The Teacher Spot: Teacher Resources

Featured App: Best Books for Tweens

2013-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Get the App:
Best Books for Tweens

Get your tween students (5th and 6th grade) the appropriate books that they are sure to love! This app gives you book ratings, reviews, summaries, and suggestions. If you are stuck on suggesting something for one of your students, send them to this free app for more personalized answers and easier book exploration. I love it!

Winter/Holiday Activities for Grades K-2

2012-11-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

Check out these awesome winter/holiday activities from my TpT store!

Winter/Holiday Activity Pack Grades K-2

Here are some samples from this pack:

Enjoy!

Writer's Workshop Survival Guide K-3

2012-10-21T08:21:00.002-07:00

I just posted a link on TeachersPayTeachers to purchase my Writer's Workshop Survival Guide! Here are sample images of it. You can purchase it here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Survival-Guide-K-3

Enjoy!

Classroom Management GOLD! Bouncing Balls Website Triggered by Sound!

2012-10-17T14:37:00.001-07:00

So I recently came across this website that has a tool called "Bouncing Balls" that is hooked up through the website and uses the computer microphone to trigger the bouncing. The higher the noise level, the more the balls bounce!! When it is quiet, the balls remain still. Use this in your classroom as a great noise management technique!

http://ictmagic.visibli.com/share/texdW3

Visit this website at: http://ictmagic.visibli.com/share/texdW3

Please share any noise management goodies of your own!

The Daily Edit--Make Your Morning Work Meaningful!

2012-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

So this is an idea I actually got from my own second grade teacher. And no, she didn't tell me about it recently. I actually remember this from second grade! As a part of our morning work, there would either be a passage written on the blackboard or on chart paper. This was "The Daily Edit." In the passage, there would be different mistakes that each student needed to individually find and fix at his or her seat. The passage was usually short enough, and the difficulty got increasingly harder as the year went on. At first it covered simple things like capitalization, using periods, and the recognition of spelling in sight words, but it proceeded to cover other things that we covered in class. It actually made morning work meaningful because it allowed students to apply their knowledge of structure in an analytical way. This also helps with students' own writing skills because they have the practice in editing that can tranlate to self-editing. It is also great for classroom management and structure, because students will know exactly what to do when they come in the classroom!

Here is an example of what a Daily Edit would look like. This particular example asks students to use their knowledge of the structure of a letter, as well as some spelling, punctuation, and capitalization errors.

Please feel free to give feedback or let me know of some of your morning work strategies!

Website Spotlight: Snappy Words Visual Dictionary

2012-08-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

Sick and tired of boring dictionary definitions? Can't figure out how to get students to make connections between words and their meanings? Snappywords online visual dictionary gives excellent visual definitions/connections for any word!

This would be great for any vocabulary lesson or for any sort of test prep. Good way to review words as a whole class too, especially for visual learners!

Visit the site here: http://www.snappywords.com/

So awesome and kids love it! Much better than a definition thrown at you.

Enjoy!

FREEBIE! Rubric for Small Moment Writing

2012-08-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Use this rubric for students who struggle to stretch out their writing and add details. They will be able to self assess themselves and their work, and see where they need to add more! This goes great with Writer's Workshop small moment writing, but it can be used for anything!

You can download the freebie here: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writers-Workshop-Small-Moments-Stretch-Out-Your-Writing-Rubric

Here is a preview of what it looks like:

Enjoy!

Printable! 42 Small Moment Prompts for Writer's Workshop

2012-08-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these small moment writing prompts for when kids are stuck on thinking an idea. These prompts are very broad, so any ideas they come up with will be from their own personal lives!

You can visit my TpT site and get the full version here: Writer's Workshop 42 Small Moment Writing Prompts

Here is a sample:

Printable Center Cards and Schedule Cards!

2012-08-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

Check out my teacherspayteachers site to get these center cards and schedule cards!

Included is two of each:

Word Work
Listening
Library
Poetry
Computer
Writing
Independent Reading
Guided Reading
Games
Free Choice
Math
Science
Social Studies
Music
Art
Physical Education
Health
Conference
Puzzles
Blocks

Cut these out, laminate them, and enjoy them in your classroom!

Here is a sample:

You can get them here! --> http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Center-Cards-and-Schedule-Cards

Best iPad Apps for Teachers and Educators

2012-08-09T20:43:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to find the perfect grade book or format to truly keep track of the data you need for students. Whether it is grades, participation, behavior, or other things, it is important to keep track of as much as possible in the classroom!! Data like this makes it easier to make a case for certain students if they are struggling in any way, and the visuals are great for parent meetings. Check out some of these paid and free apps for the iPad/iPhone that will fit all your teacher needs!!

Teacher's Assistant Pro: Track Student Behavior
This app is a great way for teachers to keep track of student behavior (both negative and positive). It allows you to assign a point value to certain actions (e.g. forgetting a book, tardiness) in order to see the severity of the situations. It also has a random group organizer which is perfect for selecting groups quick and easily. This would be really effective in middle/high school classes!

Teacher Kit
This app is great for general teaching needs! It allows you to keep attendance, input grades, and sort by class. Very useful and simple app!

Essay Grader
This tool really helps when grading essays to focus on the main elements of the writing piece. It also allows more useful and specific feedback for student work!

Stick Pick
This technological take on the traditional method of picking students at random using popsicle sticks is a fun way to switch things up in the classroom!

Edmodo
This is an excellent app for students with access to iDevices. Teachers and students can communicate outside of the classroom with class updates, class memos, grades, groups, etc.

Educreations Interactive Whiteboard
Create stunning visual aids to add to your lessons with this app. Great for sharing your lesson through visuals!

LiveBinders
Use this app to compile information on various topics and keep it all in one place.

