Student Favourite: ‘Teach Your Monster To Read’: Online games that teach synthetic phonics


 
TeachYourMonster.jpg
 
Meanwhile down in Senior Infants and First Class,

the students are working hard on their phonics.

 

The activities on the cleverly named website

Teach Your Monster To Read‘ 

complement the synthetic phonics that the children

are learning in class.

 

The children enjoy the games and are learning

to read at the same time.

 

Why not try ‘Teach Your Monster To Read’ at home !

And if the novelty ever wears off there are some

more reading games to choose from here.

‘If Only the Best Birds Sang’: #BlogAwardsie 2014 Finalists

blog awards ireland

We are ‘excited and delighted’ to be finalists in Blog Awards Ireland.

We find ourselves in the company of blogs that we greatly admire.

 

Anseo.net is a magazine style web site valued by teachers

for its information and opinion type pieces by Simon Lewis.

In particular, teacher has found Simon’s reviews 

of new technology more than useful. 

In addition he also has an uncanny knack of being able 

to accurately predict the future of ICT in classrooms in Ireland.

 

Then there is Evelyn O’Connor’s Leaving Cert English.net .

This invaluable resource for all

Junior and Leaving Certificate English students 

and their teachers too I suspect. A source of advice

and information for students in a year when many of them

must feel caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

Finalists, the Youth Media Team are a group of teenagers

who attend and report on educational conferences in Ireland.

Their reports, in the form of lively interviews, blogs and tweets

provide a youthful and informed perspective on education

and educationalists in Ireland.

 

We are delighted that the list of finalists include another

Wicklow Primary School, our friends from St. Peter’s Bray Blog.

This blog showcases the wonderful work of students and teachers.

We particularly like their use of podcasts and vines.

The podcasts give the students a voice.

The vines really bring their blog to life.

They remind us of the animated photographs

in Harry Potter.

ImageChef.com

But that is not all.

You can see these finalists along

with three other excellent blogs;

‘Fractus Learning’, 

‘My College Advice’

and ‘Dr. How Science Wows’ here:

Education Blog Finalists 2014  

 

In other news we are happy to report that Seomra Ranga 

the creator, collector and archivist of teacher resources

here in Ireland has reached the quarter finals of 

Web Awards 2014 in the category of Education and Third Level.

 

All this has happened in a week when we reached

a total of 40,000 visitors

and we published our 800th post.

(You have just read it!)

ImageChef.com

Virtual Tours: ‘No Permission Slip Needed!’

There is no need for a permission slip

and no end to the places a class can go on a virtual tour.

 

There are many virtual tours on the world wide web.

Not all of them have potential for classroom learning.

 

I chose three that I thought were interesting.

Take a look and see what you think

about their potential for classroom use.

Great Wall of China
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Sanjay P. K. via Compfight

Virtual Tour of The Great Wall of China

 

Anne Frank Huis
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Henrik Johansson via Compfight

Behind the Bookcase: Anne Frank’s House

 

October Light
Photo Credit: Pavel P. via Compfight

A Trip to the Forest

This one might be useful

on National Tree Day, 9th October.

Update: Here is a virtual tour of a rainforest in contrast.

 

Before using these in class I would suggest

getting very familiar with the navigation involved in each.

 

How fortunate we are to be teaching

and learning in schools in the 21st Century!

We have come a long way from ‘chalk and talk’.

Three 1st Class Stories from First Class

A Story by Kyle

Once upon a time there lived two Kyles.

Those two Kyles went to school together.

The two Kyles were at the same table

and at Phonics Blast.

The two Kyles were very funny.

Shannon liked us and Lizzie did as well.

P.S. This is a TRUE story 🙂

Friends
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: PC – My Shots@Photography via Compfight

 Lizzie’s Story

Once upon a time, there were three little girls and their Mom.

One day, there was a a storm.

They lived in a cottage in a wood, far off from a farm.

The storm blew.

A tree that the little girls climbed on every day fell down.

Their cottage fell down.

They couldn’t live anywhere.

They went looking for somewhere else to live.

Ruixat
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: gilles chiroleu via Compfight

The Very, Very Messy Ladybird, by Sofia

Once upon a time there lived a very, very messy ladybird.

Her name was Messy Maggy.

Everyone called her that because her house was always messy.

Her house always had cobwebs in corners.

Cobwebs
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Stephen Lee via Compfight

 and muddy foot prints up the stairs and dust everywhere.

One day all of her friends made a plan.

They all said she needed help to tidy.

So one night all of her friends went to her house

and while Messy Maggy was asleep each one of them had a job.

Magic Matilda hoovered.

Violetta Valentina dusted and beautiful Beth mopped.

‘Team work,’ they all said.

pink dreams tea party
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: tambra via Compfight

Using ‘Monday’s Child’ as a writing prompt with First Class.

