Better because it shares your posts with ALL of your friends, not just a select few.
Better because YOU OWN your content, not the site.
Better because they share the revenues, keeping only 10% for themselves.
Better because it's BRAND NEW, meaning you can be a pioneer reaping the benefits of this fertile newbie.
Go to the tsu website and read about it. Revenues are derived proportionately from people who sign up under you. Will you be able to retire in luxury from this venture? Probably not. But, it can't hurt to get your ideas and resources out there. If you make a little money along the way, maybe it will offset the price of that clip art you just bought.
The site does require an invitation to join, which, like Pinterest, is as easy as clicking on my membership and setting up your profile. Quick, easy, what more could you ask for?
I hope you will take the time to check it out -- and join.
It's about time for a new social media site...
...and it's www.tsū.co/
It's very similar to Facebook, but better (IMO).
Better because it shares your posts with ALL of your friends, not just a select few.
Better because YOU OWN your content, not the site.
Better because they share the revenues, keeping only 10% for themselves.
Better because it's BRAND NEW, meaning you can be a pioneer reaping the benefits of this fertile newbie.
Go to the tsu website and read about it. Revenues are derived proportionately from people who sign up under you. Will you be able to retire in luxury from this venture? Probably not. But, it can't hurt to get your ideas and resources out there. If you make a little money along the way, maybe it will offset the price of that clip art you just bought.
The site does require an invitation to join, which, like Pinterest, is as easy as clicking on my membership and setting up your profile. Quick, easy, what more could you ask for?
I hope you will take the time to check it out -- and join.
It's about time for a new social media site...
...and it's www.tsū.co/
It's very similar to Facebook, but better (IMO).
Better because it shares your posts with ALL of your friends, not just a select few.
Better because YOU OWN your content, not the site.
Better because they share the revenues, keeping only 10% for themselves.
Better because it's BRAND NEW, meaning you can be a pioneer reaping the benefits of this fertile newbie.
Go to the tsu website and read about it. Revenues are derived proportionately from people who sign up under you. Will you be able to retire in luxury from this venture? Probably not. But, it can't hurt to get your ideas and resources out there. If you make a little money along the way, maybe it will offset the price of that clip art you just bought.
The site does require an invitation to join, which, like Pinterest, is as easy as clicking on my membership and setting up your profile. Quick, easy, what more could you ask for?
I hope you will take the time to check it out -- and join.
More than half of my class are in their very first year of academic English. Many are still in the “silent phase” where they don’t actually have enough language to participate in a conversation. So how do I get them to write? My students’ new favorite way to write is through a website called Storybird. This website allows them to use art provided by the website to build online storybooks. This website has inspired my students to write stories unlike the ones I get out of them when they are writing simple stories.
Each week, my students decide on a setting, characters, problem and solution and then each student writes a story using these same elements. It makes a wonderful writing center. Last week, they chose to write about a haunted house. One of my brand new to English students wrote this story called Omar the Alien and the Haunted House. I was so proud of her, but more importantly, she was so proud of herself. In the beginning of the year, I couldn’t get her to write. Now, she’s the first one done, and her writing is getting stronger and stronger! For more strategies to help your English Language Learners with writing – stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.
More than half of my class are in their very first year of academic English. Many are still in the “silent phase” where they don’t actually have enough language to participate in a conversation. So how do I get them to write? My students’ new favorite way to write is through a website called Storybird. This website allows them to use art provided by the website to build online storybooks. This website has inspired my students to write stories unlike the ones I get out of them when they are writing simple stories.
Each week, my students decide on a setting, characters, problem and solution and then each student writes a story using these same elements. It makes a wonderful writing center. Last week, they chose to write about a haunted house. One of my brand new to English students wrote this story called Omar the Alien and the Haunted House. I was so proud of her, but more importantly, she was so proud of herself. In the beginning of the year, I couldn’t get her to write. Now, she’s the first one done, and her writing is getting stronger and stronger! For more strategies to help your English Language Learners with writing – stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.
More than half of my class are in their very first year of academic English. Many are still in the “silent phase” where they don’t actually have enough language to participate in a conversation. So how do I get them to write? My students’ new favorite way to write is through a website called Storybird. This website allows them to use art provided by the website to build online storybooks. This website has inspired my students to write stories unlike the ones I get out of them when they are writing simple stories.
Each week, my students decide on a setting, characters, problem and solution and then each student writes a story using these same elements. It makes a wonderful writing center. Last week, they chose to write about a haunted house. One of my brand new to English students wrote this story called Omar the Alien and the Haunted House. I was so proud of her, but more importantly, she was so proud of herself. In the beginning of the year, I couldn’t get her to write. Now, she’s the first one done, and her writing is getting stronger and stronger! For more strategies to help your English Language Learners with writing – stop by my blog – Raki’s Rad Resources.
