Featured App: Best Books for Tweens

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Best Books for Tweens

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Get your tween students (5th and 6th grade) the appropriate books that they are sure to love!  This app gives you book ratings, reviews, summaries, and suggestions.  If you are stuck on suggesting something for one of your students, send them to this free app for more personalized answers and easier book exploration.  I love it!

Best iPad Apps for Teachers and Educators

Sometimes it's hard to find the perfect grade book or format to truly keep track of the data you need for students.  Whether it is grades, participation, behavior, or other things, it is important to keep track of as much as possible in the classroom!!  Data like this makes it easier to make a case for certain students if they are struggling in any way, and the visuals are great for parent meetings.  Check out some of these paid and free apps for the iPad/iPhone that will fit all your teacher needs!!

Teacher's Assistant Pro: Track Student Behavior
This app is a great way for teachers to keep track of student behavior (both negative and positive).  It allows you to assign a point value to certain actions (e.g. forgetting a book, tardiness) in order to see the severity of the situations.  It also has a random group organizer which is perfect for selecting groups quick and easily.  This would be really effective in middle/high school classes!

Teacher Kit
This app is great for general teaching needs!  It allows you to keep attendance, input grades, and sort by class.  Very useful and simple app!

Essay Grader
This tool really helps when grading essays to focus on the main elements of the writing piece.  It also allows more useful and specific feedback for student work!

Stick Pick
This technological take on the traditional method of picking students at random using popsicle sticks is a fun way to switch things up in the classroom!

Edmodo
This is an excellent app for students with access to iDevices.  Teachers and students can communicate outside of the classroom with class updates, class memos, grades, groups, etc.

Educreations Interactive Whiteboard
Create stunning visual aids to add to your lessons with this app.  Great for sharing your lesson through visuals!

LiveBinders
Use this app to compile information on various topics and keep it all in one place.
 
Outliner for iPad
This simple tool can be used for outlining lectures, lessons, or simple to-do tasks.  It is great as a projected visual or for your own personal reference.

Docs Anywhere
This app is wonderful for those who may need to quickly reference a document they have saved.  You can carry important documents with you quickly and safely.  The one drawback is that you cannot edit anything you have saved.  It is a view only app!

Mathematical Formulas
This is a great reference tool for math formulas!

gFlashPro - Flashcards and Tests
Great for trivia questions and for studying!  Would be a fun game for test prep

LanSchool Teacher's Assistant for iPad
This app allows for easy and effective technology integration in the classroom without the distractions that go along with it.  It keeps students on track and on task.

The Elements: A Visual Exploration
A great visual way to go over the elements.

History: Maps of World
Use this app in a history lesson to show what various parts of the world looked like in certain time periods.  Many different maps.  Awesome app!

Keynote
Upgrade that boring old presentation or lecture with Keynote!  It's just like Powerpoint, but cooler (in my opinion.)

Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking tool for note-takers of all kinds!  You can create lists, use pictures, and store information on this app to help keep your crazy life in order.

neu.Notes
Take hand-written notes on your iPad.  Just like writing on a whiteboard!

TED
TED Talks feature some of the most interesting and inspirational speakers and would provide great lessons for students and teachers alike.

Dropbox
Keep your files, pictures, videos, documents, etc. all in one safe place!  Lose the fear of losing things!!  Great app for docs on the go.

This Day in History
This Day in History is a great app to supplement any history lesson by showing what happened on that particular day in the past.

Pages
This is a wonderful program to make reports, flyers, letters, documents, etc.

Skitch
Add annotations and marks to pictures, documents, etc. to create great visuals for your lesson.

Science360
This app has so many great images and videos to supplement science lessons!

Explain Everything
Annotate, explain, or record on top of any images or videos that you use in your lesson!

TeacherMate
This is great for K-2 teachers of literacy.  It has wonderful interactive lessons for younger elementary students!

Teacher's Roll Call
Simple and easy way to keep track of classroom attendance!

TeacherPlan
Great lesson planning app!  It helps to organize lessons and objectives and keeps you on task!

Lesson Plans
A simple, straight-forward lesson planning app

LessonNote
Great tool for educators who need to observe other teachers.  Take notes, screenshots, pictures, etc in order to create an effective and useful evaluation.

iCardSort
This is an excellent visual brainstorming tool that allows you to organize thoughts and throw out ideas.  Would be great as a whole class activity!

Inspiration Maps Lite
Even better brainstorming app!  The visuals create an interactive web for students and teachers alike.  You can convert to different formats of maps as well.


Please let me know if you have found any other useful apps to aid in your teaching or learning!

Enjoy!

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!!

Second Grade- Fourth Grade iPad Apps

So I've come across some apps that could be used for students in grades 2-4 (some are a little on the young side and some may be a little on the older side).  Enjoy!

 

Grade 2 Eng/Math/Science
has basics for second grade English, Math, and Science

Tic Tac Math
a tic-tac-toe game with math facts..has addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

Grammar Fun Free
fun way to practice grammar and parts of speech

Grammar Jammers Elementary
fun grammar games and practice for the elementary grades

Maths Man
math practice for the elementary grades in a fun animated way

This Day in History
learn what happened in the past on the current date!

