A2ZKB.com March 10, 2009
Posted by anne marie in ELA, Fun, Games, SMART Board.Tags: ELA
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A2ZKB.com is a fun site that offers a variety of activities for young learners. You access the activities by clicking on the side tabs of the book.In the Games tab you will find Make a Snowman (follow directions) and Pop the Balloon. Our House is also great for object identification- students touch the object in the room, a pop up screen appears and when the speaker is touched it states the answer. There also is an e-book called The Farmer and the Sun. To practice letter and color identification I use the Board tab. An alphabet board appears with a color palette in the left hand lower side of the page. For example, I ask students to make a yellow A and they have to touch the color yellow and then the correct letter– like I said great for a review! ENJOY!
Computer Lab Favorites from Scholastic February 22, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Games, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: interactive activities
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Just a quick post to point you in the direction of Scholastic’s Computer Lab Favorites. When you arrive you will find “quick, compelling one-session activities you need to incorporate interactive learning and technology into your curriculum. Each activity requires no prep and can be completed in 15-30 minutes.” There are activities in ELA, science, math, social studies and Spanish. Here is a link to the site map listing all of the available activities. Many of these activities also work very well on the SMARTBoard- ENJOY!
Math and More Math! February 17, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Games, Math.Tags: Math
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In case you haven’t heard, World Maths Day this year is scheduled for March 4th. So I thought I’d share a couple of math sites that I hope will help students when “training” for this very important competition! And as an added plus each of these math activities also work wonderfully with the SMARTBoard!
The first is math flash application that reviews/reinforces multiplication and division, doubles, halves, etc. There is a very nice variety of skill reinforcement opportunities with this application. Simply select the activity you want to use, It is called Hit The Button.
The next game is from 4L Puzzle Plus and reinforces multiplication and division. This game is so cool! It is designed much like a slot machine- an equation appears on the screen and students need to type in the correct answer using the onscreen calculator.
If you’re looking for a website to review/supplement basic addition skills check out Harcourt School Publishers Adding Bricks. Two construction workers literally drop bricks from their wheelbarrows and students count/add the bricks and type the answers in the answer box. A fun way to reinforce basic addition.
Found an awesome site from Saxon Math that reviews coin values (2nd grade). Students are asked to calculate the value of the coins in the box at the top of the page and then click on the correct answer from the answer field of three. There is a score box that summarizes the session (10 questions).
Hope these games/activities help your students get in tip top shape for World Maths Day 2009! ENJOY!
Ghost Blasters- Math Fun! February 1, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Games, Math, SMART Board.Tags: Math
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I wanted to share a wonderfully fun math game that works great on the SMART Board and reviews/reinforces multiplication skills, Ghost Blasters. You can set the number (2-20) that you want to review by clicking either arrow on the sides of the number. Once you pick the number the students have to touch the numbers, as they appear on the screen, that are multiples of that main number. It can be quite challenging, and as I said a fun way for reinforcement. ENJOY!
Free Elementary Activities to Use on SMARTBoard December 31, 2008
Posted by anne marie in ELA, Games, Math, Science, Websites.Tags: SMARTBoard
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I came across 6 free sample Spark Island activities that I found on e-gfl.org that work great on the SMARTBoard. Each game is interactive, engaging, animated and fun! There are 2 games each that address Numeracy, Literacy and Science skills. The Learning Outcomes are based on objectives from Wales, Northern Ireland and England, but would be appropriate for just about any learning environment. In addition to the activities they also provide teachers with other options such as teaching suggestions and printable resources.
For literacy there is It’s A Goal which asks students to chose the correct vowel to spell basic CVC words. The correct answer ellicits a goal! Spin to Win is my favorite! It reinforces the use of prefixes and suffixes using a very cool word spinner.
For Science there is Animal Magic which asks students to group animals according to observable similarities and differences and Home Sweet Home uses scientific evidence to explain why animals live where they do.
For Numeracy there is Play Your Cards Right which uses probability to make guesses in a card game and Down on the Farm reviews basic counting to 5.
Hope these activities help you as you plan your SB lessons for 2009- ENJOY!!
