year 1-6

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2 Resources: Kids Rex, Maths is fun

Introduction: The new curriculum provides teachers with a range of resources to use with in the classroom. These can be found on line through many different websites, however how valuable are these resources? Are our students learning? How do we know as educators the resources are providing relevant information to our students and they are learning from this information?

Subject: Digital Technologies

Strand:

Digital technologies knowledge and understanding

Digital technologies processes and production skills

Year Level:

  • Year 1 to 6

Links to other Learning Areas:

  • Maths
  • Literacy
  • Language
  • Science

Cross curricular and General Capabilities:

  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability
  • Literacy
  • Information and communication technology (ICT) Capability

Overview:
The first resource Kids Rex provides a safe search engine for students to research different information needed to complete projects for all curriculum areas.
The second resource Maths is Fun looks at engaging students into different math’s strategies and games to consolidate their learning and understanding.

Resource 1: Kid Rex

This search engine provides valuable information for students to research different topics without the need for teachers to pre read and check the website for inappropriate materials, as all websites have already been approved for children. This is also a great resource to have as all year levels can use this for many different situations such as, educational games, project information and images.

Students can use Kids Rex to investigate, plan and produce a range of technologies for their community, classroom and globally.

http://www.kidrex.org

This resource links to the following content descriptors:

  • Identify, use and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001)
  • Explore and use a range of digital systems with peripheral devices for different purposes, and transmit different types of data (ACTDIK007)
  • Investigate the main components of common digital systems, their basic functions and interactions, and how such digital systems may connect together to form networks to transmit data (ACTDIK014)

Resource 2: Maths is fun

This resource provides a range of games for all abilities to consolidate and engage a student’s knowledge and learning of different Maths strategies and sums. This page is updated daily and links to all curriculum needs. You can provide feedback about the page or contribute other ideas.

Students are able to use this site on tablets, smart board or computers. It can be used as small groups, pairs or individual.

This resource links to the following content descriptors:

  • Identify, use and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001)
  • Explore and use a range of digital systems with peripheral devices for different purposes, and transmit different types of data (ACTDIK007)
  • Investigate the main components of common digital systems, their basic functions and interactions, and how such digital systems may connect together to form networks to transmit data (ACTDIK014)

References:

http://www.kidrex.org

https://www.mathsisfun.com

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/rationale

Pierce, Rod. (18 Jun 2014). “About Math is Fun”. Math Is Fun. Retrieved 10 Aug 2015 from http://www.mathsisfun.com/aboutmathsisfun.html

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ReadWriteThink.org’s – Word Mover

Subject:Design and Technologies

Year Level: 1-6

Strand:Knowledge and Understanding

Sub strand:

  • Representation of data
  • Technologies and society
  • Technologies and contexts

Link to the resource:

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/Word_Mover/

Cross curriculum priories and general capabilities:

Can be any of the three cross curriculum priorities when created to relate to one (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and Sustainability)

General Capabilities include Literacy (LIT), Information and communication technology (ICT), Critical and creative thinking (CCT).

Links to other learning areas: English

How to use this resource:

ReadWriteThink.org’s Word mover is an interactive program that can be used to supplement classroom instruction, reinforce concepts taught in class, offer increased student engagement and promote out of school literacy.

A classroom activity using this resource:

A classroom activity that could be undertaken while using this resource is splitting the students into small groups and giving them a specific subject (such as the teachers desk or class decoration etc.). In these groups, ask the students to brainstorm a list of words and phrases that describe their object. As a class share all of the brainstormed words, create a word bank. And then from this, add these words to a word bank or word mover. Lastly the students then create their own poems relating the subject.