Category: Resources

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Design-Make-Play With “The Pack”

This approach to learning and engagement supports learning experiences that develop critical thinking, computational thinking, knowledge integration, innovation, creativity, and environmental problem-solving skills.

The Pack is a game set in a future world where healthy ecosystems have faltered and resources are scarce. To restore the environment, players embark on an open-ended quest to find food and water by using their “Pack”—creatures that have unique functions such as digging, moving, holding, grabbing, and repeating. When their Pack has more than one type of creature, players combine them into algorithms to perform tasks and overcome challenges. As they advance, players create more complex algorithms that allow them to do new things.

The Pack is an all-ages game inspired by NYSCI’s groundbreaking Connected Worlds exhibit and was created by NYSCI and Design I/O. Free downloads are available for MacOSX and Windows.

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Prevent the Summer Math Slide

fog stone

Fog Stone Isle is an online virtual world that helps students achieve a better understanding of math concepts and fluency.
Kids are hands-on learners in FogStone Isle. From building villages to raising plants and animals, 3rd through 7th graders see the math in action and deepening their conceptual understanding.

Fog Stone includes scaffolding, manipulatives, and intelligent tutorials that support and guide children through each topic’s conceptual levels. They return often, adding to their unique world while deepening their understanding.

Help your students or your own children retain what they’ve learned in school and be steps ahead for the upcoming school year. Set up a teacher account for summer school use or a parent account for home use. Accounts are free.

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Gzaas!

Wish your students “Good Luck” on their SOL tests; display a warm greeting as students enter class; review sight words; interpret foreign language phrases; the choice is yours in how you want to communicate with your students on the big screen.

Gzaas is a web-based tool for quickly sharing a full-screen message with your class. Check out my samples below.

A heed of warning… only display your message and forget the navigation buttons at the bottom. Advancing through public messages may display something inappropriate.

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Braingenie for Math and Science

Deepen mastery and sharpen problem-solving skills in the learning zone. Brought to you by CK-12, Braingenie embodies common core standards for grades 1-12. Overviews, practice sets, and short explanation videos provide students with the tools needed to succeed.

  • Learn, practice, and quiz yourself on 5,000+ skills.
  • Compete in real-time multiplayer matches.
  • Win badges and go for a top spot on the leaderboard.
  • Sign up now (it’s free!)

As the school year comes to a close, this resource would be good for students to practice in areas of weakness, move on to new skills,
or practice what they’ve already studied for mastery.

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Be Internet Awesome

February 5th is recognized as Safer Internet Day. Google partnered with experts from iKeepSafe.org to develop a curriculum that teaches digital safety and citizenship fundamentals for elementary students. Topics include:

  • SMART – Share With Care
  • ALERT – Don’t Fall for Fake
  • STRONG – Secure Your Secrets
  • KIND – It’s Cool to be Kind
  • BRAVE – When in Doubt, Talk it Out

Curriculum Resources
Interland – Adventure-packed Online Game

Resource link to Interland can be found on the student menu on the my.ccps.us intranet site.