Math videos October 31, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Math.Tags: Math videos
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Math Playground has a great video section to teach students mathematical concepts in seven categories. It’s a nice pre-teaching strategy, especially for those visual learners. They present very well on the SMARTBoard and can be easily incorporated into a Notebook lesson. ENJOY!
Freeware Continued October 29, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Websites.Tags: Freeware software
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Oops I forgot to mention this free educational software link in my previous post. This page is dedicated to listing educational software for students and adults. It is an unbelievable resource! The software listed includes both web based and downloadable Windows software. In addition, many of the software titles listed are multilingual. Any of the interactive software titles would work very well with the SMARTBoard. ENJOY!
Freeware October 29, 2008
Posted by anne marie in ELA, Fun, Games, Math, Special Education, Websites, history/social studies.Tags: Freeware software
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I attended an Easter Seals Conference today and was reminded of Marianne Wartoft’s wonderful educational freeware website. Her software is downloadable, free and AWESOME! Much of the software works very well with the SMARTBoard. All of the system requirements are listed on her site as well as the multitude of languages the software supports. This software rivals those that you would purchase, making this site a true jewel—-ENJOY!
Seterra is a geography software that teaches about countries, states, flags, cities and capitals all over the world! It is a challenging educational geography program with 70 different exercises.
Sebran’s ABC helps students learn letters, numbers, simple math, and reading.
Minibran is a suite of early learning games for students 2-6 years old.
Kids and Cookies Fractions October 28, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Math, SMART Board.Tags: Fractions, Math
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I am still on the hunt for interactive educational games that will reinforce fractions and I am happy to say this afternoon I discovered one that I give an A+!! It’s called Kids and Cookies. I love the way it is takes a real life situation and makes it into a learning opportunity. ”This game, designed for preschool and elementary students, introduces concepts of rational number and division through the simulation of sharing cookies with friends. The online version has no sound; downloadable versions have additional (and optional) voiceover and music”. ENJOY!
Learning Clip October 27, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Math, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: Math
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I was searching for math sites to share with some of the elementary teachers in the district and discovered a site called Learning Clip. I have not explored each link, but so far I am pleased with what I have seen. In their own words “Learning Clip is a project to generate and make available discreet clips of digital media for insertion into primary maths lessons, ideally although not exclusively for presentation on an Interactive Whiteboard.” I like the way they pair a short video to introduce a concept coupled with an activity. The only issue that I have encountered is that it is designed by folks from England so some of the activities (money and distance) are not in U.S. currency/measurements. You do need to register to access the activities, but it’s free. ENJOY!
NZMaths Animations October 25, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Math, Websites.Tags: math animations
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While searching for activities and resources to reinforce a lesson on improper fractions I stumbled across a very nice site that offers several animations to explain specific mathematical concepts such as decimals, fractions, percentages, etc., called NZMAths Numeracy Project . So if you’re teaching math you might want to pop on over and check it out. ENJOY!
Notebook 10 Video October 24, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Notebook 10.Tags: SMART Notebook 10
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Alex Rettie from SMART Technologies On-line Training Center sent me a link to a 30-minute training video on the features of Notebook 10. I thought it might be helpful to some, so here is a link to that video. Enjoy!
Halloween sites October 24, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Fun, Games, General, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: Halloween resources
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I can’t believe how quickly Halloween is creeping up on us. When planning any Halloween themed lessons, one positive is there is an abundance of resources, games, activities, etc. on the Web for teachers to access. Even more encouraging is the fact that there is an increasing amount of activities that are interactive, educational, engaging and wonderful to use with the SMARTBoard. Conversely the problem is also just that–there are so many to pick from it can be overwhelming, or at least for someone like myself, who just doesn’t want to miss any!! I have put together a short list of new interactive Halloween resources/activities/games that I have added to my lists from previous years and also listed a few “oldies, but goodies”! As with all resources you need to preview each activity to ensure it is appropriate for your classroom (especially since some Halloween themed activities do incorporate the “scary factor”). Unless I note otherwise, all the sites mentioned would work well with the SMARTBoard- ENJOY!
Haunted Alphabet- on the idea of “I Spy”- students must locate the alphabet letters that are hidden in the haunted house- a very fun way to reinforce/review letter identification.
I Spy Library- Halloween is the perfect time to play this interactive game.
Scary Spuds- a fun way to allow creativity to flow in students, coupled with practicing eye/hand coordination, mouse skills, following directions, etc.
Trick or Treat Maze- a Halloween maze- great game for a “reward” activity in a computer lab to practice keyboard skills.
Monster Match- I have to admit this game had me and my husband hooked! You have to rearrange/switch Halloween pictures to make 3 in row. This is a great activity to use for a team building activity.
Billy Bear Concentration- for younger children to reinforce memory skills and encourage language.
Halloween Jigsaw Puzzle- All of the puzzle pieces are scrambled to the right of the puzzle board and students need to drag and drop them to creat the correct picture. There is a hint feature and it allows you to set the amount of pieces– I dare you to try the 40 piece puzzle!!! Another great activity for team building/cooperation lessons.
Squigly’s Halloween Games/Activities- there are 17 games addressing a variety of skills at different levels. There are also several activities including story builders, picture matches, jigsaw puzzles, word scrambles, etc. You will need to explore and find what would meet your needs, but trust me you will not be disappointed. I will again reinterate that these are Halloween themed activities and some may be too scary for some students.
Lookybook- I have talked about this site in the past (it’s one of my favorites!), but wanted to mention it again beacuse they have some really cool Halloween stories available and they are all FREE to view and read-YAH! You will need to register, but it’s free and it will allow you to save your favorite books for quick reference- sort of like having your own persoanl librarian:) Some of the books, depending on the size of the text, page, etc. present very well on the SMARTboard and are interactive to the degree that you can turn the pages by touching the board and trust me the younger students LOVE to read the books using the SMARTBoard!
History of Halloween- for anyone addressing lessons regarding the history of Halloween the History Channel is a fantastic resource for this purpose. They offer some great videos relating to this topic and also have some hauntingly fun games!
Also want to mention that Jim Hollis over at Teachers Love SmartBoards has two posts listing other great Halloween sites – Halloween Activities Part 1 and Halloween Activities Part 2.
Happy Halloween and ENJOY!
SMART Table for Elementary students October 23, 2008
Posted by anne marie in General.Tags: SMART Table
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Wanted to share the latest and greatest from the folks over at SMART Technologies. “The SMART Table is a versatile learning center where groups of students can create, explore and discover together on the durable screen.” Here is a video link and the press release about the SMART Table interactive learning center for students ages 4-11. I for one can’t wait to see one up close and personal!
Halloween Safety October 23, 2008
Posted by anne marie in General, Websites.Tags: Halloween Safety
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With Halloween quickly approaching I thought I’d share my top two sites that address the very important issue of Halloween safety with elementary aged students. Both sites are interactive and work very well with the SMARTBoard. They also are very good site for parents to use when discussing this with their children at home. ENJOY!
Hershey has a Halloween Safety Quiz- discusses Halloween saftey using an interactive quiz format
Halloween Saftey game- in line with the previous site–a game to quiz students about what they should do if certain situations arise when trick or treating.
