Thursday Thoughts November 12
We have one week to go until Thanksgiving Break! I am very excited. I love Thanksgiving (especially when I do not have to host the dinner). In our fast paced lives, it is important to take some time to reflect on what is most important....family and friends. We give all that we have to our students and it often comes at a great price to our loved ones. We spend hours upon hours lesson planning, grading papers and doing countless other tasks. Needless to say, our families often get the leftovers. Please take the upcoming time off to spend quality time with your family and carve out a little time for yourself. Happy Thanksgiving!
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Paula Bell. I wish I could explain to you the scope and importance of Paula's job. Let's just say that she has to dot every "I" and cross every "T". She accounts for all money that comes in and out and there is no margin for error. Recently we were commended for a perfect audit. That is definitely something to brag about. But the spotlight on Paula is about more than her "job". It is about the extra things that she does around Medlock. Many times I will mention something to her that I want done and then and leave the details up to her to figure out. I know she loves that about me! She takes pride in our school and wants the very best for the staff. She is creative always looks for ways to bring the staff together. I am thankful for Paula and the way that she looks out for MBES.
by TeachThought Staff
Introducing students to new ideas is a matter of both art and science.
How do you frame the content? How do you stimulate curiosity, or establish a need to know? Which student is ready for what content, and how do you know?
This is all true whether you’re introducing students to concepts (e.g., literary symbolism), or skills (e.g., dividing fractions). One powerful way to introduce students to new ideas is to let them “play” with these ideas. If a coach wanted a baseball player to understand how to swing a bat, he wouldn’t make him watch a PowerPoint. Instead, he’d hand him a bat, watch him swing, and provide him with feedback.
Of course, it’s not that simple with everything (may not make sense to hand a student $1000 to let them “make sense of” financial literacy), but the idea of letting students interact–on their own, as they will–with new ideas make sense. Technology is adept at providing this kind of opportunity. Tablets like the iPad (as well as those from Microsoft and Android) host countless apps (of varying quality) to support this.
In pursuit, we created a collection of 12 of the best math apps for kids–specifically, elementary school students. We focused on the kinds of apps that introduce students to concepts, as well as those that let students practice and progress. Better yet, many are adaptive learning apps, adjusting in difficulty to meet an individual student at their level. Some (e.g., ProdigyGame) also feature dashboards as well for both teachers and students track progress over time.
Introducing students to new ideas is a matter of both art and science.
How do you frame the content? How do you stimulate curiosity, or establish a need to know? Which student is ready for what content, and how do you know?
This is all true whether you’re introducing students to concepts (e.g., literary symbolism), or skills (e.g., dividing fractions). One powerful way to introduce students to new ideas is to let them “play” with these ideas. If a coach wanted a baseball player to understand how to swing a bat, he wouldn’t make him watch a PowerPoint. Instead, he’d hand him a bat, watch him swing, and provide him with feedback.
Of course, it’s not that simple with everything (may not make sense to hand a student $1000 to let them “make sense of” financial literacy), but the idea of letting students interact–on their own, as they will–with new ideas make sense. Technology is adept at providing this kind of opportunity. Tablets like the iPad (as well as those from Microsoft and Android) host countless apps (of varying quality) to support this.
In pursuit, we created a collection of 12 of the best math apps for kids–specifically, elementary school students. We focused on the kinds of apps that introduce students to concepts, as well as those that let students practice and progress. Better yet, many are adaptive learning apps, adjusting in difficulty to meet an individual student at their level. Some (e.g., ProdigyGame) also feature dashboards as well for both teachers and students track progress over time.
12 Of The Best Math Apps For Kids
Prodigy Math Game - Free, Common Core aligned math game for grades 1-8
Prodigy's adaptive math video game is an entire virtual world where children can play and learn with friends at a pace that's right for them. Prodigy takes game-based learning a step further and provides teachers with useful features like:
*Assessment tools to align the game to the classroom and easily assign homework
*Real-time reports to easily track student progress and identify trouble spots
*Rich Common Core-aligned math content, including more advanced problem solving questions
*A built-in diagnostic test
Prodigy's adaptive math video game is an entire virtual world where children can play and learn with friends at a pace that's right for them. Prodigy takes game-based learning a step further and provides teachers with useful features like:
*Assessment tools to align the game to the classroom and easily assign homework
*Real-time reports to easily track student progress and identify trouble spots
*Rich Common Core-aligned math content, including more advanced problem solving questions
*A built-in diagnostic test
• Practice mental addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and mixed operations
• Develop arithmetic fluency and improve mental strategies
• Practice pre-algebra skills by calculating unknown values and using inverse operations
• Practice handwriting
• Develop arithmetic fluency and improve mental strategies
• Practice pre-algebra skills by calculating unknown values and using inverse operations
• Practice handwriting
- A highly adaptive environment that continually adjusts to create the optimal learning experience for every child
- Fun and motivational game-based learning, so students enjoy using the program and take pride in their success
- Outstanding results for students of all ability levels across grades 2-8.
- Display 1 to 5 rows of beads, 10 beads per row. On the iPad, display up to 10 rows.
- Hide beads with the resizable shade, which allows teachers or learners to model subtraction or difference problems.
- Reverse the colors of rows 6 to 10 to distinguish (or not) groupings of 25 beads.
- Use the drawing tools to annotate work and show understanding
- Write equations and expressions with the text tool.
- players presented with randomly generated fractions to identify by counting slices of pizza
- entry level simple fractions build confidence with denominators 1-12, excluding sevenths and elevenths
- adjustable level of difficulty allows beginners to start with easier fractions and progress as they learn
- option to advance questions by shaking the device or using a button
- score data and round timing allows you and your child to compete by alternating rounds
‣ Speech synthesis to help young users in reading and text comprehension
‣ Multi-player management
‣ Font size adjustment to suit everyone’s needs
‣ An embedded calculator
‣ Multi-player management
‣ Font size adjustment to suit everyone’s needs
‣ An embedded calculator
• Learn to count up to 999
• Experiment with quantities and learn their names
• Learn the numerals and their names
• Associate quantities with numerals/numbers
• Experiment with quantities and learn their names
• Learn the numerals and their names
• Associate quantities with numerals/numbers
Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)
Looking Ahead
We are scheduled to undergo major renovations this summer. Below please find the link that provides the details. The school board is scheduled to vote on our proposed renovations next week.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/fcss/Board.nsf/files/A3VLCP5296B7/$file/Medlock%20Bridge%20ES%20Scope%20Summary.pdf
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