So it has been quite a while since I have had time to share resources. Here is a game board template created using Powerpoint that I made to accompany a Star Wars themed workshop. Students played the game on iPads after it was uploaded to Google Drive. The iPads had the Powerpoint app installed and the game was played in the "edit" mode so the character playing pieces could be moved. This template can be used with teacher created game cards to accompany any subject.  Click on the link below to download and use it. Enjoy!




​This template may be used for free by classroom teachers, homeschoolers, or workshop presenters. It may not be distributed, sold, or published in any format unless permission has been granted by the copyright holders. Clip art images obtained from https://thetomatos.com/free-clipart-10778/.

Technology can help to differentiate learning and make it fun! Following is a list of my favorite back-to-school digital resources to support classroom success for elementary students. 

Note: *Designates items available only for City of Denton residents with active library cards.

Grab your students' attention by appealing to their competitive nature using the free, game-based learning website, Kahoot! Assessment has never been so easy or fun. I have seen Kahoot used successfully in a variety of settings including:  classrooms (kinder through college), staff development workshops, business training sessions, and even at a senior citizen's trivia night event. It is simple to use and, dare I mention it again, it's FREE!

Watch this great YouTube video or read through the instructions below to get started:

To get started:

1. Go to Getkahoot.com to create a free  account
2. Watch the Quickcast videos on the Kahoot website to learn how to create a Kahoot quiz, discussion or survey. You can also practice playing using a public one.
3. Begin by pressing the purple PLAY button.
4. Select the advanced settings you desire (   ) and launch Kahoot on the screen in the front of the classroom.
5. Students can join the game by going to kahoot.it on their iPad or personal device, and entering the game PIN shown on the screen at the front of the room.
6. Students should enter their nickname or ID and it will show up on the display.
7. Students will then use their iPad or personal device to answer each question. Speed and accuracy determine the Kahoot points awarded. The goal is to get as many points as possible and to move to the top of the leaderboard. (Note: The leaderboard displays the top 5 scores). 
8. The teacher (quiz master) can download the results of the quiz to Excel to see how each students answered and to see how quickly the answer was given.

 After students have become accustomed to playing Kahoot, challenge them to develop their own Kahoot quizzes to encourage creativity and critical thinking. 

1. Students will conduct research to build background and collect content to use in their quizzes.
   
2. Students will need to create their own free Kahoot accounts using this link:  https://getkahoot.com/register/ (Note:  Students under 16 years of age must supply their birthday and an email address).
3. Students create their quiz and save it to their account.
4. Students then serve in the instructor's role as they play back their quizzes for classmates using Steps. 3-8 above). 

Additional Resources:

• Sample lesson plan for having students create their own Kahoot projects: Challenging Students to Ask Their Own Great Questions

Did you know that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day? It was established as a day to honor America's Civil War dead. After World War I, Memorial Day became a day to honor soldiers killed in all wars. While seeking to make Memorial Day "real" for my students a few years ago, I ran across an old POW/MIA bracelet that I had purchased while in high school in the 1970s (yes, I know that fact places me firmly in the mature crowd).


I wore the bracelet to school and showed it to my 5th grade students using the classroom document camera. The text reads CAPT. DOUGLAS MARTIN 4-18-73. I then challenged the students to use their research skills to determine what it was, to whom it referred, and what the numbers meant.


What followed was an exciting hour of real life exploration and discovery! Students used iPads and classroom computers to google the name and found varying results. This led to a classroom discussion about how to validate sources and why it was important to compare results. I watched my students actually use the research skills we had practiced throughout the year and saw them turn an inanimate object into a real human being. They found several information sources about Captain Douglas Martin which they eagerly read aloud to one another.  "Did you know he was born in Tyler, Texas?"  "Wow! He was a fighter pilot!" "What does MIA mean?" A few students branched out on their own to learn more about the Vietnam War. Together we created a class list of sources (shown below) about Captain Martin and the Vietnam War. To close the lesson, I read aloud the book, The Wall by Eve Bunting.  


The following week, students were still making connections on their own with the lesson. I had a student bring in a photograph of a great-uncle who had served in Vietnam and we used the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page to find his name on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Another student shared this Youtube video link featuring a veteran reading the book, The Wall.  I made my own connection unexpectedly the following fall while at my husband's United States Air Force Academy reunion. When touring the grounds, I discovered Captain Martin's name on the Heritage Trail Memorial. The memorial became "real" for me in that moment because of the discoveries my students and I had made through our research of the POW/MIA bracelet.


Using an artifact was a great way to foster inquiry and spark authentic student engagement. Students felt a real connection to Captain Martin and expressed a true appreciation for his ultimate sacrifice for his country. This Memorial Day, I challenge you, as classroom teachers, to find a way to make Memorial Day "real" to your students.  

This post is dedicated to Captain Douglas Martin and all the men/women who have lost their lives in service of our country.  Thank you!

Resources located by students on Captain Douglas Martin, POW/MIA Bracelets, and the Vietnam War:

• Virtual Vietnam Veterans Wall of Faces: Douglas Martin
• POW Network: Bio for Martin, Douglas K.
• History of the POW/MIA Bracelet
• Vietnam War - History.com
• Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (Wall)
• The History Place - Vietnam War

I have been asked to briefly summarize a classroom lesson that I mentioned at TCEA regarding the use of the iPad to encourage creative thinking. Here you go...

