Apple Addition Game Freebie!

Here's a game I have used in math centers before in the beginning of the year (goes well with apple unit!).

Directions:

       1.     Two or more players can play

       2.      Each player will take turns rolling the die

       3.      When you roll, count the amount of spaces and solve the addition sentence at that apple

       4.      If you answer the addition sentence correctly, you can move to that space.  If you answer it incorrectly, stay at the space you are on.

       5.      The first person to reach the finish wins!

      (Provide manipulatives so they can check their answers if both partners are unsure!) 

      I've attached a picture of the game board for Apple Addition, but you can download it from my TeachersPayTeachers site here.

       Enjoy!

Freebie! Contraction Concentration Game

Here is a free printable for your classroom!  It's called Contraction Concentration and it's a concentration (aka memory) game for your classroom.  Print it out, cut up the cards, and have students play and practice their contraction skills!  You would need to match the contraction with the two words that make it up.  Example:  A pair would be: is not and isn't.

You can download it for free from my TeachersPayTeachers site here.

This is what it looks like!

Enjoy!

Awesome Read-Alouds w/ Video Online!

UPDATE: Just came across Barnes & Noble's Online Storytime which also has some free read aloud videos!  Check it out here --> Barnes & Noble Online Storytime

So I've come across some sites and YouTube videos that have read-aloud picture books with an accompanying video.  I've used these on the SmartBoard at times when we don't have enough time for a lesson, but do have enough time to fit in a story.  Sometimes it's good to switch it up with read-alouds, and some of these options have great videos (which allows all students to see the illustrations) to go along with the story.  They'll feel as though they are watching a movie or a show, when in fact, they are being a read a story!  I also found that this works well at times when the students are tired or riled up (for example: after a field trip or outside play) to get them back in "school mode."  Enjoy this list of videos and feel free to add your own in the comments!

 

Me and My Cat - By Satoshi Kitamura

Read by Elijah Wood

 Brave Irene - By William Steig

Read by Al Gore

To Be a Drum - By Evelyn Coleman

Read by James Earl Jones

Enemy Pie - By Derek Munson

Read by Camryn Manheim

Guji Guji - By Chih-Yuan Chen

Read by Robert Guillaume

 

Harry the Dirty Dog - By Gene Zion

Read by Betty White

 

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch - By Eileen Spinelli

Read by Hector Elizondo

Knots on a Counting Rope - By Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Read by Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels

The Night I Followed the Dog - By Nina Laden

Read by Amanda Bynes

No Mirrors in My Nana's House - By Ysaye M. Barnwell

Read by Tia and Tamara Mowry

When Pigasso Met Mootisse - By Nina Laden

Read by Eric Close

The Polar Express - By Chris Van Allsburg

Read by Lou Diamond Phillips

The Rainbow Fish - By Marcus Pfister

Read by Ernest Borgnine

Romeow & Drooliet - By Nina Laden

Read by Haylie Duff

My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother - By Patricia Polacco

Read by Melissa Gilbert

Sebastian's Roller Skates - By Joan De Du Prats

Read by Caitlin Wachs

Sophie's Masterpiece - By Eileen Spinelli

Read by CCH Pounder

Stellaluna - By Janell Cannon

Read by Pamela Reed

A Bad Case of Stripes - By David Shannon

Read by Sean Astin

Thank you, Mr. Falker - By Patricia Polacco

Read by Jane Kaczmarek

White Socks Only - By Evelyn Coleman

Read by Amber Tamblyn

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - By Mem Fox

Read by Bradley Whitford

Private I. Guana - By Nina Laden

Read by Esai Morales

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - By Eric Carle

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - By Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

Owl Babies - By Martin Waddell

The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny (Parts 1&2) - By Beatrix Potter 

Little Red Riding Hood by Oxbridge Baby

The Mixed Up Chameleon - By Eric Carle

The Tiny Seed - By Eric Carle

 

Duck and Cover by Jackie Urbanovic Video

 

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy by Jane O'Connor Video

 Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic Video

 

The Handy Girls Can Fix It by Peggy Kahn Video

When I Was a Girl I Dreamed by J.P. Matott Video 

Excuse Me by Lisa Kopelke Video 

Bugtown Boogie by Warren Manson Video 

 Granny McFanny by Lewis Kimberly Video

 The Gum Chewing Rattler by Joe Hayes Video

Mr. Walrus and the Old School Bus by Patricia Derrick Video

 Anansi Goes to Lunch by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk Video

 Ensoñación y el Jardín de Sueños / Dreamygirls Field of Wishes by Jorge Betancourt Polanco Video

 Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes Video

 Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor Video

 Lilly's Big Day by Kevin Henkes Video

 Hooray Jose by Michael Garland Video For the Hearing Impaired

 A Soup Opera by Joe Gill Video

Enjoy the videos and please leave some comments with your own read aloud videos!

