Promethean: Creating Containers

Containers are a neat function you can create in your flipcharts that allows you to place objects or words into a "container". I like to use this feature for sorting words or objects into the proper categories. If the word or object is placed correctly, it stays in the container. If it is placed incorrectly, it shoots back out of the container. I'm going to use a map activity I made for 1st grade as an example:

Before you set up the objects as containers, there are two important things to note.

• Your containers must be larger than the objects being contained inside them. For this map, I had to make sure my text boxes were smaller than the rectangles I created. This was easily done by clicking on the text and resizing the boxes. 

• Your objects need to be on top of the containers. You can make sure they are on top by going to the object browser and moving all the objects over the containers. In the picture below all the text has been moved on the list ahead of the shapes. They can all stay in the Middle Layer. 

1. Make sure you choose to View--->Browsers and go to the Property Browser.

2. To create the containers, click on the object that will act as the container. In the Property Browser find Container.

3. For Can Contain choose "specific object".
4. In Contain Object click on the icon with three dots next to where you type the text. Don't type any text in that box. You MUST click the icon. Then, this box will appear:

5. Choose the object you would like to contain and click OK. You are done making the container.

6. Now you need to go to the object that will be contained. Click on that object and in the Property Browser click on Container.

7. You will only change one thing here. Go to the last option, Return if not Contained, and choose True. This means that if the object is placed in the wrong container, it will return it back to its original location. This step is important because if you don't choose True, then the object will stay wherever you place it, even if it is the wrong container.

Repeat these steps for each container. Once you have done this with all of your containers and objects to be contained, lock the containers so they don't accidentally get moved during use.

Now you can have students try their hand and putting the right answers in the correct locations. They'll know they got it wrong if the object won't stay in the container. This is great as a pre- unit or lesson activity, post- unit or lesson review, or as an independent activity during centers. A great way to assess student knowledge while getting them up to interact with the board.