As a first grade teacher I try to keep my students as engaged as possible, but no matter how entertaining I am, I cannot hold their attention all day. We sing, we dance, we play classroom games, we have centers, we have group talk time, but there is nothing like playing a game on the iPad! (Let's face it....adults even love to play iPad games!)
There are a lot of apps out there and it is very difficult to choose my favorite, so I will try to tell you about a few of my favorite apps! (I teach first grade and all subjects, so I have a few apps that cover math, spelling, and reading!)
The first app I will tell you about is a free app, you know teachers....we LOVE free! The app is: Abby's Sight Words and it is a wonderful app. This app is wonderful for first grade because it helps reinforce sight words that help build fluency in reading. The app has several games, different levels, and grade levels for the students to navigate through. The app can be found on the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abby-sight-words-games-flash/id518258478?mt=8
The next app is also free....YES FREE :) The app is: First Grade Learning. This app has 10 games for my first graders. This app has it all...math, sight words, contractions, spelling, and even fractions! This is one of my favorite apps of all times! The following link will take you there: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-grade-learning-games/id530703273?mt=8
The next app I will share is not free, but worth every penny...all 199 of them! The reviews on this page said the app is no good, but my students love it! This app is great for children who are having trouble switching b's and d's or students who have been diagnosed with dyslexic. The app is called Letter Reflex and the link is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letterreflex-overcoming-letter/id485920074?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
The next app I am going to talk about I found on a blog Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne on Google Reader. The link for that particular blog can be found here: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2013/01/six-weeks-of-ipad-apps-for-school-or-46.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29&utm_content=Google+Reader#.UXs1brWkqsM
The app is called Sushi Monster and guess what teachers.....IT'S FREE!!!! This app is a wonderful reinforcement of math skills. This app helps to build math fluency; I use this app in my intervention groups. The students love the game and they are getting faster! This app also allows students the opportunity to earn stars and trophies. My students love to compete with each other as well as beat their previous scores. The link to this wonderful app is: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sushi-monster/id512651258?mt=8
I hope you find some of these apps helpful in your classroom!
Until next time...Drive safe :)
Sushi monster is a great app and competition is a great motivator. First grade is a demanding grade to teach, but the huge gains are made and oh so rewarding!
ReplyDeleteI will have to try the app for sight words. I am always looking for new ways to reinforce them. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think Sushi Monster is a great app. I have a hard time with reinforcement activities and I think using this app would be a great idea. Our children would rather play a game anyway than listen to us teach or instruct them on doing a worksheet. They also can do this individually or with a partner. More teachers should use these types o technology in their classrooms. Thank you for sharing!
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