Money, Money, Money

            One of my favorite PBL units to facilitate is based on the 2^nd Grade Production and Distribution standard.  Here are some tools that will work with any economics unit.

1.    Moneyville:  This game was designed to teach financial literacy for children 5-9.  Through the game play, students will learn about money and its value. They will learn the difference between income and expenses in this virtual world.  Students will have to work in Moneyville to earn money to buy things to place in their virtual room.  Students will have to learn to save and prioritize for bigger items.  Students can play online or download the new app.

2.    It’s My Life-Money:  This is a PBS Kids Game.  Students chose an item and save money for “thirty” days to see if they can save enough for their big ticket item.  In this simulation students can earn money but they may lose days to receive the extra money.  During the thirty days they have to buy items on their shopping list. They have to make good choices with their purchases to have enough left over at the end of the thirty days to buy their item.

3.    Game of Life:  There is an updated digital version of the old board game available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.  The app costs $0.99. Students make choices that steer their future in the game.  Financial and life choices will determine who wins the game. It helps kids understand the value of good financial decisions and budgeting.  It’s also a fun game to relive childhood memories. 

4.    Savings Spree:  This app teaches kids how daily life choices can lead to big savings or huge expenses.  According to itunes, Savings Spree shows kids that they can SAVE their money for short term goals (like a bike or an MP3 player), SPEND wisely by making more frugal decisions, DONATE to others or INVEST money so it will grow to meet future needs like a college education. The game introduces the concept of earning money for the work that's available and also guides the child through making choices with the money accumulated during the game. Lastly, the game demonstrates that events beyond one's control can cost money, so it's good a good idea to have a rainy day fund available to pay for unexpected events. This app is $5.99.

5.    Save! The Game:  This is a free app. According to itunes, Download this game, and you’ll run, jump and dodge your way through a fantastic world, collecting all the virtual money you can find before time runs out.

But avoid the iWannas! iWannas are those impulse items that pull at your cash: sodas, candy, cheap toys, and more. iWannas roam around aimlessly, but if they collide with any money—or with you—they’ll take it.

So if you want to hang onto your money, you’ve got to get it to the banks. That’s the key to advancing to the next level. And winning Save! The Game.  

Have a great Weekend!

Discovery Education...More Than Videos

 I’ve been writing this newsletter for 6 years.  Some weeks are a struggle to find a new tool or a fresh way to use a tool that I have not written about in previous editions.  This week was not one of those weeks.  I’ve served on the 21^st Century Leadership Team since the beginning but this is the first year I’ve been through training as a mentor rather than a leader.  During our latest training, I had several Wow moments. Some of what I’m sharing came from that training, others are things that I was already using in class.

1.    Whaddaya Know: Do you need to review a skill in a game show format?  Discovery Education offers quiet a few topics in this game show format. There are 33 different game show options, currently. Children are contestants on a game show and answer questions from the selected topic. The types of questions can be multiple-choice, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank. Contestants can earn points based on the amount of time it takes to answer a question.  If a contestant misses the question, the next person gets a chance to answer the question.

2.    Discovery Atlas Interactive Map:  This interactive map lets you learn about the culture, government, history, and natural world.  Click on the country and links are provided for related videos.

3.     Board Builder : This interactive tool allows students to create a digital poster board.  They have neat templates that are customizable.  Each board can house a lot of content.  You can add Discovery Education videos, student made videos, PDF files, images, text, web links and more. It is very user friendly.  To me it is much easier to use than Glogster.  Here is a link to a PDF file with 50 suggestions on how to use board builder. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/feeds/www/media/studentpage/50%20Ways%20to%20Use%20Board%20Builder.pdf

4.     Support for the Common Core:  Discovery Education offers model lessons to help you meet the needs of the rigor required by the implementation of CCRS standards.  Under the streaming plus link, you will find a Common Core in the classroom tab.  There you will find your grade and links to lessons related to most of the reading and math common core standards.  These multi day lessons allow you to cover several standards in one unit.

5.    The Best Reason to Become a Den Star:  The Science Techbook is a great tool that is only available to DEN Star teachers.  It offers grade level units for most science topics.  The techbook has lesson plans and houses videos and activities related to the topic. This digital textbook has reading passages, assessment questions, explorations, and video segments related to each concept.  It also has an interactive glossary.  Each word in the glossary has an animation and video related to the word.  I also love the e-books in many lessons. The content is aligned to your state standards.

Discovery Education offers great videos but it is so much more.  Take some time to explore.  You might be amazed at what you find!

Have a great weekend!

Snow Days Take 2

 Snow days in Alabama are getting old.  The occasional surprise day off is great but 6 in three weeks is over the top.  I’m ready to get back to routine and teaching my students.  Here are a few new to me ideas that I plan on using when the right lessons come around.