Skill Builder Spelling
great for spelling practice for all ages and abilities

Mad Math
math games and practice

Pizza Fractions
great fraction practice using pizza!

Everyday Math Tric Trac
fun game to practice addition facts

Everyday Math Name That Number
great for order of operations practice

Everyday Math Beat the Computer Multiplication
practice for basic multiplication skills

Everyday Math Divisibility Dash
great for practice of finding multiples/divisibility

Everyday Math Equivalent Fractions
great for establishing the relationships between fractions

Everyday Math Baseball Multiplication Facts 1-12
fun baseball multiplication game for multiplication facts up to12

Everyday Math Top It
great for practicing addition facts

Bluster!
helps with vocabulary and word matching...very fun game!

Sparklefish
like MadLibs...fill in words to help with parts of speech while creating a hilarious story!

Fraction Basics
learn about fractions in a straightforward and visual way

Animals Math Flash Card Game
great flash card app to practice basic math facts

Please comment and let me know of any that I may have missed!  Enjoy!

Kindergarten - First Grade iPad Apps

Here's a list I've compiled of some iPad and iPhone apps that are great for a Kindergarten or First Grade class or student!

 Kindergarten Addition
unique learning activities that give great visuals for children who are new to addition
Activity Blocks
a great app to build words, master spellings, and practice counting
Subtracting Sardines HD
a fun way to practice simple subtraction facts
Funny Alphabet - Interactive ABC Game
a fun way to get children to learn the basic sounds of letters
Small ABC
a lot of different activities/songs that help strengthen phonics/phonemic awareness
Kindergarten Flash Cards
many different flash cards going over letters, numbers, colors, sight words, etc.
Phonics with Letter Lilies
cute animations help to improve phonics with a range of ability level
Learn Sight Words
great app for learning sight words with flash cards
Word Magic
great app for recognizing sounds and letters within words
Pocket Charts! Beginning Letter Sound
Pocket Charts! Colors and Color Words
Pocket Charts! Counting 1-20
Pocket Charts! Long and Short Vowel Sounds
Pocket Charts! Rhyming Word Match
Pocket Charts! Shape Matching
Pocket Charts! Uppercase and Lowercase Letters
all of the Pocket Charts! apps are really great to provide visuals for these concepts!
Kindergarten Digital Workbooks - Space Board Rocket Series
18 fun workbooks that practice tons of different skills
Sight Words List
great way to practice sight words
StoryBuddy
a bit pricey, but a fun way to create interactive stories
Phonics Fun and Games
flashcards, memory games, guessing games, tracing practice all provide for a great phonics based approach
Trace Letters Lite
letter tracing practice
Alphabet Game
learn letters and sounds using fun pictures and games
DinoKids Math- Lite
practice with math in a fun dino inspired app!
Motion Math: Hungry Fish
fun underwater math practice with adorable animations!
Reading Pal
great way to practice weekly sight or spelling words because you can enter your own words!


That's all for now!  Please comment if you know of any other good apps.  Thanks for stopping by :)

Pre-K iPad Apps

As I was pinning today, I realized how many great iPad apps there were out there that I had no idea about!  Over the next few days I will post them according to grade level (some may be subjective in that respect!).  Please enjoy!

This Is My Story
create your own story and decorate it with story stickers!
iWriteWords
handwriting and letter practice through a lot of fun games!
Shapes Toddler Preschool
tons of shapes to learn, puzzles to complete, and games to play!
Nature Tap
pictures and flashcards of animals and plants, then fun games and shape/color identification within the pictures!
JungleSpeak
hear animals "speak" while learning fun facts about them!
ABC Music
musical words with pictures, sounds, and videos for kids: great supplement for teaching music!
Letter Quiz
help with learning the ABCs with letter tracing, flashcards, games, and more!
Audubon Guides
learn all about animals and their habitats and much more with this nature-inspired guide!
See.Touch.Learn
great for visual learners, tons of pictures that aid in creating an interactive learning experience..also great for special needs students and children!
ColorSlapPs
great resource for helping children learn colors and distinguish them from one another
Dr. Seuss Band
create music using Dr. Seuss inspired instruments and stories
Bob Books #1 - Reading Magic
bring stories to life with colors and practices reading and spelling sight words
Play123
practice with shapes and numbers on this fun app!
Feed Me!
great for practicing colors, shapes, counting, etc.
Park Math HD
play in the park while learning basic math skills! (some aspects may be more appropriate for Kindergarten but there is still a lot for Pre-K to do)
Fish School HD
swim underwater while learning colors, numbers, shapes, and letters!
Toddler Counting
a simple and fun way to learn to count
Letters A to Z
fun way to learn letters and sounds!
Interactive Alphabet
learn your ABCs with a fun and interactive app
Jumpstart Preschool Magic of Learning
follow Frankie the Dog in a journey through basic preschool concepts in a fun way!


That's all for now!  I'm sure there will be more to come.  If you have any recommendations please leave them in the comments!