Power My Learing

 





Looking for a one-stop website to gather ideas for lessons, find videos, locate activities and games for students, and so much more...and it be linked to Common Core?  Check out PowerMyLearning!  This site lets you search by grade level and by subject.  Once you choose the subject you can go deeper by searching specific domains for activities, videos, tutorials and so much more.  You must create an account but it is FREE!!!  You can even set up your own classroom, make assignments, create your own activities and monitor progress on assignments.  There are also ways to access these resources as parents and students.  Thanks to Shasta McFry at Ohatchee Elementary for sharing this link with me! Check it out ... http://powermylearning.org/

 

 

 

KidRex

Do you worry about turning student loose to search for information on the web?  KidRex my be your answer...this kid-friendly search engine  provides a safe kid zone for web searches.  Since this is powered by Google, kids will be given a list of kid-appropriate sites to aid them in research.  Check out the site at ... http://www.kidrex.org/

What happens if they search something inappropriate?  They get an Oops! Try Again notice!

PortaPortal

PortaPortal is a free bookmarking site that allows you to give students s protected access to a list of websites or links you have selected.  Students and parents may be given a guest login so that they can access the links from home.  This guest access allows them to access the links without having access to alter or add information to your site.  You can create tabs or subject headings to organize your links.   Check it out at ... http://portaportal.com/

Sign up for this free bookmarking tool!

Organize your links for parents and students to easily access by subject or skill.

Graphite by Common Sense Media

Graphite helps teachers find apps, games and websites that have been rated by teachers for learning purposes.  Teachers can search by type, subject, grade and price.  Teachers can also search specifically for  Common Core resources/apps/tools in English/Language Arts or Mathematics.  Check it out at ... https://www.graphite.org/

Explore apps rated by teachers.

Find more resource based upon Common Core Standards.

Socrative 2.0

Socrative upgraded to Socrative 2.0 on July 12, 2014.  All previous accounts in Socrative were updated to Socrative 2.0

Want to find out about the new features in Socrative 2.0? Check out http://www.socrative.com/materials/SocrativeUserGuide.pdf

Today's Meet

Today's Meet is an online journaling/discussing board where students can answer questions, make comments, ask questions and so much more.  Teachers can monitor questions directly in the chat and monitor "backroom" chats that take place. 

Here are some quick reminders from Dr. Knighton when using this app...consider making your Room Name unique and double check the room prior to giving it to students to make sure no previous information for another session is there.  Check it out at ... https://todaysmeet.com/

   

See students thoughts as they share.

The Answer Pad

The Answer Pad is an online tool for formative and summative assessments.  Teachers may engage students through quick response feedback opportunities or create quizzes to assess knowledge.  Teachers can generate reports to review student performance.  Check it out at ... http://theanswerpad.com/ 

Website view

The teacher dashboard is always web-based.

TapIt is the student app students can use to respond.
 

Student answer formats

KidBlog

KidBlog is a free and simple way for your students to share thoughts and ideas collaboratively!  You, as the teacher, are in control of topics, blogs and logins.  Students may access the blogs online and through mobile devices. The possibilities are endless for how you could use this tool...enhance your writing standards through collaborative discussions, answer questions of the day, share thoughts from lit circles, and so much more.  What could you blog with your students today?  Check it out... http://kidblog.org/home/

Apps for Common Core

Looking for apps that will reinforce and practice some of your common core standards?  This app is designed to link you with apps which specifically meet common core standards.  You may choose apps for Mathematics or Language Arts.  You may also choose specific grade levels Kindergarten through Grade 12.  The common core standards are show in the national common core format so in looking the numbers will not line up with the Alabama COS/CCSS numbers.  You may also suggest apps that you find which align with the standards...happy apping!

Reading Fluency on the iPad...Not Scary at All!

