me, so how do I get started?

A: What a terrific question!  Congratulations on challenging yourself to learn something new.  When I need to learn how to use a tool, I look online.  It’s amazing how many good things there are.  You will probably find some great how-to videos on YouTube and some written guides on different websites.  It’s amazing how much you can find if you (with a grown up’s help) search Google for exactly what you’re looking for.  For example, looking to add titles in iMovie?  Google “How to add titles in iMovie” or “How to reorder slides in Google Slides“.  Look at all the awesome resources you’ll find.

Q: I want to make a website.  How do I do it?

A:  I like using WordPress for making basic websites because it’s free, reasonably simple to use, and there are lots of videos out there to teach you how to use it.  A lot of people like using Weebly and Edublogs as well.  As always, for privacy and safety reasons, kids should never post their name or photo online without a parent’s permission.

Q: I am making a slideshow presentation (PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, others).  How many slides should I have?

A: That depends.  If you have lots of information on each slide, 10-15 slides could be plenty.  Some people add lots of slides with photos to show us images, so they might easily have 30-50 slides.  It depends on your topic and how you’re teaching us.  But a good rule of thumb is that you should think first about what information you want to share with us.  That should determine how many slides you need and how long your presentation will be.

Q: I found a video that’s great for my project, but only a few monents in the middle of the video really fit with my project.  The rest is extra.  How should I handle that?

A: Videos can be terrific resources to support your presentation, but showing us a video that someone else made should not be your WHOLE presentation (or even the majority of it) because it’s not your own work.  But showing us some short video clips can really enhance your presentation.  Something you’ll find a video and want to show us just a portion of the video.  While you certainly can find a way to download and trim the video (Respect copyrights, please!) it can be a pain to do this.  Instead, it’s often easier to load your video ahead of time, cue the player to the part of the video you want to show, and have it ready for when you present.  Then, when you’re presenting, just hit play and then stop the video when you’re done showing the part you want your audience to see.

Q: How do I insert a YouTube video into my PowerPoint presentation?

A:  How to embed a YouTube video in a PowerPoint presentation – You’d think that Microsoft would make this an easy thing to do in PowerPoint, given the popularity of YouTube.  Surprisingly, it’s very difficult.  This site gives you a set of step-by-step directions that, if followed EXACTLY, will work.  But trust me – it’s NOT EASY.  (Note: We don’t have the latest version of Microsoft Office in school, so even if you have the current version at home, you might find some compatibility challenges if you try to embed video.  Embedding videos in Google Slides is much, much easier.  If you’re finding that this is a big issue for you, talk with your teacher about switching to a Google Slides presentation.

Q: How do I add music to my Prezi?

A:  Good question!  Click here!

Q: How do I make my Prezi look good?

A:  Have you ever seen a video that someone shot on their phone?  Some of them are beautiful!  But some bounce around so much that you feel sea-sick just watching it!  The same is true for Prezi.  Because it’s all one big canvas that you move around on, it’s easy to have so much movement that your Prezi is distracting for the people watching it.  The best Prezi presentations have a creative design that engages your audience, but not so much movement that we all get queasy.

Q: How do I insert a video in my Prezi?

A: The fine folks at Prezi have made a tutorial for you!

Q: How do I add music or sound to my Google Slides presentation?

A:  If you have audio/music you want to have playing THROUGHOUT your slideshow, this page will help you.  At this time, you cannot add individual sounds to individual pages, although you can link to or embed YouTube videos (or other online videos).

Q: How can I insert a video into my Google Slides presentation?

A: Go to the Insert menu and choose video.  You can either search for a video (if you know how to find it) or paste in the URL (the web address) from the exact video.  YouTube videos are the most easy to embed, but make sure it’s accurate, appropriate, and brief.  (Don’t make us watch a 30 minute video if only two and half minutes are relevant to your project.)

Getting Your Project to School

Q: I made a video myself on my computer or tablet or other portable device.  How can I share it with my teacher?

