Language+Arts

My video game review is posted on http://lauren-edu503.blogspot.com/ (Lauren Dahmer).

Working with Words -- [] -- I used this in my Grade 3 class. It was a good way for students to play with creating words with the letters that they are provided with. The students really enjoyed this game and had a lot of fun while they were learning! (Tania Cunha)

Kindergarten- []. (Ashley Nicholson) There are two games on here that could be used for kindergarten early literacy and early numeracy. The games are Grab It (matching letters with pictures) and What Comes next (patterns). Early Literacy The child listens, speaks, reads, writes, views and represents to comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts. Uses phonics and structural analysis - begins to make connections among sounds, letters, words, pictures and meaning Early Numeracy Patterns and Relations-Use patterns to describe the world and to solve problems - demonstrates an understanding of repeating patterns (two or three elements) by: identifying, reproducing, extending, creating I used this website in my practicum because we were doing a Space thematic unit. I don't think these games are fantastic, but the students really enjoyed them. It took the learner outcomes and put them in a different context which I think the students really liked. The games are also very short which helped hold the students attention. There are different levels and these games are only found on level one. I think these games were good just for that something extra and wouldn't rely on them to teach the concept.

Kindergarten- http://www.primarygames.com/theabcgame/congrats.html (Caylin Humphrey). This is a great site to get kids working on their letters and sounds. Its asks students to pick which object starts with the letter shown. The one thing that I did not like at all about this was that when you make a mistake it says WRONG. I would love to see it say nice try or try again to get the kids to sound out the words and the objects. It gives you three object so the students should be able to get it write but when it jumps at you and say Wrong I would see it as negative. 2.1 Use Strategies and Cues This website has sections for each subject and most of the games are good for them to do even if its just during computer time. My kids went to these games and loved them. Most of the time they didn't realize they were learning or actually doing school work.
 * connect oral language with print and pictures
 * begin to make connections among sounds, letters, words, pictures and meaning

Scrabble- []. (Trish Helgeland) Scrabble is one of my favorite games and is a great game for kids (as long as you get chid friendly versions). It is a way for students to explore spelling and meaning of words. It forces them to sound out words and really focus on the spelling. Scrabble could fit into the curriculum of all Div II Language Arts but I chose to focus on grade 4.

4.2 Attend to Conventions

Scrabble is a great way to have students really focus on phonic knowelge. This particular game will also give the definition of words and there is a help button that will force students to learn new words that were not already in their vocabulary. Unfotunately scrabble does not allow students to use the words in their own writing. Spelling is slowly losing focus and scrabble is a fun, SAFE way for students to practice creating words, without there being an emphasis on the assessment part of it.
 * Attend to spelling**
 * use phonic knowledge and skills and visual memory, systematically, to spell multisyllable words in own writing