My Students Love Word Central

This is BIGbot, one of the characters from Merriam-Webster's Word Central.  My students beg to play the word games on this site, and I let them because I know they are building vocabulary when they do.

Alpha-bot looks like a word search, but the students play an audio of a word and then move the letters around to spell the word correctly.

Robo-Bee is really multiple choice where students find synonyms, antonyms, and correct word usage.

Big-bot eats words that are synonyms or antonyms.

Jumble Kids is the online version of the word puzzles published in the newspaper.

I usually have a menu of choices for students to work on independent computer practice.  If I leave off Word Central, someone always asks for it.

Need Freebies?

 

It's been several months since I started posting on the collaborative blog Classroom Freebies Too.  I have to say that I've enjoyed sharing my free lessons and ideas with a larger audience.

 

Some districts are getting out for the summer already.  We have three and a half more weeks.  If you are like me, your classroom budget has been spent for the year and yet you still need fresh ideas to keep the students engaged. 

 

Click on the picture at the top of this post to visit Classroom Freebies Too.  To get other free ideas, visit my Pinterest Board Free Teaching Materials.

 

 

Follow Mary Bauer's board Free Teaching Materials on Pinterest.

Math Spies and Function Tables

 

 Click here for a blank function table printable and have your students use copies of it to complete the Math Spies Missions in Episode 5.

Meet Maynard the Hacker.  He has hacked into the Math Spies Mathalator 3000 and sabotaged it so the Math Spies' Coded Messages won't work. 
Episode 5 of Math Spies is all about using function tables to solve coded messages.  When Maynard commits his nefarious scheme, only a skilled mathematician can find the mistakes, reprogram the Mathalator using the correct rule and decipher the messages.

Math Spies is my problem-solving website that I began developing as an after school class.  Each episode focuses on a strand of mathematics as the Math Spies combat evil with their superior computational skills.

If you prefer a paper pencil version of this unit, you can purchase this 14 page product from my Teachers Pay Teachers store or my Teachers Notebook store.

 

Student Designed Experiments

For the last several years, I have been spending January and February helping my students get ready for the school science fair.  One of the other teachers puts together a packet of instructions.  Each teacher has their own process for helping students prepare.

The first year I did this project with my students, someone showed me Science Buddies.  The resources for parents, teachers, and students are fabulous and although they have kits for sale, that isn't their primary focus.

If you are preparing your students for a science fair or just looking for some interesting experiments, I encourage you to visit this site.



This year I redid the graphic organizer I have my students use to plan their experiment and record their results.  My Science Experiment Plan is attached as a Google Doc here.

I set a deadline for the first page so I can approve their plans.  The second page is due when their experiments are complete.  The last due date is for the display board and the oral report.
I would love to hear about how you get students ready for a science fair.

Update: I have created a freebie for my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and my Teacher's Notebook Store that contains the forms I use and some directions.

Astronomy Resources

If you are teaching astronomy this school year, I highly recommend Stardate.org. It is a part of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory. The pictures are amazing! I have had students choose to explore this site in their free time. I know I have barely touched the potential resources on this site.

Besides the pictures, the one part of the site I use every year is the Phases of the Moon Calendar. When I have had my students chart the phases of the moon, we often have cloudy skies here near Seattle, Washington. Stardate.org’s chart is my back up plan.

Here is a copy of my Moon Observation Chart.  Just click on this link to get this freebie.

I recently updated Sun and Shadows Observations in my TpT Store. This packet now contains three more activities.

 Students measure their shadows once in the morning, once in the middle of the day, and once in the afternoon. They will record their measurements and the direction of the shadow for each time. This activity can be repeated during each season. I have attached additional recording sheets with student directions should you wish to do this.

Word Central

Have you explored Word Central?

 

Merriam-Webster has a website for students where they can build their vocabulary and it has resources for teachers too.

 

 

Build Your Own Dictionary is a feature where students invent definitions for words and can read what others wrote.

 

Daily Buzzword is this site's Word of the Day.

 

The Games are ones I would allow my students to play during the school day.

 

I like the Browse section where students can explore new words.

 

 



iCivics

My students (and some of their parents) love playing the games on iCivics.  Class favorites include "Do I Have a Right?" where the students play head of a law firm and learn about the Amendments to the U. S. Constitution, "Executive Command" where they get to be the President, and "Counties Work" where they learn more about local government.  I don't always feel like I have enough time to teach civics.  This resource sure helps.

Check out their teacher resources.

Poetry in the Classroom

As I work on my poetry units, there are a couple of websites I enjoy reading:

Kenn Nesbitt's Poetry for Kids is a great website  to inspire young poets.

I find his Online Rhyming Dictionary is the best.

Giggle Poetry is another great resource.

Teaching Respect

Dr. Michele Borba has been a guest speaker in our district several times.  She speaks to parents and educators about building character in children.  Here is a link to her 35 Activities Your Students Can Do To Learn Respect. 

I know some of these ideas would work as whole group lessons.  Sometimes I am looking for non-punitive ways to teach respect to an individual who needs a reminder.  I recommend #2-5, 7 & 8.

Question of the Week

Last week, I wanted to know what websites are your favorites to use with students.  This week I am wondering what websites you find the best as teacher resources. 

What websites to you use for planning?

Question of the Week

This month I will receive a computer cart with 12 laptop computers to use in my classroom.  I received some technology training in November, but I would love to have more ideas about how to use the technology in my class. 

What is your favorite website to use with third through sixth graders?

Storybird

At a recent technology training, I was introduced to Storybird.  I have yet to use it professionally, but I started some collaborative stories with my nieces who live on the opposite coast and will be moving to London soon. 

Do you use Storybird in your classroom?  I would love to hear some management strategies from teachers who don't have a class set of computers.