A Few Math Resources for Primary Grades

Oh dear...it has been too long since I updated my blog. I do apologize if you have been waiting or wondering...anyway, today I wanted to share a few math resources I came across recently. I think they would be perfect in a primary classroom!

Give The Dog A Bone

This website activity asks students to find 10 hidden dog bones on a 100 chart in one minute. The trick is the chart is blank! A number is presented, such as 62. Students have to use their knowledge of the 100 chart, such as each row is worth 10, to hop around and pinpoint the number. This game would work well on an IWB or on a computer as a math center.

Place the Penguins Game

Another great website, this time from the UK. This activity is perfect for developing understanding of big numbers and place value. You are given a choice if you want to play with 10's and 1's, called "units" or 100's, 10's and 1's. This is a great visual tool! Again, this would be wonderful on an IWB or an individual computer station.

Sums Stacker
This website game, from Carstens Studio, needs Adobe Shockwave to play. I love this game, which is excellent for students who need a bit of a challenge with addition facts. Sums can be represented with dice, coins, or digits. Students click and drag values from three stacks, moving them around until they make the target sum at the bottom of the stack. There is a matching iPad/iPod/iPhone app available for $0.99, which has a few more options, including fingers and Spanish number words.

Hope you find one of these useful in your teaching!

Penguins! Penguins!

I am obsessed with my newest app. It's like reality TV with animals! Pocket Penguins is a FREE iPhone app, but works just fine on my iPad as well.  The California Academy of Sciences streams the Africa penguin exhibit in real time, and the user has the ability to switch between 3 live webcams. These penguins immediately captivated my son and me! We had fun predicting which penguin would jump in the water next or wondering why two penguins started fighting.

The iTunes description mentioned live feedings at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm, California time. Sure enough, just a minute or two after 5:00 pm in the Midwest, live sound came on and two employees started talking to the crowd and answering questions. We could see one biologist get in the water and hand feed the penguins. This Q & A show lasted about 15 minutes and the penguins were very active at this time! We checked in the next day at the earlier time, saw and heard different trainers and learned even more facts about penguins. I am not sure this is a 24/7 app, though. The underwater camera seems to be dark later at night. I assume the lights are off in the exhibit then.

I started investigating, trying to find other apps like this.

I took a chance and downloaded the Pocket Zoo HD app for $1.99 I was excited because it has 17 animals webcams from around the world. It seems some are just still shots, though. Due to time zone differences, all 17 webcams are not all on at once. The meerkats were fun to watch, though, running around, quite active. The camera quality was not the best on some these web cams. But since Japan is pretty far away, I will cut them some slack! I was a little disappointed, especially since it was a PAID app, but my son was not. We are definitely going to give it another try at a different time tomorrow!

I found the San Diego Zoo app, and downloaded it because it was FREE. In the Media section, there are 3 webcams to choose from: Panda, Ape (which is an orangutan) & Polar Bear.  The camera quality was pretty good.  I haven't spent too much time with this app yet (cute penguins taking all my time!), but I'll let you know how it compares.

This reminded me of a super duper Livebinder I saw once over at this awesome blog:  http://kbkonnected.tumblr.com/. Check out all these resources for webcams in the classroom!

Now, here comes the fun part - integrating these apps of webcams in your classroom! Where are they a natural fit? Science, and the study of animals, is an obvious answer. Can we be creative and bring them in other ways as well? One idea I am toying with comes from the Visible Thinking website mentioned on the Tech Transformation blog . I am new to these strategies, but I think I could incorporate it in this open-ended way: After watching the animal(s), students would discuss/write/draw:

   • What do you see?
   • What do you think about that?
   • What does it make you wonder?

Any ideas out there for other webcam uses? Any other resources, websites or apps you would recommend?

Thank You for the Award!

I am so excited that another blogger found my little blog and liked it enough to give me a Liebster Award for up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers! (I'd say 3 is definitely less, tee hee!)

Thank you Betsey Dixon over at http://trendytechtipsbd.blogspot.com/
Be sure to check out her blog, I think it looks like another fabulous resource!

Here are the rules for the Liebster Awards:

1. Copy and Paste the award on your blog.
2. Thank the giver(s) and link back to them.
3. Reveal your Top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now, I get to pass the award on to 5 deserving "baby" blogs...it is getting late now, so I don't have 5 yet...but so far...

1. Marcie at 2nd Grade Learning Safari

2. Heather at Swinging Through Second Grade

3. Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives

I Tried Sqworl!

