Skitch & Popplet app smashing subtraction

We have been working on subtraction in math. We have been using lots of pictures, manipulatives, and equations to solve these simple subtraction problems.   Since our addition Popplet had gone so well, I thought we might try creating a subtraction Popplet.

We began our activity in the Skitch app. Skitch is a free app that allows you to take a photo and then write on it. I've seen this app used a lot for labeling things, but I thought it would be perfect for showing subtraction because it would allow us to mark out the number of items we were subtracting.

I had my students select a number and get that many blocks. Then they took a picture of
their blocks in the skitch app. The students used the tools in the skitch app to mark out blocks to represent a subtraction equation.  I had them show all the ways to subtract from that number with their pictures. The students saved each picture to their camera roll.  Then the students imported their pictures in the Popplet app and wrote the corresponding subtraction equations.   Here are a couple of the finished products.

Verb Pic Collages

We have been doing many different activities to learn about verbs.  We have sang songs, made anchor charts, played verb charades, and even made angry verbs!

Then we decided to show off our learning using the iPads. I gave my students the choice of using Popplet or Pic Collage to show me some verbs.  We have used both apps several times this year. I was surprised by the results, but all my students chose to use Pic Collage for this project. I guess it shows how much they love this app and how easy it is to use!

The students took pictures of each other demonstrating different verbs around the room. My students love using the camera and posing for the camera as well.  Then they imported their pictures into their Pic Collages and added a label to tell what verb was being demonstrated. 

Noun Pic Collages

We have been learning about nouns in class. We sang songs about nouns and made a nouns anchor chart illustrated by the students.  Then I decided we would integrate technology to show off our learning about nouns.  I had the students make a noun Pic Collage.  The students went on a noun hunt around the classroom and took pictures with their iPads. Then we imported our pictures into the Pic Collage app.  

Pic Collage is a free app that is very easy to use, even with my first graders.  In this app the students were able to create a poster showing some of the nouns in our classroom.  Here is how a few of the final products looked.

Addition Popplets

We have been working on simple addition within 10.  We worked on using many manipulatives and strategies to solve problems and write addition equations. We also worked on finding all the ways to make a certain sum.

I decided to have the students use the Popplet app on the iPads to demonstrate their learning.  The students selected a sum between 5 and 10.  Then they used the camera to take photos of the 2-colored dots to show all the ways to make that sum.  My students saved their photos to the camera roll and then imported them into their popplets.  We also worked on trying to type in the equations to match our dots.  Here is how a few of them turned out.

Pic Collage with Beginning Word Sounds

We have been reviewing beginning consonant sounds in words.  One way I had my students demonstrate their knowledge was through the Pic Collage app.  

This app was very easy for my students to use.  Basically this is a free app that allows you to create a poster on a topic by adding photos.  You can search the web to add photos within the app or take your own photos with the camera.  You can easily add text to your posters too.  My students enjoyed changing the text fonts and colors.  The app has many choices for different backgrounds as well.

I had each student choose a different letter of the alphabet.  Then they went around the room hunting items that began with their letter.  They snapped a photo of that item and added it to their Pic Collages.  The students loved moving around the room, hunting for items that began with their letter, and using the camera.  This was our very first Pic Collages and they turned out great!

Popplet & Doodle Buddy App Smashing in 1st Grade

My first graders have been enjoying getting to use the iPad cart in our class.  We have been using the iPads to help us build our classroom community and get to know each other as this year begins.  Our first project involved two different apps on the iPads - Doodle Buddy (free) and Popplet (free).  

First we used the Doodle Buddy app to draw about 5 of our favorite things.  Doodle Buddy is a great white board app that was very easy for the kids to use.  You can change your pen styles, colors, and widths.  My first graders caught on to this app very quickly.  We drew each of our favorite things individually and saved them to the camera roll.  We also used this app to write our names and saved them to the camera roll as well.  

 

This is an example of one of the drawings from the Doodle Buddy app saved to the camera roll.

Next we imported our pictures into the Popplet app.  Popplet is a great graphic organizer app.  This app was very easy for the students to use.  You can tap anywhere on the screen to create a new box.  You can insert photos, type or even draw in the boxes.  We uploaded our doodle buddy images into our popplets to show some of our favorite things.  My students then saved their popplets to the camera roll.  From the camera roll we uploaded our Popplets to our Kidblogs.  We also showed them on our SMARTBoard to learn a little more about each other in our new class.  Here is an example of one of our finished products.  My first graders did an awesome job with their Popplets!