Learning Target

We can model and promote collaborative planning and teaching within a school climate that is conducive to and supportive of collaborative learning.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

50 Shades of Literacy "FREE"d: Putting the Passion Into Teaching Writing & Literature


50 Shades of Literacy "FREE"d: Putting the Passion Into Teaching Writing & Literature. How can we ignite a spark and put passion back into teaching when budgets are getting smaller, more demands are being put on classroom teachers and we are learning a new Common Core Curriculum? Simply... keep it simple! There are many great free resources available in the App Store. But there are 12 free apps that are great for all content areas, especially writing and literature.

At the 2014 ICE Conference, we focused on the Free apps available and presented how they integrate into the Common Core State Standards. Check out the presentation below for specific examples of how these free resources empower children in today's classroom.



(to view the presentation slides click the image below)


Top 12 Free Apps

  1. QuickVoice 
  2. Skitch 
  3. iCard Sort 
  4. Popplet 
  5. eBooks 
  6. DoodleBuddy 
  7. Google Forms 
  8. Educreations 
  9. Twitter 
  10. Lino 
  11. KidsBlog 
  12. QR Code Reader 

Top 50 Free App Activities to Integrate in your ELA Curriculum


Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension
  • Google forms- comprehension check 
  • Storia- Listening to reading, Independent reading
  • Storia- Shared reading
  • Storia - listen for point of view or voice
  • Storia- non-fiction reading/text features
  • Storia- partner reading
  • Follet Enlight- Independent Reading
  • We Give Books- Independent Reading
  • Google Earth: Literature Trips
  • Photos - Reading Sight Words/Sentences
  • Voice Thread - Retell a Story

Writing: Text types, responding to reading and research

  • Audioboo- Book review
  • Google forms- writing data
  • Educreations - Write a pattern book 
  • Twitter- Tweet about books you are reading in class
  • Popplet- Story Map
  • Animoto - Create a commercial for a book
  • Camera - Students document their learning (create a poster for fiction/non-fiction)
  • Doodle Buddy- Character Cloud
  • Educreations- “Book print” Create movie about their personal reading life 
  • Lino- my favorite part of this story
  • Google Docs - take a picture and write about it
  • Video - Evidence of Learning
  • Kidblog.org - writing responses
  • Google Docs- Story Writing
  • Quick Voice- students record their own writing and listen for details
  • Garageband- Record poem, add effects to create mood
  • Voice Thread - Respond to a story

Speaking & Listening: flexible communication and collaboration

  • QR Codes - Retelling 
  • Quick voice- Fluency Check
  • Quick Voice- word list reading
  • Photos- Reading words
  • Camera- Readers Theatre

Language: conventions, effective use and vocabulary

  • Make dice lite- site word practice
  • iCard sort- Sort words by syllables or vowels
  • iCard sort- Sort words by topic/concept
  • Doodle Buddy- word list writing
  • Spelling City- Word work
  • Doodle Buddy- Vocabulary illustrations
  • iCard Sort- word building
  • iCard Sort- individual word walls
  • Magnetic Letters- Word building
  • Magnetic Letters- Word list writing
  • iCard Sort- Student created common/proper noun sort
  • Doodle Buddy- Letter formation
  • Doodle Buddy- letter recognition
  • Skitch- define/label a picture
  • Dictionary- word of the day
  • iBooks - PDF of Phonics Books
  • Screen Chomp - Write & Record for Understanding
  • Chicktionary - Making Words
  • Singing Fingers: Write & Record Letter Sounds
  • iXL Language - Conventions
Thanks for visiting us!