Middle School iPad Apps

Here is a list of iPad apps for middle schoolers.  Not all of these apps are as age specific as the apps for the younger grades, but many of them serve an educational purpose for middle school aged children.  Enjoy!

Language Arts
Dictionary.com
This app is exactly what it says it is--a dictionary!  It is an easy way for students (and adults) to look up unknown vocabulary words or to find synonyms and antonyms for words.

Shakespeare in Bits: Romeo and Juliet
For those older middle school students who are encountering Shakespeare for the first time, this app is wonderful.  It provides animations, definitions, and notes.  You can also listen to the story as a read aloud.  It is a great way to interact with the difficult language that Shakespeare uses and truly understand the meaning of one of the most famous plays in history.  There are many other Shakespearean plays available also!

Book Creator for iPad
This app allows students to create their own books right on their iPads.  You can add pictures and text, save your books, and send them to family and friends.  A great app for a creative mind!

Reading Trainer
This unique app helps you to train your eyes and brain to read and understand text more quickly.  Great for adults too!

Free Books
Yes, that's rights, FREE BOOKS!  This app has over 23,000 classic books for FREE!  This is a wonderful resource for people of all ages!

Kindle
This is an app for Amazon's e-reader software.  There are some free books on here too!

iBooks
This is another e-reader software for the iPad/iPhone. 

Maxjournal
This app is like a journal and a scrapbook in one!  It would be great for use in the classroom as a writing journal, because it includes visual learners by allowing them to illustrate their entries as well.  It also has a calendar features that keeps track of entries by date.

Index Card
This app is a great way to organize ideas, especially for writers. Using a corkboard feature, it allows for writers to keep track of their thoughts and ideas.

Puppet Pals
Though this app is designed primarily for younger children, I think Middle Schoolers would get a kick out of using themselves as characters in the retelling of stories.  Very fun and interactive app!

Word Stack Free
This is a fun and challenging word association game that is great practice for vocabulary!

Storylines for Schools
A fun visual version of the "telephone" game.  A great practice for vocabulary!


Math
The Ruler
This app allows you to measure items using your iPad.  A great visual aid for dimensions and measurement!

Math Quizzer
This app is great for practice with simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.

Mastering Mathematics Grade 6
A math workbook for sixth grade math!

Mastering Mathematics Grade 7
A math workbook for seventh grade math!

Math Terms for iPad
This app contains a great glossary with tons of math terms.

Fraction Factory
This is a good app to reinforce fractional values and where they belong on the number line.

Middle School Math 7th Grade
Good practice for 7th grade Math concepts.

Units- Free Unit Converter
A free and easy way to convert units.

Oh No! Fractions
This is a great teaching tool and great way to show students fractions in a visual way.  It is a great way to teach greater than and less than with fractions.

Algebra Champ
Practice solving for x in this fun algebra game!

Algebra Touch
Brush up on your algebra skills with this interactive alegebra app!

Alge-Bingo
This fun Bingo game is great practice for all different types of simple algebra problems.


Social Studies
Presidents vs. Aliens
Don't let the name of this app keep you from believing it is actually educational!  This is a fun way to learn about specific presidents while fighting aliens.  What more could you want?

World Book - This Day in History
This app contains little tidbits and trivia for each day of the year.  Very interesting and would be a fun way to start off a Social Studies class each day!

Beautiful Planet - A Photographic Journey Around the World
This app would be a great resource and supplement to use in a history or geography lesson.  It has breathtaking photos from every continent and over 100 countries. 

Geomaster Plus HD
This interactive geography quiz game is a fun way for students to learn about the location of countries, states, and territories.

US Geography by Discovery Education
This app is a great way to become acquainted with the geography of the United States.  It is very fun and interactive and discusses far more than just location!

Civil War America's Epic Struggle
This app has tons photos, authentic maps, articles, and biographies, all recounting the days of the American Civil War.

