The United States

The first and second graders are learning about the United States. This includes such topics as state names, their locations, and information about each particular state. As a final project, each student is given a state to research. Then, he or she creates a “parade float” displaying various facts about it. The “float” is made out of a shoebox and other materials that can be found at home. Below are sites which provide practice in naming and locating the states, as well as, information about the various states.

Websites with Printables

Outline Maps: Print maps of the United States, regions, or individual states. For the regions and entire U.S., there is a choice of maps with labels or no labels on them.


Websites to Practice Identification
       
USA Map Puzzle: Place the states on a map with(easy) or without(hard) gridlines. State names are provided.

GeoSpy: Choose the assignment for "States and Provinces" and click on the United States. You have 180 seconds to click on the named states.

Map-Game: As each states falls down on the right side of the screen, place it on the map (which has the outlines of the states). You are timed, but you have as much time as you need.

Place the State

Geography Game: The United States: Given the name, identify the correct state on the map. If the answer is incorrect, a different state name will be asked. The provided map is a little cartoonish.

United States Hangman: Use the given clue and the provided blanks to figure out the answer. For example, a clue might be "The Bay State." This is also a great way to practice spelling the state names.


Websites for Research

Online Encyclopedia: See if your school or local library has a subscription to an online encyclopedia. This will most likely require a username and password. For example, my school has a subscription to World Book Online, which is available at three different reading levels.

Quick Facts - Learn About Your State: Click on the desired state to learn basic information such as the state’s motto, bird, flower, land area, largest cities, and date of statehood.

The Fifty States: Choose a state by clicking on it or by using the drop down menu. Information is provided that includes state symbols, famous people, the largest cities, history, economics, and geography. There are also links to pages that compare the states in regard to such items as average personal income, temperatures, and so forth.

State Facts for Students: This site from the United States Census Bureau provides population info that is further broken down by ages (8-12 year olds) and gender, the number of certain types of businesses, and other basic state information (i.e. state bird, date of statehood). This data could easily be utilized in math lesson on such topics as comparing numbers, graphing, trends, and probability.   

50 Facts About Each U.S. State: Click on the desired state to find 50 facts about it.
       

iPad/iOS

USMapTouch: Tap on the named state. States names are conveyed in words and orally. Rounds are short, such as only ten questions. iPad only. (Free)

GeoMaster – US States: The free version appears to be just enough to practice locating the states. The state and it’s capital is flashed on the screen, and you need to tap on the correct state. Incorrect answers will be asked again until they are correct. It goes through all fifty states in a round, which can be a little lengthy. Note that after finishing a round, high scores from players around the world are listed to which the appropriateness of all the names is not known. (Free Version)

Stack the States: For each random question, pick the correct state from the four listed. Questions are about state capitals, abbreviations, locations, nicknames, and other various facts about the states. After picking a correct answer, you have the opportunity to literally stack the state’s shape on top of the other states that were correct answers. The free version might be all you need of this app. ($2.99)
       
Flashcards – United States: Pick the number of questions (2-50), the given amount of time to answer each question (2-60 seconds), and the type of question asked (capital city, abbreviation, shape, famous places, bird, or flag). ($.99)

Mother's Day Projects

I know this post is coming at the wrong time, but I have been meaning to share what the second grade teachers had their students create for Mother’s Day presents. The overall theme was that the teachers wanted the present to be an audio recording of the students reading something they wrote about their mother. However, each teacher had their students prepare different pieces of writing for this purpose. Here are the various assignments that were given:

Topic 1 – My favorite day I spent with my mother was when…or my favorite memory was… This required the student to focus on one moment in time, provide details, and sequence the events within the story. When done correctly, the writings could be pretty lengthy.

Topic 2 – I would (hypothetically) celebrate Mother’s Day by… Students described how they would do things such as surprising their mother with breakfast in bed, going for a bike ride, watching movies, and/or making cookies. The most interesting activity that a student mentioned was that he’d like to take his mother to Costco to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Topic 3 – A descriptive piece about the wonderful qualities and times spent with their mother. These started out with titles like “My Mom is the Best Mom in the World” and “My Mom is Really Awesome.” Students recounted various examples, in almost a list like fashion.

