iboard: Deck Chairs

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What it is: Deck Chairs is an interactive activity from iboard that allows students to explore pattern and symmetry.  Students can create patterns with three different colors.  Then, they can test out their pattern to find out if it is symmetrical.


How to integrate iboard: Deck Chairs into the classroom: Deck Chairs is a simple interactive activity that lets students explore pattern and symmetry.  Deck Chairs was created for use with an interactive whiteboard but would be just as effective as a math center on classroom computers.  For use with an interactive whiteboard, create a pattern on half of the deck chair.  Invite students to the board to finish the pattern to make it symmetrical.  Test out the pattern to find out if it is symmetrical.  As a math center, send pairs of students to the classroom computers.  One student will create the initial pattern.  The second student will try to mirror the pattern to create a symmetrical design.  I like the way that this activity checks students progress and gives immediate feedback.  If the design is not symmetrical, the pair should try to solve the problem together.


Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased. Deck Chairs is one of their freebie samples.


Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Deck Chairs in your classroom.

iboard: Alien Pairs to 10

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What it is: Alien Pairs to 10 is a fun warm up game for the primary math classroom.  Students are given 60 seconds to find as many pairs of 10 as they can.  The numbers students have to choose from are written on Aliens, with the target number (always 10) on the spaceship.  Students drag pairs of aliens into the spaceship and check the answer to find out how many pairs that equal 10 they can find.


How to integrate iboard: Alien Pairs to 10 into the classroom: Alien Pairs to 10 will bring out the inner competition in any student.    To use this site with an interactive whiteboard, split your students into teams.  Have students face off to find out who can find the most pairs of 10 before their 60 seconds are up.  This site was created with interactive whiteboards in mind but, to be honest,  I think this site is best suited for classroom computers as a math center activity.  Keep a running scoreboard next to your classroom computers where you post the high scores of the week.


Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased.  Alien Pairs to 10 is one of their freebie samples.


Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Alien Pairs to 10 in your classroom.

iboard: Crossing the Water

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What it is: Crossing the Water is a great logic game for the interactive whiteboard that encourages problem solving as students try to get a family across the water safely.  Teachers can set up the activity with a set number of adults and children, students guess how many trips will have to be made to get the whole family across the water.  If there is too much weight in the boat, it will sink.


How to integrate Crossing the Water into the classroom: Crossing the Water is a fun logic and problem solving activity for students to work out.   Use Crossing the Water as an introduction mind bending activity to begin math class.  Students can work individually or in small groups to work out their strategy.  Call groups up to the whiteboard to demonstrate their solution.  Compare the solution with the way that other groups solved the problem.  Because you can change the number of adults and children in the problem, each day can present a new challenge.  Crossing the Water could also be used as a math center activity on classroom computers.


Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased.  Crossing the Water is one of their freebie samples.


Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Crossing the Water in your classroom.

iboard: Counting Fish

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What it is: Counting Fish is a fun sample interactive whiteboard activity from iboard.  Students can count fish added to the ocean, add, group, subtract, and compare sets.  Click on “Totals” to find out how many of each fish have been added to the ocean.


How to integrate iboard: Counting Fish into the classroom: Counting Fish is a great little web application that can be used in the primary math class.  Use with the interactive whiteboard asking questions such as: “Can you count the creatures as I put them into the ocean?” “There are two lobsters already, how many will there be if we add four more?,” etc.  Counting Fish can be used to help students visualize complex problems or word problems.  Set up Counting Fish on classroom computers as a math center where students can practice adding, subtracting, grouping, and counting.  Create question cards to accompany the center that students can answer with a partner when they visit the center.


Tips: iboard has a variety of activities for the interactive whiteboard that can be purchased.  Counting Fish is one of their freebie samples.


Leave a comment and share how you are using iboard: Counting Fish in your classroom.

Teacher Led Interactive Whiteboard

What it is: Teacher Led IWB is a collection of resources for use with an interactive whiteboard.  This is an outstanding collection of 46 math tools and games, 3 geography maps and map makers, 6 English tools and games, and two multipurpose games.  The collection is visually appealing and helps teach key concepts visually in each content area.  There are too many great resources to go in depth here, I recommend heading over to Teacher Led IWB and taking a look right now!

How to integrate Teacher Led IWB into the classroom:  This collection is VERY impressive.  The tools and games are perfect for whole class instruction and practice in math, geography, language arts, and creating custom activities for other subjects.  Most of the tools are designed for the elementary classroom but there are some that can be used in middle school as well.  

 

Tips: If you have an interactive whiteboard, go to Teacher Led now and check out these awesome resources!  

 

 

Leave a comment and tell us which of the Teacher Led resources you have used in your classroom.

Ideas to Inspire

 

What it is:  Ideas to Inspire is a truly wonderful site and wealth of resources for teachers.  On this site you will find a collection of Google Doc presentations that include a number of ideas for engaging lesson activities in a variety of curriculum areas.  The collection comes from inspiring teachers from around the world.  You can find Ideas to Inspire on Writing, Interactive Math, Incredible Science, Amazing Art, Marvelous Music, and learn interesting ways to use Google Docs, Pocket Video Cameras, Interactive Whiteboards, Google Earth, Twitter, Netbooks, Webcams, and Visualizers.  Ideas to Inspire also has great tips for non-techy teachers (I remember being one of those once-upon-a-time).  Ideas to Inspire is very easy to navigate and each presentation is jam packed with truly inspiring ideas.

How to integrate Ideas to Inspire into the classroom: It happens to the best of us, we get settled in our ways and fall into a teaching slump where we can’t come up with a creative lesson idea to save our lives.  Sound familiar?  Ideas to Inspire is the place to go, here you will find inspiration, helpful tips, and get those creative juices flowing again!  Take a few minutes and look through some of the presentations, you will be happy you did. 🙂

 

Tips:  This is my last post for the day, head over to Ideas to Inspire and be inspired today!

 

Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Ideas to Inspire in your classroom.