A:  You have a few options, depending on how you recorded your video.  If you used iMovie or Windows Movie Maker or another piece of software to edit your video, you should have options to EXPORT the video into one big file.  (Bringing in the iMovie file or other editable file will NOT work.)  That exported movie file can be shared with your teacher in Google Drive, or brought in on a CD (if it’s a small video) or DVD or flash drive.  Do not EMAIL videos.  One option that lots of people find easier is to upload your video onto a video sharing site.  That way, you don’t have to worry about file formats or file size.  I like vimeo.com a lot because (1) it’s free and (2) you can mark a video as private so that only you (and people you share it with) can see it.   Vimeo has apps that work with iOS devices (iPod, iPhone, iPad), and you can directly upload to vimeo from iMovie for iOS or for Mac.  It is also easy to use with Windows-based software.  But again, because we use Google Drive so much in school, consider starting with that. Also, you can upload to your own YouTube channel (using your Avon Google account) and then mark the video as private so that you can control who has access to it.

Q: I want to bring in my video on a DVD.  What do I do?

A:  Confusing as it sounds, bringing your video on a DVD could mean two things:  To have a DVD play on a TV’s DVD player (with a menu system and whatnot), you need a special program to design the files.  (Something like iDVD, which Apple doesn’t even make anymore.)  Otherwise, you can just burn the FINAL exported file onto a DVD.  This is usually a good option for larger files.  Honestly, focus more on your product, less on a fancy way to get it to your teacher.

Q: I filmed my video using my family’s video camera (not a smart phone or tablet or iPod).  How do I share it with my teacher?

A:  If you filmed it with a video camera, you can bring in the camera AND THE CONNECTION CABLES and connect to the projector.  We STRONGLY encourage you to bring in the equipment ahead of time (even weeks ahead of time) so we can make sure everything works.  Remember, your video doesn’t need to be FINISHED in order for us to check your equipment.

Due Date / Presenting

Q: What do I need to bring on the due date?

A: If your final project is a THING (something to physically bring with you), bring it.  If it’s something online, like a video or a website, be prepared to give your teacher access.  You also need to bring:

    • Program Page (SIGNED)
    • List of Sources (stapled together, please)
    • All older documents should come into school in your TUSS folder.

Q: Can I bring my ___(person at home)___’s really new, fancy, expensive, state of the art ____(technology)____?

A: You should not bring ANYTHING of value to school without getting your parent’s CLEAR permission.  The school takes NO responsibility for keeping your belongs safe.  It’s up to you and your parent(s)!

Q: Do I need to write a script?

A: That’s entirely up to you.  If you have a PowerPoint, Prezi, or some other kind  of presentation where you’re TELLING us about your topic, a lot of your information may come from what you SAY, not just what’s written.  That’s fine!  If you want to write a script so you have all your words prepared, you can.  But remember that the most successful presentations have lots of eye contact and thoughtful discussions.

Q: What day am I presenting?

A:  Some people need to bring in food, some fancy equipment that they can’t leave at school, or other things that make it important that they know what day they’re presenting.  If that’s true for you, your teacher will assign you a day to present WHEN THE PROJECT IS DUE.  Teachers usually WON’T assign presentation dates ahead of the project’s due date.  If you want to know when you’re presenting just because you’re curious, sorry – we appreciate your flexibility and willingness to present whenever there is time in the class schedule.  Remember, your WHOLE project should be ready to go on the due date, unless you’ve made plans with your teacher (such as if you are bringing in food – don’t bring it until you teacher schedules your presentation day). If you are in a situation in which you need to know, in advance, when you’re presenting YOU must talk with your teacher ahead of time.  Unless you and your teacher have made plans, you should bring EVERYTHING with you on the due date.

Q: How do I present something that people are meant to explore on their own, like a website?

A: Good question!  Typically kids present websites by taking us on a tour of their site and showing it to the class.  We can explore it ourselves later on.

Q: I don’t want to talk when I present.  Can I just stand off to the side?

A: Some kids get shy when asked to present.  If you have a video or something else that teaches us by itself, then you’re welcome to stand off to the side.  But most presentations do involve you speaking in front of the class.  (Yes, even a PowerPoint/Google Slides/Prezi presentation.  Don’t just stand there and make us read the slides.  Talk to us!)  ALL students are asked to take questions from the audience at the end of their presentation?

How-To Videos

Important – These videos are provided as a resource for students and families to use.  We are not the creators of the videos, and AS ALWAYS, we encourage parents to supervise their children as they watch videos online and to screen videos when they feel that it is necessary.  Students should not watch videos online, especially YouTube, without a grown-up’s permission.  We also cannot guarantee that these videos are precisely accurate, given how quickly technology tends to evolve.

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