Addressing Reading AF1 and AF2

In lower sets/ability levels I am always looking for ways to try and engage the children in reading. ICT helps with this as well as providing them a unique opportunity to listen to themselves read!

In the first part of the video you can see the children reading into an iPod sound recording app (Diary of a Wimpy Kid). They then listen to it back before deciding what level they are based on their fluency (AF1). We do this a few times in a half term.

Next you see a child accessing Socrative apps on the iPod. I had previously set up a test set on the Socrative website, the children can then access these via the app on an Apple device or via a website on a normal computer. You can view the results live as they are completing them and send all the results to your email at the end (via an Excel spreadsheet!). Even though it is still comprehension, they are always more engaged when doing it this way rather than the traditional way! Best of all, it is completely free! www.socrative.com

AF1-2 Activities from S Fox on Vimeo.

Few iPad apps I use.

Here are some of the apps that both myself and the children use regularly! We use other ones also although these ones are used the most! Be sure to check out the Apple Volume Purchase Programme (http://www.apple.com/uk/education/volume-purchase-program/) so that you are ticking the correct legal boxes!

WordPress – Great for keeping  blogs updated on the move.

Book Creator – creating iBooks and publishing them.

Big Cat Books – Ace for lower ability readers.

iMovie – creating any kind of video clips or longer movies and uploading.

iPhoto – Photo editing software

Vimeo – access to your online Vimeo account (if you have one, we use it for most of our videos)

Action Movie – create own mini action films with special effects

MovieFX – same kind of thing as Action Movie

FX Studio – Ace for creating videos and supports green screening!

Socrative Student & Teacher apps – create your own interactive quizzes, used to spice up reading comprehension.

Showme – Like an interactive whiteboard which allows you, or the children, to record tutorials and upload/share to web.

Google Drive / Drop Box – Access your files through your iPad.

Class Dojo – App for the website as a tool for behaviour management.

 

Steve.