Outliner for iPad
This simple tool can be used for outlining lectures, lessons, or simple to-do tasks. It is great as a projected visual or for your own personal reference.

Docs Anywhere
This app is wonderful for those who may need to quickly reference a document they have saved. You can carry important documents with you quickly and safely. The one drawback is that you cannot edit anything you have saved. It is a view only app!

Mathematical Formulas
This is a great reference tool for math formulas!

gFlashPro - Flashcards and Tests
Great for trivia questions and for studying! Would be a fun game for test prep

LanSchool Teacher's Assistant for iPad
This app allows for easy and effective technology integration in the classroom without the distractions that go along with it. It keeps students on track and on task.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration
A great visual way to go over the elements.

History: Maps of World
Use this app in a history lesson to show what various parts of the world looked like in certain time periods. Many different maps. Awesome app!

Keynote
Upgrade that boring old presentation or lecture with Keynote! It's just like Powerpoint, but cooler (in my opinion.)

Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking tool for note-takers of all kinds! You can create lists, use pictures, and store information on this app to help keep your crazy life in order.

neu.Notes
Take hand-written notes on your iPad. Just like writing on a whiteboard!

TED
TED Talks feature some of the most interesting and inspirational speakers and would provide great lessons for students and teachers alike.

Dropbox
Keep your files, pictures, videos, documents, etc. all in one safe place! Lose the fear of losing things!! Great app for docs on the go.

This Day in History
This Day in History is a great app to supplement any history lesson by showing what happened on that particular day in the past.

Pages
This is a wonderful program to make reports, flyers, letters, documents, etc.

Skitch
Add annotations and marks to pictures, documents, etc. to create great visuals for your lesson.

Science360
This app has so many great images and videos to supplement science lessons!

Explain Everything
Annotate, explain, or record on top of any images or videos that you use in your lesson!

TeacherMate
This is great for K-2 teachers of literacy. It has wonderful interactive lessons for younger elementary students!

Teacher's Roll Call
Simple and easy way to keep track of classroom attendance!

TeacherPlan
Great lesson planning app! It helps to organize lessons and objectives and keeps you on task!

Lesson Plans
A simple, straight-forward lesson planning app

LessonNote
Great tool for educators who need to observe other teachers. Take notes, screenshots, pictures, etc in order to create an effective and useful evaluation.

iCardSort
This is an excellent visual brainstorming tool that allows you to organize thoughts and throw out ideas. Would be great as a whole class activity!

Inspiration Maps Lite
Even better brainstorming app! The visuals create an interactive web for students and teachers alike. You can convert to different formats of maps as well.

Please let me know if you have found any other useful apps to aid in your teaching or learning!

Enjoy!

Go Fish for Sight Words! StoryTown Resource

2012-08-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Here is a wonderful game to practice sight words and high frequency words in the classroom and you'll barely have to explain the rules! Print out these cards for Go Fish (2 of every word), paste them on construction paper, and laminate them and Voila! a perfect way to practice sight words.

This game encourages students to have fun while practicing reading and memorizing these high frequency words, because they have to try to get as many pairs of words as they can from other players.

Visit my TeachersPayTeachers page to purchase the games for Kindergarten, First Grade, or Second Grade High Frequency Words...Or just take a look at it and create your own!

StoryTown First Grade High Frequency word game...or just take a look at it and create your own!!

StoryTown Go Fish High Frequency Words Kindergarten

StoryTown Go Fish High Frequency Words First Grade

StoryTown Go Fish High Frequency Words Second Grade

Enjoy!

This is a sample of the first grade resource:

42 Elementary Story Starters and Sentence Starters-- Writing Prompts

2012-08-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

I recently uploaded my new Elementary Story Starters printable to Teachers Pay Teachers for $1.

You can visit my site and purchase the printable, which is awesome to cut out, paste onto popsicle sticks, and use in the writing center for students who are having trouble thinking of writing topics!!

Elementary Story Starters for Writing Printable <--purchase the printable here!

Here is a sample of the printable!

If you just want the story starters, but do not want to purchase the printable, here is a list of the 42 story starters for elementary aged students. Enjoy!

1. My favorite place to go is...
2. The best day ever was...
3. If I could fly...
4. If I were a superhero, I would...
5. When I grow up, I want to...
6. If I could be an animal, I would be...
7. Once upon a time...
8. I love school because...
9. When I get home from school, I...
10. If I could have one wish, I would wish for...
11. I wish I didn't have to...
12. I am happiest when...
13. My favorite treat is...
14. I am afraid of...
15. If I could be invisible for one day, I would...
16. My favorite thing to do in school is...
17. My favorite thing to do at home is...
18. If I were President of the United States, I would...
19. If I could pick my own name, I would choose...
20. If I could go anywhere in the world, I would go to...
21 . If I could be a character in a movie, I would be...
22. If I could be a character in a book, I would be...
23. The funniest thing that has ever happened to me is...
24. The best part about where I live is...
25. I am most thankful for...
26. Over the weekend, I am going to...
27. Something that is important to me is...
28. Whenver I'm bored, I like to...
29. The silliest thing I have ever done is...
30. The best day of my life was...
31. The best thing about me is...
32. I am proud of myself because...
33. My goal for this year is...
34. On rainy days, I like to...
35. My favorite thing about the summer is...
36. My favorite thing about the winter is...
37. My favorite season is...
38. On my last birthday, I...
39. On my next birthday, I am going to...
40. My favorite sport is...
41. My favorite game to play is...
42. A good friend is someone who...

That's all for now!! Please add some of your own sentence/story starters in the comments! Thanks and enjoy!

Apple Addition Game Freebie!

2012-07-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

Here's a game I have used in math centers before in the beginning of the year (goes well with apple unit!).

