Blogs and Wikis

If used effectively both Wikis and Blogs can enhance classroom learning.  Before this week I was very familiar with Blogs but not really familiar with Wikis.  They both can be used to enhance communication and collaboration in the classroom.  Wikis are meant for groups to have equal access to editing and saving a post.  Everyone can change what is written.  It is great for collaboration and coordination.  Blogs are more intended for one author.  Others can comment on posts but cannot change the original post. 

Blogs are great for teachers to run.  They can post calendar items, homework assignments and news articles they want their students to be aware of.  Students can view these posts both at home and at school.  They can respond in the comments section if it is required or if they have a question.  It is also a great tool to keep parents in the loop and involved in the classroom. 

Wiki’s can also be used effectively in the classroom.   They can be used to help small groups collaborate and share ideas even when they are at home.  They can be used to produce a final paper or product where everyone has access to creating and editing it.  They also would be perfect for faculty and grade level teams to use to share ideas or plan curriculum.  Everyone has equal editing abilities and access. 

In order to use Wiki’s and Blogs effectively everyone must have access to a computer and the wiki or Blog itself.  In a professional setting this may not be a problem but with students, particularly in low income areas this may be a problem.   They may not even have a computer or internet access at home.  Teachers need to be aware as to what students can access at home.  Also, anytime you send students to the internet they could potentially run into predators or inappropriate material.  It would be best to keep blogs and wikis private so that only those the author has given access to can view them.  As with anything in the classroom a teacher would just need to do their best to monitor what is happening within the blogs or wikis and teach students responsible behaviors.  

Magic Spoon Pages

Sight Word Bowling

Source: http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/07/play-to-learn-sight-word-bowling.html

I like to keep things simple. 

Simple = doable. 

You with me? 

So taking this unused toy and turning it into a learning game had to be simple.  But I also wanted to be able to change the words so it could be used over and over again. 

I opted to use small post it notes that I had on hand and stuck them onto the bowling pins with clear tape. By putting 4 words on each pin, we can practice 24 words at a time. Once those have been mastered I can change the post-it notes and write new words. 

How to Play:

1. Write target words onto slips of paper or post-it notes and tape onto bowling pins with clear tape. I put 4 words on each pin so that there is always a word visible when the pin falls down.

2. Set up pins as you normally would for bowling.

3. Let child throw bowling ball to knock pins down.

4. Before picking bowling again (or setting up the pins for the next round), the child must read each word that is visible on the pins that were knocked down. 

5. Repeat as long as child is interested and wants to play.

* You can spice this up by using different things as your bowling ball - sponges, toys.*

Pizza Party

Source:  http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/05/pizza-party-sight-word-review-game.html

What To Do:

1. Draw a pizza slice on the paper plate & color.

2. Use colored construction paper to cut out toppings -

we used red pepperoni, green broccoli and brown mushrooms.

3. Write target sight words on the toppings.

4. Place toppings face down on a plate.

How To Play:

1. Taking turns each child will turn over 1 topping at a time and read the word.

2. If the word is read correctly - place the topping on the pizza.

If the word is read incorrectly - it goes back onto the topping plate.

3. Continue to play until 1 child has the target number of toppings 

on their pizza (we used 6 because it best fit our pizza).

4. Once you have a inner, take all toppings off your pizza & play again.

Sight Word Hop Scotch

Source:  http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/03/learning-through-play-sight-word.html

This is such an easy & fun way to practice sight words.

What You Need:

chalk (multiple colors work best) for outdoor play

or use colored tape & bring the fun indoors

rock or bean bag

What To Do:

1. Using chalk make a hopscotch board.

2. In each square write target sight words, spelling words, letters, etc...

3. Child should throw rock onto hopscotch board. 

Whichever word the rock lands in is the word to be read.

4. Repeat until all words have been read at least once.

Different Ways to Play: 

We play this a few different ways aside from the basic way listed above.

 Some rounds she reads every word she hops on or

uses the word in a sentence (this is especially useful for homophones)

Other times, she tries to spell the target word after reading it.

Sometimes, we sing-spell the word she lands on to the tune of B-I-N-G-O.

Shape Race

In order to review shapes students will race to shapes taped onto the floor.  The teacher should use tape to make different shapes on the floor around the room.  Students can race to different shapes.

Sight Word Tic Tac Toe

The following game I got from http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/10/learning-fun-sight-word-tic-tac-toe.html

How to play:
In order to write their x or o on the game board, the sight word covering the play spot had to be read correctly.  The first person to get 3 in a row for tic-tac-toe won the game. Any words not flipped over remained on the game board. The others were randomly changed for the next round.