THE FIRST GRADE HAPPENINGS

Technology Newsletter

3rd Week of October | 2022 1st grade

From Ms. von Beren :

Happy Monday, first-grade families; I hope you had a great
weekend. This week our first graders are starting a new unit
in math that will focus on telling time; how exciting! During
this time, we will be using two new technology platforms that
I wanted to inform you about. If things go smoothly and with
your feedback, I hope to continue using them not only for
telling time but for the rest of the year. I learned and
implemented these programs when remote learning was in
full swing; however, I think they are still a very relevant tool,
so I wanted to give you all some information on it so you can
navigate them with your student to make learning in school
and at home a little more fun.

LETS GET STARTED!

In your child's homework folder, I have laminated a note with
their login for each of these programs, as well as sent you an
email, so you always have access to their login no matter
where you are!
 PROGRAM 1: SPLASH LEARN (MATH)
First, let's look at Splash Math. If you are on a computer, you can type in
https://www.splashlearn.com/; if you are on your mobile device, you can
download the application. Once logging in, you will arrive at your student's
dashboard. At home, most students will click on "From My Teacher," which are
activities that I will select from them based on their understanding of the
materials in class. Not only is the program grade level appropriate it is
individualized to each student, so they are interacting with content that is
accessible to them. For this lesson specifically, Splash Math breaks up telling
time steadily so students can learn first what the hour hand is, then the minute
hand, then telling time by the hour, then by half hour, and finally, a combination
of it all, which makes the concept navigable.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Depending on what your student is assigned, they may be presented with a fun
game, an animated quiz, or some combination which will be read to them. I want
to assure you that Splash Math will not be a substitute for my lesson but will
serve as a review and practice to lead toward mastery. Before moving on to the
second program, I want to note some key features that make Splash Math so
engaging and successful. First, as already mentioned, each activity is targeted to
each of your students, so this is not busy work, and I can see their exact progress.
Next, every mode of practice is really fun and makes students feel like they are
not even doing schoolwork. I am not going to lie; I even enjoy going through each
of these mini-lessons and seeing what they have come up with. Lastly, Splash
Math has a feature where all of the students are connected. Of course, they can
not see each other's progress details but can see badges people have earned
and things like that. When students earn badges, they can even print them off,
and I will add them to our class tracker so once we have enough badges, we can
celebrate our participation and learning as a community.

 EXAMPLE OF SPLASH LEARN

DASHBOARD:

MOVING ON: PROGRAM 2- ESPARK LEARNING

Now that we have gone over Splash Math, we will move on to Espark. To arrive at Espark
Learning, on any device, type in https://www.esparklearning.com/, then type in your first
grader's username and password. The first prompt the students will choose is math or
reading; for this unit, select math. Next, they will be presented with a mood meter that
students can choose how they are feeling. Although it does not have to do directly with
math, since I take a holistic approach to education, I think this is a vital feature of Espark.
Once going through this process, students will be presented with their lesson; for us, this
week, telling time again is our focus. The format for Espark is different from Splash Math,
and first, students will take a pre-test allowing differentiated instruction based on
students' needs. From there, Espark will present a short and entertaining video on
whatever concept is being reviewed. Students will not be able to skip the video, so all
students will get whatever review they need. After the video is played, students will get just
a few check questions that they should be able to answer based on the clip. From here,
they can move to the web-based activity, which is normally an interactive game. In the
picture, the activity is Tania's Time Trouble. Finally, students will have a post-quiz. Once
completing this quest, depending on how to student responds, the system will
automatically either move you to the next lesson or have you review the same concept
again the next time they log in. Although Espark is not as broken up as Splash Math for
timing, this program is a quick one-hit, fifteen-minute activity that presents students with
one singular concept, some practice, and a formative assessment for you, me, and them
 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
One of the stand-out features of this program is the structure of having video lessons on
each concept. Students who miss math for some reason are able to access the materials
on their own, so they do not get behind and can practice before the next math period. The
videos are also helpful, so students have a different presentation of the information if
what I taught does not click the first time. The next spectacular characteristic of Espark is
the reinforcements they provide students, whether they get questions right or wrong, so
students are always engaged. In this unit, for example, when you get it right, it says, “good,
you know your hour hand well.” If students are incorrect, the message is something like
“remember the long hand points to the 12 and the short hand points to the hour” and
allows them to choose another answer. This is nice because it is not just a guessing game
and they receive coaching each step of the way. Lastly, Espark has so many printable
materials, which is helpful for students whose online platforms are too stimulating or who
learn better on paper and pencil.

If you have any questions regarding this form of technology, again, do not
hesitate to reach out, and I will be more than happy to figure out solutions to
your questions. I hope everyone has a great week. Happy learning!

Ms. von Beren

PHOTOS FROM ESPARK

LEARNING :