Rhyme to Read (App Review)

As the computer specialist at my school, I am always looking for great apps that will get students excited about learning. I was recently introduced to a fun reading app for beginning readers called Rhyme to Read. 

Rhyme to Read is a fun reading app that helps teach students word families and sight words.  It was developed by two teachers who both have advanced teaching degrees. 


The app contains 20 books that each focus on a word family. The books build upon each other for a cumulative review of each word family. 


One of the great things about this app is that all the word families are color-coded. This will help students learn to discriminate different word patterns.

Rhyme to Read is ideal for beginning readers and for any student who needs RTI in reading. I would recommend it for children ages 4-6 or anyone else who is struggling with reading.

Rhyme to Read is available in the app store by clicking HERE!

Want to try it first? Download the 1st book to try for FREE.

*Disclosure: This post was paid for by the creators of Rhyme to Read. All opinions expressed are my own.

Equal or Not Equal?

Can I just start by saying that I'm not quite sure I'm ready for winter weather?  This week at school it has been FRIGID and we've already had an inside day because of it! WOW!  How's the weather where you are? I feel like teachers are the only profession who check the weather right when they get up in the morning. HA!

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and show you how I introduce equal and not equal to my students!  I would not do it without these scales....for real... the BEST:

I actually love the Monkey Math scales so much that I bought 4 of them so my students could play this game in large groups:

On the left side of the monkey there are 7 bananas and on the right side there are 3+4 bananas.  The monkey's arms are even and straight because the equation is equal.  If it wasn't equal, the monkey's eyes go crazy and the arms aren't straight. 

The students draw a card and place the bananas on the according sides.  They find out if the equations are equal or not equal.  Then, I have them check the equations by adding the numbers (if applicable).

Clipart and/or fonts copyright Dianne J. Hook (djinkers.com)

A Veterans Day Celebration

Veterans Day is coming up and I love finding great ways to integrate my curriculum with anything social studies related.

Last year I made this fun Internet-based activity called 

'A Veterans Day Celebration' where students are led through the six steps of a webquest: introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion. In this activity, students will learn about the history of Veterans Day, conduct a research project, and they will get do a fun activity where they plan their own Veterans Day celebration.  

Here is what's included in this download:

-Teacher instruction page

-Student instruction page (includes web quest information)

-QR Codes to the websites (for iPad use)

-Student research page

-Activity graphic organizer

-Two activity templates

{Click here for more information}

Here are some more great Veterans Day ideas:

Ideas for CVC Blending

I use lots of CUPS in my RtI and Guided Reading time.  I got this fabulous idea from Kathy Griffin's Blog.  She is so smart!

You simply write letters on plastic cups (I, of course, used Red Solo Cups). I can easily switch any of the sounds out and my student can blend the new word. It works on real words and nonsense words (um... hello DIBELS practice!). 

Here's another one I've been doing for my student to give them the letter-sound fluency. I just use Styrofoam cups and a Sharpie marker.  You can also add a "silent e" and have them say the long vowel word.  It's fun...especially when you let them hold the cups and twist. :)  

I've been working with one of my students who is still struggling to blend simple CVC words.  I honestly found that he LOVES my little word slider game that I made years ago (but just updated it with cuuute clipart for y'all).  He begged to play it and it's really helped him slide those words together to blend a CVC Word.

The teacher pulls out one letter at a time from the slider.  The student says the name of the sound and the teacher moves on to the next letter.  To make it a little easier, I have them blend the first two sounds together and then add the last sound on. The student says the word at the end. They can check to see if they got the word right by looking at the picture at the end! They LOVE it and it's so simple (the slider is made from a letter-sized envelope).

Want to go beyond CVC blending?

These are my Blend and Digraph Word Sliders

   

Just added- Vowel Team Word Sliders!

Or you can buy them in a bundled pack for a discount! :)