Practicing Sight Words in Grades 1, 2, and 3

Learning Sight Words is extremely important! Children who can rapidly and automatically read and spell a multitude of sight words are more fluent readers and writers. Sight words are the most common words that appear in our reading and writing daily such as the words: friend, who, is, first. There are many different lists to practice sight words and many different ways to practice them but the most important thing is to practice them. Most of these words cannot be sounded out as they do not following any common spelling patterns or rules. Over the past few weeks in computer, we have been working on sight words using different tools. We have watched videos on sight words. Click this link: Have Fun Teaching to see a few quick sight word videos and songs. Younger kids love to sing along to them.
We have also been visiting the site: AbcYa.com and playing Sight Word Bingo. This game practices rapidly recognizing sight words by both their sound and by sight. There is also a great Dolch Sight Word Spelling Game that helps kids practice spelling sight words.

In conjunction with learning Sight Words, we are also working on developing an increased awareness of where the keys are located on the keyboard with 1st and 2nd graders using simple typing games and a keyboard challenge. To complete the Keyboard Challenge, you must arrange all the keys back onto the keyboard in their correct order.

4th Grade Math Resources

To begin a unit on perimeter and area, some fourth grade classes are using this great site on perimeter and area to explore the ways area and perimeter are calculated. By using the computer lab to interact with shapes and to calculate area and perimeter before they do the lessons in class, we hope the preteaching of these concepts will carryover into their understanding throughout this math unit. Here is an example:

Third Grade Learns about Volcanoes and Creating Tables

In conjunction with a classroom story about volcanoes, third graders investigated and collected information about volcanoes around the world.First they explored by creating an eruption using this site: Volcano Explorer. Then they learned how to create a table using Microsoft Word to organize the information they found. Some computer skills they practiced:

• selecting font/size
• copy and paste text and images between two documents
• proofreading and editing their writing using spellcheck
• Drawing a table and understanding terms related to tables (row, column, labels)

Students were encouraged to create an addition or subtraction math word problem using the information they collected in their volcano table. Follow this link to a great site that lists information about volcanoes around the world: Volcano list

Lifecycles and Kidpix in Second Grade

Second graders have been studying lifecycles as part of a unit in science. In the computer lab, they are using the program Kidpix to share their learning about a particular animal's lifecycle and build upon their learning of lifecycles in the classroom. They are sharing their learning in words, pictures, and recording a summary of their learning with their voice. Here are some examples:

Follow this linkto a great website to support learning about lifecycles: Sheppard Software's Lifecycles

Kidspiration in First Grade

Over the past couple weeks we have been exploring Kidspiration in First Grade. Kidspiration provides a cross-curricular visual workspace for K-5 learners. With Kidspiration, students can use graphic organizers to express thoughts and explore ideas and relationships. They create graphic organizers including webs, concept maps and Venn diagrams to clarify thoughts, organize information, apply new knowledge and build critical thinking skills.


In first grade, students used their animal projects to create animal concept maps. Prior to creating these maps they were introduced to the program through an animal sorting activity.

After this activity they felt more confident with the program and were able to focus their attention to the task of building a concept map. Students were provided an outline to complete in the classroom and integrated their knowledge into their concept map upon returning the following week. Here is an example of a concept map created in first grade.

We look forward to using this program in the future to extend learning in the classroom. For more information about Kidspiration you can go to http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration.