Inside Bell's Brain

It's been a whirlwind week , but as of right now, I have 47 minutes left to get this post finished and linked up while it's technically still July 3 !  :) I'm linking up with my blogging friend Marissa at The Inspired Owl to share three of my favorite Pinterest finds this month. I'm still on the lookout for some awesome math ideas , especially those that build language , to work on with my English learners this fall.  When I saw this easy-to-make popsicle stick activity, I couldn't believe I had never thought of anything like it before!  What an awesome idea...and it clearly has minimal prep !  I'm brainstorming now to come up with a way I can use it on a higher-order thinking level to build ideas about grouping and skip counting too. Click on the photo above to pin it to your boards too!   Next up, something else that has been on my mind... parent communication .  I'm SO thrilled with how my parent communication has been going ...

I LOVE technology, and I was thrilled when I discovered the awesome number of apps that were FREE today!  I don't know how long they'll be free, so don't wait to download them.  Clearly I haven't had time to use them all, but I wrote a little blurb so you know a little about what each appears to do.  (I have had some of the McGraw Hill ones for a while since they were free last time, and they're WONDERFUL!)  I also noted some awesome discounted apps below that might interest you.  Have fun! My Favorites ELL Teacher GPS - I'm a HUGE believer in high quality professional development; I love to present to others, and I love to learn from others.  When I saw this app, I almost jumped from my seat from excitement!  Most teachers today don't get the training they need for English learners in their teacher training program, yet ELs are one of the highest growing diverse populations of students!  I always try to provide great PD for my co-teachers, b...

There are so many great educational apps out there that it's almost impossible to keep up with them all.  I LOVE technology, but it can be overwhelming at times to know what and when to integrate it with your "pencil and paper" instruction.  That's why I did a little research for your classroom and mine!  The apps in this post are currently FREE (checked again this morning), though some are always offered as free apps.  I downloaded them too...but I haven't played them all yet, so I can't vouch for each one.  The descriptions and concepts behind each one, however, look like they'll be definite wins in your small group centers or daily practice work.   Reading and language apps Word Wizard The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare Gappy's Mystery Letters Kindergarten Bingo ABC Wildlife Space Voyager Letters   Math apps Place Value Chart Algebrainiac : Multiplication Table Chalkboard Mathematics Counting Dots CyberChase Space ...