The World of Weather

Hey 3rd grade! This week you are going to be more than students, you will all be meteorologists! The world around is full of excitement and wonder. You will spend this next week learning about what weather is, what causes weather, and the various kinds of weather. At the end of the week you will present what you have learned using Powerpoint or Prezi. You will be assigned a group and each group will have one topic to focus on. Group 1: Water Cycle, Group 2: Cloud Types, Group 3: Weather Across America, Group 4: Climate. 

Work with your group to research the sources given on the webquest and make a presentation to share with the class. 

• Research weather sources.
• Organize all of the information you gathered.
• Complete all worksheets and assignments.
• Share information with the class with 5 informational slides (intro, 3 details, conclusion)

Group 1: The Water Cycle

The Water Cycle Worksheet

1. The Earth has a limited amount of ______________________.
2. The water cycle is made up of which four parts?

C__________________

E__________________

P__________________

C__________________

3. Evaporation is when the sun __________________ up water. The water vapor or steam goes into the ________________.

4. Condensation is when water vapor in the air gets cold and changes back to a _________________ forming __________________.

5. Precipitation occurs when so much water has _______________________ that the air cannot hold in anymore. The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the earth in the form of ___________, _____________, ________________, and _________________.

Describe what collection is in the space below.

Use the link below to fill in the worksheet:

http://www.kidzone.ws/water/

Group 2: Cloud Types

https://www.education.com/download/worksheet/89587/types-of-clouds.pdf

Use the following website to research different kinds of clouds and fill the paper above. 

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/clouds/cloudwise/types.html

Group 3: Weather Now

What is the current temperature where we are?

Current snow coverage?

Current dew point?

Current heat index?

10 day forecast?

https://weather.com/maps/currentusweather

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Weather.aspx

Group 4: Climate 

Complete these online activities:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/investigate/index.htm

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/trivia/

https://climatekids.nasa.gov/time-machine/

Presentation Rubric

Great job with your work as a meteorologist! You all worked really hard this week. You should be finished with your presentation now and also had a chance to learn from your classmates and what they researched on. 

WebQuest Assignment

Websites:

• IXL Learning
  • https://www.ixl.com/
  • This is a website that can be used in any grade level! It has a variety of engaging games and activities for children to spend time exploring that match specific standards. I love that you can search grade specific and category specific for what you are teaching in your classroom. I also find it beneficial for my lesson planning that each activity is labeled by which standard it covers.
• TeachersPayTeachers
  • https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
  • Teachers pay teachers is an online community for teachers to share their resources with one another while possibly even making a dollar or two. The website has resources available for all grades and ranging from free to various prices. A multitude of resources are available based on topics, subjects, and even featured categories (such as St. Patrick’s Day, Earth day, spring, etc.). Not only can teachers find lesson plans, activities, and other resources, teachers can also sell their products/resources they have made themselves.
• Discovery Education
  • http://www.discoveryeducation.com
  • Discovery Education partners with districts to deliver a customized suite of tools to accelerate student achievement. It offers free resources to parents, teachers, and K-12 students through digital media. It provides educators with support through an established community of passionate educational professionals that are seeking to integrate digital resources into their instructional strategies in core subjects as well as art, STEM and health and wellness. The website gives parents insight through blogs and newsletters that increase motivation. Students have access to homework assistance with hundreds of instant answers to math questions. Pupils may learn through interactive games, and may also enjoy learning through numerous virtual fieldtrips. Discovery Education works on desktop and laptop computers with a wide range of browsers.
• Newton Free Library
  • http://guides.newtonfreelibrary.net/c.php?g=576697&p=3978968
  • The Newton Free Library is the public library of Newton, Massachusetts. This site offers educational and cultural resources for teachers, parents, and students. The kids department provides books, eBooks, audiobooks, picture books on films, songs, stories, games and activities for all age groups. In addition, the site suggests and grants access to other websites that offer great books for children.
• ALEX State Standards
  • http://alex.state.al.us
  • Teachers can use ALEX to not only assist in lesson planning, but it also offers learning activities, professional learning and a variety of multimedia resources for learning. This resource is essential for inexperienced teachers like myself, because of the array of material that is available for me to utilize there is no way for me to fail. I will use ALEX when I hit a roadblock in my lesson planning to assist me in finding fun and exciting ways to enhance learning. http://Pinterest.com Pinterest can be used to search and explore different topics in the education realm. I personally would you use Pinterest to find different activities to motivate my students and to give them ample opportunity to become more interactive with each other to contribute to their overall learning experience. I would also allow students to use Pinterest to assist with different projects. It will give them an opportunity to copy a design or gather information about the topic at hand. Pinterest can be a great tool for students to use to decipher the good and bad information.
• Pinterest
  • http://Pinterest.com
  • Pinterest is a virtual idea board where users can gather ideas from the internet and “pin” them according to their category or subject area. Users can see what others have “pinned” as well as create their own “pins” to share. Pinterest is not limited to only educational material. I have used ideas found on Pinterest in many different aspects of my classroom. I found a link to a teacher organization binder which organizes student data, lesson plan ideas, conference notes, etc. all in one location. I have also used Pinterest for anchor charts, lesson plan ideas, craft projects, centers, etc. I find Pinterest easy to navigate and have used the search feature to find specific “pins” on a topic of interest.

