StoryLines For Schools is a drawing game app with an educational component, creating appeal for kids, parents, and teachers. It is reminiscent of the old school “Telephone” game, and is sure to cause fits of giggles during play.
The game allows for 3, 5, 7, or 9 players. It begins with a player typing in a phrase or choosing an option from four different categories: elementary vocabulary, intermediate vocabulary, SAT words, or quotes. This allows the game to have an educational purpose, as players then have to visualize and draw out the phrase for the next player. The next player types in what they think the phrase is, based on the picture. Then the next player draws a picture of the new phrase, and so on until all players have taken a turn.

StoryLines has two different versions to choose from. The benefits of For Schools are that it has no outside play, so kids can only play with people who are physically sharing an iPad with them, there are no social media links, and educational vocabulary and phrases are built in to the app. It also only requires a WiFi connection on the first use after that, it is not required. The other version allows for random play with strangers and media sharing.

SHMOOP

This site is a great resource for students and teachers. It offers study guides in many areas for students. It also offers great teacher resources. There are many sample activities, assessments, etc. There is also a paid portion which gives you full access to all the resources. But if you are on a "free" budget, there are plenty of resources to find for literature and many other areas. This site is worth a look, if you are looking for new ideas.

Big Huge Labs

Big Huge Labs will allow you to do "Fun Stuff with Your Photos." There are many areas to explore. You can make a magazine cover, motivation posters, CD Covers, trading cards and so much more. This tool is great to support literature circles or content area information. It provides students with opportunities that allow them to share what they understand in a creative way. Students can use a digital camera to capture images to support what they are learning. Student's will be motivated to make trading cards for the states of matter or a magazine about the main character of a novel. Take a look and think outside the box for ways to use this site. Any ideas you wish to share, leave us a comment below.

Lifecards For The Touch

Sixth grade students at SRMS recently took a field trip to the D-Day Memorial. They were asked to pick out their favorite thing about this beautiful outdoor museum. This is an example of a postcard that can be created with the Lifecard app, some digital pictures, and lots of creativity.

WordWeb: A Free Dictionary & Thesaurus Download

WordWeb is a one-click dictionary and thesaurus resource. This free download can be used with almost any program. Students simply click on the icon, get the information needed, and resume working. No need to search the internet to find definitions, synonyms, or word origin. Just download and use! For more information, visit: http://www.wordweb.info/ .

Create a Story with Pinky Dinky Doo!

Pinky Dinky Doo is a site where students create stories starring cartoon characters from the animated series of the same name currently airing on Nick Jr.

After selecting a genre of their choice (Silly, Fairy Tale, Mystery, Scary, or Outer Space), they will compose their own story focusing on Beginning, Middle, and End. The text is highlighted and read aloud to the students each time they make an addition to their story providing help with fluency and word recognition.

Once their story is complete, it can be printed onto ONE sheet of paper, folded into a mini-booklet, and taken home for more reading practice!