Wouldn't it be great to use your iPad to have students monitor their fluency?  This app is one we explored during our recent Appy Hour. There's nothing to be scared about when it comes to AudioBoo...this app allows you to record and save audio files on your device.  This is a great way to use your iPad to record students oral reading and to help them monitor oral reading fluency.  When downloading this app, be sure to get the iPhone version.  It is free and is much simpler to use for students.  This app allows you to record up to three minutes per session.  There is no way to adjust the time limit.  However, if your goal is just to practice reading and monitor fluency three minutes versus one minute isn't an issue.  Here is how you can use this app for oral reading fluency...

Step 1: Hit the green Record button that appears on the main screen.

Step 2: Choose the red Record button to begin recording.  There is a countdown clock which appears once you begin recording at the bottom of the screen.  If you want them to only record one minute of their reading, students will need to manage a timer or pay attention to the countdown clock stopping their recording when it shows two minutes.

Step 3: Should you want to stop your recording early, simply hit the pause button.  You may resume recording once you have hit the Resume button. 

Step 4: Select the green Publish button at the top right corner when you have completed your recording and name your recording.  We suggest using the child's name.

Step 5: You may listen to your recordings by selecting My Boos from the home screen. 



This link will take you to a blog by Mrs. Wideen who has posted her I Can list and an evaluation chart which you can download FREE.

iPad Literacy Stations 

I Can Chart for Fluency Station...

Student evaluation form for Fluency Station...

On a personal note, I've been using this app with my first grader and his homework.  He loves recording himself with his nightly reading fluency passage and listening to himself read.  What a great motivation for our boys who sometimes struggle with wanting to read!  SHare with your parents...this may help them, too!

Socrative & Question of the Day

Shout out to third graders who are discovering how to use Socrative to answer the Question of the Day!  Students are using classroom devices as well as bringing their own devices to answer a daily question posed by the teacher.  This is a simple way to incorporate devices into a daily lesson while engaging our students.  On days when a student doesn't have a device or when students have technical issues with their device, students may borrow a school device or use the classroom computers to respond.  This allows teachers to immediately review student responses and provide instant feedback to the class.

    

Bluster

Bluster is an app by McGraw-Hill which allows students to practices with words that have similarities such as prefixes, suffixes, homophones, root words, rhyming words, synonyms, etc.  This can be played as a single user, team or versus (2 players) and is leveled for second, third and fourth grades.  To add some fun into the activity "weather elements" such as tornadoes, thunderstorms and snow storms can interrupt a player and temporarily frees them from responding. 

Mrs. Prickett's third grade class is using this as a part of station activities.  After teaching the students about the app, students have enjoyed reviewing many of these language arts skills as a part of their stations.  In addition, this provides practice for both formative and summative assessments for our third graders.  Mrs. Prickett shared that the kids have thoroughly enjoyed this activity!

-Dana Prickett, 3rd grade, WPES -

Tumble Books

The library has just purchased a 2 year subscription to tumblebooks. You’re going to LOVE this website. It has so many great features you can use in the classroom and the kids can access it at home. It’s the perfect tool for BYOD. 

Here is the information regarding Tumble Books from our librarian, Mrs. Hollis:

About the TumbleBookLibrary:
The TumbleBookLibrary is a collection of TumbleBooks (animated, talking picture books) with fiction, non-fiction and foreign language titles, Read-Alongs (chapter books with sentence highlighting and narration but no animation), TumbleTV which consists of pre-set playlists of a sequence of books, and Tumble Puzzles & Games.

TumbleBooks are created from existing picture books which we have licensed from children's book publishers and converted to the TumbleBook format.

Navigating the Site:

You may want to explore the site by checking out all the books, games and features. Our catalogue has book descriptions, book reviews, and author/illustrator/publisher information. You can view a TumbleBook by clicking on the ‘View Online” button or on the cover of the book. There are a number ways you can access a book:

1. The index page lists all the TumbleBooks. Click on the title (hyperlink) and you will be taken right to that TumbleBook.
2. Scroll through the collection in any of the sections to read the descriptions and view the reading levels.

Add your favorite title(s) to the My Favorites section for easy access any time. This feature is cookied onto individual computers.