Topic 4 – Write the story of their mother’s life so far, an All About my Mom, which included information about their mom such as when she was born, cultural background, siblings, childhood memories, favorite things, and when and how their parents met. This project was not just given to their mother as an audio recording, but as a written and illustrated piece as well.

Some audio files had a portrait of their mother accompanying it making the piece into a movie file to be watched on a computer or formatted to be played in a DVD player. Others were straight audio files that were put on to CDs. Methods for recording the audio can be found in one of my past blogs on recoding Fluency Poems.

Continents

One of the goals in the first grade social studies curriculum is to introduce the students to the seven continents.  After learning about them, the students should be able to identify the location of each continent on a map, know what each continent looks like, and to be able to name the outlines of the continents correctly. There are many resources available to help the students learn about the continents and their names. As resources are chosen, make sure that the terminology in them matches your curriculum, as the ones below match ours. For example, Australia is sometimes referred to as Oceania.

Websites

Learning the Continents Through Songs & Poems: These songs cover each continent and the oceans.

World Continents & Oceans Games: Various stages to choose from. Click to learn about the continents, drag the continent to the correct place on the map, click the named continent, and start typing the name of the highlighted continent. 

Identify Seven Continents Game: Drag the label to the correct continent.

World Jigsaw Puzzle: Drag the label to the correct continent.

Quiz – Facts About the Continents: Click on the continent that matches the stated fact. There are ten questions that are always the same.

iPad Apps

Continents and Oceans: The “Learn” section provides a map which students can tap a continent to hear its name said out loud. Under “Game,” students are verbally told the name of a continent to tap on and then have one minute to answer as many of these questions as possible. “Test” provides an experience similar to the “Game” section, except it is not timed. In the settings the oceans can be turned off, otherwise they are included in all of the above sections. ($0.99)

Montessori Approach to Geography – Continents: In the various sections, learn the names of the continents, put a puzzle of the continents back together, and put the puzzle pieces back by continent name. ($2.99)

iWorldGeography Earth’s Continents: In this app, students will learn the names of continents, locate continents, put the continents back on the map, and label the continents. ($2.99)

SimpleSort – Continents: Sort the landmarks and features into the appropriate continent’s bucket. It also includes background information on each landmark or feature that is being sorted. ($0.99)

Word Problems

A teacher inquired how her students could practice math word problems using the available technology. My first thought was the program Pondering Problems. However, with the impending computer upgrade at our school, this program will no longer work. I am not looking for a drill and kill option, but for options to practice and refresh the students’ skills in a way that can be easily differentiated and used for short spurts of time (10 min, not 30 minutes at a time). Here is a collection of ways to practice solving math word problems:

Software

Pondering Problems: A program created by Micrograms that was purchased as a site license that will not run on OS 10.6 and above. This program provides four customizable levels of word problems for which the students need to decide which operation to use and the necessary numbers before solving the problem. Various combinations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems are selectable.

Paint or Word Processing Program: Possibly start out by reading The Math Curse by Jon Scieszka to the class. It is a story about a student encountering and thinking up various math problems that could occur in her everyday life. After hearing the story, students create their own problems with accompanying solutions. Each word problem needs to include the common elements and language found in word problems. Students can then attempt to solve each other’s problems.

Websites

Grand Slam Math: Two levels are offered that correspond to the types of operations covered. Addition and subtraction or multiplication and division problems prompt students to type in the correct answer. If the answer is incorrect, it asks the student to try again until he or she types in the correct answer.

Word Problems with Katie: This is almost a spitting image of Grand Slam Math.

Thinking Blocks: This site requires the use of part to whole models to solve word problems. Problems can be addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions, or ratios. The addition and subtraction problems have the option for answers to be between 1-50 or 1-300. For a more detailed description, see iLearn Technology’s post on it.

Math Cats Story Problems: Printable and web based word problems are found here. The black columns on the page include practice problems with the solutions off to the side of the page that appear when the mouse pointer is placed over the area.

Math Playground’s Word Problem Database: There are various categories of word problems such as addition and subtraction to 20, single step (with or without regrouping), two steps (with or without regrouping), and problems that include extra information. Each link sends the student to a simply made page with a word problem waiting for the answer to be keyed in. Students have the ability to check their answer or have the answer shown to them.

NumberNut – Single-Digit Word Problems: Practice addition or subtraction word problems with answers that are not greater than nine. Each round includes ten random questions. 

