Numeracy Websites - Lisa Has Something for You

Here is a little something from one of our followers, Lisa:

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There are lots of practical consumer math lessons and games for all ages. Lisa was very excited to share it with you! She thought it could help other students and families. She said the Shopping and Spending games were really fun! :) Will you include it on here for her?  

We really appreciate the help! And to pay it forward my student Lisa asked me to send you this collection money math games and practice sites:  

https://couponfollow.com/research/math-and-money-fun-students

Check it out ... This site has lots of games to offer teachers and students. Thank you Lisa!

Anyone who has ever received incorrect change knows just how important math is when managing money. Calculators and cash registers are great tools, but they are only as useful as the numbers that are fed into them. Being able to quickly make changes in one's head can save students money and help them develop math skills that will help them for a lifetime.

In addition to understanding and applying basic addition and subtraction math skills to calculate costs and change, other money-centric concepts like planning, saving, and investing are also key elements to help students start to build their own healthy money habits down the road.

Whether you have elementary school students, high school students –or both– in your home, there are plenty of resources and online money games to incorporate and explain these ideas and help them apply what they are learning about math and money in real life. 

Courtesy of Tina@Harrison Park Community Center (Illinois, USA)

Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction is a philosophy that acknowledges that students learn at different rates and in many different ways. This method benefits all learners because it promotes an environment in which learning differences are not just tolerated, they are valued. 

As an educator, turn your classroom into a learning environment by including these strategies:

1. Make sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration;
2. Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings;
3. Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;
4. Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and
5. Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly (Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996). 

                                                                                                                                                            
What are the Advantages of Implementing Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiated instruction proves advantageous as it enables educators to cater to diverse learning styles. Recognizing that not every student responds well to traditional lectures, this approach allows for alternatives such as games or videos, accommodating varying preferences. Some students may excel through reading, while others may prefer utilizing computers. Offering choices in learning methods empowers students to achieve learning objectives in the manner that suits them best.

In certain classroom settings, differentiation becomes essential, particularly for students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language. Through differentiated instruction, all students gain the opportunity to align with the pace of learning objectives.

Regardless of the subject matter, students exhibit differing levels of engagement and learning speeds. To enhance the resonance of the material with each student, differentiated instruction serves as a motivational tool. By tailoring the learning experience to individual interests and unique styles, it encourages students to grasp the material in ways that suit them best.

AshleyC@NU

A 5-Step Classroom Management Makeover

 EDUTOPIA Presents:

A 5-Step Classroom Management Makeover

If you’re experiencing behavioral issues with your students, here’s a strategy to try to get back on track for a successful year.

Sonja Cassella

Want to look deeper at this? Click here >>>>> Behaviour

Brought to you by Friends@NUO2022

Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation 

Blue Zone: sad, bored, tired, sick

Green Zone: happy, focused, calm, proud

Yellow Zone: worried, frustrated, silly, excited

Red Zone: overjoyed/elated, panicked, angry, terrified

The four zones of regulation are Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red.  These zones help students identify which zone they are in by how they are feeling.  Each zone is identified by a colour which is easy for students to identify.  Zones help regulate students who need support with self-regulation.  This regulation concept can be used at any time of the day, during transitions, or when a student is dis-regulated. 

The book offers many activities and tools that can be introduced to individual students or the entire class.  Many tools can be used to help a student self-regulate and get them back on track in the green zone.  Zones of regulation are highly effective with many students and are used in many schools including my own. 

I would definitely recommend purchasing this book to use with students in your school.  Some activities the zones book offers are:

• Identifying feelings by giving them a color

• Monster feelings match up

• Emotions scavenger hunt

• Emotions sorting game

• Calm-down sandwich

• Behavior bingo

• Practice impulse control with the version of candy land

AmandaL@NU

Structured Literacy in the Early Years - Incorporating Technology into Classrooms

Kindergarten is a crucial time in a child's educational journey, laying the foundation for future academic success. One of the key components that significantly contributes to this success is structured literacy. Structured literacy in kindergarten is more than just teaching the ABCs; it involves a systematic and explicit approach to developing foundational literacy skills that are essential for proficient reading and writing. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of structured literacy in kindergarten and how it sets the stage for a lifetime of literacy mastery. Phonological Awareness, Systematic Phonics Instruction, Syllable Structure and Word Study, Morphology and Vocabulary Development, Syntax and Grammar are all important components of structured literacy.

