Free App Friday!

Here we go...round two of free app Friday! Did you find any good apps this week? Did you download AppsDeal Fire? There have been some great apps this week!

Well let's get to it! Here are this week's apps!

Phonics:
First up in Phonics is the Beginning Phonics app. 

This is an app I just found! Sooo I don't know much about it, and I haven't used it with students. Here is what I LOVE about it! You match pictures to letters using the beginning sound of the picture. What makes this really great for Kindergarten and especially the ELL students is if you touch the picture it tells you the word. I found when I worked with my ELL students; they didn't know what the picture was. How are they supposed to know what the beginning sound is, if they don't know what the picture is! This was also great for helping them build up their vocabulary!

You can use this app only on the iPad.

Next up is Short Vowels Lite. 

Usually apps have two versions, a full version and a lite version. The lite version is generally free. It's not as good as the paid version, but you can usually get just as much out of the lite version! With this app you only work on the short /a/ and short /o/ sounds. There are three levels, and each one gets harder. 

You can use this app on iPhone, iPod and, iPad.

Math:

First up in math is count-a-licious. It is titled a toddler game, so it's great for the beginning of the year! 

This app is full of great colors and pictures. The app counts for you, and then has you count pictures to match the number. Talk about some GREAT number sense! My students loved this as a beginning of the year math station. It also worked wonders for my ELL students. It kept them very engaged, and really helped with their counting to 20. 

You can use this app on the iPhone, iPod and, iPad

Up next is Fun of Shapes. I know it doesn't make sense, but if that is what you type into the app store you will find it! 

In this app you hear a story that identifies shapes, then a game that sort pictures by shape. Each time you do an activity right, you earn a sticker. I love that the story shows shapes in everyday life. Again this is a great app to start your year off, and is great for ELL students!

You can use this app on iPhone and iPad.

There are your apps for the week! Have a great weekend!! 

Do you daily question?

First let me tell you about my exciting life!! The highlight of my week...NO JOKE was going and getting a public library card today! HAHA!! I know I am sooo exciting! On to daily questions!

Do you ask your students a daily question? How do you do it? What kind of questions do you ask?

As part of the Math Investigations program at my school in Kansas, daily question was something we did EVERY day. My kiddos LOVED it...so here is how I did it at that school.

I asked them a lot of questions using environmental print. It took me a LONG time to build up my environmental print...I also asked parents to send in boxes and wrappers of what their student liked! Here I have Velcro taped to a cabinet.  Each morning when my students would enter they would get their picture (a 2.5 x 2.5 square with their name and picture on it) and go and READ the question. At first I would stand there and have them read it to me. Eventually they became responsible of holding each other accountable. I would change the wording at the top Do you like, Do you have, I like...etc. I loved how it helped them with so many skills, while making them feel incredibly successful! We started this the second week of school. They couldn't believe they could read on just the second week of school!


When I went to my new school in South Dakota I was introduced to something that would change my world! A SMARTBoard!! I don't know how you ever taught with out one! I know not everyone has one, and I think that is a shame! They are so amazing and can be used so many ways! So I took my daily question digital! I still used the same wording and used pictures. What I loved about it more was I could use ANY picture I wanted! I could make it go with our theme that we were learning about. For example...its hard to Velcro a dinosaur to our previous set up!

I also liked that I could do multiple answers. I could ask three different questions. 

I also liked being able to use the word or in the questions. 

Last year I also went into observe another teacher who is awesome (Shout out to Miss Dunker) and she also used a daily question. She then introduced a thesaurus to her class. They looked at different words for yes and no. I LOVED this idea! I can't wait to use it! Do you use a daily question in your class? How do you use it? I would love to hear about it!!

Have a great Thursday! 

Free App Friday!

Hello friends!! I was luckily enough in my previous school to be given an iPad! It seems that is a growing occurrence! When we moved I had to give my iPad back :( So my hubby decided to surprise me and buy me one...one I get to keep!! Woo hoo!! I love how much he loves me!!! Soooooo I thought I would start a weekly post about some apps that I have stumbled upon or use regularly!! I was thinking about two or so each time, a math and a reading app. Best of all the ones I share are FREE!!!

Does that sound like something you would like to see?

 So here is what my iPad screens look like......

as you can see....I have A LOT of apps! Do you know how many I paid for...NONE!!! There are so many wonderful and free apps out there. How do you sort through all of them? Well I hope this will help you. The apps I am going to show you are based on my own opinion.


The very first app you NEED to know about is called appsfire deals

This app is awesome. You can detail it to meet your needs. You need to add education to the list of apps that you want them to notify you about. What it does is tells you about apps that usually cost money are now free. Apps become free for many reasons. Sometimes they want you to try it, and rate it. Other times they are celebrating the release of a new app, so they are giving old ones away for free. I have found a lot of apps that I like through this app. I have found math games, and story apps that read the book to your students...can you say listen to reading station!!

You can use this app on iPhone, Ipod, and iPads.

The next app is called beginning sounds interactive (if you type it in just like that you will find it)

It is made by Lakeshore so you know its going to be awesome! It lets you choose three different beginning sounds, and then shows you pictures to match with the beginning sounds. My students loved this game! We used it in small group and as a station.

You can use this app on iPhone, iPod, and iPads.

So what do you think? Do you have any apps that you love? Do you like this Friday post idea? Any other things you want to know about the iPad or iPods? I am a novice, but it is something that I enjoy learning about!!

Have a great weekend!

Made It Monday!

I am linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics...she is hosting the first Made It Monday linky party!

How cute is this button!! 

Well since everyone was making the teacher toolboxes...I think I know what I will be doing soon! Seeing everyone's adorable tool boxes made me have toolbox envy! 

Well....I already had another project started...and I just finished it!

Here is my inspirations....from Pintrest, of course!! 

source: http://www.dots-n-spots.com/ via Angel Prescott on Pintrest 

Sooo here is how I turned this....

Into..... THIS!!!!! 

SWOOOOOON!!!!!

Here is how I did it...step by BRUTAL step!

First I had to take everything apart, which was not hard at all! Then I tested the paint on the underneath side. To be honest...I was not so sure it would work! Well it did...so here's what it looks like after one coat of paint. I decided it needed another coat...so imagine it a little darker! 

Then I painted the inside middles...if that makes sense?!?

I really wanted to make the part where the students put in their papers bright and colorful. Sooo I thought paper and modpodge! Look at that....not so pretty! My husband said...why don't you just paint it black. BRILLIANT!! I forgot to take a picture of that...so just imagine the part below...black! 

Now for the brutal part! I covered the WHOLE thing in zebra duck tape (I got it from Michael's)! If only I would have know! This part took...DAYS!! I did each piece individually. It ended up using less tape, and I was able to keep it straighter. 

This is the back...its covered on both sides so when you put the paper in it you see the zebra print. 

Top

Side

Looking into it! 

I am seriously in love with it! It was a LOT of work, but I loved the way it turned out! My husband keeps asking me to take it to the garage, because its in the middle of our tiny apartment living room! I just want to stare at it!! I love it and I am pretty proud of myself! So now I have check one of my summer to-do's off my list!! 

Make sure you link up and show off your hard work!!! 

I am off to Pintrest to decide on what I want to do for next Monday!!

Did you hear? Midwest Meet-Up?!?!

Tammy from Live, Love, Laugh posted about a Midwest bloggy meet up!  Say WHA?!?! Since I just moved to Lincoln, I am sooo looking forward to meeting more people around here! Tammy and Dee Dee Wills have been talking about it! If you are interested make sure you go over to Tammy's blog and tell her!! I would love to meet EVERYONE of you!!

Have a great day!!