10 Free Interactive Language Arts Links

Looking for some great sites to help your kiddos get extra practice with reading, spelling, writing, and grammar?  These are some of our favorite sites offering interactive Language Arts games and activities.  The best part is that they are all free and require no subscription!

1.  Not just for math!  Cool Math now has a page with 12 games that involve the manipulation of words and letters.  It is even fun for adults!  We would recommend most of their games for ages 8-?.

 

http://coolmath-games.com/1-reading-spelling-games-01.html

2.  The ReadWriteThink offers a TON of interactive reading and writing activities that are filtered by grade levels (K-12).  A favorite of ours (and the kids) is the Comic Creator where students have the opportunity to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).

http://www.readwritethink.org/search/?resource_type=16

3.  For the younger children, Starfall is an amazing site, helping to teach children to read with phonics.  It is perfect for preschoolers through second grade, but could also be used for special education and English language development.

http://www.starfall.com/

4.  Free Rice has interactive quizzes on vocabulary and grammar.  The really cool thing is that for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme to help end world hunger.  Probably best for 4th grade and up.

http://freerice.com/category

5.  FunBrain has some really fun reading and grammar games.  It also has web-version books and comics to read online, and madlibs.  Kids love this site!  (Bonus stuff with under $4/month membership-not needed for the standard stuff)

http://www.funbrain.com/brain/ReadingBrain/ReadingBrain.html

6.  Fun English has great games on several topics including reading, writing, grammar, spelling, poetry, debating, punctuation, dictionary use, sentence structure and much more.

http://www.funenglishgames.com/games.html

7.  This site has interactives for several subjects.  Language interactives include:  Elements of a Story (gr.2-5), Historical & Cultural Contexts (gr.9-12), Literature (gr.9-12), and Spelling Bee (gr.1-12).

 http://www.learner.org/interactives/

8.  ABCya has wonderful computer games and activities for students in Kindergarten-5th grade.  Everything is organized by grade level.  We love the easy navigation and voice instructions!

http://www.abcya.com/

9.  Sheppard Software's Language Arts page features a variety of games for different grade levels. For Elementary students, there are grammar and punctuation games.  For Middle School, High School, and adults, there are SAT and advanced vocabulary games.  High Schoolers and adults can learn medical and computer terminology through games.  Plus, there are word games for all ages!

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_vocab.htm

10.  So Cool!!  My Story Maker guides the student through writing and illustrating their own story book.  It is so-o-o-o much fun!!

http://www.clpgh.org/kids/storymaker/embed.cfm

Please comment if you have other favorite Language Arts sites, as we are trying to compile a comprehensive list organized by subject and grade level!

 

       

Videos to Enhance Student Learning

Remember Schoolhouse Rock?  It was a series of musical educational short films that aired during Saturday morning cartoons.  Topics covered subjects including grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics.  It has been a really long time since I was a child watching these, yet they still stick in my mind!  I credit Schoolhouse Rock with my ability to pass U.S. Government in high school! (Remember "I'm Just a Bill" and "The Preamble"?)

The use of videos such as these, with visuals and catchy tunes, not only increases student engagement, but appeal to various learning styles.  Even though they are a  little outdated, I still use some Schoolhouse Rock videos in my teaching.  Most can be found on You Tube.  Kids of all ages still love them!

I use videos in nearly every lesson I teach.  I find them useful in building background knowledge, helping students to memorize important concepts and facts, and for reinforcing learning.  The bonus is that students enjoy them and the learning seems to "stick" (memory and recall) more effectively.

We know it works with small children (ex:  Sesame Street, Barney, Baby Einstein), but for some reason, we tend to stop using musical/visual media as children progress through school.  This is unfortunate, because it still works! 

A few more modern favorites:

U.S. Declaring Independence from England

(set to popular song, Too Late To Apologize)

Parts of the Brain

Skeletal System

Story Elements

Multiplication Rap Sample

We would love for you to add your favorites in our comment section, so we can create a compilation of sites, organized by subject and grade level, later this year!

                        

Whole Brain Teaching



I have been a follower of Whole Brain Teaching for many years (since it was PowerTeaching).  I went to a seminar last summer that was AMAZING!  I have used bits and pieces in different classrooms.  This year, I am going to encorporate much more into my classroom management and instruction.  It is such a FUN way to teach and learn!

This movement started in 1999 and is going stronger than ever!!!  In 13 years, it amazes me how the amount of resources they offer has multiplied!

At the root of Whole Brain Teaching is a large amount of highly structured, educational tomfoolery. Students learn the most when they are having fun. Whole Brain Teaching classrooms are full of task-focused laughter. Humor and games are used to increase the number of times students repeat core information and practice basic skills. Classes are highly disciplined and tightly organized because students have more fun following our rules, than ignoring them.

