[undercover] learning
My Top 5 Summer Learning Apps
- Mad Libs - test their grammar skills and create super funny stories in the process - it's an oldie but a goodie to me.
- Sushi Monster - this monster is hungry for sushi - answer the math questions correctly and keep him fed!
- Brain Pop - App that provides students with education videos on a WIDE variety of topics and even includes supplemental information, quizzes, links, etc. Many teachers use this already, and kids LOVE it!
- MoMA Art Lab - App from the Museum of Modern Art that allows students to create their own masterpieces, learn more about famous artists, even create sound compositions and shape poems!
- Wonderopolis (This Day in History) -So, the last app is actually two apps because I couldn't choose which one was better and they somewhat work together. An easy idea I had to get kids learning every day, is to share these two apps as they provide information on a daily basis. Wonderopolis answers a question (or wonder) of the day with video, pictures, etc. This Day in History gives students just that - a list of events that happened on that day. Perhaps a good first thing in the morning activity while eating breakfast or a way to spark dinner conversation!
My Top 5 Summer Learning Websites
- Wonderopolis (web component - see above for more information)
- Brainpop (web component - see above for more information)
- Free Rice - began as a tool to learn new vocabulary but has now expanded to include many different subject areas (math, science, social studies, even SAT prep!). The cool thing about this website is that for every answer your students gets correct, the website donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme! So you can talk about physical science AND philanthropy!
- Scholastic Family Playground - website that includes games, videos, puzzles, etc. for Scholastic books and programs like 'I Spy,' 'Clifford,' and 'The Magic Schoolbus.' The English teacher in me LOVES the fact that there are online stories as well.
- Funbrain - website that includes word and math games, interactive online texts (even web version of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid'), and some less academic online games as well. I feel that with some parental supervision, this could really be a great online resource for those stormy summer days.
*Another thought: Your students have really become masters of Educreations and (some classrooms only) iMovie. These apps are more creative, like a blank canvas for our kids to create a video/presentation all their own. I would encourage students to chronicle their vacation - from airplane rides, road trips, even day by day activities. These apps are FANTASTIC for letting your student express him or herself in a truly unique way.