Directions:

1. Two or more players can play

2. Each player will take turns rolling the die

3. When you roll, count the amount of spaces and solve the addition sentence at that apple

4. If you answer the addition sentence correctly, you can move to that space. If you answer it incorrectly, stay at the space you are on.

5. The first person to reach the finish wins!

(Provide manipulatives so they can check their answers if both partners are unsure!)

I've attached a picture of the game board for Apple Addition, but you can download it from my TeachersPayTeachers site here.

Enjoy!

Freebie! Contraction Concentration Game

2012-07-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a free printable for your classroom! It's called Contraction Concentration and it's a concentration (aka memory) game for your classroom. Print it out, cut up the cards, and have students play and practice their contraction skills! You would need to match the contraction with the two words that make it up. Example: A pair would be: is not and isn't.

You can download it for free from my TeachersPayTeachers site here.

This is what it looks like!

Enjoy!

Awesome Read-Alouds w/ Video Online!

2012-07-27T14:48:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: Just came across Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime which also has some free read aloud videos! Check it out here --> Barnes & Noble Online Storytime

So I've come across some sites and YouTube videos that have read-aloud picture books with an accompanying video. I've used these on the SmartBoard at times when we don't have enough time for a lesson, but do have enough time to fit in a story. Sometimes it's good to switch it up with read-alouds, and some of these options have great videos (which allows all students to see the illustrations) to go along with the story. They'll feel as though they are watching a movie or a show, when in fact, they are being a read a story! I also found that this works well at times when the students are tired or riled up (for example: after a field trip or outside play) to get them back in "school mode." Enjoy this list of videos and feel free to add your own in the comments!

Me and My Cat - By Satoshi Kitamura

Read by Elijah Wood

Brave Irene - By William Steig

Read by Al Gore

To Be a Drum - By Evelyn Coleman

Read by James Earl Jones

Enemy Pie - By Derek Munson

Read by Camryn Manheim

Guji Guji - By Chih-Yuan Chen

Read by Robert Guillaume

Harry the Dirty Dog - By Gene Zion

Read by Betty White

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch - By Eileen Spinelli

Read by Hector Elizondo

Knots on a Counting Rope - By Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Read by Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels

The Night I Followed the Dog - By Nina Laden

Read by Amanda Bynes

No Mirrors in My Nana's House - By Ysaye M. Barnwell

Read by Tia and Tamara Mowry

When Pigasso Met Mootisse - By Nina Laden

Read by Eric Close

The Polar Express - By Chris Van Allsburg

Read by Lou Diamond Phillips

The Rainbow Fish - By Marcus Pfister

Read by Ernest Borgnine

Romeow & Drooliet - By Nina Laden

Read by Haylie Duff

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother - By Patricia Polacco

Read by Melissa Gilbert

Sebastian's Roller Skates - By Joan De Du Prats

Read by Caitlin Wachs

Sophie's Masterpiece - By Eileen Spinelli

Read by CCH Pounder

Stellaluna - By Janell Cannon

Read by Pamela Reed

A Bad Case of Stripes - By David Shannon

Read by Sean Astin

Thank you, Mr. Falker - By Patricia Polacco

Read by Jane Kaczmarek

White Socks Only - By Evelyn Coleman

Read by Amber Tamblyn

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - By Mem Fox

Read by Bradley Whitford

Private I. Guana - By Nina Laden

Read by Esai Morales

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - By Eric Carle

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - By Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

Owl Babies - By Martin Waddell

The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny (Parts 1&2) - By Beatrix Potter

Little Red Riding Hood by Oxbridge Baby

The Mixed Up Chameleon - By Eric Carle

The Tiny Seed - By Eric Carle

Duck and Cover by Jackie Urbanovic Video

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor Video

Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic Video

The Handy Girls Can Fix It by Peggy Kahn Video

When I Was a Girl I Dreamed by J.P. Matott Video

Excuse Me by Lisa Kopelke Video

Bugtown Boogie by Warren Manson Video

Granny McFanny by Lewis Kimberly Video

The Gum Chewing Rattler by Joe Hayes Video

Mr. Walrus and the Old School Bus by Patricia Derrick Video

Anansi Goes to Lunch by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk Video

Ensoñación y el Jardín de Sueños / Dreamygirls Field of Wishes by Jorge Betancourt Polanco Video

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes Video

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor Video

Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes Video

Hooray Jose by Michael Garland Video For the Hearing Impaired

A Soup Opera by Joe Gill Video

Enjoy the videos and please leave some comments with your own read aloud videos!

Middle School iPad Apps

2012-07-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of iPad apps for middle schoolers. Not all of these apps are as age specific as the apps for the younger grades, but many of them serve an educational purpose for middle school aged children. Enjoy!

Language Arts
Dictionary.com
This app is exactly what it says it is--a dictionary! It is an easy way for students (and adults) to look up unknown vocabulary words or to find synonyms and antonyms for words.

Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo and Juliet
For those older middle school students who are encountering Shakespeare for the first time, this app is wonderful. It provides animations, definitions, and notes. You can also listen to the story as a read aloud. It is a great way to interact with the difficult language that Shakespeare uses and truly understand the meaning of one of the most famous plays in history. There are many other Shakespearean plays available also!

Book Creator for iPad
This app allows students to create their own books right on their iPads. You can add pictures and text, save your books, and send them to family and friends. A great app for a creative mind!

Reading Trainer
This unique app helps you to train your eyes and brain to read and understand text more quickly. Great for adults too!

Free Books
Yes, that's rights, FREE BOOKS! This app has over 23,000 classic books for FREE! This is a wonderful resource for people of all ages!

Kindle
This is an app for Amazon's e-reader software. There are some free books on here too!

iBooks
This is another e-reader software for the iPad/iPhone.