Have you heard of Sqworl? Sqworl.com is one place you can go to organize your favorite websites in one place. What I like about Sqworl is that it includes a visual of the home page of the website you marked. I think for our little students, who might not be able to read as well, this would be helpful. I bet those student would likely remember what their favorite web page looked like. I also like that this set of websites is then given a short URL. You only need to bookmark this ONE website address in your lab or computers in your room, or share this ONE website address with your parents.

Check out my Sqworl for storybooks on-line! I think it could be used during a literacy block, in a listening center or during the Daily 5!

http://sqworl.com/gaav0m

Hope you find this helpful!

Kindergarten iPad Apps

I have been neglecting my poor blog! Instead, I have been passing on ideas to teachers through Google Docs and Twitter. I will try to remember to post them here as well.

A kindergarten teacher I know just got an iPad for her class. She asked for some recommendations for literacy apps. Here is a short list of apps I suggested she download to get started. I will add more, as well as blog soon about apps for older students as well.  ***Disclaimer: prices may have changed since posting

1. ABC Alphanbet Phonics - Preschool Kids Games Free Lite (free)
This app is by Grasshopper Apps.com. It is great visually, very clear! Students listen to a prompt an select a letter by tapping on the screen. This company makes a lot of nice apps!
2. Letter of Day Interactive Activities (free)
This app is by Lakeshore Learning Materials. Includes a chant/poem for every letter, a "find the picture beginning with _" part, and a letter tracing activity.
3. Beginning Sounds Interactive Games (free)
This is another app by Lakeshore Learning Materials. It's a very neat activity, sort of like pulling a slot machine and then matching pictures to the letter of the beginning sound.
4. Dolch Primer and Pre-Primer Sight Words: Learn to Read (free and paid versions)
This app is by Steep Turn Software LLC. This is an iPhone app, but works on the iPad. The paid version gives you access to all the word lists pre-primer through 3rd grade.
5. I Like Books (free)
Another fabulous app by Grasshopper Apps.com! It contains 37 books in a nice, simple format. It has colorful photos, options for Read to Me, Read to Myself, or Autoplay. I like that the spoken word is highlighted as its read aloud.
6. Alphabet Tracing (free)
This app is by Oncilla Technologies. Students trace letters with their fingers, following a moving train, truck or worm to learn the correct formation.
7. Phonics Awareness, 1st Grade (free)
This app is by Bugbrained.com. I like the Segment section, using a bug's segments as a visual to break apart a word.
8. Sight Word List - Lear to Read Flash Cards & Games (free)
This app is by Alligator Apps.com. It is a simple flashcard app for sight words. It has many options for customizing lists and can be used preschool-3rd grade.

I hope you find something in this list that you can use!

Wonderopolis

I stumbled across this website awhile back, and knew with it's name, Wonderopolis, it had to be good! I just wasn't sure what a classroom teacher could do with it. Now, I have a few ideas!

Wonderopolis is a family and school friendly website. Each day, a new "Wonder of the Day" is featured. A short, interesting video starts off each day, followed by a few "Have you ever wondered...?" questions. These are perfect for stimulating thinking and opening discussions. After the "Did You Know...?" section, readers are asked to do something in the "Try It Out" section. The teacher in me likes the "Wonder Words to Know and Use" vocabulary section near the end.

What could a teacher do with this website? My first thought is that it could be used in an elementary classroom as part of literacy centers or the Daily Five. It provides authentic, interesting reading material. A writing component could easily be included by asking students to add a comment right on the website! Wonderoplis appears to respond back to the kids' comments. Or, students could record their reflecions in their own "Wonder" journal. Reading and writing with a purpose!
Students in a class could all respond to the same "Wonder of the Day", thus having the chance to read each other' comments. Another option would be to let students search the categories on the side for a wonder that appeals to their interests. Give students time to explore, and have them share with their class what they learned.

What other ways can these Wonders be incorporated in the classroom?

Great Resource for Videos

I believe videos or video clips can be a great educational tool. Obviously, they appeal to visual and auditory learners. Yet, they can also help build background knowledge for all students and explain tricky concepts more clearly. Videos lend themselves to students making connections or asking questions. Learning becomes more relevant when students are shown real life examples.

Where can teachers find awesome videos, appropriate for school? Have you heard about PBS Learning Media? What a fantastic resource for digital resources, and it's FREE! There is a very simple registration process, and then you have access to thousands of videos. There are also photographs, audio clips, and interactives you could use with any IWB.

Hope you find something there you can use right away!