January New Strategy

This last week I started doing SuperSpeed 100 with my first graders.  I paired them up so that the stronger readers were paired those who struggle a little more.  We try to practice twice a week and the kids really enjoy trying to beat their own scores.  It's nice to see them working together and cooperating on a task that they enjoy.  I am curious to see if and how this will affect their reading abilities and their fluency.

January Tech Implementation

I have been trying some new technology in my classroom now that we have more technology access in our building.  The first new tech tool I have been utilizing is Brain Pop Jr.  This is a site (and app) that shows videos to explain various topics and concepts in kid-friendly terms.  I have been using it for math, LA, science and social studies.  Each video is short so they are easy to show as a part of a lesson yet they give a lot of information to the kids.  My students really enjoy watching them!

The other tool I have started using is Spelling City.  This is a site (and app) that allows teachers to input spelling words and then the kids can go on and practice their list.  There are games they can play with the words as well as practice spelling them.  It is nice for parents because it's another way kids can practice their spelling words and the kids love it because they are playing games with the words.  So far, it has been going really well and I am excited to learn more about it so I can better utilize it in my classroom!

January New Strategy

The new technology that I used this month was with the 3rd and 4th graders who attend Adventure Reading, our new after school targeted services program.  The lead teachers and I had the students read a book and then use the app, Animoto, to share the elements of the story.  The students would take a picture of the cover of the book for the title page.  From there they would move to the setting, characters, problem, and solution.  Then the students would add a text frame telling about each of these pieces of the story.  Once finished, they would put the slides in order and add a sound track and video design.  It was such a fun activity!  The kids loved it and wanted to make more than the one that was planned for the day.  They were so engaged in their creation of their story and were excited to share it!