Alpha Order with Room 4

Second graders are practicing their alphabetization skills, because we're learning about guide words, because the annual dictionary races are coming up!

Guide words help you find what you're looking for without having to look at every single page. For example, these are words that would come between the guide words "baby" and "eagle":

The kids had fun playing Guide Words Rags to Riches ... the highest score so far was 64,000. Do you think you can beat it? Try it by clicking this link.

Finally, here is Room 4 getting themselves in order:

7 Continents and 5 Oceans with Grade 4

Fourth-graders are learning about maps and atlases.

How quickly can you correctly identify the world's continents and oceans on your first try? 

If you need a refresher before clicking the link above, watch this video.

If you'd like to be able to identify the countries on each continent, try playing the geography games on freerice.com. This site donates 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme for every correct answer.

6th Grade Keyword Challenge - Taboo!

source: hasbro.com

We've been talking about keywords, which are the words you type into a search query. To get good results (before you even start evaluating the sources), you need to use precise terms and consider alternative ways of expressing them.

Sixth graders practiced this skill by taking turns describing objects to their classmates. We kept track of how many wrong answers were given until we had enough information to definitively identify the object ... usually at least three terms were needed.

The activity is similar to the board game Taboo!, where the person giving the clues has to avoid saying certain giveaway words. The students decided to play their own version during checkout the next week, using the terms on the card as the keywords.

You can play Taboo! at home with this online version. 

There are also apps out there that you can download to your phone or tablet. Have fun!

Three of These Things with Room 2

We talked about sorting and categories in first grade, since the students are learning how the library is set up so they can choose their own books. After sorting some objects, we watched this classic video:

Then the students created their own "Three of These Things" game board. After viewing their creations below, you can play an online game to see how good you are at figuring out what is different. The link is at the end of this post.

Click here to play the game.

Around the World in Grade 4

Fourth-graders are learning about maps and atlases in preparation for research about different countries' cultures.

How quickly can you correctly identify the world's continents and oceans on your first try? 

If you need a refresher before clicking the link above, watch this video.

Illustrating the Importance of Primary Resources

In 5th and 6th grade, we've been talking about point of view and how it can influence the telling of a story. That led to a lesson about first-hand, or primary, sources, and the importance of eyewitness accounts and original documents in research.

The students saw how a message can be distorted as it passes through different interpretations by playing a game:

• Step 1: Write an adjective and a noun at the top of a piece of paper. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 2: Draw an illustration of the adjective and noun that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 3: Fold down the paper so that only your drawing is showing. Pass it to the left.
  
• Step 4: Write an adjective and noun to describe the drawing that your neighbor just handed to you.
  
• Step 5: Fold down the paper so that only your words are showing. Pass it to the left.

And so on.

Here are some of the results:

Guide Word Rags to Riches

Before second graders start using the dictionary, they need to know how to use guide words. So they've been practicing via an online game. So far, the highest score in Mrs. Wall's class was 4,000, hit by J.R. Can you beat his score?

See how well you know your alphabet by taking this quiz.

Common Core Standard addressed: RI.2.5 - Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Free Rice!

Did you know that you can help feed people in need, while having fun AND learning stuff? Check out Freerice.com. You can quiz yourself on a variety of topics, from vocabulary to math to French to geography.

Top Secret! Online Privacy Game

Do you know how to protect your (and others') private information online?

Test your judgment.

Edited to add that I just discovered May 1 is the first day of "Choose Privacy Week." Here's a word search with terms to be aware of:

http://chooseprivacyweek.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WordSearch_May2011.pdf

A B C D E F G redux

Before second graders start using the dictionary, they need to know how to use guide words. So they've been practicing via an online game. So far, two students in Mrs. Lynch's class -  N.C. and Z.F. - have hit one million. Can you match their score?

See how well you know your alphabet by taking this quiz.

ABC Order - Grade 1

The first graders have been selecting picture books from the shelves for a couple of months now; I want to make sure they understand how the shelving works, so we have been reviewing alphabetization. Kids took turns coming up to the SMART Board to play two games. You can try them at home:

Learning Planet ABC Order

Earobics Paw Park 2 (seen below)