Increasing reading and writing using the iPad.

Wednesday is the day I work with my students on learning to solve word problems.  Since so many are classified as ELL, I make them write down the answers to the following questions:
1. What do I know?
2. What do I need to find?
3.  What things do I need to consider such as special formulas, the operation, additional information to keep in mind or other things.
4. The work.

I need to start using something like Showbie so they can annotate, underline, etc any information in the word problem before writing the information on their worksheet.  I think taking the time to underline, identify and comment on things before writing the information down will help increase their English, cut down on guessing and get them to slow down and really check out the information. I am hopeful this skill will transfer to the mandated testing.

Infographics + finding information.

Most of my students are below proficient in writing.  That is the last part of the state test they tend to pass.  I was playing with infographics yesterday and had a great time.  In the process I decided that I am going to see about importing infographics into a program such as subtext and adding some questions so that my students have to find the information and reply using complete sentences.  I can also add in some compare and contrast activities.  Since many infographics have actual stats, it falls neatly into math.  Right now, the students get out early on Wednesdays so teachers can have their weekly meetings.  The length of the classes on Wednesdays are perfect for this activity.  I think I will also do one word problem on Wednesdays using the KWC process. They need to work on taking the time to find information rather than asking me immediately for help.
Tomorrow and Friday, my ebook on Amazon is available free. 

Neat app for word problems.

Found a new app called Subtext.  It allows you to take a book or web page or document and layer things like questions, quizzes, assignments, etc to make it more educational than just reading.  Right now they do not do PDF's but they are working on it and hope to have that facet available by next school year.  I've heard great things about it and it seems to be mostly used for literature or reading.  I tried to think of where I could use this actual application in my math classroom and at first thought about worksheets.  Once they get the PDF feature up and running that would be a possibility but this morning, it hit me.  Word Problems.  Most of my students take the numbers provided in the word problem and guess the operation, hoping for the correct answer.  If I used word problems with this application I could incorporate the KWC  (What do I want to know, what do I need to find and what considerations or special conditions do I need to keep track of).  This is something I could easily layer into the material.   Honestly I do not do enough on word problems and this could give me a tool to help them practice doing word problems.