• Kahoot!
  • https://kahoot.it/#/
  • Kahoot is an awesome resource for all subjects and all ages to reinforce what is being learned in a fun way. This free resource is a game based classroom response system. This website has a ton of Kahoots already made that you can search and play, or you have the option where you can even create your own to customize straight to what you are teaching. You can play Kahoot as a whole group or if you have devices they can compete against each other. This resource is a great way to review content and engage their students in interactive review games. My students love this way of reviewing especially when they can compete against each other.
• Skype in the Classroom
  • https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview
  • Skype in the Classroom allows students to connect with other students in classrooms anywhere in the world. Skype in the Classroom requires that the user sign up for a free account. To use Skype you must have the appropriate technology including a computer with the free skype software, a webcam, and a projector (if a projector is not used, students will only be able to see the group they are Skyping with on the computer screen, which will make it difficult for your students to see the students at the far site). The Classroom Skype website allows you to search by Skype Lessons, Virtual Field Trips, Guest Speakers or Mystery Skypes. You are able to filter the search results to meet your needs- grade level/age, subject, language, location, etc. After finding a lesson, there is a link to contact the teacher or speaker to schedule a time to Skype. Technical assistance is also offered to schedule a test call before Skyping with the other group.
• A Guide to Using QR Codes for Math Instruction
  • http://www.flapjackeducation.com/2012/02/qr-code-math-freebies.html
  • This blog site belongs to a fourth grade teacher who utilizes QR codes in her daily instruction. Her website includes free QR code activities and how-to tutorials for teachers. The free resources include QR activities for fractions, multiplication and division, and a printable mini book for students. She has also included links to her Teacher Pay Teachers page. QR Code activities are available at a cost and are aligned with grade level common core standards. Flap Jack Learning is a very informative blog. The instructional ideas are very innovative and meaningful. Students would be extremely engaged and love QR code activities. To use QR codes in the classroom, students will need a device with a QR scanner app such as an IPod, IPhone, or Android device.
• Pear Deck
  • https://www.peardeck.com/
  • This app allows each student in the class to connect to a presentation on any device. Students can answer your interactive questions and learn from their peers. You can build your own lesson by importing old PowerPoints, Google Slides, and PDF’s. Pear Deck allows students to answer not only multiple choice questions, but text response, numbers, drawings, draggable pins on images, and more. Responses are anonymous and can be displayed with the instructor being the only one to see individual answers. This provides the class an opportunity to learn from others, notice patterns, identify mistakes, and discuss other ideas. At the end of the lesson individual answers are save in the students own individual Google Doc. Docs can be shared with parents or other teachers to monitor students’ progress.
• Epic!
  • https://www.getepic.com/about
  • Epic is a free reading resource for the classroom. Epic offers unlimited eBooks that can accessed on computers, laptops, and tablets, anywhere and can be instantly read and shared. Epic offers a place to access thousands of high quality children’s books without having to download or purchase them. Epic provides personal libraries that can be taken anywhere and is a smart alternative to games and videos. Epic is 100% free for elementary school teachers and librarians. Teachers can individualize profiles with personalized recommendations based on reading level and interests. Students have the option of reading the some of the books or having the book read to them. The website contains educator resources and parent information as well. There is also a section of classroom tips on how to use Epic in the classroom. Epic could be used as the listening portion of a Daily 5 or could be used for a read aloud, shared reading or independent reading time. It could also be a great way to compare two books by the same author.

• dy/dan
  • http://blog.mrmeyer.com/
  • The above link connects to Dan Meyer's blog. I love this blog mainly because of his Three Act Math activities. The Three Act math activities include a real life issue centered on some kind of math concept. Simply put, the teacher shows the students the video or picture, the students analyze the video, and then they get to watch the solution video. I saw this used during one of my observations and it just drew me in. The students love it because of the videos and some of the scenarios are a little humorous to them. They are also more motivated to solve the problem because they see it as a relevant problem to solve. It's not just a math problem- it's a scenario that needs to be solved in real life. These activities really push students to develop their critical thinking skills, and justify their solutions. My goal is to do one of these every other Friday when I start working full time teaching at a middle school or high school.
• Channel One
  • https://www.channelone.com/
  • This link connects you to Channel One news. I LOVE Channel One. I think that although I am a math teacher, this would still be a great addition. I feel that it is important for students to know what is going on in the world, and I feel that Channel One presents appropriate content in an unbiased manner, and they even request student opinions and feedback! It's a great way to get students involved in recent news while allowing them to form their own opinions on the issues. I watched this my senior year of high school in my history class, and it motivated me to research and become knowledgeable on current events. We must remember that it is ultimately our jobs as teachers to help grow productive knowledgeable citizens.
• Class Dojo
  • https://www.classdojo.com/
  • Class Dojo is a classroom tool that connects parents, teachers, and students. It can be used to track behavior where students can earn dojos for potential prizes. It not only allows the teacher to give or take away the dojos, but they can also put what the points are for. For example, the teachers can reward a student for being a diligent worker by clicking the positive tab of rewards and it will make a dinging sound. The teacher I interned with for fifth grade used class dojo and downloaded the app so that she could use it on her phone, but students could hear the sound on their computers. (When dojos are removed from a student, there is a negative sound as well.) This tool is also a great way to communicate with parents. You can select a single parent or message them all. Students receive a sheet that has their access code and parents simple follow the instructions and are instantly connected with the class. Teachers can post pictures of projects going on during class time or send out reminders for upcoming tests and assignments. It really is a tool I could not imagine living without. After seeing how effective it was in her room, I will definitely be using in mine. Plus, it's free for teachers!
• Quizizz
  • https://quizizz.com/admin
  • While this may seems very similar to Kahoot!, it does offer different features. Unlike Kahoot!, Quizizz allows each student device to be completely capable of presenting the quiz, whereas with Kahoot! only the 4 color blocks used to answer are displayed. Each student will receive an avatar to personalize their profile, but they do not get to choose it. After each question, students can see where they fall on the leader board. The teacher view has each student's avatar and name alongside their progress. It also keeps track of how many questions have been answered correctly and how many have been missed. I also liked that each student is answering a different question at each time. This would cut down on any cheating that may arise. You can create your own quiz or use one that someone else has made by searching the topic and grade level. As a teacher, you can look back at your reports and have immediate feedback to form your next lesson or see if you need to reteach. As a fun addition, you can also add memes for students to see in between each question. Like a dose of encouragement in the form of a funny picture.
• Prodigy
  • http://prodigygame.com/
  • This website is a math resource. It can be used for students to practice math skills. Memberships are available but are not required. Prodigy gives each student a placement test to determine their aptitude by grade level, and then gives them games accordingly. Not only does prodigy cater to students' personal learning level, but it allows the teacher to assign material relating to each of the state standards. The teacher can determine how long the lesson can be worked on, and choose specific students to assign. The teacher can see student's error patterns, log-in frequency and time, if they are working from school or home, and their rankings and number of questions answered. Prodigy is very engaging for students, as it takes on a battle/collection type theme. Students complete math questions in order to capture rare creatures and collect items.