Their advice, videos, and printables are all free!  For video and downloads you must register (and they'd like you to share with other teaching professionals).

It is hard to describe,  but they have several videos on YouTube that will give you a pretty good idea of what this movement is all about!  Here are a couple:

What I have personally noticed is the way students respond to WBT.  From Kindergarten to College, it is a hit!  They even love the rules!  They enjoy the more active learning.  Favorites of kids are: Superspeed Math and the Crazy Professor Reading Game.

Here is the direct link to their site:
http://wholebrainteaching.com/

Fun, Free, Educational Tool - Edmodo

As I build my classroom website for the upcoming school year, I have been navigating other teachers' websites looking for great ideas.  I ran across Edmodo on one of those sites.  I had never heard of it and was curious.  I went to the site and was impressed!  It is a social networking site for students, teachers, and parents.

It is similar to Facebook, but safe and secure.  Your community can be limited to just your classroom, school, or homeschool group!  Users can check grades, assignments, comment with one another, answer teacher made polls and quizzes, and have discussions on teacher chosen topics.  Homework can even be submitted.  There is also an App for this!

Some other fun things Edmodo offers:

• A place to share, edit, and store assignments
• A calendar to keep track of important dates
• A digital library where students can upload and retreive files
• Groups can be created for different purposes 

I have signed up.  Many of my students don't have computers at home, so I haven't decided exactly how I will utilize this tool, but think that it will be a great way to build classroom community and teamwork, keep lines of communication open, integrate technology, and organize.  It is what you make of it and is 100% FREE!!!

Check it out!!             http://www.edmodo.com/

Awesome Free App. for Teachers and Homeschoolers

Product of the Day

Playing on my tablet one day, I came across a free app.on Google Play Store that is amazing! The MasteryConnect, Common Core app. puts the standards right at your fingertips.  Our state, AZ, is changing over to the Common Core.  Many states already have, and many more are to folllow.  It is easy to navigate! Tap on Math (traditional or integrated) or Language Arts. Next, tap on the grade level (K-12). This brings up the standards. Tap individual standards for a more in-depth description.

Our Top Ten List of Free Interactive Math Sites for Kids

We are constantly using the World Wide Web in enhancing instruction for our kids. Below are our favorites (in order):

1. Khan Academy - http://www.khanacademy.org - This site has over 3000 instructional videos in just about any math subject, as well as skills practice!
2. Free Rice - http://freerice.com - this site has math (other subjects too!) quizzes. The coolest thing is that for every correct answer, Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programe to help end hunger!
3. Thinkfinity - http://www.thinkfinity.org - interactive math games, lesson plans, and activities
4. ABCYA - http://www.abcya.com - interactive math games by grade level
5. J Math Page - http://jmathpage.com - interactive math tools, activities, and games
6. Cool Math - http://coolmath-games.com - Some teachers don't like this site, arguing that it is not math related. We beg to differ. The games require logic and critical thinking which exercise the part of the brain that is used for math. In addition, there are interactive math lessons and a number games section that are wonderful!
7. Multiplication.com - http://www.multiplication.com/games - This site has a number of interactive multiplication table drills. The kids love it! A must in learning times tables! Granny Prix and Diaper Derby are favorites. You can do mixed problems or just concentrate on a number where struggles lie.
8. Sheppard Software - http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm - math practice exercises in many different categories
9. Math is Fun - http://mathisfun.com - great games and worksheets
10. PBS Kids - http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/math-games - fun math and logic games for the elementary aged child

We hope you enjoy exploring this list. Future posts will include websites for other subjects and for different resources!

Don't know how I missed this one!  I use this all the time for my math tutoring (Games by grade level).  http://www.math-play.com/  One of my favorites!!

10 Great Quotes on Education and Learning

A little inspiration today.

There are so many good ones out there, but these are our favorites:

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."
-B.B. King

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-William Butler Yeats

"A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching."
-A. Bartlett Giamatti

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow."
-Anthony J. D'Angelo 

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives."
-Clay P. Bedford

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
-Abraham Maslow

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
-Henry B Adams

"Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand."
-Chinese proverb

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".

-Nelson Mandela

"What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
-George Bernard Shaw

"Education cost money, but then so does ignorance."
-Claus Moser

My Hawaiian Classroom Tabletop Supply Organizer

Getting ready for the new school year, I have decided to go with a Hawaiian theme for my classroom. I am an organizer and wanted each of the seven tables (4 desks put together) to have all needed supplies (worksheets, paper, pencils, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, markers, dry erase markers and white board erasers) at the students' fingertips. I figured the time it takes to pass these things out, as needed, during the day, would give me more instructional time (and less messy desks!).

Definitely on a budget, I scoured office supply stores, Walmart, dollar stores, Target, and the internet looking for what I had in mind. No luck! Anything that might work was too expensive, and even these did not meet all my needs. My daughter and I hit one more dollar store and got creative! We found the green plastic totes for a dollar each, and the cute pink bowls and cups at 4/$1! I put together these tabletop supply organizers for under $2 a piece!

I just used a glue gun to secure the dividers (cups and bowl) in place. I'll fill them cheaply when the back to school sales come around. For a little more fun, I put the name of a Hawaiian island on each of them (Table Names).

This works great for the classroom, but could also be a great way to get organized at the homeschool!

Five Fun & Inexpensive Ways to Keep Your Child's Academic Skills Fine-Tuned Over Summer Break

Useful Tips for Summer

I published this article a couple of years ago. With summer started, I figured this was a good time to present this article once again. It has good tips as well as a suggested summer reading list by age. Check it out! 

Michelle Sylvester, Yahoo! Contributor Network

Jul 19, 2010

As many parents can relate, summer break for children rapidly turns from a time of great excitement and relief, to a long stretch of boredom. For many children, this excess time results in hours of television viewing and video game playing. They suffer an academic backslide in important educational skills. There are several things parents can do to fill this time with activities that will not only entertain, but reinforce academic and critical thinking skills, ensuring the child returns to school better prepared.

1. Have them read!!! Reading is the key to success in all other subjects. The more a child reads, the better they read. A minimum of 20 minutes of reading a day is recommended. Public libraries are a great and free source for reading material. Many of them also have summer programs that offer children incentives for reading. Allow your child to select their own books, based on their personal interests.
      For some great books, categorized by fiction/nonfiction and age level, the International Reading Association has lists of favorites chosen by children, teachers, and young adults: http://www.reading.org/Resources/Booklists.aspx.

  Favorites of both my students and children are:

Picture Books: Anything by Eric Carle, Maurice Sendack, Dr. Seuss, Mercer Mayer, and especially Robert Munsch

Young Readers: Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney, Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne, and anything by Beverly Clearly

Middle Readers: The Books of Ember (trilogy) by Jeanne DuPrau, the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster, and anything by Madeleine L'Engle, or Lois Lowry.

Young Adults: The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien, Holes by Louis Sachar, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

2. Interactive Math Games: The internet is a great resource for finding games that bolster math skills. Children of all ages can learn while playing entertaining games on the computer. Three of my favorites are http://multiplication.com (I love "Granny Prix"), www.math-play.com (games on various math topics and categorized by grade levels),  and http://coolmath4kids.com (Coffee Shop among others are addicting, even for adults). Great alternatives to video games!

3. Have them help with the planning of summer vacations! Both younger and older children can be included and sharpen their skills by being involved in aspects of the vacation planning process: where to go, what to see, budget, scheduling. Reading, writing, researching, and calculating are all made fun with the end result of an exciting vacation!

4. Board/Card Games: Most board and card games  require some type of critical thinking skills and logic.  Living in Phoenix, AZ, the summers are much too hot for a great deal of outside play. My own children love spending the afternoons playing board games as a family or with the other neighborhood kids. Favorites include: Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Phase 10, UNO, Life, Clue, Sorry, Trouble, Chess, Checkers, Risk, and our new favorite Rummikub. For younger children, Chutes & Ladders, Memory, Candyland, Cootie, and various BINGO games reinforce color recognition and counting. Often, we pick them up for a dollar or two at our local Goodwill!

5. Puzzles: Puzzles are a great way to develop critical thinking skills. Most types of puzzles can be found in varied ability levels and can be played not only at home, but can entertain on long car and plane rides. Favorites for my clan include: jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku (math), word finds and crosswords (vocabulary), and cryptograms (grammar).

As a teacher and a mother of three, I believe in the power of fun in learning. It is amazing to watch children engaged in activities that keep them entertained, while developing their minds as well. Don't let summer break become a lapse in your children's' education, but use it as an opportunity to simultaneously entertain them and enrich their minds.

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Hello World!!

We are two best friends, mothers of 7 (collectively), and educators.  One of us is a public school teacher with a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, currently transitioning from 5th to 4th grade and doing private math tutoring at home for junior high and high school aged students.  The other is a successful Homeschooling Mom, who chose this road for her children with severe allergies and another who was not finding the success he was capable of in the traditional school setting.  After years of sharing educational tools, resources, advice, and lessons with one another, we decided to start this blog to expand our sharing and love of all things educational.