Amazing Apps for Every Grade Level at Holy Trinity School

During the 2012-13 school year, as we piloted using iPads in every classroom at HTS, our teachers and students sampled hundreds of Apps.  Many were fantastic, others not so much :)  At the end of the school year, it was time to clean house, so the teachers were asked which Apps they would like to keep for the 2013-14 school year.  The incredibly organized Mr. Clark has spend the past few weeks getting all the iPads updated for the next school year, and we thought our school community might enjoy taking a peek at the Apps that have made the cut.  Keep in mind our list will evolve a bit as the summer progresses...
PreK-K iPads

• Addition Wiz Free**
• All About Letters Interactive Activities
• Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic HD
• Bob Books #2 - Reading Magic HD
• Cimo Spelling (Sight Words)*
• Don't Let the Pigeon Run this App*
• Elmo Loves ABCs for iPad
• Fish School HD - by Duck Duck Moose
• Freefall Spelling
• I Like Books - 37 Picture Books for Kids in 1 App
• Kids Learning to Read - Little Reader 3 Letter Words*
• Letter Writer Oceans (Preschool ABC's)
• Little Solver - Preschool Logic Game
• Math with Mouse
• Monkey Math School Sunshine
• Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
• Montessori Numberland HD
• Musical Paint
• Park Math HD - by Duck Duck Moose*
• Raz-Kids**
• Scribble my Story - A Fingerprint Network App**
• Skitch**
• Starfall ABCs
• Starfall Learn to Read*
• TeachMe: Kindergarten
• TeachMe: Toddler
• Word Magic*

Mrs. Miller's Top 10 iPad Apps for 1st Grade (Rising 2nd Grade)

Reading

   1.    The Opposites - $1.99: Challenges students to match up pairs of opposing words in increasingly difficult levels.  (ages 7+)

   2.    Learn To Read –Four Letter Words - $.99: Learn how to read up to 300 four letter words.  Options for audio hints and adding your own voice.

3.    Scribble My Story – Free: A book and art creation app where kids can create their own stories.

4.    Raz-Kids – Free:  Type in your child’s Teacher Username:  egeraghty and select your child’s name from the class list.  Practice listening to and reading books.  Leveled books starting at Level aa up to Level Z.  Can continue to increase the student’s reading level as they progress.

Great Websites for 2nd Grade

Mrs. Miller has been busy assembling a fantastic list of online resources for rising second graders.  The hope is that they make learning fun, so keep our students engaged over the summer!  (Lists for other grades to follow:)

 Keyboarding Sites

Dancemat Typing

Digital Fun for Creative Kids

Our friends at Common Sense Media have released their annual summer treasure trove of ideas for digital fun, and this year creativity is king:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/digital-fun-for-creative-kids

One of the things I love about the Common Sense website is that they carefully assess each app or website with age levels in mind, which makes it easy for parents to evaluate what is best.  In scanning some of the suggestions, I am so comforted to know that the folks at Common Sense agree that all that time my boys have spent on Minecraft and Civilization is actually educational...

The guide offers a number of suggestions for crafting and creating art, storytelling, coding, creating media and building.   Sounds like hours of fun to me (as long as it is mixed in with a good bit of physical fun as well!).  Be sure to leave a comment if you have found a particularly amazing app or website you would like to share...

Teach your Monster to Read

Lower school tech teacher Catherine Miller has been using Teach Your Monster to Read with some of our early childhood students, and they absolutely love it!   This engaging website would be a great resource to tuck into your summer learning stockpile for little people.

DIY.ORG - Creative Adventures for Kids

For those of you who know me well, it will come as no surprise that I was one of those Girls Scouts who was obsessed with earning every possible merit badge.  Cooking, canoeing, sewing, photography - I earnestly worked through the checklists for them all... almost.  I fell short by three, which still haunts me to this day.  The daily checklist is still my constant companion, however.  