1.   BiblioNasium:  This is a free protected social network designed to engage, encourage and excite students about reading.  It helps you drive a challenging independent reading program.  It works like a digital reading log.  Teachers can offer reading challenges and recommended book list. Students can share book recommendations within the class.  Parents and teachers can monitor student reading, too. The BiblioNasium mascot offers encouragement, entertainment, and rewards good reading behavior.  This would have been the perfect tool to have in place this week during the snow event

2.   Storehouse:  This is a visual storytelling app for the iPad.  You can combine photos, videos, and text to create a story.  Unlike other storytelling apps, it is a blank canvas that allows you to drop in pictures and video clips from the camera roll, dropbox, or instagram.  It is a create tool to use to showcase the sequence of a project.  They can write about themselves, field trips, or snow days.  The possibilities are endless.

3.   Write About It Free:  This app is designed to encourage writing narrative and opinion pieces.  The app gives a picture and a prompt.  Students write their response and publish their writing piece.  The levels can be changed for more challenging prompts.  This app is easy to navigate.  It allows students to save their work.  Multiple authors can work on the same piece.  They can also publish their work by recording themselves reading their work. Students can email their finished writings to you or their parents to share their work. It can also be saved to the camera roll.

4.   Kid in Story Book Maker:  (This app is $6.99 but it was free last week.) This app makes it easy and fun to create stories for kids.  The app has 8 templates that let you add student’s pictures to create a story.  Student’s can record their voice reading each page.  After pictures are added and voices recorded, students will enjoy reading their very own visual story.  Stories can be shared by email or dropbox.  This is a great app for the beginning reader or young students that need visual cues along with audio to help with their reading.

5.   Duplo:  Lego Duplo offers a series of free apps that encourage problem solving and following directions. There are several apps that include Zoo, Train, Food, and Circus.  Young students follow the directions to complete tasks in each app.

I hope you have a snow free Valentine’s Day and a great weekend!

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Valentine Repeat

 I am at a conference and the hotel Internet is spotty at best.  I had planned on doing a recap of digital learning day but wi-fi is not being my friend.  Here is last year’s Valentine’s Day Friday Five.

Next week the kids will be excited about candy, cards, and flowers.  Why fight them?  Join in the fun with some Valentine themed, technology based centers.  Here are a few that you can use in your classroom.

1.    Biscuit’sValentine Day:  This fun app was free on February 13 last year.  We can only wish for the same this year.  According to the creator, “It’s Valentine's Day and Biscuit and the little girl have a lot of special deliveries to make. But when Biscuit smells a treat that sill puppy just can't seem to help himself. How will the little girl show Biscuit how much she loves him? “  This is great for all ages because you can have it read to you, with you, or by you.  There is also a coloring book, a sticker book, memory game, and a puzzle included.  For accountability you could have students complete a grade appropriate graphic organizer.  It is available for Android and ios devices. ($2.99)

2.    FirstWords Valentine:  This would be a good word works center for younger students. This teaching app has students drag letters to the matching spot to create a Valentine themed word.  This is a free app.  For older students they could use three words in a sentence.

3.    iSnuggleValentine:  This app is adorable.  It allows students to create their own Valentine cards.  Choose from 9 snuggly animal characters. Choose a background or use your own picture. Select a fun phrases or write your own Read the story of each Snuggle and play the snuggle soundboard. You could have students create their own message using a vocabulary word and email it to you.  This app is free.

4.    ValentineVideogram: In this augmented reality app, you can record funny messages with three different Valentine themed masks. It automatically fits the masks to the person being recorded and moves when they (you) do.  It can be used with a forward facing or rear camera.  It animates in real time.  It can be shared through email or saved to the device.  Students can record messages to each other or record themselves reading for fluency practice.

5.    StateBingo:  Have students Buckle up and ride with Pep the car to discover amazing US destinations. Play a game of classic State Bingo and look for clues on a beautifully illustrated US map. Play the brand new Road Trip US game. Travel to random destinations or choose to drive along the historic Lewis and Clark trail. Win the game to send states to statehood. Enjoy fun animations as Pep the car cheers you along. State Bingo game: Play State Bingo.  How is this related to Valentine’s Day?  Have students make a graph with Valentine Cards or hearts to track the states they visit.  This app is $2.99

Here are some Valentine apps that were good but they didn’t make the cut for this week’s five.

*Draw With Hearts:  Draw pictures only with animated hearts.  What can you illustrate with hearts. 

*Happy Talking Cupid:  This app is similar to the Talking Tom apps that many people use to practice vocabulary.  The only problem is that Cupid has a “gas” button.  If your kids can handle it…go for itJ

*The Kissing Hand:  In this favorite book, students have three options for reading.  Enjoy!

Have a great weekend and fun Valentine Week!

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