Sheppard Software Free Game site!

My quest for free online resources continues! Today's find is a multi-level collection of games supporting each of the core subjects. While I was leery of the website as it appeared to be a software company, it actually has a plethora of free games.

After getting past the visually overwhelming design of the homepage I was excited to explore the numerous categories. I discovered as I was selecting options around the page that many of the words and icons I scrolled over were being read aloud. I tried out a few of the games and found that this read aloud feature continued within the games, including a read aloud of the directions.

Along with being able to select by subject you are also able to select an additional Preschool collection. The games in the preschool collection have softer graphics and are great for Preschool and Kindergarten usage. If you hang out with the big kids, there is oodles of stuff for you on this site as well!

Within the Preschool-Kindergarten section of the website I think the Animals section is the best feature. The animal section features a collection of activities themed for ocean, jungle, forest and farm. The direct link to this portion of the site is: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/animals.htm

If you hang out with the big kids, there is oodles of stuff for you on this site as well! I liked the the life cycles activities. These activities are themed for frog, butterfly and bird life cycles. Once a creature is selected you have the option of watching a video or playing a game. I played the butterfly game and was presented with icons for the different stages of the butterfly life cycle. To play the game you organize the icons onto a life cycle circle. When the incorrect icon is selected the icon would fly back to the start point rather than attach to the circle. The direct link for the life cycle science games is: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/life_cycle/index.htm

Link to Sheppard Software homepage: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/

Link to Sheppard's Preschool page: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/preschool.htm

Thanks for reading!

NCTM Illuminations Review

I was thinking with all of the website reviews I've been doing this week I was falling into a pattern of literacy focused posts. How do you fix this situation? Well, by taking a look at the list of websites bookmarked on your computer and searching for something other than literacy.

A few weeks ago I was helping out in a First Grade classroom and learned about a kid's section of the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) site. My mother has been teaching math for about 30 years and while NCTM is a well known organization in our family, it's something that I never paid much interest to as an Early Childhood educator. Who knew it was full of easy to play, developmentally appropriate games? (Clearly, the First Grade teacher I was helping out).

A definite challenge with this site is getting to the games. The teacher I was with told her First Graders to, 'think yellow.' Following the links from the homepage with these steps:

1. Select the "Activities" button (yellow- and on top)

2. Select the "pre-k - 2" yellow stars (also on top)

3. Click the "search" button

4. You are now on the games page- pick a game. (The class I was with was directed to play a specific game).

It would be beneficial to add a link directly to the games page for that grade range to the bookmarks menu of the computers students will use. Of course, this is one of those ideas that takes the extra time we are often strapped for.

One of the games I liked was "Patch Tool." Patch Tool is a virtual play mat for pattern blocks. I would begin by using the blank canvas option for exploration and eventually moving to the "puzzle" outlines. One of the challenges to the puzzle outlines is that to complete some of the puzzles some pattern blocks require rotation.

A second game I could see myself using is "How Many Under the Shell." How Many Under the Shell is a subtraction game featuring a fun animated octopus. In this game the player is given a number of bubbles per round. After viewing the bubbles with corresponding numerals some of the bubbles become hidden by the shell, leaving the player with the remaining bubbles to count up from.

Link for Illuminations home page: http://illuminations.nctm.org/

Link for the First Grade games page: http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activities.aspx?grade=1

Check out the games and feel free to leave your thoughts on them here.

Thanks for reading!

Storyline (Online video book collection)

I figure since I'm having such luck finding free and useful websites, I should keep Googling. A few interesting key word searches later I located a website run by the Screen Actor's Guild. While SAG is not the first agency I would think of for classroom freebies I can honestly say that they put together a nice resource.

Storyline is a video collection featuring actors reading picture books. The videos transition smoothly from the actor/actress holding the book to pictures from the book. The videography is well done and the videos are enjoyable to watch. Be sure to click the 'more stories!' button at the bottom of the displayed links to access the variety hiding on additional pages. When you select a specific video you are provided with addition links for complimentary activities for that story. http://www.storylineonline.net/

Happy viewing!

Read Write Think Website Review

For years, I have known about a few websites that offer a handful of activities for free and charge for membership when you attempt to download what you are really interested in. I recently posted about a website offering free access to a collection of videos for lesson extension. Well, I have found another free- and useful site.

Read Write Think offers a collection of lesson plans ranging from interactive web based games to whole group instruction guides. The menu on the left side of this website categorizes the LP's by grade level or type. Use the grade level option to then access a searchable collection for your classroom level. Check it out! (http://www.readwritethink.org/)

Be cautioned that the grade levels assigned to the LP's are not always appropriately designated. As with many resources, I always check the grade levels above and below the one I am teaching.

Enjoy!

WatchKnowLearn Review

Wow, it's been a while! I have been inspired by the influx of Pinterest re-pin notifications flowing into my inbox on a daily basis and went searching for some new resources myself.

I like to include technology as lesson extensions rather than as an area of the classroom to plop a student in front of a computer for a bit. While I agree that computers have a place in elementary school classrooms, I consider 'integrating technology' to be more than a center activity. One of my preferred lesson extensions are videos of 'animated' books (as opposed to video versions of books) and really, quick videos in general. I work primarily with younger

learners and need developmentally appropriate videos often to assist in making abstract ideas concrete while working with short attention spans.

It is often a challenge to locate high quality materials to complement my lessons. Imagine my excitement the other day when I happened upon this fantastic collection of such quick videos ready to go on a number of lesson topics and picture books! I have bookmarked this site and highly recommend you do the same. Teachers and parents can find something on here.

The much anticipated link. (http://watchknowlearn.org) Use the menu on the left to find videos by subject. You will need to click on the + bubble (not the subject name) to load the drop down within the topic.

Happy exploring!