So, when I came across this new website called DIY.Org, which challenges kids to undertake creative projects to earn badges, I was instantly intrigued.  Then I started exploring the site.  Wow, I'm impressed.  On this Summer Learning blog I usually recommend websites, apps or books that keep kids inside.  This site challenges kids to be curious, active and wildly creative - and even occasionally get outside - while learning!   This has instantly jumped to the top of my personal favorites list.  Oh, and it' free, which is a plus.  (At some point, DIY plans to sell the embroidered badges, but this isn't an option quite yet.)

Learning A-Z and RAZ Kids

Once upon a time, many years ago, my youngest son was struggling to learn to read.  In retrospect, I think it was simply a case of finding the block corner and any opportunity for imaginary or active play far more interesting than the storybooks in his classroom, but he was a bit behind his classmates, and his teachers were becoming concerned.  So, during the summer between first and second grade, his teachers encouraged us to read to him A LOT, and work with a series of leveled readers that could be found online using the website Reading A-Z.   This is such a fantastic resource.

E is for Explore

Happy New Years All!

I discovered this amazing blog this morning from the iLearn Technology Blog.  What a find!!  Blogger Erin Bittman is a graphic designer who has taught Pre-K and graphic design to kids.  The design of the blog is beautiful, and the hundreds of ideas are brilliant.  I think you will find ideas for every subject and grade level with this blog to help perk up lessons during those long January days. Topics include discovery/exploration, science/engineering, mathematics, art, literacy, social studies and seasons/holidays. 

Tumblebooks and Bookflix!

Tumblebooks are wonderful animated online picture books.  I have previewed a number of them, and I suspect our students will find them as engaging and fun as I do.
It is possible to access Tumblebooks through many local library systems including Fairfax County and DC. The link to access Tumblebooks through the DC Public Library site is here:  http://www.dclibrary.org/kids/videobooks

(you can also find the link to Bookflix there, which I describe below)

The Joy of Reading with the KidsPost Summer Book Club!

Each summer, the Washington Post KidsPost sponsors a summer book club, and suggests a number of wonderful titles to read.  This club is open to kids ages 5 to 14, and those who are registered receive a bookmark designed by a local child. Children may read some or all of the books on the list - on the honor system. (So you could mix in a few of these titles with the ones on your HTS Summer Reading Lists) The Post reports: "We just want kids to enjoy summer reading, and we hope this helps."

 If you would like to register for the program, click on the link here to learn more:
Join the Washington Post Summer Book Club (Kids, you will need your parents help to register)

The eight books suggested this year include:
 Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
 Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
Anyway* by Arthur Salm
The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford
Stars in the Shadows by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Summer of May by Cecelia Galante
Crunch by Leslie Conor
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

 Have a favorite on the list?  Leave a comment below!

Introducing Mathletics

After much research and discussion, the math teachers of HTS have decided to purchase a subscription to Mathletics for the 2012-13 school year for rising 1st - 8th graders.  The great news is that we are able to begin to use it over the summer.

As described in a previous blog entry,  I have heard wonderful things about this site from my friends who teach in International Schools.  It is a program that is aligned with the core curriculum.  Students are able to play online games to work on each math topic taught in a given year... and practice math facts by playing live against students from around the world.  It's incredibly engaging, and for kids who are competitive, it can be very motivating.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in the program before school begins in August, please contact Polly Sileo on psileo@htsdc.org.  She will need to know your child's full name and his or her homeroom teacher from last year.

10 Ideas for Practicing Math Skills This Summer

Last summer, I provided links to CoolMath4Kids and series of games to build skills in multiplication, such as Multiplication.com and Johnnie's Math Page.  I'd like to offer a few more ideas of websites that have activities spanning many of our grade levels:

1. IXL - this site offers comprehensive dynamic lessons and activities for every grade.  It is possible to take a look at the IXL, and try a series of sample problems, but to get full use, you must purchase a membership for a nomimal fee. A few of our teachers use this site, and love it.  The activities are engaging and the kids find it to be fun.   We will be looking into using this website next school year,  so please let me know if you try it and have any comments.

