Storybook

Storybook is a great website with games, word banks and videos about a collection of stories written by authors Scoular Anderson, Debi Gliori, Mairi Hedderwick and Frank Rodgers. It would be a prerequisite to have the books of course and the books in question are Never Keep a Python as a Pet, Katie Morag and the New Pier, My Little Brother, I Can’t go to Sleep, The Bunk-Bed Bus, Backseat’s Special Day, Oh No Peedie Peebles and The Snow Lambs. Teachers of the younger classes my well be familiar with some of these and hopefully have them in their libarary. If so the website is for you.

The sie has interactive activities for each of the stories including bright, fun games and choosing the correct letter to complete words from the story. There are also videos of the authors talking about their story and reading excerpts. If you have these stories I highly reccomend using this website. It is suitable for children from Junior Infants to possibly 2nd class at a push.

That Quiz

I investigated a resource named That Quiz which was recommended by a Twitter user yesterday. At first sight it is a grey, boring looking, run-of-the-mill website but upon investigation I found out that it is far more than that. It may not be pretty but it is extremely effective at what it is trying to achieve and I will definitely be using it on an on-going basis in future.

The website is basically a one-stop assessment shop. Teachers can register their name and the names of the students in their class very simply, which I did yesterday in around 5-10 minutes. There are then a host of pre-designed tests which a teacher can create by selecting a few basic parameters (e.g. number of questions, level of difficulty, etc). While the interface is very uninspiring, by being grey, it is very easy to use. It took me only a couple of minutes to set a fractions test which comprised of 20 questions testing the children on addition and subtraction of proper fractions. Once the test has been set the teacher is given a code. Students then use this code to login, select their name from a list and complete the test. The tests could be completed 1 by 1 on a PC at the back of the room or all together using a group of PCs. When students complete the test they are given their result and it is saved for the teacher to login in and view later.

I have only started using the site and it is definitely a runner for testing Maths. There are also some English, Science and Geography tests which I have yet to check out. Another idea I have for using this site is to set up some sample tests and give the children the code in their homework notebook to practice at home. It will definitely reduce correcting time.

 

Countdown Game

The Countdown Game website, based on the Countdown TV show, is a resource that children in my class love. The 3 games that are played on the show can now be played on an Interactive Whiteboard. I tend to use these as starters to a maths or literacy lesson . In the ‘Letters Game’ children  select from vowels and consonants, with the aim being to create the longest word in 30 seconds. In the ‘Numbers Game’ children select their large and small numbers and try to reach a given target using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division within 30 seconds. The ‘Conundrum Game’ asks you to find a 9 letter word from a jumble of letters but I have found that even 6th class find this one too difficult. You can find any potential Carol Vordemans in your class. My favourite part of the website is the fantastic Countdown music.

A useful tip when using any website on an Interactive Whiteboard is to put the page to fullscreen. This can be done by pressing the F11 key or by selecting View->Fullscreen on your browser.

Myst for Writing

Recently I have been using the computer game Myst III: Exile as part of my writing lessons.  Myst is an interactive computer game where you explore virtual worlds and try to solve puzzles in the process. The idea for using Myst in school comes from the award winning Tim Rylands and I can certainly attest to the success of his idea.  The scenery, or graphics, in the game are amazing and it is a fantastic visual experience for children. As you explore the virtual world children are encouraged to speak about the world they see, the sounds they hear and the feelings that are evoked. Children then use their experience to write on the events they encountered in the game. I have found the results amazing and cannot believe the quality of some of the writing that the children come out with. I am asked daily in the classroom “Are we doing Myst today teacher?” Even the so-called weaker children love Myst and actually enjoy the writing process that comes with it.

I purchased the 4 disc game from Ebay for a small price and it can be found on-line or in shops for between €10 – €20.

For those who are not computer game experts walk-throughs of the game are available on-line so that you can’t be caught out by the children.

Writing Fun by Jenny Eather

Writing Fun is a website set up by Jenny Eather which helps students with writing composition. The website provides instructions, tips, organisers and examples of a variety of writing composition such as narrative, discussion, explanation, persuasion, information, and others. Also included in the site are the skills necessary to compose everyday text forms such as letters, invitations, and email. Each type has at least 6 examples, for different age groups, with an interactive organiser which can be switched on or off. All of the organizers are available in Microsoft Word format for download to use for word processing or as a printable. This is a great site for students to use as homework help for those writing assignments and could also be used by parents who home school their children.