• National Geographic Kids
  • http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
  • This website is a science resource. This site may be used by students and adults. It includes apps, games, videos, and online magazines. Memberships are available but are not required. Students may choose to click around through different educational games, videos, and fact pages. This website is very student friendly, and would be an excellent resource for students to learn about particular animals, places, or things. Each subject can be found sorted by category ranging from Mammals to National Treasures, Homework Help to Outer Space. This website would be a perfect resource for teachers to allow students to freely browse the safe educational content. Students could also choose to use this website as a way of finding facts for projects. Nat Geo Kids is easy to navigate and includes a Menu for easier topic browsing.
• Quizlet
  • https://quizlet.com/
  • Quizlet provides free study tools for students, teachers, and learners of all ages that can be used in and out of the classroom, on your own or with friends, and on the go with our iOS and Android apps. Using Quizlet is an effective way to get your students further engaged in what they're learning both in the classroom and at home. Our site offers six different study modes that appeal to all types of learners, allowing students to use what works best for them and go at their own pace. As a teacher you can easily create Quizlet classes to share study material with your students quickly and track their progress. And with our team-based game, Quizlet Live, it's easy to get your whole class involved, learning the material and how to work together in the process.
• USA Test Prep
  • https://www.usatestprep.com/
  • USA test prep was founded by two teachers who felt that effective technology could improve student test performance. USA test prep has aligned test review products with each individual state's version of the Common Core. We have added numerous items to our database to assess students at a higher level. This includes incorporation of more challenging reading passages recommended by the CCSS and all-new item types. Instead of just multiple choice, we now offer an assortment of items, including short answer and free/extended response. In addition to these standard question types, we also offer unique, technology-enhanced performance tasks. These tasks may ask the student to order items based on criteria, to highlight based on given information, to label based on prior knowledge, and many others. Due to our experienced and flexible curriculum team, we've been able to make hundreds of these items recently, and we're making more of them every day for you and your students. USA test prep materials now cover the breadth and depth of knowledge intended by the DOE for students to be college and career ready. USA test prep has developed new summative assessments that mimic the difficulty, length, and item types found in the upcoming PARCC, SBAC, and ASPIRE tests.
• Showbie
  • https://www.showbie.com/
  • Showbie is an online classroom that allows teachers to provide assignments digitally. Students can submit their assignments digitally to their teachers through this app/website. This is particularly handy if schools are enacting a one-to-one policy with electronics. In addition to submitting assignments, teachers can grade within this app. They are also allowed to post additional resources such as handouts, videos, and images. Showbie allows connections to the Google Suite as well.
• Google Arts and Culture
  • https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/
  • Google Arts & Culture is an online resource with access to many artists, artistic movements, as well as museum tours. This is a new website to me, but one I am definitely interested in using. This site provides daily inspiration and stories as well as a database that references many historical artists and movements. It also allows viewers to take virtual tours through exhibits. I could definitely see myself using this application within my art classes.
• NearPod
  • www.nearpod.com
  • Nearpod is a useful tool to create interactive lessons. These lessons are primarily designed for grades K-12 and can be broadcasted to any device. This is a great tool for teachers because it allows the students to interact in real time. The main use of Nearpod is to break up the content from the traditional lectures and presentations by combing engagement slides and presentation slides. You can insert quizzes, open-ended questions, and interactive drawings and even insert polls. This allows for the teacher to get direct feedback on what the students are learning and what still needs to be worked on. The teacher controls the lecture giving the students an access code to join in the class. It also has an awesome feature that lets the teacher know when a student is off the sight.

