"Most of the resources can be used in KS1 and KS2 but some do lend themselves to the upper age group and above. The aim is to provide high quality resources that can be used in stand alone literacy lessons, can form the basis for a whole literacy unit or can support literacy units that you already have in place. With the many book based activities I would advocate using the book alongside the digital resource. "
How to integrate Cyberkidz into the classroom: Cyberkidz is a fun place for students to work on the knowledge level of Bloom's Taxonomy. The music game is the only creative game that I would truly place in the "create" category of Bloom's Taxonomy because it gives students free rein to explore music and create a recording. The majority of the games are designed to help students build skills and remember key concepts that are a necessary foundation for other learning. These are a nice alternative to worksheet skill practice. Students will enjoy the game quality of these practice activities. Each activity can be advanced through relatively quickly making them perfect as a center on classroom computers. Students can visit the game as a math, literacy, geography or science "practice" center before advancing to put those newly honed skills to work in a higher order thinking center.
These practice activities could also be completed as a class using an interactive whiteboard or projector connected computer. Split students into teams and rotate them up to the whiteboard for a class practice session.
We just completed the second go-round of our global infographics project.
It's an opportunity for students to visually represent their research in a way that makes an impact on an audience. It's a way for them to practice media literacy, data crunching and communication skills. And, combined with their oral presentations, it's a way for us to easily assess students' knowledge surrounding critical global issues.
A wonderful site to use when teaching media literacy. It helps students to explore the world of advertising, and how 'stuff' is marketed for ages 8-12.
On the Woodlands Junior School's game site you will links to hundreds of games appropriate for use by elementary school students. The games are divided into three categories; maths, literacy, and science. Each category is further divided by topics specific to each subject.
How to integrate MinyanLand into the classroom: MinyanLand is such a fun way to work toward financial literacy in the classroom. It offers students a virtual economy where they can practice real-world skills of buying, earning, investing, and giving. I love the way that MinyanLand ties the real world to the virtual by allowing students to earn virtual MinyanMoney for real chores and jobs.Registering is free and easy enough for young students to register themselves. A parent or teacher email address is optional for registration. If students include a parent or teacher email address, they can earn MinyanMoney for chores or jobs that you assign.MinyanLand is one of those sites that would be great as a year-long project. Students can visit MinyanLand throughout the year in the classroom (and at home) to learn about money, investing, spending, earning, and the economy. It is a natural fit in the math classroom where students are already working with money and numbers. MinyanLand would be best in a lab setting where each student has access to a computer. If you don't have a lab for students, use classroom computers as a learning center. Students can visit the center throughout the week to interact in MinyanLand.
What it is: Inklewriter is a great digital tool that lets students (and teachers if you are so inclined) write and publish interactive stories. Inklewriter lets students create choose-your-own-adventure type stories, story lines can come with choices and then be linked back together. Inklewriter makes this process easier by keeping track of which story paths have been finished and which still need work. There is no set-up required, no programming language to learn and no diagrams. Inklewriter is free to use and easy to share with the world when it is published. When a story is finished, it can even be converted to Kindle format!
iLearnTechnology
Teach your Monster to Read: First Steps is a new, free game to practise the first steps of reading.
Combining top quality games design with essential learning, the game is built on the principles of synthetic phonics and follows the teaching sequence of the Letters and Sounds programme.
It has been assessed by reading experts at the University of Roehampton.