Apples, iPads and TV's, Oh My!

Our school purchased a handful of iPad's to see how we can start incorporating them into the classrooms.  There are only 3 so far,  and as of right now we are limited to using free apps, once they have been approved for download, so it's harder to come up with creative ideas for the students. 

Even better than iPads for the school, is the news that I have gotten approval to try a pilot program in my room using the Apple TV and a permanently mounted flat screen television.  No more checking to see if the projector is available during the lesson I want to use it for... no more dragging out the projector and hooking it up to the laptop... no more wires strewn across the room... no more panic attacks as a child skips over the power cords.  Can it really be THIS easy?  I certainly hope so.  I have all of the gadgets, now I just need to wait for the TV to be mounted so that I can start using it! 

Anyone else using an Apple TV or iPads in their classroom?  I'd love to hear any suggestions on using them with the class!

Digging in the Dictionary

Many of my students have been playing Boggle as part of their Word Work and with the incentive of a homework pass for anyone who can beat my Boggle score on a board, they have been working hard to find as many words as possible.  I've also been getting a lot of "Is this word spelled right?" at the end of every Daily 5 round.  Enter, the dictionary!  Some of the kids have been using it fairly well, although when they look up toward and try to start with 'tw', the frustration sets in quickly.  So, we are taking the week as a class to work on some dictionary skills.  I figure this worksheet will be a great filler activity for those students who are waiting for a teacher conference on their Personal Narratives!  I put it up on my TpT site in case it may be helpful to anyone else!  It is two pages and covers 4 a few different skills students use when looking up words.

Simple Machines

We have been working on a simple machines unit, and so far we have learned about all of the simple machines.  We looked at one simple machine each day, reading a short book and then doing some hands on exploration.  Lastly, the students filled in a graphic organizer to help them remember what each simple machine does.  We will be working on the Edheads website this week, and students will need to track their progress as they work through the games.

Mapping Skills

As part of our unit on mapping, the students had to work with a partner to create a map of the first floor of our school.  They were given a rubric to help them with remembering all of the parts they needed to include on their map.  Once the maps were complete, they had to write out a specific set of directions to tell someone how to get from one location on the map to another.  We then collected and redistributed all of the maps and students got to follow their new directions using their new map.  Once they arrived at what they thought was the final destination, they wrote it on a sticky note.  Then they wrote out "A Wish and a Star" (something they are familiar with from peer editing in Writer's Workshop)... something they wish the other group had done better, and a star for something they really liked.  The groups then got their original map back, along with the feedback.  Only about half of the groups were able to find the correct destination, which the kids were shocked about!  Here are a few of the maps and directions, along with the rubric they used.