Rock It!

So, the first few weeks of school have been exhausting to say the least! I'm sure many of you are in agreement. We are closing in on being in school for a whole month. I can't believe it!

At the beginning of the school year, I was contacted by a representative of Rock It! Transform Classroom Learning with Movement, Songs, and Stories, an ebook written by Steve Reifman. I was asked to take a look, try an activity or two, and write a review. As I've said previously, I'm always interested in reviewing things made by teachers! [Steve is a teacher in California.] I also love interactive activities that draw my students in, especially my special education students.

Here is the description from the representative. "This groundbreaking book shows teachers how to incorporate movement, songs, and stories as part of their instructional methods every day. Math and English language arts activities are aligned with Common Core Standards to help teachers meet those requirements using techniques that are lots of fun."

The ebook is 193 pages long, and it included activities for students K-5. As the description above states, the activities are Common Core aligned, so you can easily search the electronic document according to the standard that you are currently working on. There are chapters devoted to math, ELA, and Science/SS. 

There are also chapters with chants, songs, and movement breaks. I teach writing, math, and science, so those were the sections that I focused on. For writing, there are some movements for grammar that will be useful. I was pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of activities for place value in the math section. Place value instruction can be really dry! I am planning on sharing these activities with the paraprofessional who teachers place value during RTI! There are a few science activities, but none that align with the FOSS kits that I teach in third grade. I did see some social studies activities that my partner could use.

A couple chants that I will definitely use this year are the "Rounding Chant" and the "Three Kinds of Angles Chant." I love things that get stuck in the students' heads that offer guidance on a new or tricky concept!

This book would be great for new teachers to use to supplement an existing curriculum. It would also be great for any teacher who is looking to add more movement and song to their classroom climate! The activity pages are super easy to understand, and many do not require very much set up, so they would be great to leave for a substitute!

If you are interested in purchasing or wanting to know more, visit the book's website here, or you can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, and TPT.

Please note that I was sent a free copy of the text in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Room Recess

I wanted to share a great resource with you all!

Let me start off by saying, I love reviewing products and resources that are made by fellow teachers. A while back, I reviewed THE pencil sharpener. Now, I'm reviewing a website developed by a fellow third grade teacher, Brian King, and it also did not disappoint!

The website is called Room Recess, and it is full of free flash games for students to play. Most of the games are intended to be projected onto a Smartboard, which is perfect for my Smartboard math center. The site features both reading and math games for students K-5, and you can browse for games by grade or subject.

One game in particular that my class [and I!] enjoyed was Flash Card Race. The idea isn't anything new, but the features make it special. I will express my thoughts in pictures. =)

How you know he's a teacher: (1) I am all about teaching a game structure and being able to swap the content easily. With so many choices, you can use this game early in the year for addition/subtraction, middle of the year for multiplication/division, and the end of the year to review all operations. (2) The time delay in between is probably my favorite feature. You can set it so students have time to get out of the way for the next person on the team to go. This cuts down on pushing, friends! (3) If two students are playing, they can type their names. If there are two teams, they can come up with a team name. This can hook even the most reluctant mathematicians.  (4) Okay, maybe this is my favorite feature! You can choose how long the game will go on by setting the winning score. So if you only have a few minutes, set it so the first team to answer 5 correct wins. Have a bit longer? First person to 15! 

This is what the actual game looks like:

I love that games aren't just for inside recess anymore. You can find games that align to your curriculum and/or standards, and they really boost student engagement. I urge you to browse the rest of the games!

Have you tried this website? What games did you enjoy?