Maxjournal
This app is like a journal and a scrapbook in one! It would be great for use in the classroom as a writing journal, because it includes visual learners by allowing them to illustrate their entries as well. It also has a calendar features that keeps track of entries by date.

Index Card
This app is a great way to organize ideas, especially for writers. Using a corkboard feature, it allows for writers to keep track of their thoughts and ideas.

Puppet Pals
Though this app is designed primarily for younger children, I think Middle Schoolers would get a kick out of using themselves as characters in the retelling of stories. Very fun and interactive app!

Word Stack Free
This is a fun and challenging word association game that is great practice for vocabulary!

Storylines for Schools
A fun visual version of the "telephone" game. A great practice for vocabulary!

Math
The Ruler
This app allows you to measure items using your iPad. A great visual aid for dimensions and measurement!

Math Quizzer
This app is great for practice with simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.

Mastering Mathematics Grade 6
A math workbook for sixth grade math!

Mastering Mathematics Grade 7
A math workbook for seventh grade math!

Math Terms for iPad
This app contains a great glossary with tons of math terms.

Fraction Factory
This is a good app to reinforce fractional values and where they belong on the number line.

Middle School Math 7th Grade
Good practice for 7th grade Math concepts.

Units- Free Unit Converter
A free and easy way to convert units.

Oh No! Fractions
This is a great teaching tool and great way to show students fractions in a visual way. It is a great way to teach greater than and less than with fractions.

Algebra Champ
Practice solving for x in this fun algebra game!

Algebra Touch
Brush up on your algebra skills with this interactive alegebra app!

Alge-Bingo
This fun Bingo game is great practice for all different types of simple algebra problems.

Social Studies
Presidents vs. Aliens
Don't let the name of this app keep you from believing it is actually educational! This is a fun way to learn about specific presidents while fighting aliens. What more could you want?

World Book - This Day in History
This app contains little tidbits and trivia for each day of the year. Very interesting and would be a fun way to start off a Social Studies class each day!

Beautiful Planet - A Photographic Journey Around the World
This app would be a great resource and supplement to use in a history or geography lesson. It has breathtaking photos from every continent and over 100 countries.

Geomaster Plus HD
This interactive geography quiz game is a fun way for students to learn about the location of countries, states, and territories.

US Geography by Discovery Education
This app is a great way to become acquainted with the geography of the United States. It is very fun and interactive and discusses far more than just location!

Civil War America's Epic Struggle
This app has tons photos, authentic maps, articles, and biographies, all recounting the days of the American Civil War.

History: Maps of the World
This app has tons of images of maps of the world from different periods in history. Very interesting to see the changes!

The History Clock
Is it 11:30 am? Or is it the year 1130? This app takes the current time and gives a fact about the corresponding year. Neat idea and interesting facts!

The World Factbook for iPad
This app contains information about over 250 countries from around the world!

The Presidency
This app gives detailed information about each president of the United States.

Declaration for iPad
This app contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Constitution for iPad
This app contains a copy of the US Constitution.

MyCongress
Keep up with US Congressional officials with detailed stories, videos, and news.

Science
Science Glossary
With Science Glossary, students (and teachers) can look up specific science terms and famous scientists. It is a great (and free) resource for a science class!

Star Walk
Take your iPad or iPhone device and point it at the sky. With this app you will see stars, constellations, and planets pointed out for you! This is so cool for an astronomy unit, and there is also a time machine feature that allows you to see what the sky would look like at any point in the past or future!

3D Brain
This app allows you to explore the brain, its parts, and its functions. You can click on specific parts and learn about what they do and what happens with brain injuries and mental illness. Very cool!

Bobo Explores Light
Learn about everything that has to do with light in this adorable interactive science app! Learn about colors, photosynthesis, holograms, and much more!

3D Cell Simulation and Stain Tool
This app is perfect for teaching about the cell. It has beautiful visuals to aid in the learning and teaching of the parts of the cell.

EMD PTE
This app is an intearctive periodic table of elements.

VideoScience
This app contains tons of videos that show science experiments.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration
This app gives a very visual and in depth look at all of the elements.

Frog Dissection
This is a virtual frog dissection app---just as fun and less mess! ;)

Miscellaneous

Be Confident in Who You Are
This app, formatted as a graphic novel, is a great way to introduce middle schoolers to the issues they may face with their peers, parents, and teachers now that they are growing up. It encourages middle school aged students to stand up for themselves and simply "be confident in who they are." Also good for parents to talk to their children about before they start middle school.

SketchBook Pro
This is a great art app for only $1.99! Great for digital artists.

Cramberry
Cramberry is a create your own flash cards app. Makes studying easy and fun!

OmniGraffle
An interactive app that helps to create charts, graphs, and diagrams.

Note Taker HD
Take organized and personalized notes with handwritten text, diagrams, etc., all on your iPad!

Please leave comments if you have any apps to add to the list!!

Great Math Educational Websites!

2012-07-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of great educational math sites for children and students from grade levels Pre-K - Middle School. Keep their math skills fresh during the summer using these fun interactive game sites!

IXL
IXL is a wonderful math resource for students and teachers alike. It is separated by grade level, so there will be no confusion about whether the activities are age appropriate or not!

Smarty Games
Smart Games has a lot of fun interactive math games for children to play. It also has puzzles, sudoku, and reading lessons. The games focus on different math lessons like money, telling time, and other various math lessons.

My Savings Quest
My Savings Quest is a unique website that allows older chidren and students to create their own savings plan based on how much they make. They create a character and pick a job and must budget their "money" to save up for something. It is a great real life lesson!