History: Maps of the World
This app has tons of images of maps of the world from different periods in history.  Very interesting to see the changes!

The History Clock
Is it 11:30 am?  Or is it the year 1130?  This app takes the current time and gives a fact about the corresponding year.  Neat idea and interesting facts!

The World Factbook for iPad
This app contains information about over 250 countries from around the world!

The Presidency
This app gives detailed information about each president of the United States.

Declaration for iPad
This app contains a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Constitution for iPad
This app contains a copy of the US Constitution.

MyCongress
Keep up with US Congressional officials with detailed stories, videos, and news.


Science
Science Glossary
With Science Glossary, students (and teachers) can look up specific science terms and famous scientists.  It is a great (and free) resource for a science class!

Star Walk
Take your iPad or iPhone device and point it at the sky.  With this app you will see stars, constellations, and planets pointed out for you!  This is so cool for an astronomy unit, and there is also a time machine feature that allows you to see what the sky would look like at any point in the past or future!

3D Brain
This app allows you to explore the brain, its parts, and its functions.  You can click on specific parts and learn about what they do and what happens with brain injuries and mental illness.  Very cool!

Bobo Explores Light
Learn about everything that has to do with light in this adorable interactive science app!  Learn about colors, photosynthesis, holograms, and much more!

3D Cell Simulation and Stain Tool
This app is perfect for teaching about the cell.  It has beautiful visuals to aid in the learning and teaching of the parts of the cell.

EMD PTE
This app is an intearctive periodic table of elements.

VideoScience
This app contains tons of videos that show science experiments.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration
This app gives a very visual and in depth look at all of the elements.

Frog Dissection
This is a virtual frog dissection app---just as fun and less mess! ;)


Miscellaneous  

Be Confident in Who You Are
This app, formatted as a graphic novel, is a great way to introduce middle schoolers to the issues they may face with their peers, parents, and teachers now that they are growing up.  It encourages middle school aged students to stand up for themselves and simply "be confident in who they are."  Also good for parents to talk to their children about before they start middle school.

SketchBook Pro
This is a great art app for only $1.99!  Great for digital artists.

Cramberry
Cramberry is a create your own flash cards app.  Makes studying easy and fun!

OmniGraffle
An interactive app that helps to create charts, graphs, and diagrams.

Note Taker HD
Take organized and personalized notes with handwritten text, diagrams, etc., all on your iPad!


Please leave comments if you have any apps to add to the list!!

Great Math Educational Websites!

Here's a list of great educational math sites for children and students from grade levels Pre-K - Middle School.  Keep their math skills fresh during the summer using these fun interactive game sites!

IXL
IXL is a wonderful math resource for students and teachers alike.  It is separated by grade level, so there will be no confusion about whether the activities are age appropriate or not!

Smarty Games
Smart Games has a lot of fun interactive math games for children to play.  It also has puzzles, sudoku, and reading lessons.  The games focus on different math lessons like money, telling time, and other various math lessons.

My Savings Quest
My Savings Quest is a unique website that allows older chidren and students to create their own savings plan based on how much they make.  They create a character and pick a job and must budget their "money" to save up for something.  It is a great real life lesson!

Math Slice
Math Slice has tons of games and activities for a broad range of subjects.  Each topic is listed on the left, so it is easy to navigate and get the kinds of games and lessons that you want.

Math Playground
Math Playground allows you to practice skills with flashcards, manipulatives, and games.  A truly great resource!

Math Moves U
Math Moves U is a website created for middle grades.  It allows students to make their own character and travel through worlds where they see math applied in real life situations.  There is not a lot of direct computation, but it is a fun site to explore for older children.

Math is Fun
Math is Fun has math games and activities all organized by categories.  It goes from number practice to algebra, so it really is a broad range!

Sheppard Software
Sheppard Software is one of my favorite math websites.  It has so many games and activities that are neatly categorized.  The games are also very fun and the website is very up to date!

Johnnie's Math Page
Though the graphics are a little out of date, this site has a lot of great resources for different math topics.  It has numbers, geometry, probability, fractions, etc.

Cool Math Games
Cool Math has a lot of fun games at the bottom that are organized by strategy and skill.  It is great for elementary student practice!

A Plus Click
A+ Click has a lot of fun math activities separated by grade level from grade 1 through grade 12.  They are not explicit games, but there are a lot of questions that get a math brain to think!

