becoming B.B.F.s ("Best Book Friends") with characters... using the Storia iPad app

Reading and analyzing multiple texts within a character series... the First Grade Butterfly Readers become "B.B.F.s" (Best Book Friends) with book characters!

The Butterfly Readers read and learn about characters through access to digital books in the Scholastic Storia iPad app and through printed books.

The first graders read and discuss multiple character texts cooperatively with a partner (or in small groups of three).  Selecting characters of interest, the first graders collaboratively identify and determine character traits and personality through comparing, analyzing, summarizing, and inferring information constructed through the reading and discussion of multiple texts.

The Butterfly Readers read to become "B.B.F.s" with characters... knowing, understanding, connecting with, appreciating, and celebrating a character for who she/he is!

first graders read and discuss books within a character series
-reading books through the Storia iPad app

reading partners become "Best Book Friends" with characters
-reading character series on the Storia iPad app

operations and equality... with the Math Games iPad app

The "Math Race" activity in the Math Games iPad app by Tap To Learn promotes fact fluency and understanding of symbols of operations as students "race" to identify equations as true or false.

a first grader identifies equations as true or false
-with the "Math Race" activity in the Math Games iPad app by Tap to Learn

Fruity Fractions iPad app

The Fruity Fractions iPad app supports students' learning of fractions and skills for identifying, creating, naming, writing, and reading fractions.

The First Grade Butterflies were motivated to use the app as they challenged themselves to complete the series of activities and levels that increased in difficulty and focused on a variety of skills.

Fruity Fractions is a "Butterfly Favorite" math iPad app!

learning fractions is FUN
-with the Fruity Fractions iPad app

fact fluency... Everyday Mathematics Tric-Trac iPad app

Tric-Trac is an engaging and fun math game that develops students' skills for composing a NF decomposing quantities and promotes fact fluency.

The First Grade Butterflies cooperatively play Tric-Trac on the iPad with the Everyday Mathematics Tric-Trac iPad app!

first graders develop fact fluency
-with the Tric-Trac iPad app

Words Their Way assessment on the iPad

The SmArTy K12 Spelling Assessment Tool iPad app is one of the GREATEST teacher productivity apps available!

The SmArTy K12 Spelling Assessment Tool app assesses AND scores Spelling Inventory assessments, spelling word assessments, spelling features assessments, and... more!

SmArTy K12 calculates individual student and class feature "reports" to monitor progress and plan instruction.

The SmArTy K12 app supports student learning and increases teacher productivity!

The SmArTy K12 app is a MUST have app!

math and sight word fluency... with Frog Hop HD

The The Frog Hop HD iPad app reinforces sight word recognition and math skills.

Frog Hop HD includes 12 levels of math skills and 12 levels of sight words that align with the Common Core Math Standards for grades K-3.

The varied skills and 12 levels allow for readers and mathematicians to engage in activities that facilitate individualized learning and development.

a first grader develops counting fluency
-level 1 of the 12 levels of math skills in the Frog Hop HD iPad app  

place value fun with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Factory iPad app

The First Grade Butterflies apply their knowledge of place value concepts and develop fluency with using place value to compose and decompose quantities with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Factory: Place Value iPad app.

Mathematicians must collect, "ship, and deliver" orders with single cookies, stacks of ten cookies, boxes of one hundred cookies, and...

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Factory: Place Value app is a "favorite" with the Butterfly Mathematicians as they challenge themselves to improve their sales as cookie entrepreneurs.

a first grader applies his knowledge of place value concepts
-using the Cookie Factory iPad app

number sequences... with the Little Monkey Mystery Number iPad app

First Grade Mathematicians develop counting, number identification, comparison, and sequencing skills with the Little Monkey Mystery Number iPad app.

The levels within the app promote engagement that supports students' level of mathematical development and allows differentiated opportunities for optimal learning.

a first grader focuses on number sequence within 20

Little Monkey Mystery Number iPad app
includes multiple levels of difficulty

a first grader focuses on number sequence within 100
-using the Little Monkey Mystery Number iPad app

Sight Words and Spelling iPad app

The First Grade Butterflies use the Sight Words and Spelling iPad app!

The first grade spellers create custom lists of individualized spelling words within the app for learning focus.  Spellers create lists of 5 focus words.