2. Mathletics - I have heard wonderful things about this site from my friends who teach in International Schools.  It's incredibly engaging, and for kids who are competitive, it can be very motivating.  This is an Australian website.  Again, it is a paid subscription, and we will be exploring it's use at HTS next year.  One of the elements of the site I love is a page called Rainforest Maths.  If you decide to subscribe, please let me know if you have any feedback!

3. Dreambox - We use this website with our 1st - 4th Graders, so they should be familiar with it, and be able to link to our school's page here.  Our younger students love the colorful, imaginative and challenging  games on the website, but never seem to have enough time to play it in school.  Perhaps over the summer would be a good time to work on reinforcing their math concepts!

4. PBS Kids Math Games - PBS Kids offers dozens of free games designed primarily for Lower School students in mind.  I would like to point out a particular group of games that tie into the Cyberchase show.  These games are designed with students aged 8-12 in mind, and our students (especially the 4th and 5th graders) find them to be incredibly fun.  The site is free of advertisements.

5. Internet4Classrooms - This site lists hundreds of games and challenges for students across all our grade levels - in all subjects.  It helps to know exactly what you might need practice with (say fractions), as sometimes I find it takes a bit of hunting to find the perfect game.  The good news is that all the games are free. The downside is that the advertising can get distracting.

6. Khan Academy - Khan Academy is a free website.  Students can set up an account using their HTS Email and password.  They can do activities to strengthen their skills from early learning through Calculus.  They can also watch videos to learn new skills or review old ones (it's great for parents to have a resource to brush up on skills learned years ago as well!)  If students enter their parents' information under the "coach" tab, parents can sign in as the coach and get useful information about activities completed as well as strengths and weaknesses.

7. EdHelper - This site provides hundreds of worksheets to help review skills.  Again, it encompasses all subjects and grade levels.

8. BBC Maths Key Stage 2 (through age 11)

I love the BBC websites because they tend to be very engaging and colorful - and always free and without advertisements.  The links to math sites are offered here, but BBC offers games and activities across a range of disciplines.

9. BBC Maths Key Stage 3 (through age 14)

 
10. Summer Skills - This is not a website, but a series of books recommended by Upper School Mary Shannon to help review skills.

Do you have any other amazing ideas to reinforce math skills?  If so, send me a comment below:

First and Second Grade Technology Blogs

Mrs. Miller teaches technology to our PreK through 2nd grade students.  She maintains a pair of blogs for our first and second graders full of websites perfect for these young learners.  Links to our online subscriptions, such as Ticket to Read and Dreambox can also be found there.  If you have children in one of these grades, be sure to explore these wonderful resources over the summer months:

1. First Grade Technology Blog 

2. Second Grade Technology Blog

Enjoy!

Mrs. Morell

Just Keep Typing...

During the school year, our 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders use a program called Type to Learn during technology class.  I spend a lot of time saying: "Just Keep Typing" to the tune of "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo :)  The goal is that our students should be typing at least 25 to 30 words per minute by the end of 6th grade.  We do alot of keyboarding at HTS in the Upper School!

During the summer months, I'd like to offer you a menu of fun typing games to keep your skills up to speed.  Be sure to always sit up straight, keep your feet on the ground, and keep your fingers on the home keys when you practice keyboarding!  I promise - you'll be a faster typist if you follow those tips.

1. Typing Games at ABCya 

These games are great for our younger students. Be sure to try Alpha Munchies, Cup Stacking and Keyboard Challenge:

2. Keyboarding Games at LearningGames for Kids:

This site offers a comprehensive menu of games. 

Try them out, and let me know which ones you like best!

3. Free Typing Games:

I have to admit, I find the advertising a bit distracting on this site, but the games are very fun... especially "Desert Typing Racer."

4. BBC Dance Mat Typing
This is a very methodical approach to typing - carefully structured lessons are offered in a colorful, fun format. I like it because the lessons constantly prompt the kids to keep their hands on the home keys.  I have to report that various critters with the Scottish accent who direct the efforts seems to get quite a few giggles in class.

5. Typer Shark on AOL Kids

This is always a favorite among our students - but beware... it gets hard very quickly!!

Happy Typing!

