Story Chimes: Interactive Book Apps

Story Chimes are one of my absolute favorite apps for reading. Story Chimes are interactive children's books that are brought to life with narration, music, and activities. They are perfect for teachers that integrate technology into their classrooms because the books can be played on an iPod Touch or iPad; they are also available on Androids. What a great idea to engage students during literacy center time! Kids have the option to read independently or read along with the narrator. Best of all they have tons of FREE full version books that you can download (with ads). If you want the ad free version then most of them are only $0.99. I think I have pretty much downloaded every interactive app they have on the App Store. Now, every time my 5 year old niece stays with me I let her choose a story for us to read at bedtime. She is always asking to go back and reread them! One of our favorites is The Princess and the Pea.

You can search "Story Chimes" in the iTunes App Store or Google Play to see all the different interactive books available for download. Here are a few titles that I took a snapshot of from the iTunes Store.

If you haven't discovered the interactive books already, I recommend checking a few of the stories out!

Reader Response Prompts FREEBIE!

Reader response prompts go along great with the balanced literacy classroom. Sometimes students just need a little assistance getting started when responding to literature. The prompts can easily be posted around the room so they can choose one to respond to in their reading journals. My bilingual partner Christina L. helped me create a dual language version because our district implements the Gomez & Gomez model. The English text is in blue and Spanish text in red to fit the model. I hope you enjoy the freebie and feel free to share it out!

Click on an image to download the 12 reader response prompts.

To download the dual language version, you can click on one of the below images. There are 11 different prompts with the Spanish translation.

Online Classroom Stopwatches and Countdown Timers

Everyone can enjoy another interactive tool that helps with classroom management and keeps you organized, right? I used to love using  my egg timer in the classroom but for some reason it always hid itself around the room! I learned about Online Stopwatch a few years back and it's great to use in the classroom. I'm a huge fan of using the Promethean board so the countdown timers are awesome to display while students are working on a task. I also deliver professional development to teachers so this is always a hit to model how they can use it in the classroom. I will pull one up in training while they are working or collaborating on a group activity. There are several different types for you to choose from so it's not the same old egg timer each time. I listed a few of my favorites, but as you can see from the screenshot there are quite a few to select. I highly recommend checking out the Classroom Timers; students love them!

The Bomb Countdown is....well the bomb! You can choose your time preference then click "Set."

  You will then see the spark get closer and closer to going off as the time nears.

The rocket is another popular one, as well.

 

The running timer is one of my favorites. If you like it, they also have a swimming timer you can check out too.

Just a few more I like....

The next time you start looking for your stopwatch or egg timer, remember to give Online Stopwatch a try. It's always around and available when you need it. 

Also, Technology Tailgate is starting a Techie Tuesday Link Up. So don't forget to stop by and check out the awesome blog posts and feel free to link up your own new or past post about technology in the classroom! 

Smore! Flyers

Smore is a website that allows you to build quick, easy flyers within minutes! It is a great alternative for Word or Publisher. You can design a flyer from a basic template or you may want to choose to create one from scratch and add your own content.

The super easy format gives you the option to change the design, background, colors, and font. You will also see navigation arrows next to each section as you hover to view the different layout options for that section. Below is an example of a personal layout flyer. However, you can drag and drop to rearrange the sections, delete sections, or add as many as you would like to customize it.

Students can have fun creating posters, flyers, or invitations for a topic being covered in class. They can make a personal flyer for a character in a story, a personal flyer to display at open house, or create a snapshot of a story they have read. For example, they could add pictures for the setting, add text for the summary,  bio to discuss the author, or even a video or link to to provide additional information. Smore can also be a great tool to create a classroom newsletter. I like to use it because it can be easily shared through Facebook, Twitter, email, or a direct link. If you get a chance, it's worth checking out.

 *I used the spelling flyer in the post because that is how it is referenced on the website.

Author's Purpose Freebie!

As I was visiting classrooms the last few weeks, I noticed many of the teachers had anchor charts or signs posted for author's purpose. However, not many used the catchy phrase, It's as easy as PIE". So I decided I should make my own printable signs for them so I could share out with everyone. It's a fun way for students to remember the author's purpose: persuade, inform, and entertain. I know there are lots of other versions out there but if you would like one more, click to download the freebie!

Good news! This also prompted me to finally setup my TpT store so please check back often because I'll be uploading and giving away lots of other freebies in the future.

You've Been Boo'ed! Freebie

"You've Been Boo'ed" is probably known for it's fun way of sharing treats and Halloween cheer with neighbors and friends. It's a great activity that becomes contagious because so many love joining in on all the fun. At my campus several years ago we modified "You've Been Boo'ed" to apply to our staff members. Instead of leaving treats at each others classroom doors, we actually just placed them in teacher boxes and waited  to see everyone discover the goodies! This was really easy because our mailboxes were in a separate room so we could easily sneak in and out without being discovered. I still have my Halloween gifts that were given to me and it was nice to see how quickly it caught on. By the time Halloween arrived, every staff member had received a nice little treat. Since, it's October (already!) I thought it would be great to make a few of the signs and share out so you could enjoy the fun as well. I revised the poem a little to fit nicely with the campus setting. If you haven't ever been "Boo'ed" before, I hope you consider starting the tradition this year. Just start off by leaving a bag of treats at two classroom doors and sit back and watch the Halloween cheer! I always like to check out Pinterest for some great ideas. Click on the link below for the "You've Been Boo'ed" freebie.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/36080283/You%27ve%20Been%20Booed.pdf

If you would prefer the original version and not the classroom, please email me and I can send it to you.

Fun Reading & Math Sing-a-long Videos

The Alphabet Video by Have Fun Teaching is a catchy way to sing the alphabet with your class. It reviews the letters of the alphabet as well as the letter sounds. I saw a few kindergarten teachers use it with their students and they absolutely loved it! The students were engaged and singing along with it the entire time. They especially like singing along to it around 1:30 of the video when the tempo speeds up.



Alphabet Video from Have Fun Teaching on Vimeo.

There are also many videos to review sight words such as: you, I , said, it, and, to, the, and so on. The video constantly repeats the sight word, spells it out, and uses it in a sentence for students.



Sight Word You from Have Fun Teaching on Vimeo.

Have Fun Teaching has math videos for counting by ones, twos, threes, and all the way up to twelves. I liked Count by Five which you can check out below.

Count By Five Song from Have Fun Teaching on Vimeo.

The Sing-a-long videos are perfect for getting the students up and moving in a productive way. Plus they love seeing and singing with them. If you want to see all the videos that are listed, you can check them out here: http://vimeo.com/havefunteaching/videos. There are currently 79 total available. Another plus, it is compatible with iPads and iPods so you can have the students listen to them during listening center or as practice after completed lessons. Enjoy :)