Motivating and Reinforcing with Apps

January in the midwest can sometimes be grueling.   Some days too cold to go out.  Some days too wet to have recess.  Some days too snowy to go to school.  It's often dreary and overcast.  Then the winter blues start to set in.  There's no longer the excitement of the holidays and the colors surrounding you seem muted and ho hum.  It's back to the daily grind.

This month the daily grind has been anything BUT normal.  In the last 9 1/2 days of school our daily schedule has rarely been consistent or routine...especially when you throw in data meetings and snow days.  So these last few weeks, what could have been grueling and ho hum, have turned into something more inspiring and motivating...for me anyway.

It all started with a data meeting.  (So many thoughts, so little time to share about this in it of itself.)  As I sat in the meeting and following it, I did a lot of reflecting about my teaching, my classroom dynamics and student needs this year, and about how to try to reach and/or challenge more of my students.  Therein started some much needed January motivation.  So I guess some good things do come out of those meetings.  

I've been on the hunt for a good guided reading app to assist me with groups...but I truly believe what I'm searching for doesn't exist except in my head.  That happen to anyone else??

Needless to say, I found some other goodies.  

This was one.

Montessori Crosswords which I found in the AppStore.  

I think it's great for all levels in the classroom.  So far I have only used it in the classroom with my students that are still practicing letters sounds and simple cvc patterns.  At home my kinder has used it to practice her word patterns as well.  I love it because there is an auditory piece that students are able to hear the sounds needed and then identify the letter.  There are pictures to accompany each word which is a great visual.  There are various levels of complexity from short to long vowels, digraphs, clusters, and more.  

How I've used it in the classroom:

During my "Morning Fun" time, my general class as a whole are working at their desks on some sort of review sheet or work from the previous day.  I have two additional iPads (much to my daughter's dismay...I have been "borrowing" them for my students) that I have been pulling my students to my kidney table during that time to work on word and letter skills.  They are engaged and excited when they make a word.  I let them practice the simpler cvc words first.  Then the last few minutes I switch to our weekly skill such as long i cvce words.  I know they may not be mastering this skill but I think the more exposure they have to what we are working on as a whole, the better.

Here's another great app I've been using for a while:

ABCYA.com has this fantastic game...Sight Word Bingo.

Again, it can be used for many levels within your classroom.  I have been using it since my third grader was a kinder.  She used to love playing it while sitting at the doctor's office waiting and waiting....or during meetings...or whenever.  There are several apps on that site that are great but this is one of my faves.

Here's how I've used it in the classroom:

After my students practice sounds and letters, I put them on this game at their level and let them find the sight words.  It's a great independent activity that I don't need to "monitor" the entire time.  Students can navigate through the app when finished to do some spelling practice as well.  Bonus!

And finally here's my newest app I've added and put to use...

K12 Timed Reading and Comprehension

I found it in the App Store also.  There is a Lite version but I splurged and bought the $3.99 one to be able to do the comprehension pieces with it.

(These are all snapshots from itunes so you can see what it looks like.)

My kiddos go to their name and click on the "Next" story.

I have them read out loud while a partner monitors their accuracy.  If they get stuck on a word, the partner can simply tell them the word but the reader has to try it first.  My only complaint with the app so far is that it does not track accuracy or words missed.  I think that would be helpful but knowing what it does have allows me to use it for extra practice and not simply an assessment tool.

Students reading at the first grade or above level are asked some comprehension questions following.  

All the students scores are saved and can be viewed for wpm (words per minute are averaged based on the amount of time taken to read the entire passage), comprehension accuracy, and levels.

I'm using it is my classroom to give students extra one-on-one practice reading a more standardized probe rather than pulling books at instructional levels.  This was just one more piece I decided to try to help meet the needs for my students at both higher and lower levels after reflecting on those scores from my data meetings.

So far I am seeing some great motivation within them to read (and of course, those who have not yet done it...we've only practiced it for the last 3 days...are now begging me to read).  ;)  I'm well aware that the excitement is more about sitting and reading with the iPad rather than the actual task at hand but who am I to complain either way.  It is exciting so I'm going to ride that wave as long as I can. he he

All of this has actually motivated and inspired me to want to write a grant for more iPads to use in my classroom...

some day...