Today we tried out a few new apps on the iPads. One of the goals we have this term is to master the Primer Dolch Word lists. There is a cool app called Sight Word Bingo that lets the children practise the words in a fun way. They also get a chance to practise spelling these words too so that they “stick”. The children worked in partners and practised the words for a little while. No trouble staying focussed and they appeared to be having fun practising! Better than flash cards! You can also find this program at the ABC Yah site. There is a link to ABCYah on the WIKI page. Check it out! If you have an iPad you might want to download the app! It has all the levels we need to focus on this year. Not too expensive either…
Then we did some work with a neat program called DoodleCast. I love this app. It provides a picture prompt for the children to get started drawing. Then it records all their drawing AND it records them talking about their drawing. Then they can play it back and listen to themselves. The look on their faces was priceless! I really like how it helps the students build their oral language especially when describing their work. They realized that they had to organize their thoughts and explain themselves when they listened to their efforts! Then they tried again. Each effort improved and it was fun to listen to their efforts. Mr. Brick came by and listened to a few too! The work is saved to the camera roll on the iPad and can be sent as an email too! The intermediate equivalent of this app is a program called Explain Everything. If you have ever taken a look at the Khan Academy they use a similar idea! We are using the junior version!
In the afternoon the children created their own math practise with Doodle Buddy. Using the stamps they created a addition story and recorded the equation. They copied down their story and then went on to copy down all their friend’s stories. Lots of counting practise and adding practise mixed up together with fun!