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Make Your Daily 5 Come Alive

Are you looking for some tried and true "mostly" free apps to complement your Daily 5 or Literacy centers?
I've had quite a good time testing out the apps listed below.  Each link for the app will take you to the iTunes App Store so you can download the apps for yourself. 

Go to bit.ly/iOSDaily5Slides to add a copy of the above presentation to your Google Drive or click the gear icon above to download a copy of the presentation as a PDF or PowerPoint.

Read to Self

We know that in order to become better readers, we need the opportunity to read.  The Read to Self choice provides some of the necessary time for students.  Adding iPads adds a level of oomph, engagement and choice.  The apps in the Symbaloo to the left all have their plusses and minuses.  To get an overview of the apps, click here to see if these apps might be right for you and your students.

Read to Someone

Whether you have students buddy reading in class or reading to students in other classes/grade levels, the same is true, kids love reading to one another...IF they are confident readers who are reading at their own level.  

What if there was another option?  What if kids had the ability to record themselves reading?  They could read, record, and repeat if they didn't like the way the recording came out. The apps to the right have that thought in mind.  If student purpose is to record themselves for a specific audience like other students, the class library, or to be shared with the world via a class website, blog or Twitter, those sutdents will drive themselves to succeed.  Click here to take a closer look at my findings on the apps.  Of course, all the apps in the Read to Self Symbaloo, can be used as material to read with others as well.

Listen to Reading

Think back to a time when your parents read aloud to you?  Too far back?  OK, how about that special teacher who made stories come alive when he or she read them to you?  The audiobook industry has skyrocketed and I like to think that it brings us back to a simpler time when stories magically transported us to other places, just by listening to them.  

Students need to hear models of fluent readers in order to become fluent readers.  It is an integral part of the jigsaw puzzle that is reading.  The Listen to Reading choice can really help out our struggling older readers as well as our English language learners.  And not for nothing, it is really nice to listen to someone read to you.  

Click here to get my take

on the apps in the

Symbaloo on the left.

Word Work provides opportunities for students to get down to the business of words.  What are they?  How are they formed?  It can be a very hands-on process like using magnet letters to form words with certain patterns.  It can involve learning new vocabulary or memorizing sight words.  

In our gamified world, apps for Word Work can really push students to have fun with words.  Yes, I said "fun!" I love when I don't even realize that I was working hard.  Actually, my favorite lessons that I've taught are the ones where I feel like I tricked the kids into learning.  Using games can have that effect.  Using games on iPads can give that effect a shot in the arm!  Click here to check out the apps.

Word Work

There are so many choices available for students in regards to ways they can Work on Writing.  I tried to find some out-of-the-box ideas as well as some options that may be a bit more standard.  

Students need to be able to get their thoughts out.  At times you might want them working on specific activities that mirror the day's instruction.  If not, these apps will provide a myriad of options for the kids.  Students can create comics, books, collage pages, all the way to more content oriented apps like the timeline maker and acrostic poem creator.  Click here to learn more about the specific apps.

Work on Writing

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