Math Slice
Math Slice has tons of games and activities for a broad range of subjects. Each topic is listed on the left, so it is easy to navigate and get the kinds of games and lessons that you want.

Math Playground
Math Playground allows you to practice skills with flashcards, manipulatives, and games. A truly great resource!

Math Moves U
Math Moves U is a website created for middle grades. It allows students to make their own character and travel through worlds where they see math applied in real life situations. There is not a lot of direct computation, but it is a fun site to explore for older children.

Math is Fun
Math is Fun has math games and activities all organized by categories. It goes from number practice to algebra, so it really is a broad range!

Sheppard Software
Sheppard Software is one of my favorite math websites. It has so many games and activities that are neatly categorized. The games are also very fun and the website is very up to date!

Johnnie's Math Page
Though the graphics are a little out of date, this site has a lot of great resources for different math topics. It has numbers, geometry, probability, fractions, etc.

Cool Math Games
Cool Math has a lot of fun games at the bottom that are organized by strategy and skill. It is great for elementary student practice!

A Plus Click
A+ Click has a lot of fun math activities separated by grade level from grade 1 through grade 12. They are not explicit games, but there are a lot of questions that get a math brain to think!

FunBrain
FunBrain has a ton of resources for students, but their math arcade is one of their best! It provides a lot of awesome games and resources that children will love. Also make sure to check out their Math Baseball game!

Primary Games
Primary Games has a lot of games right there to choose from. It is great for children who have a hard time navigating a complciated website, because the games are all right there with a brief explanation and a screenshot!

Sumdog
This is a site that must be registered for, but it is free and totally worth it! Students will get to practice their math skills in a fun and interactive environment!

Fuel the Brain
Fuel the Brain is another site that has its math practices and games separated into categories. Just choose the skill you want to work on and voila! You will find a game you will love.

Hooda Math
Hooda Math is a unique site because it doesn't only have math games, but it has math tutorials, learning tools, and even some videos. Great for math practice!

TES iboard
This site can be used as a great resource for games or as a great resource for the interactive whiteboard! It has many different strategies that can be displayed for your whole class!

Soft Schools
Soft Schools Math has a ton of different math categories to choose from, and then it has categories within the categories! This is a truly wonderful resource and will provide the perfect practice for whatever students are looking for!

Math Game Time
Math Game Time is a really great site for games for all grade levels (also categorized by grade level!). Students will love to navigate this site and play the awesome games!

Kids Numbers
Kids Numbers is great for lower elementary students. It has a lot of games and activities that help to promote number sense.

Math Run
Math Run is a fun and easy way to practice basic math facts.

Math Live
Math Live is a unique website that is fun and interactive. It is not exactly a game site, but it provides interactive lessons for the math concept of your choice.

Learn Your Tables
Learn Your Tables is a site that is very simplistic in its design and its approach. It is a good site for practicing multiplication tables.

Cool Math Games for Kids: Kids Activity Blog
This blog has listed a ton of fun and free math games for kids! Check out each of the games and their descriptions at this site.

Academic Skill Builders
Academic Skill Builders is an awesome site with great games to practice academic skills. It is research-based and standards-aligned and has tons of categories to choose from!

Math TV
Math TV has a ton of instructional math videos separated by concept and topic. It ranges from recognizing whole numbers to finding derivatives!

That's all for now. Please let me know if you have any other great math sites for kids!

Great Language Arts Educational Webistes!

2012-07-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

Here's a list of great educational websites for games and lessons. This is a wonderful resource for the summer to keep the kids busy and learning!

Starfall
Starfall is a great resource for young elementary children to help them with their letter sounds and beginning reading skills.

Seussville
Seussville has a ton of games, activities, videos, and books for children to explore. It has fun graphics and has all of the familiar characters that children love!

Read Write Think
Students and children may need assistance with getting started with some of these activities (depending on age), but there are tons of activities sorted by grade level/literacy skill that are awesome. They are interactive and effective.

Spelling City
This is a wonderful resource to practice spelling and vocabulary words. You can insert your own list or use pre-made lists to practice!

Free Rice
This site has a very interesting premise: for every question that you answer correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme. It's great vocabulary practice for an even greater cause!

Wordle
Wordle is a fun site that creates word maps and clouds out of the words that you insert. A fun and creative way to get to know words.

Magnetic Poetry
Kids will have a blast creating their own poems by using the drag and drop function of Magnetic Poetry. Words are provided and all you have to do is create a poetic masterpiece!

Storyline Online
Done by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Storyline Online is a great way to keep children entertained. Famous actors and actresses read well-known children's stories aloud as children can follow along. This is not only great for an at-home activity, but it's also great to fill in some free time in the classroom!

PBS Kids
PBS Kids is a fun way for kids to interact with their favorite PBS characters with fun games and activities. Between the Lions has great interactive games and stories for children who are learning to read!

ABCya
This is an excellent website for children! It is already split up into grade levels (K-5) and each level provides fun games, books, and aactivities that are age appropriate.

Cookie
Cookie is a great resource for both Language Arts and Math for grades Pre-K-2. It has games, letter practice, word practice, stories, worksheets, and much more!

Scholastic
Scholastic provides many resources for parents and children alike. It has a lot of games and a lot of fun stories to read through! Also great for Clifford interactive story books!

Funschool Language Arts
The Language Arts section of Funschool allows children to play tons of games that cover spelling, vocabulary, reading, etc!

Sheppard Software
This site has tons of games separated into different subjects and categories.

Highlights Kids
This Highlights site has a lot of games, stories, and creative activities for young children and students to do!

FunBrain
FunBrain has tons of resources and games for children to explore from Language Arts to Math!

Jayzee Bear
Jayzee Bear is a bit outdated with its graphics, but it provides some fun practices games for ages 2-8.

