HoJos Teaching Adventures: Total Randomness! Apps, Grammar, Websites, and MORE!

This blog post is going to be a bit of a rambling about a wide variety of topics. Teachers from all grade levels will hopefully find something useful. Please enjoy the ride!

One of the things I am loving about my new school is how supportive administration is of new techniques, tips, and technology! Almost once a week I get an e-mail from one of the administrators with a list of websites to try. Today I want to share a couple of them with you. Hopefully you think they're as worthwhile as I do!

The site 21 Things for Students is perfect for teachers who want their upper elementary or middle school students to master technology. Students can basically be set free to explore this website entirely on their own.

This is an oldie, but a goodie! Students use the site to create word clouds. I plan to use this after testing as a new way to keep my kiddos engaged!

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I am on several e-mail list servs, and this is one story that recently came through my inbox - "Reading is Non-Negotiable". In this story a Texas principal talks about her quest to get her elementary students reading. The two main things I took away were the "college system" where students earn various degrees depending on how many books they read and the "graffiti" wall students create with their favorite quotes from books. I will definitely be doing the graffiti wall next year! I encourage you to check this link out yourself to see if other ideas pop out at you.

Another interesting article I read lately was entitled "Believing in Students: The Power to Make a Difference". In today's challenging education climate where we are being forced to learn the Common Core standards, being tested higher than ever, learning new evaluation tools, and just having things pushed at us from every angle - this article helped me remember what it's all about -- the kids. We can and do make a difference each and every day! We have to keep believing in our toughest students and continue to encourage them down the path to success. I highly suggest reading this story!

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Our school has a fair amount of ipads, so having the latest apps is an ongoing task. My kiddos (or others in the school) really love these though:

Stack the States (paid app)
Students practice state skills (capitals, identification, flags, and random facts) and stack the states. My kids absolute love this game! It's one of their go to games.

Stack the Countries (paid app)

This app isn't quite as popular with my kiddos, but they still enjoy it. (I think they simply know more about the US, so this app intimidates them.)

Spelling City app (FREE)

If you read my recent blog post about Spelling City, you know I'm in love! This app has been downloaded to all of our school ipads, and I love knowing I can bring in the mobile lab at any time and let the entire class work on spelling.

Kids Learn Sight Words 1-25

It shows the sight word and students write it the correct way underneath the example. This is the FREE option, but there's also paid versions for more words.

Lit Analysis (paid app)

This is great for 6th grade and up. You can look up things like symbolism, imagery, point of view, conventions, and many other lit terms. It gives a definition for these terms, examples, and further questions to ask. It's a great tool, and one that I truly need to utilize more!

Counting Money (paid)

Students practice counting money. Three different levels, and you can even time students! This is probably my favorite free app that we currently have!

Math Fact Master (paid)

This app allows students to practice flash cards or really challenge themselves by going quickly and giving answers. You can choose which levels to practice (0-12), and decide whether to practice + - x / This is a great app for any K+ students who still need to master their facts.

Spelling Bug (free)

This simple spelling sight has students use Elkonin boxes. It's great for PreK/K!

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Do you ever worry about backing up all of the files on your computer? I've downloaded tons of things from Teachers Pay Teachers, and while I know I can access them from the "My Purchases" tab I still like having them saved to my computer as well. (Especially those freebies that I can't access again and again. Searching for something every time I want to use it is a pain...) I started using Dropbox a few months ago, and I love it! I simply save my files every week, and I know I'm safe! (Fellow sellers - what would you do if you lost all the editable files you have on TpT?! I know I would freak!) Simply use the affiliate code below to get started for free! Even if you're not a TpT seller, it'll still be nice to back up files for your home or school. (Think pictures of your children! Documents! Clipart! The possibilities are endless!) Click here or the picture below to get Dropbox for free.

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Are you students struggling with parts of speech? I know this is ongoing at my school. One of my colleagues had his kiddos use magazines and newspapers to create these fun posters! It's definitely an idea I'll keep in mind for the future.

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Here's a freebie I just recently found on TpT. It's for fraction review! Since it aligns with Common Core standards, I don't know how any 5th or 6th grade teachers could go wrong with it!