There are so many great websites and videos that I want to share with my kids, that we often run out of time. So a lot of the time, this becomes a computer center. However, my students easily get distracted when left alone at a center like this and I am not always sure of what they have truly gotten from the great website or video I found for them. My solution to this is to give them a graphic organizer that they must complete while watching or surfing. This keeps my students focused and allows me to know they are truly getting something from those amazing resources I’ve found for them. Grab Nine of these Graphic Organizers from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for just $6.00 and help bring some focus to your computer/video center.
There are so many great websites and videos that I want to share with my kids, that we often run out of time. So a lot of the time, this becomes a computer center. However, my students easily get distracted when left alone at a center like this and I am not always sure of what they have truly gotten from the great website or video I found for them. My solution to this is to give them a graphic organizer that they must complete while watching or surfing. This keeps my students focused and allows me to know they are truly getting something from those amazing resources I’ve found for them. Grab Nine of these Graphic Organizers from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for just $6.00 and help bring some focus to your computer/video center.
There are so many great websites and videos that I want to share with my kids, that we often run out of time. So a lot of the time, this becomes a computer center. However, my students easily get distracted when left alone at a center like this and I am not always sure of what they have truly gotten from the great website or video I found for them. My solution to this is to give them a graphic organizer that they must complete while watching or surfing. This keeps my students focused and allows me to know they are truly getting something from those amazing resources I’ve found for them. Grab Nine of these Graphic Organizers from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for just $6.00 and help bring some focus to your computer/video center.
Research projects are a great literacy center for upper grades. Students can move through research projects at their own pace, while working on literacy skills, and allowing you integrate science and social studies skills too. This research project is centered around rocks and minerals and it is always a hit with my students. Grab a copy to use in your literacy centers for just $2.00 at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Research projects are a great literacy center for upper grades. Students can move through research projects at their own pace, while working on literacy skills, and allowing you integrate science and social studies skills too. This research project is centered around rocks and minerals and it is always a hit with my students. Grab a copy to use in your literacy centers for just $2.00 at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Research projects are a great literacy center for upper grades. Students can move through research projects at their own pace, while working on literacy skills, and allowing you integrate science and social studies skills too. This research project is centered around rocks and minerals and it is always a hit with my students. Grab a copy to use in your literacy centers for just $2.00 at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Hot Dots come in MANY different subject areas & age levels! an easy way to integrate technology
I found that they're not expensive at all. I've always seen the $50+ price tag attached to Hot Dots. I didn't realize that was if you planned to purchase the pens in bulk, or as a set of six. I learned you can actually get started with Hot Dots for around $19 ~ yay! You can purchase a pen for around $9.50 and get a set of cards for around $9.50 as well.
When my package arrived, I received my Hot Dots pen and three card sets. I was excited to see what these gadgets did and how they could engage my children. Because I actually took the time to try out each package, I feel like my mind has been changed about this product.
I love trivia ~ and Hot Dots offer me a challenge while giving immediate feedback:
Yes, I'm hooked! In the video above, you can see the feedback the pen provides for correct and incorrect responses. Each pen type makes different sounds. The dog pen barks. You also get a good glimpse of what the cards actually look like. For me, this is huge. I enjoy seeing the materials that will be in the student's hands. If the the layout is not aesthetically pleasing, the children will not be that engaged and could become distracted. The Hot Dots cards are great!
I received three sets of Hot Dots cards: Synonyms, Context Clues, and Human Body. By far, my favorite set is Human Body. The Human Body cards are larger and include colorful illustrations and pictures. They are developmentally challenging (which I love!). They're not too easy, and they encourage critical thinking.
What I recommend to get as your 'starter kit:'
1 pen & 1 set of cards = about $19
I love to shop. I love it even more when the experience is stress free. Because my time is often limited, I like to get great things without spending a lot of time or a lot of money. Therefore, because Hot Dots are a bit on the pricy side, I'd like to make a recommendation for what I would purchase. In fact, I've already ordered another set of cards.
First, you need a pen. There are 3 choices:
Please click here to see the pens on the Educational Insights website.
You can also buy a pack of pens. They come in sets of six.
Then you need a set of cards. I'll feature a few of my favorites below.
I'd start with one set, see how you like it and how you'd use it with your students. Then get more.
*Click here to see all of the Hot Dots Items from Educational Insights*
Here are the Human Body cards I love:
Even if the human body isn't in your standards, I recommend getting these cards. I find that we are all interested in learning more about ourselves, and these cards are informative while interesting. They'd be great to place in a discovery center.
If you do word work or vocabulary building, you'll love the context clues set:
Again, there are so many card sets to choose from. Please click here to see all of the sets available.
What I really Love about Hot Dots:
I go bananas over products that are ready to use upon arrival. The less I have to learn, the better! I don't have time to read a big instruction manual or teach myself how to get creative with a tool. With Hot Dots, I opened the clear wrapping of the card set and placed a battery in the pen. Bam - ready to go!
I instantly thought of several ways I could integrate this feature into my existing curriculum and schedule. In fact, I got really excited because I quickly began to brainstorm how Hot Dots would actually enhance my current schedule.
They're affordable and portable! Now that I have one pen, I'd like to purchase another so that I can have another partnership working together during our workshop time. I especially love the corrective feedback Hot Dots provide. Now, when I'm working with a small group, I know that my other learners are engaged and receiving appropriate guidance or affirmation for their thinking.