FunBrain
FunBrain has a ton of resources for students, but their math arcade is one of their best!  It provides a lot of awesome games and resources that children will love.  Also make sure to check out their Math Baseball game!

Primary Games
Primary Games has a lot of games right there to choose from.  It is great for children who have a hard time navigating a complciated website, because the games are all right there with a brief explanation and a screenshot!

Sumdog
This is a site that must be registered for, but it is free and totally worth it!  Students will get to practice their math skills in a fun and interactive environment!

Fuel the Brain
Fuel the Brain is another site that has its math practices and games separated into categories.  Just choose the skill you want to work on and voila!  You will find a game you will love.

Hooda Math
Hooda Math is a unique site because it doesn't only have math games, but it has math tutorials, learning tools, and even some videos.  Great for math practice!

TES iboard
This site can be used as a great resource for games or as a great resource for the interactive whiteboard!  It has many different strategies that can be displayed for your whole class!

Soft Schools
Soft Schools Math has a ton of different math categories to choose from, and then it has categories within the categories!  This is a truly wonderful resource and will provide the perfect practice for whatever students are looking for!

Math Game Time
Math Game Time is a really great site for games for all grade levels (also categorized by grade level!).  Students will love to navigate this site and play the awesome games!

Kids Numbers
Kids Numbers is great for lower elementary students.  It has a lot of games and activities that help to promote number sense. 

Math Run
Math Run is a fun and easy way to practice basic math facts.

Math Live
Math Live is a unique website that is fun and interactive.  It is not exactly a game site, but it provides interactive lessons for the math concept of your choice.

Learn Your Tables
Learn Your Tables is a site that is very simplistic in its design and its approach.  It is a good site for practicing multiplication tables.

Cool Math Games for Kids: Kids Activity Blog
This blog has listed a ton of fun and free math games for kids!  Check out each of the games and their descriptions at this site.

Academic Skill Builders
Academic Skill Builders is an awesome site with great games to practice academic skills.  It is research-based and standards-aligned and has tons of categories to choose from!

Math TV
Math TV has a ton of instructional math videos separated by concept and topic.  It ranges from recognizing whole numbers to finding derivatives!

That's all for now.  Please let me know if you have any other great math sites for kids!

Great Language Arts Educational Webistes!

Here's a list of great educational websites for games and lessons.  This is a wonderful resource for the summer to keep the kids busy and learning!

Starfall
Starfall is a great resource for young elementary children to help them with their letter sounds and beginning reading skills.

Seussville
Seussville has a ton of games, activities, videos, and books for children to explore.  It has fun graphics and has all of the familiar characters that children love!

Read Write Think
Students and children may need assistance with getting started with some of these activities (depending on age), but there are tons of activities sorted by grade level/literacy skill that are awesome.  They are interactive and effective.

Spelling City
This is a wonderful resource to practice spelling and vocabulary words.  You can insert your own list or use pre-made lists to practice!

Free Rice
This site has a very interesting premise: for every question that you answer correctly, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme.  It's great vocabulary practice for an even greater cause!

Wordle
Wordle is a fun site that creates word maps and clouds out of the words that you insert.  A fun and creative way to get to know words.

Magnetic Poetry
Kids will have a blast creating their own poems by using the drag and drop function of Magnetic Poetry.  Words are provided and all you have to do is create a poetic masterpiece!

Storyline Online
Done by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Storyline Online is a great way to keep children entertained.  Famous actors and actresses read well-known children's stories aloud as children can follow along.  This is not only great for an at-home activity, but it's also great to fill in some free time in the classroom!

PBS Kids
PBS Kids is a fun way for kids to interact with their favorite PBS characters with fun games and activities.  Between the Lions has great interactive games and stories for children who are learning to read!

ABCya
This is an excellent website for children! It is already split up into grade levels (K-5) and each level provides fun games, books, and aactivities that are age appropriate.

Cookie
Cookie is a great resource for both Language Arts and Math for grades Pre-K-2.  It has games, letter practice, word practice, stories, worksheets, and much more!

Scholastic
Scholastic provides many resources for parents and children alike.  It has a lot of games and a lot of fun stories to read through!  Also great for Clifford interactive story books!

Funschool Language Arts
The Language Arts section of Funschool allows children to play tons of games that cover spelling, vocabulary, reading, etc!

Sheppard Software
This site has tons of games separated into different subjects and categories.