Mrs. Morell

PBS Kids - A great resource for kids - and parents

It is one of those too-hot to be outside for long kind of days, so I thought I'd introduce you to the PBS Kids Website, which has a tremendous range of games and activities for our younger students.

http://pbskids.org/

As you explore, you will see Sesame Street has a particularly strong site:
http://pbskids.org/sesame/

An Arthur has always been a huge favorite in the Morell home:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/

Be sure not to miss the Cyberchase site, which teaches strong math and problem-solving skills:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/cyberchase/index.html

And parents, if you have a moment, be sure to explore PBS Parents, which has resources on raising kids, education and planning activities :
http://www.pbs.org/parents/

Does your child have a favorite PBS Show?  Share it below! 

Writing Prompts and Games

I had a question yesterday about good sites for helping with writing skills...  The Scholastic Website came immediately to mind:

It has a great game called Story Starters, appropriate for grades K-6.  It generates a creative story starter:

Then your child can pick a format: notebook, letter, newspaper, or postcard.  Your child is then able to print out the masterpiece upon completion.  The link to story starter follows:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/storystarters/storystarter1.htm

The site also has a game page, including writing games:

The link to the games page can be found here:
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/games/

Really, the whole Scholastic website is a treasure trove of learning ideas for teachers, parents and kids. Not surprisingly, the focus is primarily on reading and authors.  Parents might be interested in exploring the Parents home page:

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/collection/fun-in-the-sun-activities/

If you are looking for a specific web-based activity, please let me know!  I'll see what I can find...

MB

Wild About Animals?

If you have a child who loves animals, here are two amazing sites:

First, welcome to Arkive.  Founded by Sir David Attenborough, it is a source for thousands of images and videos of wildlife around the world.  You can search by species, or geographic region.  Several classes used the site this year, and loved it.  If you navigate to the "Education" page, you can find a series of games designed for children beginning at 7 year old.  The reading level required to read the text accompanying each animal is quite high, though.

For younger kids who are eager to read about animals, National Geographic Kids Creature Features is another great option:

Kids love the photography on this site - and it is chuck-full of great information about animals.  The entire site is great for kids - and features dozens of games.

100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know

Parents of the rising first grade class were encouraged to read to their children at least 20 minutes a night during the summer - excellent advice for everyone.  Of course, the possibilities of picture books to read are seemingly limitless, but if you are a person who loves a book list, check out the lists from the New York City Public Library.  I am particularly intrigued by "100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know."  The list contains a number of classics - many that I read and loved as a child, and read to my own children - such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Where the Wild Things Are.   Some are more recent, like Olivia and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type.  Enjoy:

http://www.ps9.org/Docs/supply2012/first-grade-reading-list-2012-13.pdf

I found the list has been updated to include more specific lists, such as strong princesses, trains, non-fiction and grade-by-grade recommendations... which can be found here:

http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61



What's your favorite picture book that didn't make the list?  Comment below:

Sheppard Software - A Little Something for all Age Groups

Sheppard Software offers a huge range of free web-based educational software.  We have found the games to be particularly visually appealing - and very fun for our kids.

The link to the main page can be found here: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

We have used this site extensively with our Early Childhood students - The little people have enjoyed games that explore colors, shapes, animals, letters and numbers.

Our 3rd and 4th graders have enjoyed reviewing parts of speech with such games as "Verbs in Space" and "Adjective Adventure."

The selection of both  US Geography and World Geography games are fantastic.  The games are leveled for beginners to advanced, and are great for learning or reviewing States, Capitals, or Countries of the World.

Explore this site, and let me know what games your kids enjoy best!  Comment below:

Ideas for Summer Learning from Common Sense Media

Parents,  if you haven't had a chance to get to know the Common Sense Media website, you should.  It is a great resource to help determine what media is safe and appropriate for your children.

According to their website:
"Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.

We exist because our nation's children spend more time with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development . As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume."

I received this posting of their ideas for summer learning today.  I haven't had a chance to preview all your suggestions, but it might be interesting for your family to explore.  Comment below if you have found something amazing!

The link:

Common Sense Media Summer Learning Ideas