• Socrative
  • www.socrative.com
  • Socrative is a cloud based student response application. It can be used on a computer, tablet, or compatible mobile device. Socrative allows teachers to create quizzes online that can vary from multiple choice, true and false, or short answer. Teachers can also view student progress in real-time on the quiz “host” computer. After a teacher has created an online quiz, Socrative creates a downloadable paper copy of the quiz allowing for differentiation. Socrative also has a function called space race. Space race allow students to work in small groups to finish quizzes on Socrative. Each group then races to finish the quiz first. Reports regarding the tests administered can be emailed or downloaded to be used later. Lastly, Socrative allows sharing of quizzes to other Socrative users. This makes collaborating easier for teachers.
• Sumdog
  • https://www.sumdog.com/
  • Sumdog is a math practice site that is also available in the format of an app for tablets. Teachers can sign up for free accounts, or paid accounts for more features. I have never used the paid accounts, as they are $2 per student, which can add up quick. My students absolutely love using Sumdog to practice their math facts and skills. They can login at home or anywhere they have access to a device and the internet. Teachers can enter their classes in competitions, which are based on how many questions are answered correctly for the class. The questions are all presented in the form of games. The students can earn coins to purchase items for their house or their character. It is a great way to get students to practice their math. I have third grade students from last year who are still logging in and using the accounts I created them last year. This site is easy to use for both teachers and students. It matches activities to appropriate grade level standards and can be individualized by the teacher.
• StudyJams
  • http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/weather-and-climate/ocean-floor.htm
  • Study Jams is a site that I refer my students too when they are having trouble understanding a concept. This site is very helpful for students and parents. Being an AMSTI school, students do not have a textbook that they can take home. I try not to give them too much homework, but I always encourage them to study. This site is very easy to navigate. Students Choose between math and science, then choose the topic we are covering. Each topic has a slideshow, vocabulary words, and a quiz to study by. Study Jams is for all learning styles. It is so interactive that students don’t actually feel that they are doing homework or studying.
• Education Northwest
  • http://educationnorthwest.org/traits
  • The creators of the 6+1 traits of writing offer a terrific overview of the model on their site, with research to support the program, lesson plans, writing prompts, and rubrics. You can also find writing samples to practice scoring and see how other teachers scored the same piece.
• Scholastic News
  • http://magazines.scholastic.com/
  • For topics too current for textbooks, Scholastic News classroom magazines offer engaging nonfiction reading online, drawn from the latest headlines. Subscribe to receive news-related, age-appropriate Common Core lesson plans and skills sheets, and free access to the app that comes with each issue.
• Edmodo
  • https://www.edmodo.com
  • Edmodo is a fee site that allows teachers to stay connected with students and parents. Edmodo reminds me a lot of google docs/ classroom. Edmodo is away to create groups or if you have multiple classes within that group, you can assign homework, schedule quizzes, upload google docs as assignments and allow students to turn in their work. Students can also use Edmodo as a resource to communicate with their classmates about any questions they may have. Edmodo is completely free and easy to use for anyone.
• Compass Learning
  • https://www.thelearningodyssey.com/
  • This is a resource that I use in my classroom every day. Students are to login to their own account and complete the lessons assigned to them. Compass learning is a standard based learning tool for students. As a teacher I can login to my own teacher compass learning page and assign specific standards and lessons to students. I can also assign a lesson to my entire class. I really like this because if I have a student that needs more help with a standard I can assign those lessons with that standard while I can assign my other students another standard since they have already mastered the other. This is a wonderful resource for centers.

• Digital Read Works
  • https://digital.readworks.org/
  • This resource is one I started using this year in my classroom. It is an online resource that has numerous articles by grade levels. Each week I assign articles to my students. They then scan the code on their student iPads and it takes them straight to the login page. They login their own account and click the assignment I have assigned to them. I have so many students on different reading levels that this resource allows me to assign different grade level articles to my students that need higher and lower reading passages. My students then read the passage and complete the assigned questions. Once they are finished they submit their answers where it notifies me who has turned it in and what problems they miss. I can reassign the assignment if needed with a click of a button. This resource is wonderful for reading centers.
• Padlet
  • https://padlet.com/
  • Padlet is a unique site where users can create a digital bulletin board. It is used by teachers, students, churches, and businesses. Users can express thoughts on topics of their choice. Teachers may use it to have students post exit slips, topic summaries, opinions, bell ringer responses, to name a few. The uses are really endless. “It’s like a living, breathing webpage. Users can add links, YouTube videos, files and images to Padlet notes. They can move and arrange them. A link to a Padlet can be shared and Padlets can be embedded into webpages.”
• Remind
  • www.remind.com
  • Remind is a real time communication website with apps for Apple and Android devices. School communications personnel, teachers, and coaches can communicate with students, classes, and team members respectively without sharing phone numbers. Parents also can communicate with teachers and keep abreast of class reminders and announcements while having quick access to their child’s progress in the classroom. Messages and announcements may be scheduled ahead of time. Remind offers another layer of teacher support for students. “IKeepSafe has certified Remind’s practices for the protection and privacy of student information” (Remind.com)
• Education World
  • http://www.education-world.com/help/guide.shtml
  • Education World is a total online asset available for teachers, administration and school staff. They can visit the site every day to discover high quality and top to bottom unique information. It is definitely a great site that has various topics, like lessons, worksheets, professional development, Ed tech tips, fun activities and more educational resources. You can also create your own lesson for students based off what is input into the system. My autism class requires a lot of worksheets and this site is very helpful with providing them.
• Boggles Word ESL
  • http://bogglesworldesl.com/
  • This an incredible site for teachers to use in their classrooms since it has a lot of assets, for example, crosswords, word look up, verbs, experimental writing, worksheets, phonics, ABC's, ESL Science, and Survival English. The extensive variety of free material is awesome, and the subjects and points are those normally experienced and instructed in the classroom. The material is orchestrated in coherent gatherings, making it less demanding to discover something important to your showing needs, and to your understudies' adapting needs. Material is anything but difficult to change and adjust, implying that you have an awesome premise from which to begin. Asset savvy, this site is a priceless apparatus in a bustling instructor's ordnance. The absence of a discussion and little data on employments lets the site down somewhat. Most of the student in my autism class are higher functioning therefore enjoy crossword and seek and find activities. It is decent to have a place to share thoughts and make inquiries and simply observe the thoughts of other educator.
• ZipGrade
  • https://www.zipgrade.com
  • This is an app that helps with grading. My students (especially my Regular English 10) LOVE this app. Once they finish taking their tests, students can instantly get their test results. I usually use this for our vocabulary tests and quizzes (anything that can be T/F, matching, or multiple choice). This gives the students immediate feedback, and they really like to see the immediate results of their effort. This also has proven to be good exercise for standardized tests, as students are used to the “bubble in” style test by the time testing occurs.