TVO Kids
This site has a lot of fun Flash games with a wide range of subjects for children ages 2-6.

Utah Education Network
Just choose your grade level and subject area and this site will direct you to plenty of sites to suit your needs! Very good resource to find new educational sites.

Brain Pop Jr.
Brain Pop Jr. has a ton of resources from all across the curriculum. It also helps to strengthen different reading and comprehension strategies!

Discovery Kids
Discovery Kids is an awesome website to integrate reading with science and exploration. It has a lot of fun resources for children of all ages!

Sesame Street
Sesame Street has a lot of fun interactive games and stories for children to use and play with. Obviously this is better suited for younger children, but it has great resources for up to early elementary aged children.

Sports Illustrated for Kids
This is an excellent resource for students who love sports! Students can read articles about their favorite sports in a kid friendly format.

Kids.gov
This is a government sponsored site that has awesome resources for children and students of all ages. It also categorizes its content into subject areas!

Kids Click
Kids Click is a resource that provides other resources for certain subject areas.

Let me know if you have any other good Language Arts sites for kids! Thanks!

Bullying Books for your Class

2012-07-06T10:14:00.001-07:00

So here I have compiled a list of great classroom resources to teach about bullying. These books have been recommended by many other teachers as good tools to use to introduce concepts about bullying.

Don't Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin


Illustrated by Glin Dibley

This book is great to get children thinking about how their actions affect others. It really gets all students to put themselves in other people's shoes and to realize that laughing at others can be hurtful. Great conversation starter!

The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy

Illustrated by Kim Shaw

This is a great book to explain the idea of a "bystander." It gets the concept across and shows how a bystander can make a difference to those who are being bullied. It is meant to empower students to take a stand when they see bullying behavior in their peers.

My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Abigail Marble

This book is an excellent bullying book for older elementary students. It is a bit longer, but definitely easy for students to relate to and it shows that even "friends" can be bullies.

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Beth Adams

This book is also a great bullying book for older children and is actually a sequel to the previous Trudy Ludwig story! It shows a bullies inner thoughts and her journey to turning her life around so she is no longer a bully.

Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Adam Gustavson

This is yet another Trudy Ludwig bullying gem. Ludwig is really able to portray bullying behaviors in tweens (ages 8-12) and how to stop them or how to cope with them. It shows the dilemma of whether to "tattle" or not. This is a great teaching tool for older elementary students.

Bully B.E.A.N.S. by Julia Cook

Illustrated by Anita DuFalla

This is a good book to support bystanders and can be used in young elementary to older elementary classrooms. The only criticism of this book is that it is a bit long and may require a larger chunk of time to teach!

Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-Downs by Karen Gedig Burnett

Illustrated by Laurie Barrows

This story is truly unique in its approach to resisting bullying behavior. It uses a life analogy to "getting caught up" in a hook to getting caught up in bullying and mean behavior. It is great for students who want to learn how to resist bullies and teasing and teaches them how to stand up for themselves and to be strong in thes situations.

Sorry by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Maurie J. Manning

This is another story by Trudy Ludwig that demonstrates an important misconception: that sorry makes it all better. This book shows how simply saying sorry doesn't cut it as an apology. True remorse and a change in behavior should be the true test for bullies to change their ways.

Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

Illustrated by David Catrow

This is such a wonderful and inspiring books for children to recognize the importance of standing tall no matter what. It stresses individuality and empowers chlidren to be who they are, even in the face of bullying and teasing.

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy

Illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson

This book is great for children who are struggling with what "the cool kids" are doing. The subtitle is "having the courage to be who you are" which is exactly what it tries to teach. The idea of recognizing the beauty in our differences makes this book a homerun!

Jungle Bullies by Steven Kroll

Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

This book is excellent for young elementary students Pre-K-1. It shows bullying through animals and the illustrations are great. This book shows young students how to react in bullying situations.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill

Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith

This book is not only great because it has fun language and illustrations, but because it gives bullies a sort of human element. Very cute story!

Please feel free to add some other books that I may have left out about bullying!

SMART Board Programs for K - 2 Mathematics

2012-07-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a ton of Math SMART Board and interactive white board programs, games, and applications that can be used in your class for grades K-2. Enjoy!

Dreambox Kindergarten Numbers to 10 on a TenFrame
recognizing numbers and quantities on a tenframe

Dreambox Kindergarten Numbers to 10 on a Mathrack
recognizing numbers and quantities on a mathrack

Dreambox Kindergarten Numbers to 20 on a TenFrame
recognizing numbers and quantities up to 20 on a tenframe

Dreambox Kindergarten Numbers to 20 on a Mathrack
recognizing numbers and quantities up to 20 on a mathrack

Dreambox Kindergarten Matching Number Pairs for 8
finding numbers that add up to 8

Dreambox Kindergarten Matching Number Pairs for 9
finding numbers that add up to 9

Dreambox Kindergarten Matching Number Pairs for 10
finding numbers that add up to 10

Dreambox First Grade Numbers to 40 on a TenFrame
recognizing numbers and quantities up to 40 on a tenframe

Dreambox First Grade Numbers to 100 on a Mathrack
recognizingn numbers and quantities up to 100 on a mathrack

Dreambox First Grade Matching Number Pairs for 20
finding numbers that add up to 20

Dreambox First Grade Matching Number Pairs for 50
finding numbers that add up to 50

Dreambox First Grade Matching Number Pairs for 100
finding numbers that add up to 100

Dreambox Second Grade Building Expressions that Equal 20
understanding why certain numbers added together equal 20

Dreambox Second Grade Building Expressions that Equal 100
understanding why certain numbers added together equal 100

Dreambox Second Grade Matching Number Pairs for 200
finding numbers that add up to 200

Dreambox Second Grade Addition with Tens on the Number Line
students jump by 10s to break down addition problems into smaller steps

Harvey's Homepage: Number Sense
a great site for developing number sense by using the smartboard--greater than/less than, counting on addition, fraction help, counting

Harvey's Homepage: Measurement
a great site for measurement tools: telling time, counting money, using rulers, etc.

