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Spelling City

Spelling City  – a FREE educational app for the iPhone/iPad! I LOVE Spelling City. It is a phenomenal website where teachers can input their weekly spelling lists so kids can go online to practice their spelling in so many fun ways – hang mouse, match it, which word, sentence unscramble, etc. I used Spelling City in my classroom for the last several years and the kids & parents loved it. The app has several preloaded lists and the best part…..kids can access the their teacher’s list (providing that he/she uses Spelling City, of course) by using their zip code, school name, and teacher’s name. Practice spelling in the car on a way to a soccer game or while waiting in the dentist’s office. AWESOME!!

Common Core Standards met:

  • K.RF.3  – Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
  • 1.RF.3 – Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 2.RF.3 – Identify words with inconsistent but common spelling-sound correspondences. AND Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 3.RF.3 – Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
  • 4.RF.3 – Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
  • 5.RF.3 – Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

Highly recommended!

SpellingCity - SpellingCity

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Teacher Clicker – Socrative / Student Clicker – Socrative

Still FREE and now even better!! Socrative has added two additional quiz features: # 1 – Teachers can now add images to their questions. #2 – The system can now grade short answer questions. Teachers just input the acceptable answers and the system does the rest.  🙂

This website and app are unbelievably cool – they turn any device with a web browser (iPhone, iPad, laptops) into a student response clicker. If a teacher has access to any kind of wireless lab, he/she can engage the entire class in a game or quiz and watch the results in real-time. Teachers begin by using their teacher app or logging into t.socrative.com with their email and password. Once logged in, teachers are assigned a room number to share with their students. Students log in using their student app or at m.socrative.com and enter the “virtual room number” provided by the teacher. Teachers initiate an activity and students respond on their devices. Multiple choice and short answer quizzes are easy to create – types of questions can be mixed. Teachers can also choose to run the quiz as a Space Race game. The students’ responses are visible to the teacher in real-time. Teachers can see what each child answered individually as well as what the group answered collectively. And the best part is… the app grades, graphs the results, and generates a report as an Excel spreadsheet or an email.

What a powerful tool for teachers – a short quiz at the end of a lesson can pinpoint what students understand and what needs to be reviewed. Hours of grading and analyzing test results are done immediately. Every student is involved – wow!

Highly recommended!

Teacher app Teacher Clicker - Socrative - Socrative           Student app Student Clicker - Socrative - Socrative

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Happi and the Pirates

Pirates

FREE for  limited time – Happi and the Pirates, an educational app from Happi Pappi. Kids use their spelling skills to solve word puzzles. They are presented with picture clues and a grid printed on a piece of treasure map. Kids have to use their knowledge of word structure & word building to spell the words and place them in the correctly on the grid. When they complete the puzzle, they earn keys to treasure chests. The more accurately and quickly they complete the puzzle, the more keys they earn. As they game progresses, they earn the tools and map pieces that lead them to the pirates’ treasure. While this app is primarily a word game, it also requires kids to use logic and deductive reasoning. I love the way this app is designed – it’s appealing to kids but it requires them to think. 🙂 The timer can be disabled for younger students to give them more “think time” and/or to allow teachers to use the app for a lesson on problem solving. This educational app has been featured by Apple in New & Noteworthy in USA, UK, Ireland. It was awarded the Editor’s Choice Award by the Children’s Technology Review in 2013.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/happi-pirates-spelling-math/id622075576?mt=8&uo=4

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ABC Farm

ABC farm

FREE for a limited time – ABC Farm. This educational app introduces your toddler (3 – 5) to over 50 farm words through sight, sound, and touch. The app opens to a grid arranged in ABC order. Kids can tap on a letter to find objects that begin with that letter or they can tap on a specific object to learn about it. As an object’s photo appears, a child’s voice says the initial letter then reads the name of the object (which appears in writing at the bottom of the screen). A little cartoon person drops down on the left hand side of the screen with a link to a video clip or an interactive scene. The child can scroll to the left for additional pictures and videos about each object. The app also contains “Read To Me” Fun Facts about each farm word featured. The app can be used in English only, Spanish only, or in dual language mode – great for ESL students. 

This app needs an internet connection to work because the 100+ videos are actually links from You Tube. They are chosen by Peapod Labs and checked to be interesting and safe for kids. Kids cannot link from this app into other You Tube content. This app is nicely done  – great for building vocabulary and beginning to read/spell words.

Also check out my reviews of ABC Wildlife, ABC House, ABC Music, and ABC Aquarium by the same developers. :)

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-farm/id615898597?mt=8&uo=4

 
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Super Duper Idioms

Super Duper 2

Super Duper

Newly released educational app – Super Duper Idioms helps kids (and adults) understand 500 common English idioms. Try the first 50 for FREE. You may purchase additional packs of 50 for $2.99 per pack. The app is cutely illustrated and features 4 fun games: multiple choice, super-duper secret decoder, fill in the blank, and search & circle. The questions are written but there is also audio support for students who have difficulty reading. The level of difficulty can be adjusted by choosing to have  2, 3, or 4 choice answers. The app can be set to read the correct answer after incorrect and/or correct response which is helpful to students who are learning the meanings. An unlimited number of players are permitted – making this app perfect for use in the classroom. And the best part…. it keeps track of data so teachers and parents can see student progress over time. The app uses graphs which can be emailed, printed, and/or shared – awesome!  This app would be great for kids as well as adult ESL students who are learning English idioms – nicely done!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 4.L.5b and 5.L.5b Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-duper-idioms/id657415898?mt=8&uo=4

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Will & Kate

Will & Kate

FREE again for a limited time  –  Will & Kate, a royal fairy tale. This e-book tells the story of a young prince named William (who lived in England) and a young girl named Kate. They meet, become best friends, go on adventures together, and decide to marry. Sound familiar?? Kids join the fun as the royal couple as they take a hot air balloon ride, set off fireworks to celebrate their engagement, help Kate choose her wedding dress, and attend the wedding. The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The story is full of fun interactivity and is cutely done!

Will & Kate - Ink Robin, Inc

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The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me

Hippo

FREE yesterday (but $1.99 today) – The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me, an adorable story about a little girl and her 3 best friends. Told in rhyme and full of interactivity, the story follows the characters through a week of fun. Kids join the fun as the characters play hide & seek, make music in a band, color, pretend to be monsters, race through the house, go to the park, and last but not least – clean up their mess (an ending that parents are sure to appreciate.) The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me is beautifully illustrated by British artist Lisa Hunt  – a cute story that your kids are sure to enjoy!

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Leonard

Leonard

FREE for a limited time – Leonard, a fun interactive story about a young boy with an excellent imagination. When Leonard’s family moves from the city to the country, he is met with the challenge of finding new friends. He searches everywhere – a bug-filled forest, underwater, outer space, a safari, even his sister’s tea party. Kids join Leonard on his problem-solving adventure and encounter interactive surprises along the way. The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. Leonard is a beautifully illustrated, sweet story that your kids are sure to enjoy!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/leonard/id508815860?mt=8&uo=4

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MyCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

test maker

Create multiple choice quizzes/tests with this FREE educational app  – My CQs (Multiple Choice Questions). Teachers/parents can create multiple choice tests (with pictures, explanations, and unlimited questions) to help kids learn or review any subject. Since the app includes 6 lessons on how to write good multiple choice questions, older students can learn to create their own quizzes to help them study. Once a quiz/test has been created, kids can take and retake it and the app tracks their growth over time. Tests can also be shared with other members of the MyCQs community. LOTS of possibilities for using this app with every age-group of students!

My CQs (Multiple Choice Questions) was featured in The Guardian’s ‘Best iOS Apps This Week’, and listed in: Top 10 Free Education Apps – US, Top 10 Free Education Apps – Canada, Top 5 Free Education Apps – India, Top 30 Free Education Apps – UK.

MyCQs (Test Maker) - James Gupta

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Move & Match

move & matchFREE for a limited time – Move & Match, an educational app that can be used by teachers, parents, or students to create simple activity cards for others to complete. The app is very easy to use. Teachers can create activity cards and send them to other iPads that have Move & Match installed. There is a wide variety of uses for this app – match beginning letters to pictures, reorder the words of a sentence, Cloze activities, reorder timelines, etc. Once projects have been created, you can save them in the Move and Match folder for future use. Projects can also be shared via email. This app would be especially nice for small group instructors or speech pathologists who could use it to create personalized activities for their students. The app permits you to use your own photos which would be fun. Kids love working on activities that are about them. 🙂 Lots of possibilities for this one!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/move-and-match/id564592203?mt=8&uo=4