The website:

• http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html

This fantastic resource for interactive whiteboard tools has been circulating on Twitter.  The site provides excellent manipulatives, gameboards, workmats and storyboards for K-4 classrooms.  It takes time to discover all of the hidden gems, so I’ve highlighted an activity below that you won’t want to miss!

Classroom Applications: 

Manipulative:  Bears In A Boat

Create a story about the bears in a boat to practice addition and subtraction concepts with primary students. 

Example:

Four bears walked to the water’s edge to take a boat out to fish.

Oh no, said Fred as he slapped his head, I’ve forgotten our lunch dish.

So, Fred headed home and the three bears began to shove the boat off from shore,

When running down the bank came two more bears shouting “Have you got room for more?”

So the bears all piled into the boat and paddled out onto the lake,

Hoping that a wonderful catch of fish they would be able to take.

The sun was burning so hot in the sky that the sweat began to drip,

So two bears jumped off into the lake to take a little dip.

One of the bears swam to shore and the other climbed back onboard,

Just then the poles began to bend and the bears spirits soared.

(OK, time for the bad meter and rhyming to end! You get the general idea by this point in the story!)

Place the bears in and out of the boat as the story progresses and as your students complete the computations.  For a challenge, tell the story straight through without moving the bears and ask your students how many bears are in the boat at the end.  Then tell the story again while moving the bears so the students can check their answers.

It would also be a fun extension to have your students create their own stories and to use this as an opportunity to pair and share.

As with all interactive whiteboard activities, be sure to encourage all students to answer by using paper and pencil or individual whiteboards as described here: http://interactivecontentcorner.com/2009/08/31/techniques-for-engaging-all-students/

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The website:

• http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/VMF-Interface.html

This fantastic resource for interactive whiteboard tools has been circulating on Twitter.  The site provides excellent manipulatives, gameboards, workmats and storyboards for K-4 classrooms.  It takes time to discover all of the hidden gems, so I’ve highlighted an activity below that you won’t want to miss!

Classroom Applications:

Choose the Place Values Millions Workmat and Number Cubes Manipulatives

Game #1:  Place seven number cubes on the screen.  Choose Roll All Cubes. (Note:  The number 10 is on one face of the cube, so some cubes many need to be re-rolled individually by selecting the cube and clicking on the icon in the upper right corner.)  Challenge your students to place the number cubes on the workmat to create the largest number possible or the smallest number possible.  Ask your students to think about place values by creating a number between two specific guide post numbers such as three million five hundred thousand and four million.

Game #2:  Place seven number cubes on the workmat.  Choose Roll All Cubes.  Have your students build a number that you describe using the cubes.  Ask them to place one cube at a time on the workmat to create a number according to your directions.  For example:  Put the six in the tens place.  Put the five in the hundred thousands place.  Put the one in the hundreds place. etc.

Game #3:  Place one number cube on the screen.  Roll the number cube.  Tell your students that their challenge is to create the largest number possible (or the smallest number possible) by placing the numbers you roll in specific place values on the work mat.  However, the students will only see one number at a time, and they will have to place that number on the mat before they will be allowed to see the next number.  Once a number is placed, it can not be removed.  Vary the game by rolling two or three number cubes at the same time and having your students place several numbers at once.

All of the above games can be modified for different levels by using fewer number cubes, by using more number cubes or by choosing the Place Values Billions workmat.

As with all interactive whiteboard activities, be sure to encourage all students to answer by using paper and pencil or individual whiteboards as described here.

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The websites:

• http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/protractor.html
• http://www.innovationslearning.co.uk/subjects/maths/activities/year6/angles/home.asp
• http://resources.oswego.org/games/bananahunt/bhunt.html

These sites focus on two angles concepts:  Estimating the size of an angle when given its measurement and estimating the measurement of an angle when shown its size.

Classroom Applications:

1.  Begin by selecting Show the Angle.  Use this application to explore the relative size of angles and to work together to establish “benchmark” angles to guide the estimation process.  For example: Is the angle less than 90 degrees?  Is the angle between 90 degrees and 180 degrees?  Help your students to develop the concept of the size of ten degree increments.

2.  Click Teacher Controls.  Choose Make the Angle Game.  Use this application to practice creating an angle to match the given measurement.  Use a think aloud for the first problem.  Answer the problem while explaining the reasoning behind your answer.  For the next few questions, have students draw their angle estimations independently or in small groups.  Then have them share the strategies they used to determine their estimations.  Finally, choose one student to answer for the class.  (You may want to skip the think aloud if you want students to come up with their own estimation strategies and not be influenced by your demonstration.  Be sure to share and discuss the strategies as a whole class.)

3.  Click Teacher Controls.  Choose Estimating up to 90 or Estimating up to 180.  Have the students estimate the angle measurement of the given angle individually or in groups.  Have them explain their thought process.  Then choose one student to answer for the class.

4.  Click Teacher Controls.  Choose Make and Measure.  This could be used for a partner activity at a center or as a whole class activity by dividing the class into two different teams.  Have the first team create an angle and measure it with the protractor while the second team is not watching.  Then, have the second team guess the angle measurement and then measure the angle to check their accuracy.  A few suggestions for game rules:  The angles created must end in 5 or 0.  Rarely will the students guess the measurement with 100% accuracy so a point system that allows for close answers works well.  3 points for 100% accuracy.  2 points if the estimation is within 5 degrees.  1 point if the estimation is within ten degrees.

The last two websites can be used as whole class practice, by groups during center time, or by individual students on computers at school and at home.  The second website asks students to set the angle of a laser beam to destroy an alien spacecraft.  It is a nice introductory activity since the angle measurements are in 10 degree increments.  The third website asks students to help the monkey find the banana by creating an angle with the given measurement.  This site is more challenging since all 360 degrees are used.

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Last week, I was honored to be receive an award from Alexandra Francisco who writes the Zarco English Tool of the Day Blog found here: http://zarcoenglish-tooloftheday.blogspot.com

The award was created to spread the word about blogs we personally hold in high regard.

For those I am awarding below, here are a few rules to follow: 

1- Copy and display the picture of the award given to you;

2- Link back to the blog that nominated you;

3- Nominate 10 different blogs yourself;

4- Inform the people you nominated, so they can in turn, continue the chain and spread the word about other great blogs out there.

Here at the Interactive Content Corner, I am focused on sharing online interactive content and ways to integrate that content into classroom instruction.  These blogs support that mission and help me on my personal learning journey.  I highly recommend:

iLearn Technology http://ilearntechnology.com/ by Kelly Tenkely @ktenkely

Sharp’s Audio Visual Blog http://sharpsav.com/blog/ by Vanessa S. Cassie @vanessascassie

ROTA:  Reading Teachers Online Arsenal http://rtoa.us/wp/ by S. Johnston-Robinett @sharnon007

Teachers Love SMARTboards http://smartboards.typepad.com/ by James Hollis @jameshollis

Bright Ideas http://slav.globalteacher.org.au/ @brightideasblog

Bits and Pieces Place http://2sparkley.edublogs.org/ @2sparkley

The Education Technology Blog http://www.educationtechnologyblog.com/ by Jonathan Wylie

Integrating Technology in the Primary Classroom  http://primarytech.globalteacher.org.au/ Kathleen McGeady @kathmcgeady

The Whiteboard Blog http://www.whiteboardblog.co.uk/ Danny Nicholson @dannynic

Edge 21 http://cffmv.blogspot.com/ Thomas Boito @xmath2007

Thank you for your contributions, and I look forward to reading your recommendations!

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After a two month break, The Interactive Content Corner is back with a renewed commitment to sharing quality online resources coupled with realistic ways to integrate them into your instruction.

Before we continue to feature free online content, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the fact that not all of the content you need for your classroom is free.

Before you attempt to navigate the rapidly increasing number of paid content choices, check out this post from Interactive Whiteboard Insights titled: Ten Questions You Should Ask Before Purchasing Interactive Whiteboard Content

Then download the Interactive Content Evaluation Checklist (91) to assist you in choosing the right content for your classroom.

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