Because the cards are so different for each subject area, the engagement level will stay high since the content is so varried. There is always sometime new to learn!
My students always gravitate towards the National Geographic books and the 'Did you Know' books when we have book orders. They love finding out interesting facts. Hot Dots Science cards are going to be a bit hit in my class this year!
Hot Dots Jr. - A Fantastic Classroom Tool:
I am a second grade teacher; however, I have a four year old who will enter junior kindergarten this year. I couldn't close this post without highlighting the Hot Dots Junior program. Here is a great video that goes in detail to explain what sets are included in the Junior set.
I've ordered the Jr. Problem Solving set for my four year old, Jacob:
Hot Dots come in MANY different subject areas & age levels! an easy way to integrate technology
I found that they're not expensive at all. I've always seen the $50+ price tag attached to Hot Dots. I didn't realize that was if you planned to purchase the pens in bulk, or as a set of six. I learned you can actually get started with Hot Dots for around $19 ~ yay! You can purchase a pen for around $9.50 and get a set of cards for around $9.50 as well.
When my package arrived, I received my Hot Dots pen and three card sets. I was excited to see what these gadgets did and how they could engage my children. Because I actually took the time to try out each package, I feel like my mind has been changed about this product.
I love trivia ~ and Hot Dots offer me a challenge while giving immediate feedback:
Yes, I'm hooked! In the video above, you can see the feedback the pen provides for correct and incorrect responses. Each pen type makes different sounds. The dog pen barks. You also get a good glimpse of what the cards actually look like. For me, this is huge. I enjoy seeing the materials that will be in the student's hands. If the the layout is not aesthetically pleasing, the children will not be that engaged and could become distracted. The Hot Dots cards are great!
I received three sets of Hot Dots cards: Synonyms, Context Clues, and Human Body. By far, my favorite set is Human Body. The Human Body cards are larger and include colorful illustrations and pictures. They are developmentally challenging (which I love!). They're not too easy, and they encourage critical thinking.
What I recommend to get as your 'starter kit:'
1 pen & 1 set of cards = about $19
I love to shop. I love it even more when the experience is stress free. Because my time is often limited, I like to get great things without spending a lot of time or a lot of money. Therefore, because Hot Dots are a bit on the pricy side, I'd like to make a recommendation for what I would purchase. In fact, I've already ordered another set of cards.
First, you need a pen. There are 3 choices:
Please click here to see the pens on the Educational Insights website.
You can also buy a pack of pens. They come in sets of six.
Then you need a set of cards. I'll feature a few of my favorites below.
I'd start with one set, see how you like it and how you'd use it with your students. Then get more.
*Click here to see all of the Hot Dots Items from Educational Insights*
Here are the Human Body cards I love:
Even if the human body isn't in your standards, I recommend getting these cards. I find that we are all interested in learning more about ourselves, and these cards are informative while interesting. They'd be great to place in a discovery center.
If you do word work or vocabulary building, you'll love the context clues set:
Again, there are so many card sets to choose from. Please click here to see all of the sets available.
What I really Love about Hot Dots:
I go bananas over products that are ready to use upon arrival. The less I have to learn, the better! I don't have time to read a big instruction manual or teach myself how to get creative with a tool. With Hot Dots, I opened the clear wrapping of the card set and placed a battery in the pen. Bam - ready to go!
I instantly thought of several ways I could integrate this feature into my existing curriculum and schedule. In fact, I got really excited because I quickly began to brainstorm how Hot Dots would actually enhance my current schedule.
They're affordable and portable! Now that I have one pen, I'd like to purchase another so that I can have another partnership working together during our workshop time. I especially love the corrective feedback Hot Dots provide. Now, when I'm working with a small group, I know that my other learners are engaged and receiving appropriate guidance or affirmation for their thinking.
Because the cards are so different for each subject area, the engagement level will stay high since the content is so varried. There is always sometime new to learn!
My students always gravitate towards the National Geographic books and the 'Did you Know' books when we have book orders. They love finding out interesting facts. Hot Dots Science cards are going to be a bit hit in my class this year!
Hot Dots Jr. - A Fantastic Classroom Tool:
I am a second grade teacher; however, I have a four year old who will enter junior kindergarten this year. I couldn't close this post without highlighting the Hot Dots Junior program. Here is a great video that goes in detail to explain what sets are included in the Junior set.
I've ordered the Jr. Problem Solving set for my four year old, Jacob:
Hot Dots come in MANY different subject areas & age levels! an easy way to integrate technology
I found that they're not expensive at all. I've always seen the $50+ price tag attached to Hot Dots. I didn't realize that was if you planned to purchase the pens in bulk, or as a set of six. I learned you can actually get started with Hot Dots for around $19 ~ yay! You can purchase a pen for around $9.50 and get a set of cards for around $9.50 as well.
When my package arrived, I received my Hot Dots pen and three card sets. I was excited to see what these gadgets did and how they could engage my children. Because I actually took the time to try out each package, I feel like my mind has been changed about this product.