• TeacherTube
  • http://www.teachertube.com/
  • Teacher Tube is an online collection of videos, much like the infamous “You Tube.” It is designed to include educational videos that serve as an instructional tool for teachers and administrators. It contains everything from professional development videos to videos created for students on a particular concept/topic. I have used Teacher Tube to aide in my instruction on a particular concept, such as Earth’s revolution around the sun. I found the videos to be engaging and appropriate for school age children.
• Starfall
  • www.starfall.com
  • Starfall is a program by Starfall Education Foundation which offers free reading and math activities for student’s age pre-k to 2nd grade. Teachers are also able to purchase a membership and unlock additional lessons and activities. Starfall is an integrated curriculum for students and is available on any mobile device. Membership will also include lesson plans and many other teacher resources. I currently use the Starfall website on our classroom computer and iPad as a free choice activity for my students during work time. Our school purchased the Starfall membership with grant money this year. We use the membership during our weekly computer lab visits and in our classroom. Even without the membership, there are a myriad of activities available for students, such as learning alphabetic principal, nursery rhymes, word families, addition and subtraction, number recognition, one to one correspondence, and so much more. My students love to get on the computer and I hear them laughing and watch their eyes light up each time.
• ABCMouse
  • www.abcmouse.com
  • ABC Mouse is a standards-based online education resource for children ages 2-7. It is free for teachers and provides over 650 lessons and over 7,000 learning activities for students. The site is compatible on computers, smart phones, and tablets. The learning path organizes lessons through a leveled curriculum. Teachers are able to assign lessons to differentiate for students or are able to let students follow the learning path. Lessons are appropriate for whole group, small group, or one on one. Teachers are able to set up their “classroom” and have an avatar that they assign for each student. In the virtual classroom, teachers are able to customize lessons for students. I am able to use ABC Mouse in the classroom on our classroom computers, on our tablets, and also in the computer lab. My students are ages 4 and 5, so mouse skills are difficult for most students in the beginning of the year. We have touch screens available for students, but I really work on developing mouse skills before kindergarten, as I know they will be visiting the computer lab. ABC Mouse also has a printout available for teachers to send home with instructions for parents to log on for use at home.
• Teaching Shakespeare
  • http://teachingshakespeareblog.folger.edu
  • The Folger Shakespeare Library is a resource for educators teaching Shakespeare. The website was founded by the Folger family and offers publications and resources for teachers, students, and anyone interested in Shakespeare’s plays. The various resources available are: lesson plans, professional learning days, digital image collections, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Folger editions of the plays (including audio and digital texts). Most of Shakespeare’s plays have multiple activities and lesson plans included, along with all the documents and resources needed for the activities and lessons.
• Sheppard Software
  • https://www.sheppardsoftware.com
  • Sheppard Software makes learning fun through hundreds of free on-line educational games, activities, quizzes, articles, and more. This site extends its’ fun and learning from preschool on to adults. The sections are labeled by level and brief descriptions. Learning activities include “easy Spanish” and the opportunity to learn about other cultures that exist throughout the world. Elementary students (and anyone who needs a refresher) can play the animated grammar and punctuation games, which review basic punctuation and grammar concepts. This site is continually being refined and expanded.

Apps:

• Kami
  • This is an app that teachers use to create worksheet assignments that the students can download and write on them and submit them with their answers. It is an app that enables the students electronically complete the worksheets and save their responses to the worksheets. This app allows the students to work individually or collaboratively. This is a great app for teachers to use because they can download their document into google drive and share it to their students in real time. This is also beneficial to teachers because it helps create the paperless classroom.
• IXL
  • This is an app that allows students of all grades to practice standard based math problems. This app is fun and engaging. One of the best thing about this app it gives them feedback when they get an answer incorrect and provides those step by step instructions on how to solve it and gives them more practice. The teacher would use this for time fillers in the classroom, for students who complete their work a lot faster than everyone else. The teacher could use it after she gives a test, make them go in and practice on the problems they struggle with. Another really great thing about this app it can be used to address the needs of both struggling and the students who are above average because you could assign above average work to those who are above and average to those are average and below level who are below level.
• Plickers
  • Plickers is a great way to teachers to use technology in the classroom, without having to have the technology in the hands of students. Not all students have a smartphone or device they can bring to school, while not all classrooms have the technology to provide to these students. Plickers allows for students to respond to questions asked by the teacher. The teacher hands out cards with choices on them. Once the teachers ask the question, the student holds up the card corresponding to the correct answer. By quickly scanning the classroom with an iPad/iPhone, teachers can electronically store the data answered by students. Once Plickers records the data, it shows all answers in a data base/graph.
• Prodigy Math Game
  • Prodigy Math Game is another app that teachers for grades 1st-8th grade can use in their classroom. As a teacher you can set the standard and the kids play against each other. You can also see what they miss and how many they miss. Another great thing about this app is that it is free. Prodigy also gives students an individual assessment when they first log in to make sure they are on the correct grade level and moving toward success as they play. I use this in my classroom because my students gets bored playing the same math games each week and this allows them to get on something fun and different. As a teacher this can be used to introduce new skills, to engage students, to give students help on a standard they may be struggling with, or just as a review. This is a wonderful app for students when working on math.
• Epic!
  • E-Books are read aloud to the students and are interactive. Literature is developed for students ages 4-12. The library consists of all reading genres. Books are categorized by reading level and interests. There are over 20,000 books. The user has the ability to search for books by keyword, author, title or advanced search features including grade level and genre. Books can be flagged and added to the user’s library. Epic is free for teachers only. The teacher must have a valid school email address. A free month trial for parents and students to use at home is available. After the first month, membership is $4.99 per month. The app is available in the Apple Store only but can be accessed through a web browser as well (There is no app for Android devices). Classroom Integration: Epic can be used in a whole group, small group, or individual setting. The E-Books can be used in literacy centers. Non-fiction stories serve as a resource to research specific topics or teach non-fiction text features. Students have the ability to create book reviews and write book recommendations for their peers.
• Quizlet
  • Quizlet is an app that allows flash cards to be made for a subject within the app. It also saves the previously made notecards from other users and allows them to be shared with other quizlet users. There are different settings within the app – there is strictly notecards (like you would flip in real life), there is a game format that allows you to match the words/definitions, and there is a testing format that will give you multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false options. The app also allows users to have access even when offline. I think this would be beneficial for students to have access to certain study notes or if a teacher has a new student that has come in and needs help catching up this app could help.