The Sight Words and Spelling iPad app engages spellers in a variety of activities that promote accurate spelling and recognition of his/her individualized spelling words.

The Sight Words and Spelling app is used in combination with SpellBoard and Spellosaur to develop spelling "mastery".

"rainbow writing" spelling words
-on the Sight Words and Spelling iPad app

the Sight Words and Spelling iPad app
supports fluent identification of spelling words with print directionality

a first grader uses the Sight Words and Spelling iPad app

first graders play "Memory" with spelling words
-on the Sight Words and Spelling iPad app

building sentences- with the Sight Words Sentence Builder iPad app

The Sight Words Sentence Builder iPad app (by Sierra Vista) actively engages readers in manipulating words into complete sentences.

Sight Words Sentence Builder includes multiple levels of difficulty and a variety of options (for example- narration, audio hints, automatic spacing, and...) that promote independence and scaffolding for student learning.

The Sight Words Sentence Builder iPad app encourages recognition of high-frequency words, attention to capitalization and punctuation, and rereading for accuracy of meaning and structure.

a first grader manipulates words
-using the Sight Words Sentence Builder iPad app 

a first grader uses the Sight Words Sentence Builder iPad app

an adding adventure... with the Addimals Adventure iPad app

The First Grade Butterfly Mathematicians go on an adding adventure with the Addimals Adventure iPad app!

Addimals supports students' knowledge and application of a variety of math strategies to solve single digit addition facts through visual models.

first graders learn addition strategies
-with the Addimals Adventure iPad app

the Addimals Adventure iPad app
promotes mathematical thinking to solve operations

word sorts on the iPad- with the Essential Word Sorts app

Using Bear's Primary Spelling Inventory and analysis of student reading and writing...
I identify the instructional needs of each Butterfly.

Word sorts provide an active opportunity for learners to explore, analyze, discover, compare, and... sounds, spelling patterns, and word features.  Word sorts promote word analysis that encourages flexible and fluent decoding and encoding as readers and writers.

The First Grade Butterflies access and complete word sorts, individualized to their developmental needs as a reader, writer, and speller, in the Essential Word Sorts for the Primary Grades Student iPad app.

I utilize the Essential Word Sorts for the Primary Grades Teacher iPad app to manage and monitor student sorts and progress.

Essential Word Sorts for the Primary Grades iPad app
-mirrored on the SMART Board 

a first grader sorts words by short vowel sound

Move and Match- word sorts

One way we use the Move and Match iPad app in the First Grade Butterfly classroom is for sound and word sorts.

I create custom sound and word sorts within the Move and Match iPad app on my personal iPad and then "export" and "share" the sorts with the Butterflies.  (The Butterflies "import" the sort into the Move and Match app installed on each of the student iPads).

The Move and Match app is a great app for creating customized activities for instruction, guided application, and/or independent application across the curriculum.

word sort "mirrored" on the SMARTBoard

Butterflies complete a word sort on the Move and Match iPad app

a first grader completes a sound sort
-on the Move and Match iPad app

individualized word study- on the iPad

Using Bear's Primary Spelling Inventory- the stage of spelling development for each First Grade Butterfly is identified.

Knowing their individual stage for development (for example- "short vowels" or "long vowel patterns"), the first graders reference the word work app choices chart to identify and select apps supportive of their stage for learning and development.

     -word work app choices are organized within folders on the iPad "Word Work" page
     -the word work app choices chart lists app choices specific to each stage of spelling development
     -the chart is created with app choice "cards" that include printed and visual text for the app, folder location of the app, and specific "options" and/or "activities" within the app

1st graders select and engage with iPad apps supportive of their
individualized stage of spelling development

leveled books on the iPad... K-2 Mobile Reading

Access to a variety of text types and genres that are "just right" for a reader is an essential component in a child's learning and development as a reader.