NumberNut – One &Two-Digit Addition Word Problems: These are all addition word problems adding up to no more than fifty. If an incorrect answer is clicked, the correct answer will be displayed immediately.

 

 

iPad Apps

Astro Math: Solve word problems in order to get money to buy gear to get your ship safely through the star systems. If an incorrect answer is entered, the correct answer is displayed and the user is asked to enter that number. There is a mix of problems that utilize addition, subtraction, division, decimals, and money. The game is configurable, but even the option for addition requires knowledge of decimals and either repeated addition or multiplication, thus it is not appropriate for second graders. There is a free version of this app that only includes a few of the levels. ($0.99)

 

Word Problems: A word problem is given with an answer that is not greater than 10. There is room on the screen for the students to use built-in counters to solve it. This app allows the questions to be phrased to ask for the end result, the beginning number, or the amount that was changed. ($0.99)

Sorts - for All Sorts

Word Work Edition

A major accomplishment of the first grade teachers has been to make SMART Notebook activities to correspond to each topic of their word work lessons. The activities are for the students to use on their own after each lesson is taught. Some of the digitized activities replace the need for paper copies. For example, a common paper activity is to cut out the words from one piece of paper and then glue them onto another piece of paper. Word sorts have been easily incorporated into each Notebook file that was created. Here are directions on how to make a word sort in Notebook as well as a few other ways to make or find them.

Software

SMART Notebook: If you own a SMART Board, you have unlimited licenses to the Notebook software. In notebook, it is possible to make a rudimentary sort, but why not upgrade it using templates from the Lesson Activity Toolkit? These include the option to self-grade the student’s work. When the student has completed the sort, the student can click on “check” to see how well he or she did. The Toolkit can be found by clicking on the gallery tab on the side and choosing the Lesson Activity Toolkit folder. In the Activities folder there are two options: category sort image and category sort text. Once an activity is dragged onto the page, click on the “edit” button on the activity to insert the words or images. With the above mentioned sorts the words or images stay on the page as they are sorted. There is another possible way to structure the sorting process by using the vortex sorts that provide immediate feedback as each word or image is placed in a category. A new version of Notebook has been recently released, and I look forward exploring all of its new possibilities!

  

More information on The Lesson Activity Toolkit

Presentation Software: A program like PowerPoint or Keynote could be used in a similar manner to make a table and a bank of words to use. A sort created in one of these programs is not self-grading and requires the teacher to check the students’ work.

Websites

Create Your Own Word Sort: Use this website to make a word sort with up to four categories and the possibility to add a “check” option. The final sort is saved as a webpage on your computer and distributed to the students as a file. After students complete the sort, it can be saved as an image file or printed out.

Word Family Sort Short Vowels: Choose a short vowel word family and sort the given words. This is not self-grading.

iPad Apps

Beginning Sounds Interactive Game: Sort the pictures based on their beginning sounds. This is great for use with Kindergarteners. ($0.99)

Cooperative Garfield – Changing the Classroom Environment

All too often I observe classes in which students are instructed to silently interact only with their assigned computers and any communication with other students or movement around the room is not allowed.

This past Halloween, I added a new game to my list of seasonal games: Garfield’s Scary Scavenger Hunt. Personally, when I played the game, I thought that Garfield walked too slowly and that the game took too much time to play. However, I decided to let my students have an attempt at it.

Immediately, it was a success with the second grade students; then it trickled down into the first grade and has now become a favorite of the kindergarten students. The game is still played even though Halloween is long since over, and when students are given a few minutes of “free choice,” at least half of the class is working on Garfield.

I admit that Garfield’s Scary Scavenger Hunt is not a very educational game. Although, you could claim that it promotes spatial awareness, allows for the practice of reading skills, requires an eye for detail, involves the use of logic, and lets students observe cause and effect situations.

Most prominently, this game has transformed the classroom into one in which the students work cooperatively. If one student does not know how to do something, an “expert” is always willing to help. Some students find this to be an opportunity to really shine because they can provide assistance along and gain a feeling of importance. Best ways to beat the game or how to overcome the obstacles generate discussion. Behavioral problems have disappeared, unless students getting out of their seats to help each other and a little extra noise can be counted as problems.

As a teacher, this is how I want my classroom to operate on a daily basis: students are able to work independently, be challenged, and step in as experts when possible in a student-centered environment.  If only Garfield was more educational…

P.S.

If one Garfield is not enough, there is a sequel to the game: Garfield's Scavenger Hunt: Donuts of Doom 2.

Memory "Books"

In my school district, the students are fortunate to be able to purchase a full color yearbook starting in Kindergarten. Even with the existence of a yearbook, second and third grade teachers have their students make their own classroom memory “books” full of pictures taken by their teacher or fellow classmates throughout the year. This year, one teacher decided to start her memory “books” at the end of September and has had monthly “scrapbooking” sessions to keep up with the sheer volume of pictures her classroom photographers snap.

This entire project can also easily be turned into a portfolio of student work. Helen Barrett describes in Collect, Organize and Publish Image Based e-Portfoliosusing Apple’s iPhoto.

Why do this?

A project like this provides the students with experience using the chosen software or website, thereby making other uses of it easier. When choosing a format, it is a good idea to think about how the program can be used for other purposes throughout the year.

Depending on the format, writing practice is incorporated. This includes the use of complete sentences, capitals, periods, and correcting spelling using spell check.

This is a good exercise in putting events in order. Students need to know how to sequence events especially, when writing or recalling what they have read.

Students can reflect on and review past events and learning situations. Each individual’s work and projects can be included in his or her final piece.

Format Considerations

The first step is to decide how the final project will go home with the student. Do you want it to a printed copy? Black and white or color?  Do you want it to be a movie that can be watched either on a computer or on a DVD player? Are you going to add copyright free music? Is it going to be emailed as a PDF or movie file? Does the file size matter if it is going to be emailed?

Paper or Electronic PDF Copy

The most basic way to complete this project is to use a word processing program. Pictures can be imported into the program and descriptive captions can be added. A step up from this is to use presentation software or websites such as PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Presentations. Presentation software definitely helps with the formatting and overall organization (whereas word processing programs may put pictures on different pages from their associated text, thus requiring the insertion of page breaks). Each slide can be a different event, topic, or project. Other programs such as Comic Life or paint programs that allow for pictures to be imported can also be utilized.

As an option, if you are planning on printing this out and trying to save on paper, multiple pages can be printed on one sheet of paper. Some programs will automatically allow this or just select the option when you go to print.

If these are going to be emailed to parents, I recommend saving them as a  PDF. This format is more universal and will ensure that what the students had created opens and looks the same on any computer. If you need help making the PDF see: How do I create PDF documents with Mac OS X?.

Movie – More Like Moving Images

The best option for this would be to use a program like iMovie, which integrates the iPhoto library right into the program to create easy access. Voiceovers can be utilized to provide the additional information that does not fit on the title pages or in the captions.

Music can come from various sources such as the program being used, copyright free websites, such as dig.ccmixter, or be original pieces created by the students.

Distribution of the movies is typically accomplished by giving each student a DVD with only his or her own project. Sometimes, the teachers allow the students to decorate the DVD cover and label. Copies of these can be given to the students to decorate with markers.

If these are not being distributed as a DVD to watch in a DVD player, make sure to export the project to a movie file such as QuickTime. Simply putting the iMovie project file on a DVD does not work.

Also, be sure to keep a copy of the students’ project for a week or two beyond its completion to make sure that the students can view the projects and that the DVDs work.

Getting Photos to the Students

Sharing photographs can be done in a number of ways. We normally put the pictures on a file server to which the students have access. Our current network is extremely inadequate for this next option, but it is possible for the teacher to share the images directly from iPhoto on his or her computer. This will require the teacher computer to be turned on while the students are accessing the photos. A third, more time consuming, way we have made photos accessible to the students is by actually copying them from a flash drive or CD directly onto each computer’s desktop.

Conclusion

As with any project, apply your creativity to the resources to which you have access. There are unlimited options as long as you are open to them.

Tangram

By second grade, students should be able to identify 2-D shapes and have been exposed to pattern blocks. The pattern blocks tend to be a favorite “toy” during indoor recess. In culmination of the study of 2-D shapes, students are introduced to the concept of tangram puzzles.

When possible, I enjoy adding children’s literature into my math lessons and have found that even students at the junior high level covet story time. One such story that applies here is Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tompert in which two characters tell stories revolving around tangrams and the pictures they can make.

