Story Starters: Creative Writing Prompts for Kids
If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts. Perfect for overcoming writer’s block or even starting a brand-new short story in a different narrative, creative writing prompts can help students begin a new piece with confidence. Plus, these story starters can also encourage students to explore different genres while honing their writing skills. There are a lot of ways you can use writing prompts in your classroom. Reading a book in a genre, then having students use a story starter in that same genre. Take inspiration from classics like Treasure Island and newer popular series like The Bad Guys to explore how to write thrilling adventure stories. You’re part of a pirate crew in search of a long-lost storied treasure trove. Get students excited about adventure stories with these great books: If you’re looking to inspire your students’ writing and creativity, turn to these fun and exciting writing prompts.
The 55 Best Free Education Apps For iPad
Finding apps isn’t difficult. Finding education apps is only a bit more challenging. Finding free education apps is also possible. Finding free education apps worth downloading is a different story entirely. The following is our list for the 55 best apps for learning we can find. Some are formal learning–math drilling and phonics, for example–while others are RSS readers, social media platforms, and the like. A few notes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The 55 Best Free Education Apps For iPad 1. Developer Description: View 360-degree panoramas of places around the globe with Street View; View high resolution satellite imagery of locations around the world. 2. Developer Description: “…explore more than 750 Science, Math, Social Studies, English, Engineering & Tech, Arts & Music, and Health subjects right on their mobile devices. 3. Developer Description: “This app is a fun way for parents, teachers, librarians, and readers to get more information about top rated books at the fifth and sixth grade level.
40 maps that explain the world
By Max Fisher By Max Fisher August 12, 2013 Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled "40 maps they didn't teach you in school," one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. [Additional read: How Ukraine became Ukraine and 40 more maps that explain the world] Click to enlarge.
Technology Up to Speed: Movie Shorts and Reading Strategies
Hello friends! Monsters University, what a great movie. But, the short, "Blue Umbrella" really affected me. Not only did it make me feel sad for inanimate objects, but it also made me do some metacognition. I realized I was predicting and inferring the entire time. This first google doc link is to a list of animated shorts. The second google doc link is to a list of graphic organizers to use with each short.
Technology Timesavers for Teachers - myTeachersLounge
Teachers today are fortunate to have access to technological tools that make our jobs easier and minimize the paperwork involved in educating our students. I didn’t grow up with computers like today’s students did, but I’m very much on board with becoming more tech savvy and, yes, even accepting help from my students when I have technical difficulties. About a year ago I bought myself an iPad after saving for it for months. The first tool I use is DropBox and you don’t have to have an iPad to use it. DropBox is a way to store your documents “in the cloud” so that you have access to them wherever you are. I cannot tell you how liberating it was for me to kick my jump drive to the curb. I also don’t have the problem of having some files on my computer at home and some on my computer at school. That makes this control freak happy, let me tell you. The other website and free app I use is Dictionary.com. Do you see that little blue speaker up there in the upper right corner? Imagine!
3 Digital Reading Challenges for Summer
This summer, more than ever, how we read may be just as important as what we read. In April, researchers at West Chester University published a report arguing that eReaders could lead to decreased comprehension and fluency. In this New York Times article, the professors suggest that the interactivity, easy access to a dictionary, and constant use of text-to-speech could actually hinder the development of students' reading skills. However, the examples highlighted in the article focus on the content -- comparing traditional, paper-based books to electronic versions with a high level of interactivity such as games and video -- rather than addressing the skills and strategies implemented in the reading process. As I wrote in a previous post, students now have the potential to customize their reading experiences with mobile devices. Challenge #1: Reading in a Browser Only after much listening did I discover that the true issue wasn't the act of reading, but rather the process of annotating.
Ashwini Iyer
Logo 500 459
I also really liked this article because it gives ideas that would be greatly enjoyed in the classroom. I understand that phones are not to be allowed but I do see the future being different. Usually every child in High school does carry a cell phone and approximately 95% of students in middle school have phones on them. by tiffanygalanis Jul 24
Okay so this article was by far my favorite find to date, regarding our reading strategies notebook. I do understand that the majority of middle school students are not permitted to use cell phones in the classroom. With that said, I believe an occasional literacy lesson integrating technology through the use of a smartphone would only serve as an exciting and rewarding experience for all parties involved. This particular article offers 34 smartphone ideas for technology implementation in the classroom...definitely worth trying! by jlehman Jun 17