TumbleSearch:  Our online search allows you to search by title, author, publisher, language subject, and reading level.

Automatic/Manual Button: 

TumbleBooks are designed to be experienced in either automatic or manual mode. In automatic mode, the pages turn by themselves and are narrated; in manual mode, the readers turn the pages at their own speed.

The Pause Button: Both the student and teacher can use the pause button to stop the story at any time in order to practice story prediction, interpret pictures, discuss new vocabulary words, empathize with a character, discuss possible consequences of actions, encourage problem solving, or provide historical, geographical, or other perspectives.

Word Helper:                  

This feature allows you to click on a book to hear a sentence repeated, or click on a vocabulary word in order to hear it pronounced.

Reading Levels: Each title has recommended reading levels: Grade, Lexile and Accelerated Reader information. Click on the reading level to see other books at the same level.

TumbleGames:

The TumblePuzzles and TumbleGames are great educational tools.

Language Learning:

Our Language Learning section has a growing collection of books in Spanish and French, to name a few.

Navigate en Español/ en Français:

Our drop down menu on the top right hand corner of the site allows you to view the entire site in Spanish or French.

TumbleMailer and Record-a-Book Features:

Your students and staff members can now send TumbleCards and TumbleBooks to friends and family through our TumbleMailer feature. They can also narrate and record their own TumbleBooks!

TumblePlayer:   The TumblePlayer allows students, teachers, librarians and parents to preload a number of TumbleBooks in an online player in order to be played one after another. Perfect for library story time. The TumblePlayer works just like an online music player.

Mrs. Cronan, first grade teacher, has incorporated this tool into her classroom in reading stations.  They kids LOVED the new addition!

Mrs. Cronan's class explores Tumble Books in their reading stations.



Third grade students in Mrs. Snead's class explored Tumble Books today as a part of a BYOD lesson. 

Here's what some of our thrid graders think about this new tool:

Braxton - "It's cool because you can read AND do vidoes and games."

Logan - "It plays the story for you.  You can listen while you read and you can look at this at home."

Camden - "You can read a book you don't have at home or in the library.  It has videos that might help you on a science or history test, too."

Thank you, Mrs. Hollis, for this new program!

Seuss is Loose on My Device!

Many of you have been searching for apps and books to use next week for Read Across America Week.  Here are several links and apps you may want to check out...

http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/seuss/

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-lists/dr-seuss-apps

Check out this video and the FREE Dr. Seuss Bookshelf App!

Be sure to check the app store regularly next week.  Many times, they will offer free Dr. Seuss apps in honor of his birthday!  Let us know if you hear of a special offer!

Circle Up with a Nook

"Sometimes the book is overwhelming.  It's easier on the nook!", says Aiden, a third grader here at WPE.  Students in some third grade classes are using Nooks to participate in lit circles - traditional lit circles, nothing has changes except for the incorporation of e-readers.  Aiden explains, "I can use some different stuff here at school than I have at home.  I mean, I have a DS, but we don't have a Nook and that's cool!"

Another student, Dylan explained how students can look up words when they are reading.  " You can look up a word you don't know.  On a regular book, you have to go to a dictionary and think abc order but on the Nook, you can just tap and it gives you the definition."

Jonathan, also a third grader, told about other cool features on the Nook.  "You can change how it looks and turn it sideways so it looks like a normal book.  You can highlight things you read, too."

Students also explained how they can search for certain parts in the book.  As a part of the lit circles, student have jobs, one of which is caring for the Nooks.  Way to go, third grade!

I Nook...Do you?

Recently, our library purchased several Nooks for teachers to checkout for students to use in their classrooms.  Several teachers took advantage of the opportunity, including Mrs. Keel's classroom.  These kindergarteners loved reading along and listening to stories on the Nook.  Teachers are incorporating the Nooks in to stations, small groups and lit circles.  Thank you, Mrs. Hollis, for helping us find new ways to connect students with reading!