We used the traditional rhyme

‘Monday’s Child’ as a writing prompt.

Here is what Sofia wrote:

On Monday the children jump to touch the sky.

Zion and Tracy jumping
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Robert Conley via Compfight

On Tuesday they jumped down again.

Aspiring Busker
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Kevin White via Compfight

On Wednesday, they touch the stars.

Star jump
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: stuart anthony via Compfight

On Thursday they go to the moon.

lune / moon
Photo Credit: OliBac via Compfight

On Friday they go to Mars.

ASTEROID PLANET - digital-art
Photo Credit: balt-arts via Compfight

On Saturday they went down to earth.

Earth and North America from Space - digitally restored
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Royce Bair via Compfight

On Sunday they go right home to bed.

Sweet Dreamer
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Patrick via Compfight

Student Favourite: Incredible Incredibox

Donkey Kong Country Beatbox and Spraycan
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Richard Lemarchand via Compfight

We enjoy making music in real life.

We also enjoy making virtual music.

Incredibox is a great website.

They made us an invitation

we can’t refuse;

to become the conductor of

a group of human beatboxes.

 

Click on this link to try it.

This activity is fast becoming

one of our favourites.

But we warn you; it can be addictive 😉

‘An Introduction’ by Bruno & Alex (via Voki Avatar)

Today I learned how to make Voki Avatars.

First I made one, that was quite like me.

Then I used my imagination.

I like music

and I might be a musician

when I grow up.

So I made an avatar

of a rock star.

Click on either avatar to hear 

more about me: 

I have a pet cat at home,

so I created a cat avatar.

On Friday morning Alex made his Voki Avatar.

Then Alex added an older version of himself.

Alex then created a bear.

‘School Rules Poem’ – in the style of Roald Dahl

First Class have been busy.

They have written a poem about the school rules.

 

Third Class when they heard it,

thought it was like one Roald Dahl might have written.

It is catchy and funny and talks about icky things like lice.

 

Third Class decided that they would illustrate the poem.

They looked at lots of Roald Dahl books

and the illustrations by Quentin Blake.

They modelled their illustrations on his.

 

Here is the poem by First Class

with illustrations by Third: 

 

Our Classroom Rules

Don’t interrupt, put your hand up

ClassOne.jpg

Seats at lunch, thanks a bunch!

Classsix.jpg

When you speak, please be nice.

classnineteen.jpg

On a Thursday, check for lice

Classthree.jpg

Keep your classroom nice and clean.

Classseven.jpg

Remember that we are a team.

Flush the loo and wipe the seat

 Classtwo.jpg

And most important:

Kind words

Kind hands

Kind feet.

31.jpg

Third Class, just click on the picture below to see all your pictures:

Don’t forget Roald Dahl Day is today: 

Saturday 13th September, 2014.

Why not celebrate by re-reading your favourite Roald Dahl book.

Handwriting Checklist

homework-study-girl.jpg
Photo Credit: r. nial bradshaw via Compfight

Here is a handy checklist to help you improve your handwriting.

What do you do well? What could you improve?

Make a resolution that this year your writing is going to be

the best you possibly can make it!

 

Yes

No

Handwriting joined up

 

 

Writing all the same height

 

 

Equal spaces between words

 

 

Writing all sloping the same way

 

 

Writing looks grown up

 

 

Letters all formed the right way

 

 

Writing easy to read

 

 

Straight margins and lines. Ruler used

 

 

 

 

 

 

My New Work Station.

This day last week, the teachers returned to school.

There were no pupils, so the teachers could spend

the day getting their classrooms ready.

This year I am a Learning Support Teacher.

I share a room with two other teachers.

 

This is my work station.

After putting in some thought and time,

my students and I have a bright, comfortable

and organized place to work.

Writing prompt: ‘Magical Photos of Children Playing Around The World’ from @Fascinatingpics

Earlier in the week I posted a writing prompt

of a series of photographs showing  

dangerous and unusual ways to come to school. 

These pictures showed how different

many children’s lives are to ours.

 

It is good to look at the differences

but it also good to look at the similarities

between children also.

 

Click on this link to see photos of children playing

from faraway and interesting places.

This pictures are from @Fascinatingpics.

Play is certainly something that children

have in common wherever they live.

 

This time I can’t choose my favourite pictures

as there are so many of them. What about you?

Do you have a favourite? Why not write about it!

 

Writing Prompt: From @BoredPanda, 25 Most Dangerous & Unusual Journeys to School in the World

Look what I found on Twitter!

Click on this link to see children

travelling to school in unusual ways:

I thought this would be a writing prompt

that was topical and would be fun to use.

 

My favourite photo was the one of

the boys climbing the wooden ladder

in Zhang Jiawan Village in China …

until I saw the girl on the zip wire.

Which one is your favourite?