Calendar Math
not your average classroom calendar! --use this app for morning meeting or just in a math center for practice with important skills

Ghost Blasters 2: Sums
this game is a fun way to practice with a whole group or small group finding sums or finding numbers that equal a specific sum

Ghost Blasters 3: Two Digit Plus One Digit Numbers
a fun game to practice adding a two digit number plus a one digit number

Ghost Blasters 3: Two Digit Plus Two Digit Numbers
a fun game to practice adding 2 two digit numbers together

100+ Math SmartBoard Lessons!
visit this site for over 100 math smartboard lessons and games

Clockworks: Interactive Clock
interactive clock for smartboard

Coin Names: Penny Through Quarter
a multiple choice game to familiarize students with specific coins

Toon University's Discovering Coin Values
a fun and interactive way to show which coins equal what value and how they add up

Max's Math Adventure
tons of math "adventures" to go on!

Place Value Cards
discover place value with this visual aid

Shark Numbers
avoid the swimming sharks by picking the number that corresponds with the base ten blocks shown

Stop the Clock
match digital and analog clock times

Teaching Measurement
this tool aids with teaching length, mass, and capacity

Time
another program to assist with telling time

Johnnie's Math Page
tons of smartboard activities including counting, addition, subtraction, place values, decimals, operations, functions, division, etc.

Thinking Blocks
helps to model and solve math problems using online manipulatives and other cool and interactive tools

Math Popper Game
pop the balloons with the corresponding answer to the math problem presented! super fun game

100 Number Grid Game
help the parrot find his friends in various squares in the number grid

100 Snowballs
cute for 100 day activity--can also be used as an aid in addition or subtraction if it is teacher led

Counting Money
count money with coin manipulatives

Estimate and Measure with Chef Pierre
cute way of showing estimation using food

Transum Software
a few cute resources including a math starter of the day for each day

Money Measurement
cute guided interactive money game and program

Maths Frame Resources
tons of primary math resources to show on a smartboard

More or Less
practice with number sense--establishing which has the most or the least, or more or less

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
tons of virtual manipulatives to use on the smartboard

Toon University Math Games Grade 1
a lot of fun math games- grade 1

Toon University Math Games Grade 2
a lot of fun math games- grade 2

Gumball Math: Graphing, Addition, and Subtraction
use this fun tool to practice graphing, addition, and subtraction facts

That's all I have for now! Please feel free to leave you own K-2 Math SMART Board apps in the comments!

Second Grade- Fourth Grade iPad Apps

2012-07-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

So I've come across some apps that could be used for students in grades 2-4 (some are a little on the young side and some may be a little on the older side). Enjoy!

Grade 2 Eng/Math/Science
has basics for second grade English, Math, and Science

Tic Tac Math
a tic-tac-toe game with math facts..has addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

Grammar Fun Free
fun way to practice grammar and parts of speech

Grammar Jammers Elementary
fun grammar games and practice for the elementary grades

Maths Man
math practice for the elementary grades in a fun animated way

This Day in History
learn what happened in the past on the current date!

Skill Builder Spelling
great for spelling practice for all ages and abilities

Mad Math
math games and practice

Pizza Fractions
great fraction practice using pizza!

Everyday Math Tric Trac
fun game to practice addition facts

Everyday Math Name That Number
great for order of operations practice

Everyday Math Beat the Computer Multiplication
practice for basic multiplication skills

Everyday Math Divisibility Dash
great for practice of finding multiples/divisibility

Everyday Math Equivalent Fractions
great for establishing the relationships between fractions

Everyday Math Baseball Multiplication Facts 1-12
fun baseball multiplication game for multiplication facts up to12

Everyday Math Top It
great for practicing addition facts

Bluster!
helps with vocabulary and word matching...very fun game!

Sparklefish
like MadLibs...fill in words to help with parts of speech while creating a hilarious story!

Fraction Basics
learn about fractions in a straightforward and visual way

Animals Math Flash Card Game
great flash card app to practice basic math facts

Please comment and let me know of any that I may have missed! Enjoy!

SMART Board as a Classroom Management Tool

2012-07-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that the SMART Board is useful for so many lessons and classroom activities, but it can also be excellent (and fun!) as a classroom management tool. Here are some sites and programs that can be used to make for a fun and controlled classroom.

Class DOJO

This is by far one of the most unique and innovative classroom management tools that I've seen. Sign up for free and take a tour before you import your class. Each student will have an identity on the site and there are +1 for positive things (participation, creativity, great insight, etc.) and -1 for negative things (lateness, disruption, etc.) Add your own incentive for specific point values. This program is very easy to manage and is like a game for students! Highly recommended in classrooms with interactive whiteboards!

Random Name Generator

The random name generator is an awesome tool that can be used to call on students for various reasons in the classroom. It randomly generates a name based on a list that you have entered!

Eggtimer Countdown

This eggtimer can be projected on your SMART Board and you can enter any time! Students will be able to tell right away how much time they have remaining for their activities, tests, etc.

Seating Chart Maker

This program allows you to add the names of your students and create a seating chart. Photos can replace names and up to 100 places can be added!

Flash Group Maker

This program randomly assigns groups of 2,3,4, or 5 students. It can be shuffled again and again!

Online Stopwatch

This site has all different kinds of countdown timers as well as clocks to display on the SMART Board

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for useful interactive whiteboard classroom management strategies!