Christmas Activity update December 13, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Games, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: Christmas, UptoTen.com
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Tonight I was checking out the website UptoTen.com and discovered that they have a very nice Christmas activity, Santa Clauss’s Trip, that would work very well with the SMARTBoard. The activity reminds me of a “Simon Says” type game. Students view a map of the world, shown the route that Santa will take to deliver toys and then they have to touch the countries to recreate his route. Very fun! When the correct country is touched students even magically travel to that country to see the gifts delivered. Make sure your speakers are turned up so you can hear Santa’s sleigh bells!
Now just a quick note about this great site. UptoTen at School offers free teacher accounts. According to their site once you register you are given free access to:
You get 50 pre-set lessons to use with your classes. All 1292 games and activities are available. It is 100% ad-free. The games are full screen. It is safe to use in class. It is free for schools. Just apply below. Above all, the children will really benefit from these great activities
So if you are an elementary teacher (recommended to students up to age 10) I would suggest heading over and taking advantage of this great opportunity. As an added plus, many of the activities and games I tried would work very well with the SMARTBoard. ENJOY! Oooops, l almost forgot to send a BIG THANK YOU to the folks over at UptoTen.com for this wonderfully generous gift to teachers and students.
Christmas FUN & the SMARTBoard December 11, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Fun, Games, General.Tags: Merry Christmas!
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Monday night we watched the delightful Christmas movie “Blizzard” so it got me in the North Pole, Merry Christmas, Sanat Claus, Rudolph, Ho Ho Ho state of mind! So below are some websites that I think are particularly worth a look if you are searching for some interactive Holiday activites.
Rudolph is Missing is a wonderful interactive book that takes students on an adventure to find Rudolph for Santa. As an added bonus, during the adventure students are asked thoughtful questions to answer. This is definitely a fun activity that works well on the SMARTBoard.
Northpole.com is a wonderful place to find some great Christmas fun! For the SMARTBoard make sure you check out the Elves’ Game Chest since it is filled with several interactive games including, checkers, word search, crossword puzzle and even a game to reinforce telling time and making change! Santa alaso offers a plethera of free Christmas themed worksheets in a variety of categories for ages PreK-3. In Santa’s Secret Village you will fins more than two dozen original stories with hand drawn or painted artwork. They also come complete with audio! And for the next game, grab your hot chocolate, turn up the volume and have some fun with Disco Dancing Santa!!
Merry-Christmas.com- this is the jackpot in interactive Christmas games and they all work well with the SMARTBoard. There are 5 themed Christmas mini quizzes, decorate the Christmas tree, tic tac toe, a Santa puzzle, etc.
The British Council has a couple of fun activities. Santa Rodeo is a very fun way to have students practice spelling skills. Two predetermined words appear on the screen and they have to click on the word that is spelled correctly. There are two levels – the easier level being kids and the more difficult level being adults. Students love to see and play this game on the SMARTBoard. They have a concentration-type Christmas theme game- match the pictures with the words. Christmas Balloon burst- several balloons with letters on them float through the air and students use the mouse to pop the balloons with the correct letters to spell the word of the picture in the box. Using the SMARTBoard students enjoy the halleneg of popping the balloons usng thier fingers.
TeqSMART- the marvelously merry guys over at TeqSMART have added some great Christmas/Holiday themed premade Notebook lessons in their Holiday Themed Activities. You have to register to have access to download, but it’s free and well worth it!! So put on your skates and head on over there!!!!
Northumberland has two basic numeracy activities with a Holiday theme: Christmas Tree and Santa. Both work well on the SMARTBoard.
The WONDERFUL Jim Hollis over at Teachers Love SMARTBoards has a Christmas Holiday Resource page filled with resources, games, activities with a Holiday theme.
SantaAdventCalendar- this is an absolutely beautiful site. Like an advent calendar, beginning on Dec 1st you click on the number 1 and it reveals the beginning of a wonderful story. Each day when you click on the next number another chapter is revealed. This would present well on the SMARTBoard, but also would be such a nice activity to do with your children at home.
