Oh, the world we live in!

You guys, the world we live in is AMAZING sometimes, don't you agree?!

Two things today caught my attention that I am dying to share with you!

First of all, have you heard of a website called Upworthy? Each day they share a variety of videos. They describe themselves by saying, "at best, things online are usually either awesome or meaningful, but everything on Upworthy.com has a little of both. Sensational and substantial. Entertaining and enlightening. Shocking and significant."

One that I loved today had the caption "If 3 little girls did this to my house, I'd do everything I could to get them full rides to Stanford":

So while Upworthy is a fun site for personal use, many of the videos that I've seen have the potential for CSL, Second Step, classroom meeting, and writing activities. Of course preview the videos first, but I hope you find something nice to share with your class! To search for videos, you can choose from a variety of categories, including Inspirational. 

Next up is an idea that I found awhile back called Augmented Reality. When I first saw the video, I was like OMG! How cool! I want to be able to do that in our Learning Commons! Here's what it looks like:

Well my friends, today I discovered that it is totally possible for us to do this! It's an app called Aurasma. The app is free, and to create your own you can create a free account. 

Here's an example of how kindergarten teacher Matt Gomez uses it in his classroom, which I found through the Technology Tailgate:

I've had a little bit of time to play with it, and I can't wait to use it! If anyone wants to explore it with me, let me know and we can learn together. 

BrainPop: GameUp

BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. both have a new section called Game Up! They have improved upon many of their educational games, and in most cases, partnered with different foundations to provide fun learning games for kids. Clicking on each category (Science, Health, Reading & Writing, Social Studies, Math, and Arts & Tech) brings up more games available, but here are a few favorites:

3rd grade teachers! There is a Simple Machines game that kids explore the different basic simple machine properties to help a character named Twitch get around the museum at night. 

K-2 teachers! There is a game called "Chain Game" that has students replace sounds in words to make new words. There are different letters and sounds to choose from for various levels.

3-4 teachers! There is a game called "Treefrog Treasure" that my kids in summer school couldn't get enough of. Students make a frog bounce from place to place, and have to have him land on certain parts of a number line involving fractions. The levels get tricky and involve some problem solving and fraction thinking!

While these are all games on BrainPop Jr., check out BrainPop also for more games at higher levels. 

Little Bird Tales

Little Bird Tales is an easy to use digital storytelling tool that can be used online (they do have an app also that is $2.99). Students can upload their own artwork, record their voice, add text, and can be shared by purchasing an mp4, emailing, embedding in your classroom website, or creating a PDF. 

Here's how it works:

You could set up accounts for individual students and have them write stories...

 or create class books, like this example:

They also have Common Core templates build in for grades K-5 when you set up a teacher account!

Looking to learn more? Here is another tutorial and other ideas to use it in your classroom. 

Children's Book Week Resources

Children's Book Week is coming! Looking to incorporate some activities in your classroom? Look no further...

A Google search on your favorite illustrator may bring you to their website, which often has activities you can incorporate into your classroom. Here are some of my favorites:

Or, maybe you want to have students create their own works surrounding the theme. Here are some fabulous resources for creativity!

I LOVE Storybird! (and have shared it before.) You could do a whole class activity of using imagery to write a story. They have a variety of illustrations to get students brainstorming their own story! I have a QSG to get you started - email me if you'd like it :)

Poetry Month

Since April is poetry month, here are some fun resources to bring into your classroom to get your students excited about poetry!

Shel Silverstein's website has activities for kids and a teacher/parent section with ideas, lessons, activities, and more. 

This blog post has hands-on project ideas that are creative and unique- like this newspaper blackout poem.

Squidoo also put together a list of 12 of the best poetry websites for kids- all of which are interactive and free! They look like so much fun!

Pict-Lits is also a very cool site. It is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords they provide in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture- but that "right" place is all up to you! Below is an example pict-lit and what it looks like when you are creating your own.

Wonderopolis & Draw a Stickman

It's pretty fitting for this blog that there is actually a website out there called Wonderopolis! (Thanks Jasmin for sharing!) Each day, they post a new "wonder", which is just a fun fact or "wonder" of the day. The topics cover a wide variety of things, from "what is an aglet?" to "how much rain can a rain cloud hold?". The daily wonders could spark classroom discussion, a writing prompt, fit into your science/social studies unit.. the possibilities are endless! You can also view past wonders or search for topics if you are looking for something in particular. 

Draw a Stickman is another fun website that would be a fun story starter or introduction to digital storytelling. It is an interactive adventure that reminds me of one of my favorite children's books, Harold and the Purple Crayon. You start by drawing a stick man, and then follow him through an adventure that you add things to the picture as it unfolds. Would definitely make a great SmartBoard activity! It could serve as a writing prompt also - stop the story at any point and ask the students where they would take it from there, or how would they problem solve the situation?

Fun with Web 2.0

Looking for a little bit of fun amidst all of the testing? Check out some of these fabulous websites and give your kids a brain break while still learning!

Teach Hub posts weekly video writing prompts. Each week they post a video and then offer suggestions for writing prompts based on grade level, K-2, 3-5, etc. What a fun way to get your students writing! Some video examples include ones for Leap Year, Groundhog Day, the Lorax, and yes, even Angry Birds. You could have it be a writing activity that you do once a week as they post them or once in awhile. 

As an example, here is a Muppets video writing prompt:

Wordia is a new website that you can play the games they have, or create your own (it is very easy to create your own vocab or spelling game!) There are spelling, geography, science, and other subject areas to choose from. For one "Spell it Right" game, they used children from around the world to say the words. I thought that was very unique and would provide another opportunity to bring cultural awareness into your classroom.

I also really like WeGiveBooks.org. While the site does require teacher signup (and then you could post your login for students to use), I think it is well worth it. Created by the Pearson Foundation, We Give Books has several leveled books that students can read on the computer. Every time they complete a book, a book is donated to under privileged children. You could read the books whole-class on the SmartBoard or use it as a center. And, to tie some math in, you could create a chart to show how many books your class has donated to a great cause!

   

If you're looking for a way to perk up your students before testing, I found this cute printable note, and others here.