Kindergarten - First Grade iPad Apps

2012-07-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a list I've compiled of some iPad and iPhone apps that are great for a Kindergarten or First Grade class or student!

Kindergarten Addition
unique learning activities that give great visuals for children who are new to addition
Activity Blocks
a great app to build words, master spellings, and practice counting
Subtracting Sardines HD
a fun way to practice simple subtraction facts
Funny Alphabet - Interactive ABC Game
a fun way to get children to learn the basic sounds of letters
Small ABC
a lot of different activities/songs that help strengthen phonics/phonemic awareness
Kindergarten Flash Cards
many different flash cards going over letters, numbers, colors, sight words, etc.
Phonics with Letter Lilies
cute animations help to improve phonics with a range of ability level
Learn Sight Words
great app for learning sight words with flash cards
Word Magic
great app for recognizing sounds and letters within words
Pocket Charts! Beginning Letter Sound
Pocket Charts! Colors and Color Words
Pocket Charts! Counting 1-20
Pocket Charts! Long and Short Vowel Sounds
Pocket Charts! Rhyming Word Match
Pocket Charts! Shape Matching
Pocket Charts! Uppercase and Lowercase Letters
all of the Pocket Charts! apps are really great to provide visuals for these concepts!
Kindergarten Digital Workbooks - Space Board Rocket Series
18 fun workbooks that practice tons of different skills
Sight Words List
great way to practice sight words
StoryBuddy
a bit pricey, but a fun way to create interactive stories
Phonics Fun and Games
flashcards, memory games, guessing games, tracing practice all provide for a great phonics based approach
Trace Letters Lite
letter tracing practice
Alphabet Game
learn letters and sounds using fun pictures and games
DinoKids Math- Lite
practice with math in a fun dino inspired app!
Motion Math: Hungry Fish
fun underwater math practice with adorable animations!
Reading Pal
great way to practice weekly sight or spelling words because you can enter your own words!

That's all for now! Please comment if you know of any other good apps. Thanks for stopping by :)

Pre-K iPad Apps

2012-07-01T08:57:00.001-07:00

As I was pinning today, I realized how many great iPad apps there were out there that I had no idea about! Over the next few days I will post them according to grade level (some may be subjective in that respect!). Please enjoy!

This Is My Story
create your own story and decorate it with story stickers!
iWriteWords
handwriting and letter practice through a lot of fun games!
Shapes Toddler Preschool
tons of shapes to learn, puzzles to complete, and games to play!
Nature Tap
pictures and flashcards of animals and plants, then fun games and shape/color identification within the pictures!
JungleSpeak
hear animals "speak" while learning fun facts about them!
ABC Music
musical words with pictures, sounds, and videos for kids: great supplement for teaching music!
Letter Quiz
help with learning the ABCs with letter tracing, flashcards, games, and more!
Audubon Guides
learn all about animals and their habitats and much more with this nature-inspired guide!
See.Touch.Learn
great for visual learners, tons of pictures that aid in creating an interactive learning experience..also great for special needs students and children!
ColorSlapPs
great resource for helping children learn colors and distinguish them from one another
Dr. Seuss Band
create music using Dr. Seuss inspired instruments and stories
Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic
bring stories to life with colors and practices reading and spelling sight words
Play123
practice with shapes and numbers on this fun app!
Feed Me!
great for practicing colors, shapes, counting, etc.
Park Math HD
play in the park while learning basic math skills! (some aspects may be more appropriate for Kindergarten but there is still a lot for Pre-K to do)
Fish School HD
swim underwater while learning colors, numbers, shapes, and letters!
Toddler Counting
a simple and fun way to learn to count
Letters A to Z
fun way to learn letters and sounds!
Interactive Alphabet
learn your ABCs with a fun and interactive app
Jumpstart Preschool Magic of Learning
follow Frankie the Dog in a journey through basic preschool concepts in a fun way!

That's all for now! I'm sure there will be more to come. If you have any recommendations please leave them in the comments!

Great Pinterests to Follow!

2012-06-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

Here's a few Education Pinterests that are great to follow. So many great resources!
A Cupcake for the Teacher
Teacher's Notebook Official
Teaching Blog Addict
Clever Classroom
Little Miss Kindergarten
Miss Teacher
Teacher Ideas
Hello Teacher
Primary Graffiti
First Grade is Toadally Awesome
Lori Rosenberg (5,000 educational pins!)
Jeannie Partin (2,500 educational pins!)
Sonja Darden (12,000 educational pins!)

Many more to come!

The Teacher Spot: Teacher Resources

Featured App: Best Books for Tweens

Get the App:Best Books for Tweens

Winter/Holiday Activities for Grades K-2

Writer's Workshop Survival Guide K-3

Classroom Management GOLD! Bouncing Balls Website Triggered by Sound!

The Daily Edit--Make Your Morning Work Meaningful!

Website Spotlight: Snappy Words Visual Dictionary

FREEBIE! Rubric for Small Moment Writing

Printable! 42 Small Moment Prompts for Writer's Workshop

Printable Center Cards and Schedule Cards!

Best iPad Apps for Teachers and Educators

Go Fish for Sight Words! StoryTown Resource

42 Elementary Story Starters and Sentence Starters-- Writing Prompts

Apple Addition Game Freebie!

Freebie! Contraction Concentration Game

Awesome Read-Alouds w/ Video Online!

Middle School iPad Apps

Great Math Educational Websites!

Great Language Arts Educational Webistes!

Bullying Books for your Class

SMART Board Programs for K - 2 Mathematics

Second Grade- Fourth Grade iPad Apps

SMART Board as a Classroom Management Tool

Kindergarten - First Grade iPad Apps

Pre-K iPad Apps

Great Pinterests to Follow!

Get the App:
Best Books for Tweens