• Animoto
  • This is a great app for teachers to use to capture student events for now or the future. Students can without much of a stretch make and impart their own particular wonderful recordings to Animoto. "The application permits students to choose a topic, music, pictures or recordings, include inscriptions or potentially two lines of content, and inside minutes a smooth video is made. The completed item can be shared through online networking, transferred to YouTube, or implanted in students’ e-portfolio. For an awesome prologue to Animoto, with an inherent lesson in computerized citizenship, have students make an 'About Me' or 'Year in Review' Animoto." In my Autism classroom taking pictures and having videos are always a good for parents to view their children school activities.
• Evernote
  • This is not a free app (unless you choose basic). Teachers are able to share their notes without handwriting them (saving paper). Also, students can create e-folders to compile their work, save, and submit -- awesome way to start their career portfolio. Teachers love this notetaking app — for good reason. “Evernote has allowed me to get rid of handouts. I just don’t make them anymore,” writes TED-Ed Innovative Educator Nicholas Provenzano in this blog post. “All of my projects are shared with my students through our shared notebooks, and all assignments are posted on the Assignment shared notebook that is available for parents on my website. Traditionally, these handouts would be viewed by students then trashed. Now they can view them on Evernote and trees can be saved.” To learn more from Nick about how to use Evernote in the classroom, read The Epic Evernote Experiment>> All future teachers, check this out.
• My Math FlashCards
  • This is an app that takes away the time of making flash cards by hand. Students are able to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using this app. Students love using this app to help them with basic math facts and even the tougher ones. This app is wonderful for students who need that extra push when learning math facts. My first grade students love using this when studying because it is something different and they are able to use the iPads.
• TeacherKit
  • Over a million educators worldwide trust Teacher Kit with managing their time and activities. Teacher Kit helps you organize classes and students easily. Create a seating chart, record attendance, log behavior, and track grades all with few taps. Teacher Kit lifts the headache of routine administration, allowing you to focus on what really matters to you teaching. Key Teacher Kit Features are organize your classes, import your student roster, log student's attendance, create and print a seating chart for your students, add behavior notes for students, create a grading schema and record students' grades, and Stay informed on your student's performance and the class overall progress. The price for this app is 1-month subscription -$3.99 (automatically renewed until canceled), and 1-year subscription - $39.99 (automatically renewed until canceled). I would you this app to keep the parents informed and updated on thing in the classroom.
• Show Me Interactive Whiteboard
  • This app allows teachers to use their iPad like a whiteboard. You can use it for several different things, and it's most known use is in the aid of the "flipped classroom". Teacher record lessons and have the ability to share them with their students. I can see how this could be very beneficial for students who are absent a lot, but I haven't quite warmed up to the idea of a flipped classroom yet. One of my favorite uses of this app is the ability to work, explain, record, and share homework solutions. You can save a lot of time in class by doing this. Instead of going over questions that may be easy fixes, the students can watch the video and listen to you explain each problem they are having an issue with. Of course, you will have some students who choose not to do their homework, and will only listen to the recording, but at least each students is getting some kind of exposure to your voice and academic vocabulary associated with each problem. This will also help parents. I know several parents that complain about the difficulty level of their kids' math homework. This way they can hear how I explain every problem, and somewhat make sense of it. In order to get maximum use out of this app, I think it's important how you explain each problem. Explanations should be thorough and consistent. For example, if you refer to a rule used from a past unit, be sure to jog their memory on what the rule is.
• SnapType
  • SnapType is an app designed by an Occupational Therapist that allows students to complete any worksheet on your iPad or Tablet. It is perfect for students with disabilities or students who have trouble writing. Take a picture of the worksheet using the iPad camera or import one from email or Google Drive. The student is then able to type the answers on the screen. The app includes features to draw on worksheets and zoom capabilities for easier reading. Once worksheets are completed they can be emailed to the teacher, printed from iPad, or uploaded to Google Drive. Teachers can use this app as an alternative to homework worksheets. Students who have a device can take a picture of the assignment and email the instructor the assignment when finished or worksheets can be stored on the iPad to prevent lost homework. Teachers can also use this app to help save paper. SnapType has a free version that allows users to store up to three documents SnapType Pro can be purchased for $4.99, allows users to unlimited worksheets within the app and has other features not available in the free version.
• MobyMax
  • MobyMax is a program that finds and fixes learning gaps by personalized learning. MobyMax finds missing skills with a quick screener or placement test. The diagnostic test quickly assess student proficiency on each Common Core Standard, allowing teachers to know where the students struggle. The adaptive curriculum generates an individualized education plan allowing students to work at their own pace. MobyMax automatically assigns the appropriate lessons to target missing skills. Students do not waste time practicing material they have already mastered. Moby Targets areas where students are struggling and allows progression once students master a certain skill. Teachers can monitor students’ progress in real time. Teachers can use MobyMax in many different ways. The screener can provide the teacher with beneficial data that can be used to determine what skills students have not mastered to help with teacher planning. MobyMax can be used to help students reach their IEP goals or can be used to accelerate a gifted students learning. Teachers can also use MobyMax to target learning skills students have not mastered.
• ABC Ya!
  • This app is teacher created and offers games and activities to help students in grades pre-k through 5th with reading and math skills. The app features six free games that change each week, but a subscription offers more than 250 games. Many of the games give immediate feedback to the students, giving them reports on their performance. I would use this app on the iPad that I have available for my students during free choice times and mention it to parents for use at home.
• PBS Kids Video and Games
  • PBS Kids has a video app and a games app that offers many videos and games for children that revolve around some of their favorite television shows. This app would be great to use for “free time” or to mention to parents for use at home. The PBS video app offers new videos which are available each week. The app provides a “weekly pick” section of educational videos that change each Friday. This app includes a grown up tab which offers resources for parents. The PBS games app allows children to play over 50 free learning games with familiar PBS characters.
• Class Dojo
  • Class Dojo is a great app for keeping students on task and focused. Class Dojo can be used as a behavior management tool. By just one click, teachers can give points to those doing right or take away from those doing wrong. When using this app, I have known of teachers to use it as a game where each child is competing against each other. The student with the highest points at the end of the week could be rewarded. Class Dojo is also available for parents to log on and see how their child is doing in class. Little tools like class dojo are a great way to keep students engaged or to correct them to do better.
• Common Core App
  • The common core app is an app that contains all common core standards for every grade level. This is an app that is very beneficial to have on your phone and easily accessible. I have used this app to quickly locate specific standards for a certain grade level. I also use it when writing my lesson plans because I do not have to go online to locate standards, I just quickly look at my phone to match my standards to my lesson plans. The app could be extremely beneficial to teachers that are new in the classroom and not so familiar yet with their grade level specific standards. It is a great tool to have readily available to refer to when necessary.
• Popplet
  • This is a mind-mapping style app that can function in many ways. You are able to add thought bubbles and connect them to one another. Inside the bubbles you can write, draw, type, or add pictures. Papa is very easy to use, and it is a great resource for students to use to show what they are learning. I use this app many different ways in my classroom. I use it as syllable boxes and students must write each syllable in, I let my students brainstorm ideas about what they are writing, we use it to make topic anchor charts and describe attributes of items, and we use it to show what details we have learned about something. This is a wonderful app to promote student focused creation. They absolutely love it.
• Seesaw
  • Seesaw is a digital portfolio that is managed by the student. This digital portfolio allows the students to see where they have improved over the semester or term. This portfolio allows the students to an opportunity to be a part of a learning community that is readily available for teachers and students alike. I would use this as a grade for my students at the end of term. The more they have in the portfolio the higher their grade will be. I feel like this would be beneficial for students because it allows them to be in control of their grades, and also gives me and the parent some time to peep in to check on them.

• Bloomz
  • The app Bloomz is completely free to download. Teachers can use this app to schedule conferences with parents, upload photos of student work to create portfolios and send to parents, message parents, and to monitor and make parents aware of student behavior throughout the day. Bloomz reminds me a lot of the apps Remind and Class Dojo being merged together. I liked that there was a demo class already set up in the app that I could use to see all the features of the app before taking the time to add my students and parent information into the app. We are currently considering using it next school year instead of Remind. One of our main issues is the parents that constantly change phone numbers and contact information without updating the school or teacher.
• ABC Mouse
  • ABC Mouse usually requires a paid subscription; however, they offer a free classroom subscription for teachers. Teachers can add students to their class and even invite their parents so they may work on the app or website at home in addition to at school. The app allows you to use preloaded lessons, videos, and assignments to assign to your students based on the skills they are working on or need help with. Teachers can view progress. Teachers have access to printable worksheets and books through the site/app as well. Students can also work at different levels so the instruction can be differentiated.
• Edmodo
  • This app is one that I wish I had as a child. There were plenty of times I wished I could ask my teacher one question that would bring the entire day's lesson back to recollection while at home. This is a great way for students and teachers to connect by allowing them to communicate about assignments, notes, and homework while at home. I've often wondered how the teachers have managed to successfully implement this app due to the high level of involvement it could require from them while at home. This app has been very helpful to my daughter (8th grader) for years, so I know that it is something beneficial for all students when used correctly. One thing I do know about this app is that teachers must establish a cut off time.
• ZipGrade
  • Most people are familiar with the scantrons that are used for multiple choice tests. Well, ZipGrade allows teachers who do not have access to scantrons to complete the same kinds of tests, using their smartphones! All the teacher has to do is download the ZipGrade app and then go to their website and download the answer forms. There are 3 different versions to choose from, 20 questions, 50 questions, and 100 questions. Then, you simple select new quiz, input the correct answers, and grade away. This app is free and allows you to scan up to 100 sheets a month. It connects with their website to allow the grades to be backed up and saved. It also allows you to export the results as a PDF.
• Audiobooks Now
  • This is an app for audiobooks. This is a wonderful resource for any English teacher. When reading novels, it's often so much better to listen to it on audiobooks when outside of the classroom. I really encourage my struggling readers to listen and follow along if they are reading outside of class. These students really have benefited from using this app. This app is free, and there are many novels listed for free. My school also does AR points, so this is a way for students to help reach their goals. I really encourage my students to use this with required readings, and some days (though not often) we even use this in class.
• Goodreads
  • This site is not a site for reading books but for making suggestions and for reading reviews. Students can see what their friends are reading, can write reviews of their own books, and can shelve books for future reading. Often I observe students talking about what they are reading and making suggestions to their friends. By using this app, they can do this do with their devices. It is a reading social network app that connects avid readers, “Our mission is to help you find new and interesting books by letting you see what your friends are reading. Whenever you view a book, we always show you your friends’ reviews first.” This app also makes book suggestions based on your reading preferences. Users are allowed to browse “top shelves” and to find popular books. The account is free and offers a number of other learning applications for students: trivia, quizzes, and quotes. Users may search by genre or by username. Also included is a list of Goodreads Choice Awards. Teachers can use this app to suggest reading lists or as a springboard for book talks. Teachers can also learn about student reading interests and suggest books accordingly. Teachers can also use this app for any learning goal associated with Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.

• WordFlex Touch Dictionary
  • This app is exclusively for iPad. Version 2.0.1 requires iOS 7.0 or later. It is an interactive dictionary. Students search for a word—spelling does not have to be exact. Options are offered as student’s type in the letters. The intended word is then selected, “and the dictionary entry expands like a tree, showing dozens of similar words, grouped in branches demonstrating the subtleties of meaning for each.” Instantly created is a graphic organizer where “nodes branch” out from the word illustrating the definition, spelling, pronunciation, word origin, synonym, antonym, tenses, and other related words. I read no negative reviews on this app. Students are able to snapshot a photo and share if desired. Teachers can use this app.
• TED Talks
  • I found this application interesting because there seems to be a TED Talk (or speech) on anything these days! I think this could be used as a conversation starter within any subject matter within the classroom. Clearly, I think this would be more suited for middle or high school students, just because of content. In addition, many of these talks are shorter and could be used at the beginning of class to introduce a topic. I have always found TED Talks interesting and could see them being used in a variety of ways with students.
• Educreations
  • Educreations is a virtual presentation that allows students to interact with information. I could easily see this app being used when a teacher was lecturing but still wanted students to interact and process the information the teacher is conveying. In addition, students are able to refer back and re-watch parts of these presentations. This would be particularly handy if a student was confused or simply needed to review information while completing homework or studying for a test.
• Study Blue
  • With study blue, teachers are able to create and share notecards, quizzes, and study guides to assist the students in learning their material. Once students have taken the test or answered the questions they are able to see how well they did. The students are then able to re-take the test or move on to something different. I would use this in my class as a review for the test. The grade that the students received from the study guide will be counted as additional points on the test. I would also create note cards for the students so that they could learn key terms better.
• Scholastic Classroom Tools
  • This website allows teachers to create virtual classroom seating charts. Teachers can change the layout of their classroom on this website and post student names. This is perfect for substitutes, because the classroom layout is so precise. I use this to change around my classroom at times without actually moving anything in the classroom first. I am a visual person so this saves a lot of time for me. I have also used this website for classroom management courses to show my "dream" classroom layout.
• Prezi
  • This is an app that teachers can use for presentations. Teachers can create a presentation or view any public presentations shared by others. Students can learn to use Prezi to create a presentation as well. Prezi is like a PowerPoint presentation, but the presentations are much more interesting and interactive. Students tend to enjoy these presentations a little more because they are more interesting than a typical slide show. They can catch their attention.
• Screen Chomp
  • I think it is most helpful for the students to create videos re-teaching the material as a presentation and then can show the teacher that they grasped the concepts.
• Kahoot!
  • This app reinforces student learning by allowing them to engage in their learning through games. The students enjoy competing and receive instant feedback as well as instant gratification in various ways. One way that student engagement increases is through the use of "streaks". Students can earn these by answering questions correctly back-to-back. The students work hard to hold their streaks longer than their classmates. I have seen the students interact with this app in a very positive manner. They truly enjoy it and it seems that they forget that they are actually learning.

• Toontastic
  • Toontastic allows the user to design characters, create a plot, and animate and narrate to tell a story. Students can create a short story, classic story, or science report (non-fiction). The app is designed for children ages 6-12. The app is created by Google and is free. An enhanced version of the app is available for a cost. The app can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple Store. Classroom Integration: Toontastic can be used in Reading and Writing instruction. Students are encouraged to think creatively. Storytelling develops literacy skills such as fluency and expression in young readers. Creating the story focuses on reading comprehension skills including story structure and elements. The classic story structure includes five steps- setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution. The short story consists of three steps. Brief instructions are given to the student prior to creating each step of the story. The student selects the setting (background), characters, mood, before recording their voice to tell the story. Students have the option to select story elements or draw their own. After completing the story, the students create a title and enter their name. The story can be saved as a video in the photo library of the device. The science report includes five steps-question, hypothesis, experiment, results, and conclusion. Brief instructions are included.