Xtramath
Xtramath
What does this tool do? How does it function?
Xtramath is an online math fact fluency program that helps students develop quick recall and automaticity of their basic math facts.
How does this tool engage and meet the needs of your students?
Xtramath is engaging to students as it gets them out of the ordinary paper pencil routine and it provides them with a game like feel. Students are praised for receiving their certificates with candy, Indian Bucks, and having their pictures posted in the hall. Xtramath can be tiered to students' individual needs. The teacher can go in and select each student's domain. Some students may need to work on addition while other students are working on multiplication.
How do you use this tool in your classroom on a regular basis?
Xtramath is used in my classroom daily as part of student morning work routine. Students are rewarded for receiving certificates for completed domains such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The data allows the teacher to see what multiplication facts the students have mastered and what facts the students are struggling with.
How could this tool be used face to face and virtually?
Xtramath allows for the teacher as well as the student to track and monitor their fact fluency. With Xtramath being a website it can be accessed and completed at home or at school and the data will still be recorded as long as the student is logged in through their school email address. In the past, teachers would give paper pencil timed facts tests, but Xtramath takes the place of that and tracks students' progress for you.
Quizizz
What does this tool do? How does it function?
Quizizz is an online "quiz" platform with tons of premade "quizzes" to choose from or you can make your own. Students answer questions on various topics/subjects. Quizizz can be assigned to students through Google Classroom or be completed live (student paced or instructor paced). Students answer the Quizizz questions on their own devices.
How does this tool engage and meet the needs of your students?
Quizizz has the option for music to be played on students' devices, meme and picture options, to be shown with the questions, and even has a leaderboard option where the top three students will be shown. All these simple things make Quizizz more engaging for the students while also meeting their educational needs with standard based questions.
How do you use this tool in your classroom on a regular basis?
Quizizz is used for various purposes in the classroom. It has been used at ticket in the door, ticket out the door, quizzes, daily grades, review, and even fun trivia around Christmas.
How could this tool be used for face to face and virtually?
The students answer the questions on their own devices. The teacher can choose to assign the Quizizz to students in Google Classroom or do a live session, if we are virtual or face to face. If we are virtual the teacher can still do a live session as Quizizz gives a quiz code that the studetns will enter to join the live.
IXL
What does this tool do? How does it function?
IXL is personalized K-12 learning with premade lessons and questions overall standards in all subject areas. There is a diagnostic that students can take and based on their performance they will answer questions in their weak areas, or the teacher can assign specific lessons to students.
How does this tool engage and meet the needs of your students?
IXL meets the needs of my students and allows me to meet the needs of my students as it allows me to assign them content, standard, and skill specific lessons. "One of the ways IXL makes learning fun is through hundreds of virtual awards that reflect kids' favorite animals, foods, places, and hobbies. On IXL math, learners embark on one big treasure hunt to uncover hidden prizes, while on IXL Language Arts, kids try to complete their collections of stickers, stamps, balloon animals, and more!"
How do you use this tool in your classroom on a regular basis?
I like to use IXL as my morning work. I can easily assign lessons over material that we covered the day before, or a preview of what we will be learning that day. IXL has lessons aligned to our GoMath books, so I also assign students those lessons for extra practice when needed. When students are excelling on a standard I can look at 5th grade material and assign students a lesson to accelerate them. IXL is also used for students who are EIP/tier as more support.
How could this tool be used face to face and virtually?
IXL is something that I have my students do, as mentioned above, for various things when we are face to face. For virtual, also like I mentioned, I can assign the students IXL lessons through Google Classroom, and IXL already has lessons that align with each lesson in our math book. If students are at home virtual they can complete the IXL lesson that I assign them through Google Classroom that aligns with whatever lesson we are doing in the book that day.
Flocabulary
Flocabulary is a way to engage students with a variety of hip-hop videos/songs that align with most standards.
Offers many more activities to do with your students other than the videos. You can assign videos through Google Classroom. Students can also practice vocabulary while creating their own beat, read a passage and respond to the answers, or work on a quiz that goes along with the video. The music videos depict real life images that are convenient when teaching Science and Social Studies.
When we are working with a skill that is going to take a few days or maybe even weeks to cover, I play the video on a daily basis so students are familiar with lyrics and the content it is reiterating.
Flocabulary offers a wide variety of music videos. The majority of them are hard core hip-hop, which the students love, but we have found a few with some soothing vibes that calm us down as well.
Flocabulary allows teachers to assign lessons, videos, and vocabulary drills through the Google Classroom platform. This is great when classes go virtual.
Study Island 🏝️
What does this tool do? How does it function?
Study Island provides K-12 lessons, flash cards, test practice, with thousands of items built specifically from our state standards. The teacher can choose to use some of the already made material or create their own. The material can be assigned on Study Island, through Google Classroom, or the students can access the premade material on their own without it being assigned.
How does this tool engage and meet the needs of your students?
There is an option on Study Island to do a group session. This engages the students as it gives the feel of a game or competition and they all want to be the best. Group sessions add stimulating collaborative practice. With group sessions, it tracts real-time progress by using student response data and allows teachers to conduct a simple, measurable, and easy whole-class activity that will keep students engaged. Game mode is another option offered through Study Island. Game mode allows students to play a quick, one-minute game after they answer questions correctly. The catch is they only get to play the game if they get the question correct so it really encourages them to get the answer right.
How do you use this tool in your classroom on a regular basis?
I use Study Island for group sessions, independent practice, and grades. Study Island provides the students with immediate feedback as well as a rationale when they get a problem incorrect. Study Island has a lot of tech tools that are similar to those found on the Milestones which is why I like to incorporate it into my lessons as much as possible.
How could this tool be used face to face and virtually?
Group sessions. Even when virtual students can still participate in group sessions. Students would just need to log into their study island accounts and join the group session that has been assigned to them. Teachers can also assign students lessons and practice through study island. When the students complete the lessons it will create a report which allows the teacher to see how well/if the students are mastering that standard or lesson. Study Island also has videos lessons that the students can use for reference and review. As long as students have their Study Island login information they can utilize all the resources that Study Island has to offer whether they are face to face or virtual.