Some time ago, I attended a fabulous workshop called The Private Eye that used jeweler's loupes to teach observing, questioning, and theorizing. It is a fabulous program, and I recommend that anyone interested in learning more about how to develop thinking by analogy should visit the website or attend a workshop. Since I no longer have my jeweler's loupes, I decided to use the zoom feature on the iPad to simulate close observation.  We used sweet gum balls (found in abundance in my front yard) and started by zooming the camera in as close as possible and then taking a photograph. 

The next step was to look at the photograph and brainstorm a list of ideas that the object looked like. In true brainstorming fashion, all ideas were welcomed with "piggy backing" encouraged. Quite an interesting list of analogies resulted.

The last step was to use the list to generate ideas for creating a poem. The Notegraphy app was used to create the poem that follows. The students who used this method enjoyed using the iPad to facilitate their observation and the publication of their poems. The teacher with which I was working felt that the finished poems included more descriptive language and imagery. All in all a very successful project!

Every December my family creates a Christmas letter to share the highlights of our year with family and friends. We try to make the letters entertaining and have throughout the years composed poems, songs, QR codes, and even a multiple choice "quiz." This year we decided to use one of my favorite teacher tools, Crossword Puzzle Maker, for our letter. 

The Crossword Puzzle Maker tool on The Teacher's Corner is so easy to use with a fill-in-the blank template and options to create an answer key, include a photo or image, and print or save the final product as .pdf. The finished letter was printed on Christmas stationery to add some holiday spirit.  Following is our letter which may be used as an example for teachers who would like to create their own personal or classroom Christmas crossword puzzle.  Enjoy!

StoryBuddy 2 is my favorite story creation app for elementary students! We used it to create the culminating activity for our summer RE class... a Catholic Important Book (patterned after The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown). Note: This activity was completed using a single iPad with the full version of the StoryBuddy 2 app (lite version is free, full-version with audio capability is $2.99) in a single two-hour class period. 

We started by brainstorming a list of the most important Catholic concepts learned throughout the summer session. Students generated a list of words that covered people, places, and concepts (ex: God, eucharist, Mary, mass, Moses, etc.).  The teacher then shared with students several pages from the book, The Important Book, and discussed the pattern present in the text. Students were then asked to choose one item from the Catholic concepts list and to draw a picture and compose a poem written using the same format as The Important Book.  

Using a single iPad, the students took turns taking a photo of their drawing and using the photo editor to crop each picture. Edited photos were saved to the Camera Roll. The students then worked with the teacher using the StoryBuddy2 app to create a new page, select the background insert their photo, and record the text.  The teacher typed the text (using the students' written copy).  An excellent 9-minute YouTube tutorial for using StoryBuddy 2 may be found at StoryBuddy 2 - App Tutorial.

The finished product (recorded from the iPad using SnagIt) is shown below. This was a terrific project that the students enjoyed immensely because it was easy and served as a great way for them to showcase their knowledge. The video was also emailed to parents so the children had a tangible reminder of the summer RE experience.  

Did you know that Thursday, April 24 is Poem in Your Pocket Day? Create and share fabulous student-created poetry using the three iPad apps below:

Notegraphy - (free)  
This easy to use app (also available via your web browser) allows students to enter the text for their poem and then tap to publish it using 34 different preset styles.  The finished product is visually appealing without spending large amounts of time on the layout. The final poems can be shared using a variety of options including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pages, Tumblr,  Whatsapp, iMessage, Evernote or Email. Students can also save it to the camera roll on the iPad and print to an AirPrint enabled printer or share with their peers using AirDrop.

Poem examples obtained from:  Teaching 10 Fabulous Forms of Poetry by Paul B. Janesczko (Scholastic)

Phonto - (free)
Create beautiful photo poems by easily adding text to a photo image. Students take a photo using the iPad (or open a saved photo from the camera roll) and then add their poetry text to the image.  The size, style, tilt, and font may be customized. Upgrading the app will remove ads and provide additional image style options. Completed photo poems may be shared by saving to Twitter, Instagram, other apps, email or saving to the camera roll. 

Simple machines is one of the science units explored in many grade 3-5 classrooms in the spring. A great culminating activity for this unit (that also ties into St. Patrick's Day) is to challenge your students to use what they have learned about simple machines to design and create their own leprechaun traps. Build background knowledge about leprechauns by sharing stories such as Jack and the Leprechaun, Leprechaun Tales or Gift of the Leprechaun. Students may also enjoy writing their own stories about how their leprechauns get caught . The next step is to use the Monster Physics app (lite version is free with ads at the bottom, upgraded version is $0.99 and ad free) to design a leprechaun trap. The design specifications for the trap are that it should be an original creation and it should include at least two different types of simple machines. By using the Build portion of the Monster Physics app, the students can create a trap and then actually test it to see if it works.  To add some fun, students that create a working trap can collect a "pot of gold" reward from the teacher (foil wrapped chocolate coins).  

Note:  It is recommended that students work through the Missions (tutorials) portion of the app prior to using the Build section to create their projects. The app allows up to five different player profiles or avatars so it could be used successfully with student groups in a one iPad classroom. 

President's Day, which is celebrated in the month of February, is just around the corner. Following are some creative ways to showcase what students learn after completing research on one of the American Presidents.