Here are some great FREE websites you can use as an educator to use to support structured literacy in the classroom.

https://www.starfall.com/h/

https://www.getepic.com/

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/about-reading/articles/structured-literacy-instruction-basics

https://www.teachyourmonster.org/

https://heggerty.org/

https://readtheory.org/

https://www.lexialearning.com/

https://www.raz-kids.com/

https://www.abcya.com/

https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/

This structured literacy approach helps build a strong foundation for literacy skills, fostering improved reading and writing abilities for individuals of all ages. By incorporating technology into the classroom as well while covering the topic of structured literacy, children can become more active and engaged in the learning that is happening and retain the information better. By playing games like ABCYA and Starfall, children are learning these important foundational literacy skills in a fun and engaging learning environment.. (very similar to the games John introduces to us in class! :))
MonikaP@NU

Feedback - How to give it better

 EDUTOPIA Article:

Research-Backed Ways to Improve Feedback for Teachers

New research shows that common methods of delivering feedback may not be the most effective.

Mary Burns

Find out more info by clicking here >>>>> Feedback

Courtesy of S2023@OTU

Literacy Video and Visual resources

As we are aware, literacy has changed in the Ontario curriculum, especially in kindergarten. This year, my school was introduced to UFLI Foundations, an expectation and system phonics program. An explicit and systematic program that teaches the necessary foundational skills to become proficient readers. We focus on one letter sound for one week. Throughout the week, students can share ideas for words that have that sound in them. As we watched different videos each day, that helped support that letter sound. As well, we have introduced a Sound Wall and a Vowel Valley. A Sound Wall is a visual reference system for students organized by phonemes, similar to a word wall, but not alphabetically. A Vowel Valley is meant to visually represent how the mouth changes and opens through the vowel sounds. As you move down through the vowel sounds in vowel valley, you will notice that your chin lowers as your mouth opens in more of a rounded position.

Here are some videos and Sound Wall and Vowel Vally that I found helpful with my students in my class that I would share with you.

Videos

ABCmouse https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlG8Y2sj2t1FJRB8BoCEITAEdA0blA6gL

Story box

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3guwWkqlaGc&list=PLD9908AF19A9D352A&index=2

Captain Seasalt and the ABC Pirates 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh1_24pGXWZLk_Crr3DTolayDxy3HE67J

Have fun Teaching 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBAuIzZttP4

Jack hartmann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGZFmW3uPJE&list=PLQK2XiUY9C2iDCtoZQ9Jnkkk0Vkps9jQw

Sound Wall and Vowel Vally

 

https://natalielynnkindergarten.com/how-to-use-a-sound-wall-in-the-classroom/

MichelleG@NU 

Using Technology to Support Curriculum

With the advancements in technology, we as educators have the opportunity to use various tools to support student's academic achievement. There are many apps and websites that can be used within the learning environment to support the curriculum. Below are a few apps and websites educators can use with their students today.

1) Turtle Diary

Turtle Diary is a downloadable app and website that can be accessed for FREE. This website contains games, videos, quizzes, worksheets, and teaching tools for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5. The content on this website and app is both engaging and interactive. 

Link: https://www.turtlediary.com/ 

2) Tinytap

Tinytap is a downloadable app and website that contains various games that promote learning and curriculum understanding. Tinytap organizes its content according to educational subjects, grades, and/or age. I highly recommend this website and found it to be a hit in my classroom. 

Link: https://www.tinytap.com/content/

3) Education.com

Education.com is a website that contains worksheets, games, guided lessons, lesson plans, and more. This website is FREE and categorizes its games based on grade, subject, and/or strand (language and math). 

Link: https://www.education.com/games/CCSS/ 

4) Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education is a downloadable app and website that is used to engage students in learning through the use of a fun game. Minecraft Education promotes learning across the curriculum and supports creativity and inclusion. Students will navigate the Minecraft universe and identify different ways to take on new subjects and challenges.

Link: https://education.minecraft.net/en-us 

I hope these resources are helpful and can be used within your classrooms to support your students through their educational journey.

JefferyF@NU