Highlights Kids
This Highlights site has a lot of games, stories, and creative activities for young children and students to do!

FunBrain
FunBrain has tons of resources and games for children to explore from Language Arts to Math!

Jayzee Bear
Jayzee Bear is a bit outdated with its graphics, but it provides some fun practices games for ages 2-8.  

TVO Kids
This site has a lot of fun Flash games with a wide range of subjects for children ages 2-6.

Utah Education Network
Just choose your grade level and subject area and this site will direct you to plenty of sites to suit your needs!  Very good resource to find new educational sites.

Brain Pop Jr.
Brain Pop Jr. has a ton of resources from all across the curriculum.  It also helps to strengthen different reading and comprehension strategies!

Discovery Kids
Discovery Kids is an awesome website to integrate reading with science and exploration.  It has a lot of fun resources for children of all ages!

Sesame Street
Sesame Street has a lot of fun interactive games and stories for children to use and play with.  Obviously this is better suited for younger children, but it has great resources for up to early elementary aged children.

Sports Illustrated for Kids
This is an excellent resource for students who love sports!  Students can read articles about their favorite sports in a kid friendly format.

Kids.gov
This is a government sponsored site that has awesome resources for children and students of all ages. It also categorizes its content into subject areas!

Kids Click
Kids Click is a resource that provides other resources for certain subject areas.

Let me know if you have any other good Language Arts sites for kids!  Thanks!

Bullying Books for your Class

So here I have compiled a list of great classroom resources to teach about bullying.  These books have been recommended by many other teachers as good tools to use to introduce concepts about bullying.

Don't Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin

Illustrated by Glin Dibley

This book is great to get children thinking about how their actions affect others.  It really gets all students to put themselves in other people's shoes and to realize that laughing at others can be hurtful.  Great conversation starter!

The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy

Illustrated by Kim Shaw

This is a great book to explain the idea of a "bystander."  It gets the concept across and shows how a bystander can make a difference to those who are being bullied.  It is meant to empower students to take a stand when they see bullying behavior in their peers.

My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Abigail Marble

This book is an excellent bullying book for older elementary students.  It is a bit longer, but definitely easy for students to relate to and it shows that even "friends" can be bullies.

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Beth Adams

 
This book is also a great bullying book for older children and is actually a sequel to the previous Trudy Ludwig story!  It shows a bullies inner thoughts and her journey to turning her life around so she is no longer a bully.

Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Adam Gustavson

This is yet another Trudy Ludwig bullying gem.  Ludwig is really able to portray bullying behaviors in tweens (ages 8-12) and how to stop them or how to cope with them.  It shows the dilemma of whether to "tattle" or not.  This is a great teaching tool for older elementary students.

Bully B.E.A.N.S. by Julia Cook

Illustrated by Anita DuFalla

This is a good book to support bystanders and can be used in young elementary to older elementary classrooms.  The only criticism of this book is that it is a bit long and may require a larger chunk of time to teach!

Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-Downs by Karen Gedig Burnett

Illustrated by Laurie Barrows

This story is truly unique in its approach to resisting bullying behavior.  It uses a life analogy to "getting caught up" in a hook to getting caught up in bullying and mean behavior.  It is great for students who want to learn how to resist bullies and teasing and teaches them how to stand up for themselves and to be strong in thes situations.

Sorry by Trudy Ludwig 

Illustrated by Maurie J. Manning

This is another story by Trudy Ludwig that demonstrates an important misconception: that sorry makes it all better.  This book shows how simply saying sorry doesn't cut it as an apology.  True remorse and a change in behavior should be the true test for bullies to change their ways.

Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

Illustrated by David Catrow

This is such a wonderful and inspiring books for children to recognize the importance of standing tall no matter what.  It stresses individuality and empowers chlidren to be who they are, even in the face of bullying and teasing.

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy

Illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson

This book is great for children who are struggling with what "the cool kids" are doing.  The subtitle is "having the courage to be who you are" which is exactly what it tries to teach.  The idea of recognizing the beauty in our differences makes this book a homerun!

Jungle Bullies by Steven Kroll

Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

This book is excellent for young elementary students Pre-K-1.  It shows bullying through animals and the illustrations are great.  This book shows young students how to react in bullying situations.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill

Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith

This book is not only great because it has fun language and illustrations, but because it gives bullies a sort of human element.  Very cute story!

Please feel free to add some other books that I may have left out about bullying!