I love trivia ~ and Hot Dots offer me a challenge while giving immediate feedback:
Yes, I'm hooked! In the video above, you can see the feedback the pen provides for correct and incorrect responses. Each pen type makes different sounds. The dog pen barks. You also get a good glimpse of what the cards actually look like. For me, this is huge. I enjoy seeing the materials that will be in the student's hands. If the the layout is not aesthetically pleasing, the children will not be that engaged and could become distracted. The Hot Dots cards are great!
I received three sets of Hot Dots cards: Synonyms, Context Clues, and Human Body. By far, my favorite set is Human Body. The Human Body cards are larger and include colorful illustrations and pictures. They are developmentally challenging (which I love!). They're not too easy, and they encourage critical thinking.
What I recommend to get as your 'starter kit:'
1 pen & 1 set of cards = about $19
I love to shop. I love it even more when the experience is stress free. Because my time is often limited, I like to get great things without spending a lot of time or a lot of money. Therefore, because Hot Dots are a bit on the pricy side, I'd like to make a recommendation for what I would purchase. In fact, I've already ordered another set of cards.
First, you need a pen. There are 3 choices:
Please click here to see the pens on the Educational Insights website.
You can also buy a pack of pens. They come in sets of six.
Then you need a set of cards. I'll feature a few of my favorites below.
I'd start with one set, see how you like it and how you'd use it with your students. Then get more.
*Click here to see all of the Hot Dots Items from Educational Insights*
Here are the Human Body cards I love:
Even if the human body isn't in your standards, I recommend getting these cards. I find that we are all interested in learning more about ourselves, and these cards are informative while interesting. They'd be great to place in a discovery center.
If you do word work or vocabulary building, you'll love the context clues set:
Again, there are so many card sets to choose from. Please click here to see all of the sets available.
What I really Love about Hot Dots:
I go bananas over products that are ready to use upon arrival. The less I have to learn, the better! I don't have time to read a big instruction manual or teach myself how to get creative with a tool. With Hot Dots, I opened the clear wrapping of the card set and placed a battery in the pen. Bam - ready to go!
I instantly thought of several ways I could integrate this feature into my existing curriculum and schedule. In fact, I got really excited because I quickly began to brainstorm how Hot Dots would actually enhance my current schedule.
They're affordable and portable! Now that I have one pen, I'd like to purchase another so that I can have another partnership working together during our workshop time. I especially love the corrective feedback Hot Dots provide. Now, when I'm working with a small group, I know that my other learners are engaged and receiving appropriate guidance or affirmation for their thinking.
Because the cards are so different for each subject area, the engagement level will stay high since the content is so varried. There is always sometime new to learn!
My students always gravitate towards the National Geographic books and the 'Did you Know' books when we have book orders. They love finding out interesting facts. Hot Dots Science cards are going to be a bit hit in my class this year!
Hot Dots Jr. - A Fantastic Classroom Tool:
I am a second grade teacher; however, I have a four year old who will enter junior kindergarten this year. I couldn't close this post without highlighting the Hot Dots Junior program. Here is a great video that goes in detail to explain what sets are included in the Junior set.
I've ordered the Jr. Problem Solving set for my four year old, Jacob:
There are so many great websites and videos that you can use in your center rotations. However, it’s easy to write these off because we aren’t sure how much students are getting out of them, or if they will stay focused on the activity at hand. Here’s a great, easy way to hold students accountable and build up their independence. It is a packet of 3 different sheets that you can use with just about any video, presentation or website to help analyze what they have learned from these type of activities at centers. Grab a copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for $2.00.
There are so many great websites and videos that you can use in your center rotations. However, it’s easy to write these off because we aren’t sure how much students are getting out of them, or if they will stay focused on the activity at hand. Here’s a great, easy way to hold students accountable and build up their independence. It is a packet of 3 different sheets that you can use with just about any video, presentation or website to help analyze what they have learned from these type of activities at centers. Grab a copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for $2.00.
There are so many great websites and videos that you can use in your center rotations. However, it’s easy to write these off because we aren’t sure how much students are getting out of them, or if they will stay focused on the activity at hand. Here’s a great, easy way to hold students accountable and build up their independence. It is a packet of 3 different sheets that you can use with just about any video, presentation or website to help analyze what they have learned from these type of activities at centers. Grab a copy from my Teachers Pay Teachers store for $2.00.
Do your kids enjoy the Magic Tree House book series? My son loves them so much that we have read almost every book, both the fiction adventures and the non-fiction fact guides. He also loves to visit the Magic Tree House Website. The website is very good and interactive, and far beyond the basic series site. Students can even track their progress in their own log in – which is free to set up. To find more information on how to use this site as a computer center, AND how to download teaching resources, jump over to last week’s Wednesday Website suggestion at Raki’s Rad Resources.
Do your kids enjoy the Magic Tree House book series? My son loves them so much that we have read almost every book, both the fiction adventures and the non-fiction fact guides. He also loves to visit the Magic Tree House Website. The website is very good and interactive, and far beyond the basic series site. Students can even track their progress in their own log in – which is free to set up. To find more information on how to use this site as a computer center, AND how to download teaching resources, jump over to last week’s Wednesday Website suggestion at Raki’s Rad Resources.
Do your kids enjoy the Magic Tree House book series? My son loves them so much that we have read almost every book, both the fiction adventures and the non-fiction fact guides. He also loves to visit the Magic Tree House Website. The website is very good and interactive, and far beyond the basic series site. Students can even track their progress in their own log in – which is free to set up. To find more information on how to use this site as a computer center, AND how to download teaching resources, jump over to last week’s Wednesday Website suggestion at Raki’s Rad Resources.
Whether you are working on letter writing, setting goals, or making predictions – I have a computer center for you! At the website Future Me, students can write an email to themselves and schedule it to be sent at any date in the future. What a great computer center! - Have students read the back cover of a book and send themselves an email prediction of what the book will be about, scheduling the email for at date when they think they will be done reading it. Not only will they work on predicting and writing, but they’ll be super excited to get the email when it arrives, and they can check their prediction. You could do the same type of prediction with math concepts. - If you are setting goals, let students record those goals in an e-mail to themselves, scheduled out for whenever they are wanting to accomplish their goals (end of the year, end of the quarter, end of the month etc.). Then when they receive their email, it’s conference time – did you meet your goal? Why or Why not? - Use this to build a KWL chart for science or social studies. Let students write themselves an email at the beginning of a unit with what they know and want to know. Then, schedule the email for the end of the unit and let them see what they have learned that they can add to the chart. The possibilities are endless! To find out more about how to access this site – check out my recent post at Raki’s Rad Resources.
Whether you are working on letter writing, setting goals, or making predictions – I have a computer center for you! At the website Future Me, students can write an email to themselves and schedule it to be sent at any date in the future. What a great computer center! - Have students read the back cover of a book and send themselves an email prediction of what the book will be about, scheduling the email for at date when they think they will be done reading it. Not only will they work on predicting and writing, but they’ll be super excited to get the email when it arrives, and they can check their prediction. You could do the same type of prediction with math concepts. - If you are setting goals, let students record those goals in an e-mail to themselves, scheduled out for whenever they are wanting to accomplish their goals (end of the year, end of the quarter, end of the month etc.). Then when they receive their email, it’s conference time – did you meet your goal? Why or Why not? - Use this to build a KWL chart for science or social studies. Let students write themselves an email at the beginning of a unit with what they know and want to know. Then, schedule the email for the end of the unit and let them see what they have learned that they can add to the chart. The possibilities are endless! To find out more about how to access this site – check out my recent post at Raki’s Rad Resources.
Whether you are working on letter writing, setting goals, or making predictions – I have a computer center for you! At the website Future Me, students can write an email to themselves and schedule it to be sent at any date in the future. What a great computer center! - Have students read the back cover of a book and send themselves an email prediction of what the book will be about, scheduling the email for at date when they think they will be done reading it. Not only will they work on predicting and writing, but they’ll be super excited to get the email when it arrives, and they can check their prediction. You could do the same type of prediction with math concepts. - If you are setting goals, let students record those goals in an e-mail to themselves, scheduled out for whenever they are wanting to accomplish their goals (end of the year, end of the quarter, end of the month etc.). Then when they receive their email, it’s conference time – did you meet your goal? Why or Why not? - Use this to build a KWL chart for science or social studies. Let students write themselves an email at the beginning of a unit with what they know and want to know. Then, schedule the email for the end of the unit and let them see what they have learned that they can add to the chart. The possibilities are endless! To find out more about how to access this site – check out my recent post at Raki’s Rad Resources.
The end of the school year is a great time for students to work on projects at centers. One way for students to work on these projects at your computer center is by creating glogs. Glogs are online posters, that can include a large variety of text and graphics. They can also be interactive, and include links to websites, videos etc. They are simple to use and if each student signs in on their own account they are free. (There is a way for you to monitor all of your students, but that is a paid service.) Here is a glog I created with my kids about Egypt. How could you use Glogs in your centers? Check Raki’s Rad Resources each Wednesday for more websites to use in your computer centers.
The end of the school year is a great time for students to work on projects at centers. One way for students to work on these projects at your computer center is by creating glogs. Glogs are online posters, that can include a large variety of text and graphics. They can also be interactive, and include links to websites, videos etc. They are simple to use and if each student signs in on their own account they are free. (There is a way for you to monitor all of your students, but that is a paid service.) Here is a glog I created with my kids about Egypt. How could you use Glogs in your centers? Check Raki’s Rad Resources each Wednesday for more websites to use in your computer centers.
The end of the school year is a great time for students to work on projects at centers. One way for students to work on these projects at your computer center is by creating glogs. Glogs are online posters, that can include a large variety of text and graphics. They can also be interactive, and include links to websites, videos etc. They are simple to use and if each student signs in on their own account they are free. (There is a way for you to monitor all of your students, but that is a paid service.) Here is a glog I created with my kids about Egypt. How could you use Glogs in your centers? Check Raki’s Rad Resources each Wednesday for more websites to use in your computer centers.
Here’s an easy computer center. It uses a great website called WeGiveBooks. This website is full of great books students can read (no read-to feature). Let students choose the books they want to read and record them on this simple “Independent Reading Sheet” (which you can grab FREE from Google Docs), and voila, easy little computer center. The books on the site are great - a combination of classics (like the Snowy Day) and contemporary (like Good Night I-Pad), fiction and non-fiction. There are even books in Spanish. Also, when students are done reading their book, they can click the “Give a Book” button and a book will be donated to kids in need. So, it’s also a great way to build global awareness in your students. (WeGiveBooks is run by Penguin Group and Pearson Foundation. It is part of their non-profit division.)
Here’s an easy computer center. It uses a great website called WeGiveBooks. This website is full of great books students can read (no read-to feature). Let students choose the books they want to read and record them on this simple “Independent Reading Sheet” (which you can grab FREE from Google Docs), and voila, easy little computer center. The books on the site are great - a combination of classics (like the Snowy Day) and contemporary (like Good Night I-Pad), fiction and non-fiction. There are even books in Spanish. Also, when students are done reading their book, they can click the “Give a Book” button and a book will be donated to kids in need. So, it’s also a great way to build global awareness in your students. (WeGiveBooks is run by Penguin Group and Pearson Foundation. It is part of their non-profit division.)
Here’s an easy computer center. It uses a great website called WeGiveBooks. This website is full of great books students can read (no read-to feature). Let students choose the books they want to read and record them on this simple “Independent Reading Sheet” (which you can grab FREE from Google Docs), and voila, easy little computer center. The books on the site are great - a combination of classics (like the Snowy Day) and contemporary (like Good Night I-Pad), fiction and non-fiction. There are even books in Spanish. Also, when students are done reading their book, they can click the “Give a Book” button and a book will be donated to kids in need. So, it’s also a great way to build global awareness in your students. (WeGiveBooks is run by Penguin Group and Pearson Foundation. It is part of their non-profit division.)
The internet can be a powerful tool for teaching, but just like anything meant for grown ups, we need to teach kids how to use it safely and responsibly. There are lots of ways to include this in your computer center. One way is to use the Internet Safety Power Point lesson at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are also great websites that address the topic of Internet Safety in a way that kids can understand. My favorite website on this topic is called Cyber Pigs. This website provides kids with 2 different interactive videos/games on Internet Safety using three teenage aged pigs who are surfing the web. The first “episode”addresses the importance of keeping your personal information private. The second “episode” addresses cyber-bullying and evaluating the sources of your information carefully. This website is great to do whole group with your students, or to assign to your computer center with a reflection sheet. Click HERETo find more websites for your computer center.
The internet can be a powerful tool for teaching, but just like anything meant for grown ups, we need to teach kids how to use it safely and responsibly. There are lots of ways to include this in your computer center. One way is to use the Internet Safety Power Point lesson at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are also great websites that address the topic of Internet Safety in a way that kids can understand. My favorite website on this topic is called Cyber Pigs. This website provides kids with 2 different interactive videos/games on Internet Safety using three teenage aged pigs who are surfing the web. The first “episode”addresses the importance of keeping your personal information private. The second “episode” addresses cyber-bullying and evaluating the sources of your information carefully. This website is great to do whole group with your students, or to assign to your computer center with a reflection sheet. Click HERETo find more websites for your computer center.
The internet can be a powerful tool for teaching, but just like anything meant for grown ups, we need to teach kids how to use it safely and responsibly. There are lots of ways to include this in your computer center. One way is to use the Internet Safety Power Point lesson at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are also great websites that address the topic of Internet Safety in a way that kids can understand. My favorite website on this topic is called Cyber Pigs. This website provides kids with 2 different interactive videos/games on Internet Safety using three teenage aged pigs who are surfing the web. The first “episode”addresses the importance of keeping your personal information private. The second “episode” addresses cyber-bullying and evaluating the sources of your information carefully. This website is great to do whole group with your students, or to assign to your computer center with a reflection sheet. Click HERETo find more websites for your computer center.
Need a fun computer center for the enter of the year? Here’s one that focuses on typing skills. I don’t know about you, but I get sick of watching their students hunt and peck for the letters when they are trying to type in a website, or worse yet type up a project. I am a firm believer in typing (keyboarding) skills for children, but I’m also a firm believer in kids learning through fun, engaging activities. So, when I found Dance Mat Typing a few years ago, I just fell in love! This website guides students through proper typing, while providing talking goats and singing bears that keep them so entertained, they don’t even realize they are learning until they’re done. It contains levels and stages to start from simply learning the home row, to typing up complete sentences. When I taught in the computer lab, I used this website with my students starting at the end of 1st grade. By 4th and 5th grade, I had many students who could type without looking for the keys at all! When I taught 3rd grade, I would pull this out during this end of the year time, when I still wanted focused, learning students, but when the majority of our standards had been covered. It’s also a great, easy site to use with early finishers, and it’s a fabulous computer center to keep kids engaged at the end of the year!
