After looking through some of the great apps that Richard Byrne recommends, I found one called News-O-Matic, The Daily Newspaper Just For Kids. Here is a link to the page that explains it if you would want more detailed info:
http://ipadapps4school.com/2014/10/29/news-o-matic-daily-news-for-kids-in-english-and-spanish/
When clicking on a certain article, students are presented with a few detailed paragraphs about the topic, as well as a tool bar on the right hand side with a few more options. Students can have the article read to them, can watch a video regarding the topic, as well as watch a slideshow of pictures about the topic.
One thing I LOVE about this app is how kid friendly it is and easy to navigate. I would say it is geared more for the upper grades 3-5. It has a lot of fun icons to click on, including a globe that shows students a location (if the topic they are reading about has one), as well as a games icon on the homepage where they can play around with the topics.
I can see classrooms being able to use this app in multiple ways. First of all, I think it is a great way to incorporate current events into your classroom. An app like this could be used at the beginning/end of the day to keep students up to date on what's happening in the world around them. It could also be used as a brain break during the day, enabling students to take a break and learn some fun, interesting facts. I could also see this as being used for informational text, allowing kids to read articles, summarizing what they have learned, and giving them opportunities to learn new vocabulary (which is highlighted and defined when you click on it).
Not only is this an app, but is also online at press4kids.com
Go check it out for yourself!
Rachelle thank you for exploring "NewsOMatic" more fully and thinking about how you can use this free app in the classroom. I love that it offers 5 new articles every day and even places the story on a map so students learn geography along with current events.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great app, Rachelle! I can see offering it as an option for kids to use during independent work time during guided reading. It's so hard to incorporate time for current events in the classroom, and this would really make it easy for kids to access current events. I plan to add this website to our 4th grade site so kids find it easily. It certainly looks appropriate for 4th graders. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI did just look into it. It looks like it is not available online, just on a device. Bummer that you can read the articles on a computer, but still an awesome app!
ReplyDeleteRachelle-I really like all the different ways you have thought to use this app in your classroom. I agree that its important for the students to think more globally about issues or events going on around them. I think the news stories here would be a great jumping off point into mini-investigations. The students could then show their learning by putting the information they found into a Google Doc, Haiku Deck or maybe even a Prezi.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great place to find some Kid Friendly current events, even if we need to read some together and discuss. With all the emphasis on non-fiction text comprehension this is perfect.
ReplyDeleteRachelle - thanks for letting us know about this. I got the upgraded app and have already found uses for it. My ELL Level 1 Spanish-speaking student uses this as a learning center. Another benefit of the upgraded version is that you can check and see how students did on the comprehension questions. This will also be a great option for small guided reading groups. I've been trying to find a way to incorporate Edmodo in my classroom - maybe having discussion prompts that focus on one of the articles would be a good use for this.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for introduce this app. Sounds great. I will go and have a look.
Hi Rachelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks for introduce this app. Sounds great. I will go and have a look.
I'll bet that I could tie this to the Wonders vocabulary to make one more connection for our students? I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using this app for a brain break during the day. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete