In the final few weeks:

Reflecting on the past school year I've come to realize some great things have occurred in 6^th Social Studies with the use of iPads. We’ve researched information, typed essays, found correlating images, created webpage’s, played games, inputted data, watched videos and listened to music. Now winding down to the final five weeks of school there is still a great deal of work that needs to be completed in Social Studies and the iPad is one solid way to keep my students engaged after the few stressful weeks of state tests and the slow emergence of Spring in NYC.

At the present moment my students and I are learning about various aspects of the Roman Empire. I've recently began using stations as a way to engage my students through different modalities. It’s been a great way to provide a large deal of information through different sources, provide my students a chance to move, and provide my students a chance to spend time on the iPad. I've used the iPad so far during the stations as a way for students to unscramble, analyze, and write about images of ancient Rome. I've used the Puzzler app as well as Puzzle You app, which are both free, to create the photo puzzles. Its been a fun way to have the students immediately interested in analyzing the images as well as allowing for students who are inclined to solve puzzles to apply those skills in the class. Throughout the remainder of this unit I will continue to use the iPad during future stations as well as prepare the students to showcase their best work to the class.

I’ve also begun using the iPads during the extended day. I work with many students whom struggle with spelling and writing. I have recently begun a Scrabble tournament with the 12:1 class. It’s been awesome seeing my struggling spellers use the free Scrabble application’s dictionary to create new words and check the spelling of known words. It’s also been a successful way to end our day with some peaceful and fun competition.