For more websites to use in your computer centers, check out Raki’s Rad Resources’ Wednesday Website Suggestions by clicking HERE.
Need a fun computer center for the enter of the year? Here’s one that focuses on typing skills. I don’t know about you, but I get sick of watching their students hunt and peck for the letters when they are trying to type in a website, or worse yet type up a project. I am a firm believer in typing (keyboarding) skills for children, but I’m also a firm believer in kids learning through fun, engaging activities. So, when I found Dance Mat Typing a few years ago, I just fell in love! This website guides students through proper typing, while providing talking goats and singing bears that keep them so entertained, they don’t even realize they are learning until they’re done. It contains levels and stages to start from simply learning the home row, to typing up complete sentences. When I taught in the computer lab, I used this website with my students starting at the end of 1st grade. By 4th and 5th grade, I had many students who could type without looking for the keys at all! When I taught 3rd grade, I would pull this out during this end of the year time, when I still wanted focused, learning students, but when the majority of our standards had been covered. It’s also a great, easy site to use with early finishers, and it’s a fabulous computer center to keep kids engaged at the end of the year!
For more websites to use in your computer centers, check out Raki’s Rad Resources’ Wednesday Website Suggestions by clicking HERE.
Need a fun computer center for the enter of the year? Here’s one that focuses on typing skills. I don’t know about you, but I get sick of watching their students hunt and peck for the letters when they are trying to type in a website, or worse yet type up a project. I am a firm believer in typing (keyboarding) skills for children, but I’m also a firm believer in kids learning through fun, engaging activities. So, when I found Dance Mat Typing a few years ago, I just fell in love! This website guides students through proper typing, while providing talking goats and singing bears that keep them so entertained, they don’t even realize they are learning until they’re done. It contains levels and stages to start from simply learning the home row, to typing up complete sentences. When I taught in the computer lab, I used this website with my students starting at the end of 1st grade. By 4th and 5th grade, I had many students who could type without looking for the keys at all! When I taught 3rd grade, I would pull this out during this end of the year time, when I still wanted focused, learning students, but when the majority of our standards had been covered. It’s also a great, easy site to use with early finishers, and it’s a fabulous computer center to keep kids engaged at the end of the year!
For more websites to use in your computer centers, check out Raki’s Rad Resources’ Wednesday Website Suggestions by clicking HERE.
Am I the only one, or are your kids starting to tune you out too? I think it might have something to do with their only being 28 days of school left. Anyways, the one thing that really still grabs my students attentions are critical thinking games. So, this week our computer center is Cool Math Games 4 Kids. If you’ve never visited their site – it’s an amazing compilation of math games that work on tons of math skills, including critical thinking. Here are three of the games they feature on their site. Be warned – these games are addictive to ADULTS as well as children, and can be played happily for hours, thereby draining you of your grading time!
B-Cubed is a great critical thinking game. It is like a 3-d maze. Every time you move the yellow cube on top of a grey cube, it makes the grey cube disappear. The object of the game is to make all o the grey cubes disappear before you make the red cube disappear.
Bloxorz is a greatly addictive strategy game. You must twist and turn the tall box to get it through the hole. There are many, many levels!
Phit is a tetris-like game where you use all the pieces and try to get them to fit into the yellow box. It’s a great visual thinking game!
Need more websites for your computer center? Click HERE – I write a website suggestion every Wednesday on Raki’s Rad Resources.
Am I the only one, or are your kids starting to tune you out too? I think it might have something to do with their only being 28 days of school left. Anyways, the one thing that really still grabs my students attentions are critical thinking games. So, this week our computer center is Cool Math Games 4 Kids. If you’ve never visited their site – it’s an amazing compilation of math games that work on tons of math skills, including critical thinking. Here are three of the games they feature on their site. Be warned – these games are addictive to ADULTS as well as children, and can be played happily for hours, thereby draining you of your grading time!
B-Cubed is a great critical thinking game. It is like a 3-d maze. Every time you move the yellow cube on top of a grey cube, it makes the grey cube disappear. The object of the game is to make all o the grey cubes disappear before you make the red cube disappear.
Bloxorz is a greatly addictive strategy game. You must twist and turn the tall box to get it through the hole. There are many, many levels!
Phit is a tetris-like game where you use all the pieces and try to get them to fit into the yellow box. It’s a great visual thinking game!
Need more websites for your computer center? Click HERE – I write a website suggestion every Wednesday on Raki’s Rad Resources.
Am I the only one, or are your kids starting to tune you out too? I think it might have something to do with their only being 28 days of school left. Anyways, the one thing that really still grabs my students attentions are critical thinking games. So, this week our computer center is Cool Math Games 4 Kids. If you’ve never visited their site – it’s an amazing compilation of math games that work on tons of math skills, including critical thinking. Here are three of the games they feature on their site. Be warned – these games are addictive to ADULTS as well as children, and can be played happily for hours, thereby draining you of your grading time!
B-Cubed is a great critical thinking game. It is like a 3-d maze. Every time you move the yellow cube on top of a grey cube, it makes the grey cube disappear. The object of the game is to make all o the grey cubes disappear before you make the red cube disappear.
Bloxorz is a greatly addictive strategy game. You must twist and turn the tall box to get it through the hole. There are many, many levels!
Phit is a tetris-like game where you use all the pieces and try to get them to fit into the yellow box. It’s a great visual thinking game!
Need more websites for your computer center? Click HERE – I write a website suggestion every Wednesday on Raki’s Rad Resources.
Have you ever used Wallwisher? It makes a great computer center. This website is basically a virtual interactive bulletin board, where different people can collaborate to join their ideas together by adding a “sticky note” to the wall. You can also add pictures, and videos to your sticky notes. It’s a great way to get kids collaborating, but it’s also an easy way to collect information from your students in a computer center. Here are some ways you can use Wallwisher in your centers:
1.) Put a challenge up on your wall for students to complete when they come to the computer center. For example: Write a silly sentence using two or three of your spelling words.
2.) Assign your students a video (by adding the link to your post on the wall). After students have watched the video – they can answer a question about the video, tell you their favorite part, or even leave you a question about something they didn’t understand.
3.) Combine two great sites to make a dynamic listening center – Add the video links from www.storylineonline.net to a post. Let students listen to the story and then “summarize” the story in 160 characters or less (160 characters is the limit for each sticky note).
4.) Do Math Problem Solving in Reverse. Post a number sentence (2x5=10) to your question. Have students each add a sticky note with a self-created word problem that could use the number sentence.
Have you ever used Wallwisher? It makes a great computer center. This website is basically a virtual interactive bulletin board, where different people can collaborate to join their ideas together by adding a “sticky note” to the wall. You can also add pictures, and videos to your sticky notes. It’s a great way to get kids collaborating, but it’s also an easy way to collect information from your students in a computer center. Here are some ways you can use Wallwisher in your centers:
1.) Put a challenge up on your wall for students to complete when they come to the computer center. For example: Write a silly sentence using two or three of your spelling words.
2.) Assign your students a video (by adding the link to your post on the wall). After students have watched the video – they can answer a question about the video, tell you their favorite part, or even leave you a question about something they didn’t understand.
3.) Combine two great sites to make a dynamic listening center – Add the video links from www.storylineonline.net to a post. Let students listen to the story and then “summarize” the story in 160 characters or less (160 characters is the limit for each sticky note).
4.) Do Math Problem Solving in Reverse. Post a number sentence (2x5=10) to your question. Have students each add a sticky note with a self-created word problem that could use the number sentence.
Have you ever used Wallwisher? It makes a great computer center. This website is basically a virtual interactive bulletin board, where different people can collaborate to join their ideas together by adding a “sticky note” to the wall. You can also add pictures, and videos to your sticky notes. It’s a great way to get kids collaborating, but it’s also an easy way to collect information from your students in a computer center. Here are some ways you can use Wallwisher in your centers:
1.) Put a challenge up on your wall for students to complete when they come to the computer center. For example: Write a silly sentence using two or three of your spelling words.
2.) Assign your students a video (by adding the link to your post on the wall). After students have watched the video – they can answer a question about the video, tell you their favorite part, or even leave you a question about something they didn’t understand.
3.) Combine two great sites to make a dynamic listening center – Add the video links from www.storylineonline.net to a post. Let students listen to the story and then “summarize” the story in 160 characters or less (160 characters is the limit for each sticky note).
4.) Do Math Problem Solving in Reverse. Post a number sentence (2x5=10) to your question. Have students each add a sticky note with a self-created word problem that could use the number sentence.
April is National Poetry Month, so this month, one of my computer center choices will be the website of my absolute favorite kid’s poet – Shel Silverstein. I have all of his books in my class – and we regularly read from A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. The website is awesome for teachers, with free free printables and lesson plans, as well as information about Shel Silverstein. But, it’s also great for the kids, as it has online games and activities they can do. It also has great Silverstein artwork all throughout the site.
Need more websites for your computer center? ClickHERE to find more at Raki’s Rad Resources.
April is National Poetry Month, so this month, one of my computer center choices will be the website of my absolute favorite kid’s poet – Shel Silverstein. I have all of his books in my class – and we regularly read from A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. The website is awesome for teachers, with free free printables and lesson plans, as well as information about Shel Silverstein. But, it’s also great for the kids, as it has online games and activities they can do. It also has great Silverstein artwork all throughout the site.
Need more websites for your computer center? ClickHERE to find more at Raki’s Rad Resources.
April is National Poetry Month, so this month, one of my computer center choices will be the website of my absolute favorite kid’s poet – Shel Silverstein. I have all of his books in my class – and we regularly read from A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. The website is awesome for teachers, with free free printables and lesson plans, as well as information about Shel Silverstein. But, it’s also great for the kids, as it has online games and activities they can do. It also has great Silverstein artwork all throughout the site.
Need more websites for your computer center? ClickHERE to find more at Raki’s Rad Resources.