The last site I want to mention is just a nice way to bring a “guest reader” into your classroom at Christmas time. Head on over to Storylineonline.com and have Lou Diamond Phillips read one of my favorite stories “The Polar Express” to your students. It presents awesome on the SMARTBoard– just don’t forget to view it in full screen mode. This site also offers other complimentary activities to use with this book
Ok- time for me to make a hot chocolate (with LOTS of whipped cream) and check in with my friends on Twitter. ENJOY!
UPDATE- I just learned from my friend Richard Byrne over at his amazing blog Free Technology for Teachers about a site called Speakaboos. This site offers free online children’s stories and they have two great Christmas selections: The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You can watch the stories on line for free or download them to watch in full screen (which would be great to view on the SMARTBoard). Some features are only available once you complete the free registration.
Snowman Fun on the SMARTBoard! December 9, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Fun, Games, SMART Board.Tags: Build a snowman, SMARTBoard
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This morning on Twitter Danny Nicholson shared a fun snowman activity that works great on the SMARTBoard. It lends itself to a wonderful activity for having students follow verbal directions, review basic counting, usng verbal language or just for creative fun! So this activity got me thinking — how many other interactive snowman activities might I be able to find that would work well on the SMARTBoard. All of the sites have the same basic concept- drag and drop items to build, create, dress and bring the snowman to life. And for those school systems that discourage the Christmas themed activities these might be a nice alternative. So here I go….
1. South Florida snowman- some very cute items are provided to build this sunshine state snowman who is relaxing on the beach!
2. Ten Little Snowmen from Enchanted Learning- a great interactive book that asks students to complete a specific task to create a snowman. Great for following directions.
3. Kent nGfl Snowman- I love the background graphics in this activity- the falling snow, the blue sky- so beautiful!
4. Build a Snowman: An Artistic Adventure- you need Java to run this activity.
5. Build your own Frosty- don’t forget to first drag the snowballs to make the snowman.
6. Snowman Band e-card- Hallmark has a very cute e-card where you pick the instruments you want the band of merry snowmen to play. So have your speakers turned up and ENJOY!!!
7. Build your own Snowman from Merry-Christmas.com- what is fun about this site is that it has some “unusual” items to use to create your snowman.
8. Ben & Jerry’s Virtual Snowman- you can make a very “groovy” snowman here!
9. Dress Frosty- some cute graphics
10. Build a Snowman
So, as you can see, I found 10 sites- WOW! If anyone has any other interactive snowman sites they have found, let me know and I’ll add them to the list! ENJOY!
Frog Fun! December 3, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Fun, Games.Tags: Games
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If you want to have a little fun while teaching students to work cooperatively to solve a problem check out the Frog Leap Test. It works great on the SMARTBoard and can be challenging, frustrating and lots of fun! Click on the frogs to have them leap. It was designed as a 2nd grade computer test for students in China, but can be used at various levels. ENJOY!
Free Rice….Free Poverty November 23, 2008
Posted by anne marie in ELA, Games, Math, Science, Websites, art, history/social studies.Tags: Free Poverty, Free Rice
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Over the past few weeks I know several Blogs have written about the two sites I am discussing today (including Mr. Byrnes over at Free Technology for Teachers), but in the spirit of Thanksgiving I wanted to mention each of them on my Blog– Free Rice and Free Poverty. Free Rice tests your knowledge in a variety of subjects (not just ELA) and with each correct answer rice is donated to charity. Free Poverty tests your Geography knowledge and with each correct answer water is donated to charity. Free Poverty is a great way for students to learn and development knowledge of geography and works wonderfully on the SMARTBoard. Free Rice offers a variety of subjects to test your knowledge including math, languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian), Art, Chemistry, English, Geography (click on “change the subject” in the right corner to advance to the page with the choices). Most of these activities work well with the SMARTBoard.
The most incredible feature of both of these educational games is that by using these sites to assist your students in reinforcing/learning specific skills you, and your students, will be helping others less fortunate. I know some school districts who have been keeping track (posting it daily on a board by the main office) of the amounts of rice and water the school has donated just by virtue of using these sites as an educational tool. I also know of one school who started a “Free Rice Challenge” as a motivator- classes have challenged each other to see which class can donate the most amount of rice before Thanksgiving. ENJOY!