The K-2 Mobile Reading iPad app

• provides readers access to a variety of 100 Reading Recovery leveled books
• promotes readers' independent selection of "just right" books with simple app navigation and organization
• encourages active engagement throughout the reading process with supportive introductions, post-reading comprehension questions, and...
• includes in-app teacher management tools 
• monitors student reading and comprehension
• provides options of narrated reading, silent-self reading, or recording of reading for each book 

The First Grade Butterfly Readers log-in with individual passwords and access books at his/her "just right" reading level in the K-2 Mobile Reading app.

the K-2 Mobile Reading iPad app promotes and motivates
independent reading

first grade readers actively engage in the reading process
-reading digital books on the K-2 Mobile Reading iPad app

the K-2 Mobile Reading iPad app provides readers access to leveled texts

a first grade reader reads "just right" books on the iPad
-using the K-2 Mobile Reading iPad app

celebrating Butterfly Writers... My Storybook Maker iPad app

After "publishing" a small moment personal narrative story using the My Storybook Maker iPad app... the Butterflies celebrated themselves and each other as writers!

The First Graders accessed peer publications through the My Storybook Reader iPad app on the iPads and collaboratively viewed and discussed the author's purpose, the story structure and organization, elaboration strategies applied in spoken text and visual text, craft strategies, and... with a writing partner.

The First Graders generated and recorded specific motivational feedback for each writer... complimenting the writer's use (or attempt) of a strategy, skill, and/or behavior with purpose to convey meaning.

The compliments were collected, sorted, and organized into "WOW!  YOU should feel so proud of yourself as a writer because..." books and were given to each writer.

first grade writing partners collaboratively use critical literacy skills
and provide written feedback to peers as writers

first graders cooperatively "read" (visual and audio texts)
a small moment personal narrative story published by a peer

first graders celebrate one another as small moment writers
...recording and sharing compliments

publishing narratives with the My Storybook Maker iPad app

To celebrate our learning and accomplishments as "small moment personal narrative writers"...
the First Grade Butterfly Writers became "published Writers"!

The First Grade Writers

• evaluated and analyzed personal narrative compositions written throughout our genre study
• selected one personal narrative story to publish
• used the drawing capabilities in the My Storybook Maker iPad app to create illustrations for each page of his/her story that conveyed meaning and supported the reader's understanding 
• used the audio recording capability of the My Storybook Maker iPad app to record audio of the text for each page of his/her story... using his/her best "storyteller's voice"
• "published" his/her personal narrative story using the save and share capabilities in the My Storybook Maker iPad app

a first grade writer uses the My Storybook Maker iPad app
to publish a personal narrative story

first grade writers create visual images using the My Storybook Maker iPad app
...creating visual images that convey meaning and support the "readers" understanding

a first grade writer uses a Logitech headset
to record audio and to check for clarity, accuracy, and meaning of the written and spoken texts

informed citizens... learning about our world with the News-O-Matic iPad app

The First Grade Butterflies LOVE the News-O-Matic iPad app!

Five new articles are posted each day with kid-friendly language and supportive features (for example- capability to have text read aloud, access to a map indicating the location of the "news", ideas to "act" and become involved, additional "facts", and...)!

News-O-Matic 

• provides readers access to informational text that is meaningful, authentic, and relevant to their lives-world
• facilitates readers' application of reading skills, strategies, and behaviors to construct meaning in a variety of "text" types
• promotes development of knowledgeable, global, and informed citizens 
• incites critical literacy skills
• inspires intentional discourse and problem-solving
• and... 

News-O-Matic is a Butterfly "BEST" iPad app (a "definite-must have" app) for iPads in the classroom and for iPads at home!

a first grader learns about current events
with the News-O-Matic iPad app

first graders become informed citizens
...learning about our world through the News-O-Matic iPad app

first graders record reactions to current events
...learning about our world through the News-O-Matic iPad app

MQuiz- Balance Addition iPad app

Supporting the Butterflies' knowledge and application of equality, symbols of operations, and the concept of addition... the Butterfly mathematicians use the MQuiz Balance Addition iPad app.

The range of numbers is customized to each mathematician's "Zone of a Proximal Development" within the app to promote optimal learning and achievement.

The mathematicians apply knowledge of equality, symbols of operations, the concept of addition, and strategies for addition to identify the missing addend.

rimes- on the iPad

The Word Wizard iPad app is a "favorite" app for instruction, guided application, and independent application-practice for word study!

The Butterflies identified and applied "rimes" in known words (ex: "ike" in the known word "like") to read and make other words (ex: "trike").

the Word Wizard iPad app
mirrored on the SMARTBoard for instruction and during guided application

guided application... making and reading words using the rime "ike"

independent application...
using the rime "ut" in the known word "but" to make and read other words