Category: Secondary Elementary

Rebus Puzzles

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Rebus Puzzles3601 views

What it is: Rebus puzzles (also known as word puzzles or frame puzzles) is a NIEHS kids site that hosts a collection of Rebus brain teasers.  The brain teasers each have a drop down menu that reveals the answer to the puzzle.  These puzzles are a fun way to get students thinking creatively and ‘outside the box’.  

 

How to integrate Rebus Puzzles into the classroom:  Start your day off with a little brain bending using these Rebus puzzles.  Print out the puzzle or share on a projector at the beginning of the day.  Give students 2-5 min to solve the brain puzzle of the day.  This is a great way to get those creative muscles a work out and jump start the brain for a day of learning.  

 

Tips:  There is more than one page of puzzles so keep exploring!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Rebus Puzzles in your classroom.

Mathway: Step-by-Step Math Problem Solver

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Mathway: Step-by-Step Math Problem Solver9316 views

What it is:  Mathway is a website that I initially didn’t appreciate.  The site is a step-by-step problem solver and my immediate reaction was: so we will be helping students cheat?  But, the more I explored the site, the more I saw its value.  The beauty of Mathway is that it is not just a site where students enter an equation and get an answer, the site shows the process of getting to that answer.  It shows them the step-by-step process of obtaining the correct answer.  Mathway has a step-by-step problem solver for basic math, pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus.  It also has a graph section and a math glossary.  

 

How to integrate Mathway into the classroom: Mathway could be very valuable to students who have notebooks full of notes but get home to solve the problem and are still stumped.  I like that it doesn’t just give students the final answer but leads them to the answer, showing them the process.  This would also be very useful in a large class.  If students are struggling with a problem, they can visit the math center (a computer with Mathway) instead of wasting time waiting for a teacher explanation.  

 

Tips:  Let parents know about , you will be saving them from the frustration of having to dig into the recesses of their mind to remember how to do some of this, and saving yourself from re-explaining the correct method after parents have guessed and taught students the wrong way.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Mathway in your classroom.

Splat Square

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Splat Square13573 views

What it is:  Splat Square is one of those very simple websites that you will end up using weekly in your math classroom.  Splat Square is a 100 grid that starts out blank.  There are different ‘splat’ colors on the right side of the screen.  Choose a color and then click on the square, ‘splat’, the number is revealed with a splatter of colored paint.  The interactive grid is wonderful for several applications in the math classroom.

 

How to integrate Splat Square into the classroom: Splat Square is perfect for use with an interactive whiteboard.  Teach students to count by 2, 5, 10, etc. by ‘splatting’ those spaces as you count aloud as a class.  Teach students the difference between odd and even numbers by color coding the 100 grid, prime numbers, skip counting, and ordinal counting can also be practiced with Splat Square.  This is a great grid to use with the whole class with the students interacting with the grid on an interactive whiteboard.  It can be used as a interactive math help center or individually in a lab setting.  I like using the grid for whole class math games, I call out what rule I want the teams to follow and they can take turns at the board.  

 

Tips:  Share this one with parents, it can be a big help for your visual learners during math homework. 

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Splat Square in your classroom.

Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes10117 views

What it is:  I ran across this site yesterday as I was searching for a Geometry site for a teacher.  Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes is a great website for students to learn about 3D shapes, surface area and volume, Euler’s theorem, and platonic solids.  Each section gives students an interactive environment where they can manipulate 3D objects as they learn.  In the surface and area section, students can learn how to calculate area of a 3D object and then have an interactive space to practice calculating the area of 3D objects.  At the end of the site there is a place where students can put their knowledge to the test and apply what they have learned.  This is an outstanding alternative to learning from a text book.  The Interactives site gives students what a text book can’t, interaction with 3D shapes and the ability to rotate and manipulate the shapes.  Throughout the site, math words are highlighted in red, students can click on these words and are taken to a glossary that defines the word for them.  

 

How to integrate Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes into the classroom: Use the Interactives Geometry 3D Shape site to introduce 3D shapes, area, Euler’s Theorem, and platonic solids to your students.  This is a great way for your students to learn geometry, especially 3D geometry, in an environment where they can interact with and manipulate 3D shapes.  This site could be used with a projector, interactive whiteboard, as a math center in the one computer classroom, or individually in a lab setting.  Use the interactive portions with an interactive whiteboard to manipulate shapes for students to see as you are teaching new concepts about 3D shapes.  This would be a wonderful site to point your students to for geometry homwork help, students can use it to model and define concepts they may find difficult as they work.  

 

Tips: The Test Your Skills section gives students 15 problems to complete that are accompanied by photos, illustrations, or animations.  I wish my geometry tests looked like this!  I am such a visual person, I think I would have been so much more successful.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Interactives Geometry 3D Shapes in your classroom.

Lit2Go

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on Lit2Go4027 views

What it is: Lit2Go is a FREE online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format from Florida’s Educational Technology Clearinghouse.  With Lit2Go teachers and students can download files to an iPod or Mp3 player, listen to the Mp3 files on the computer, view the text on a webpage and read along with the audio, and print out the stories and poems to create a customized book.  Lit2Go can be searched by author, tiltle, or searched via the database (by authro, keywords, title, or reading level).  Each reading passage can be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or supplemental reading material for your classroom.  Many of the selections can be downloaded directly to your iTuens library making it a simple transfer to one or many iPods.  

 

How to integrate Lit2Go into the classroom:  Lit2Go is a fabulous resource for all readers, but is especially valuable for struggling readers.  Set up a Lit2Go listening center in your classroom.  You can either download the audio to a Mp3 player or let the students listen from the computer.  Each audio file has a PDF text version that can be downloaded and printed out as a read along.  If students are listening from the computer they can also view the text online.  Lit2Go would be a great help for a reading buddy program.  Send your struggling readers home with a Mp3 player loaded with level appropriate stories or poems and the PDF print out.  Students can practice reading anywhere, even if a parent or sibling isn’t available to read with them.  Reading levels range from .10 to 53.  You are sure to find something for every student!  This is an easy way to help differentiate instruction.

 

Tips: Search Lit2Go in the iTunes store or visit the Lit2Go website to get started.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Lit2Go in your classroom.

2009 Presidential Inauguration Lap book

Kelly TenkelyLeave a Comment on 2009 Presidential Inauguration Lap book2044 views

What it is:  Curriclick is a site that I have mentioned before that provides free and low cost curriculum for download and use in your classroom.  Today they released a 2009 Presidential Inauguration Lap book for download.  After the speech today it would be great to download and use some of the reading and activities in your classroom.   

 

How to integrate 2009 Presidential Inauguration Lap book into the classroom:  I don’t know about you but I found that many of my students still didn’t “get” president Obama’s Inauguration speech even after viewing it.  Use this free lap book download to help your students understand the history behind the Inauguration speech.  Watch the speech again as a class or read the transcript of the speech.  Help your students understand this historic occasion with the help of the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Lap book.  I wish that they had released this one sooner!

 

Tips: This is a 40+ page guide.  Download the pdf version and only print out the pages you are going to use in your classroom.  NOTE!  I tried to access this site just a few min. ago and could not get to it, probably because of the flood of traffic.  Try back later today if the links in this post don’t seem to be working.

 

Leave a comment and tell us how your students responded to the speech.

Obama’s Inauguration Speech

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Obama’s Inauguration Speech2459 views

What it is: Barak Obama’s inauguration speech is taking place tomorrow morning!  Make sure that your students (regardless of age) are a part of this historic moment.  Wouldn’t it be neat if your students remembered sitting in your classroom watching and discussing the speech?  Hulu is going to host the speech live.  Because traffic to Hulu is bound to be heavy, I am also going to embed the speech right here on iLearn Technology.  Feel free to come here and watch the speech with me!  

 

How to integrate Obama’s Inauguration Speech into the classroom:  It isn’t every day that you can watch history in the making live in your classroom!  This is a historic moment that every student should be a part of.  Come back to iLearn Technology or Hulu to view the speech live.  It might be fun to make up a speech bingo card and see how many of the words students can pick out of the speech.  I’m sure a ready made bingo card will pop up somewhere!  If it does, I will update this post with the link.  

 

Tips: It will be interesting to see what people are saying about the speech via Twitter! 

 

Leave a comment and tell us how your students responded to the speech.

Inauguration Speech Generator

Kelly Tenkely3 Comments on Inauguration Speech Generator3111 views

What it is: With President Obama’s Inauguration speech looming on the horizon, this site is worth a look.  Inauguration Speech Generator is like a mad lib, fill in the blank that generates a speech for President Obama to say.  🙂   Students enter words in the blanks according to the part of speech that is requested and then read the speech they have written for our soon to be president.  

 

How to integrate Inauguration Speech Generator into the classroom:  This is  a great lead in to teach students about the Inauguration of President Obama.  It is also a fun way to practice those parts of speech!  Students can fill in the blanks individually and share with a partner, or a speech can be generated as a whole class.  This would be a fun thing to do right before the inauguration.  Save the students version of the speech.  They can compare and contrast their speech with the actual inauguration speech after viewing it.

 

Tips: The inauguration is supposed to be live on CNN, it would be fun to watch live but I suspect that Internet may be slow that day!  Those of you with cable in the classroom take advantage!!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Inauguration Speech Generator in your classroom.

Science Museum: Launch Ball

Kelly Tenkely1 Comment on Science Museum: Launch Ball3907 views

What it is: Here is another one I found thanks to @kjarrett.  Science Museum features a game called Launch ball.  Students are given a series of challenges to get a ball from one point to another through an obstacle course.  The trick is they have to build the obstacle course so that the ball naturally flows to the goal after dropping into the play zone.

 

How to integrate Science Museum Launch Ball into the classroom:  This is a great puzzle/game site to use with your students to get them to approach problems creatively and work through solutions with trial and error.  The game is addicting and will have your students solving problems and thinking logically about how different objects interact with one another.  I love using these mind benders with students, they are elated when they solve a puzzle!    Each time students complete a level, they will learn fun science facts.  After your students have all of the levels down, they can create their own obstacle courses for other students to solve.  

 

Tips:  This is a great game to introduce in science class.  I also love using this site with students on indoor recess days!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Launch Ball in your classroom.