Websites

Students can make their own tangram pictures or just explore the use of the tangram pieces:

Pattern Blocks: Create your own pattern block designs or tessellations with this website. It provides a blank canvas with a grid pattern that allows the shapes to snap into place. You may need to print out a screen shot instead of just printing it out through your web browser.

Solving tangram puzzles can be done with these:

Tangrams Game: Use the given shapes to fill in a square. All three levels require the pieces to be rotated.

Tangrams: There are twelve different puzzles that require the shapes to be rotated and placed without the use of any guides.

Tangrams – National Museum of Play: Click the tangram to play. One option is to click “Begin” to be given a puzzle and all the pieces. The other option “Play Around” provides a blank canvas and all the available pieces.

If you are unable to utilize technology for your lesson, or would rather use the physical pattern blocks, there are websites that provide puzzles to solve.

Tangram Grid – National Museum of Play: This document includes pattern blocks to cut out, puzzles to solve, and their solutions.

Tangrams – IDEAS: There are five pages of puzzles to solve.

iPad Apps

These apps are not much different than the websites listed above, but if you need an iPad app, these are good.

New LetsTans Deluxe: Tangram puzzles with levels that range from just dragging the tiles over to those that require the tiles to be rotated before being dragged over. ($2.99)

Alphabets – Tangram Building Blocks: Solve tangrams that are in the shapes of all the letters of the alphabet. Guides are not included. These can be a little tricky. (Free)

Maps

No matter what grade you are teaching, maps help students visualize places and their topographical features. The first grade social studies lessons focus on identifying the continents, whereas, second grade lessons introduce students to the different states. Putting the cart before the horse, this post will concentrate on general maps to use as reference. Several future posts will look at how to practice and reinforce the objectives of the lessons.

Software

Google Earth: This free download will let you explore the earth, its oceans, and its sky and easily find a location. If there are specific places that could be visited as a class, it is possible to create placemarks, which are essentially shortcuts to that location. These can be combined to create a “tour” to easily facilitate the process of moving from one location to another on the earth. Even though the application can be downloaded directly to your PC, Mac, or Linux computer, it still requires an internet connection.

Websites

Google Maps: This one website could be all you really need. Besides the basic map view, it can display satellite imagery, street views, current traffic conditions, the weather, live feeds from webcams, user uploaded pictures, and much more. If there are specific places to visit as a class, a custom map can be created that can be shared with other users or kept private. The custom maps can include place marks, descriptions, pictures, and videos.

Scribble Maps: Take Google Maps one step further with this website which allows users to “scribble” on traditional street or satellite maps by adding lines, shapes, text, and placemarkers. The most amazing part is that the additions to the map stay exactly where placed even when the map is moved or zoomed in or out.

Stratalogica: This is a subscription website that my district currently uses. It is similar in many respects to Google Earth, however, it makes sharing tours or specific trips easier. One teacher can create a tour and other teachers can access it just by logging into their accounts.

Outline Maps: These are basic maps that can be printed or annotated while using an interactive whiteboard. Maps are available with or without labels.

Mapping – National Geographic Education: 1-Page Maps start full of information and can be customized to remove features like labels, grid lines, and rivers.  Under MapMaker Kits, various maps have been formatted to allow them to be printed out over many pages making them bulletin board size.

iPad Apps

Maps: iPads come with this app preloaded. It is an app version of Google Maps, but it does not allow for the viewing or creation of custom maps.

Google Earth: This is very similar to the Maps app that comes preinstalled on the iPads. The app version does not provide access to street views or user uploaded pictures and videos.  However, this app provides a 3D experience and smoother scrolling. (Free)

Sphere - 360 Photography: Access a huge collection of user uploaded 3-D panoramic views of specific locations called tours. Each tour places you in a specific location. You literally move the iPad to look left and right as well as up and down. The database is searchable by categories such as “Points of Interest” or “Arts and Entertainment.” Also, tours can be found on the map by zooming and moving it around. Tours can also be created to fill in where they are lacking. (Free)

 

Stuck on Earth – Free World Travel Guide: Either search for a location or zoom in on the map to find high quality photographs from in and around that location. (Free)

Commander Compass Lite: Help students get their bearings by understanding a map’s compass rose. Through this active compass, students can figure out the direction they are facing. (Free)