Mobile Apps for the Elementary Classroom

1. Math

1.1. IXL-this app offers a wide variety of fun and interactive question types to engage students and awards them with virtual prizes and awards to celebrate learning milestones. It provides categories for children preK-Calculus.

1.2. 600+ Math Word Problems is an app we have used in our home. Students sometimes struggle with word problems. Math word problems allows kids of all ages to apply what they've learned in school to real-world situations. Word problems build critical problem-solving, higher-order thinking, and reasoning skills.

1.3. Lumio Farm Factor allows students to practice multiplication and division. I really liked that the app uses arrays which is a strategy I teach my students.

1.4. Math Planet is math practice that is aligned to common core standards, there are over 100 levels to play.

1.5. Pet Bingo is another math practice game. I like this one in particular because it uses skip counting on number lines which is another strategy I teach my students.

1.6. BrainPOP Featured Movie by BrainPOP® This app is really great for any subject. There are a variety of options within this app. Typically, there is a mini lesson and an opportunity to view a video associated with the subject. Following the delivery of the information, students will participate in a quiz to solidify their information. This could be very helpful in an additional delivery method for a basic intervention for students.

2. Social Studies

2.1. iCivics apps use engaging, interactive games and innovative educational materials. This site aims to prepare American kids to become knowledgeable, engaged citizens of the 21st century.

2.2. Barefoot World Atlas has beautiful graphics, photos, narration, and fun facts, this reference app easily draws kids into learning. It puts kids in charge of their learning. By browsing the world, kids get a sense of national and regional identities as well as their own global context.

2.3. Stack the States makes learning about the 50 states more fun. It also helps with learning capitals and locations.

2.4. Britannica Kids: US Presidents teaches about the presidents and even includes quizzes and fun facts.

2.5. Oregon Trail is an app that gives students a virtual experience of what it would be like to be on the Oregon Trail including harsh conditions and the tough decisions that had to be made.

2.6. National Geographic Magazine by National Geographic This app is wonderful for leading students to discovery. Many times in the classroom students are intrigued to learn more based upon images or bread crumbs pulling them deeper into their reading. National Geographic has wonderfully engaging pictures and information in the convenience of the app. Subscriptions are organized within the app and are assessable on multiple devices.

3. Science

3.1. Curiosity- Get smarter about your world daily. Read articles, watch videos, search, and educate yourself by topics that interest you. This may be better suited for upper elementary grade levels.

3.2. New Science Experiments app is engaging and teachers and parents can utilize at school or home to excite students and encourage them to expand their knowledge of various science concepts.

3.3. Solar Walk lets students explore space at their own pace learning about the planets and space exploration.

3.4. How It Works allows students to explore and build their own machines, from a vacuum to a washing machine. It lets students see inside of each machine.

3.5. Franklin Frog is a great app for learning about adaptions and habitats. It's presented in a story format.

3.6. Star And Planet Finder This app can be used to locate various stars in the sky no matter what time of day it is. Based on GPS positioning, students are able to view all of the constellations as well as surrounding planets. This app brings space up close and personal to our students so they are able to have a hands on interactive look at the world around them.

4. Reading

4.1. myOn is a personalized literacy program that provides access to a large collection of digital books with reading supports, customized to a student’s interest and reading abilities. It also provides a literacy toolkit for active/close reading. Teachers can assign books for content integration as well.

4.2. iStormAR, iScience, iSolarsystem These Augmented Reality books are highly engaging for students. Prepare to be amazed as you explore content in a way you never could have imagined. Students have a hard copy of a book, download these apps, and watch the books come to life. Look inside a volcano and watch it errupt, explore and split an atom, and voyage through space. After interacting with these apps, reading has an entirely new interest to students.

4.3. Kids' Vocab- MindSnacks has 9 games that allow students to practice vocabulary.

4.4. News-O-Matic lets students read news story that are at their level, each story is avaliable at multiple reading levels. BUT you do have to start paying after one month.

4.5. Grammaropolis is a school house rock style of practicing parts of speech. The app even includes quizzes and music videos.

4.6. Kids ABC Letter, Spelling, Literacy & Phonics Game This app is really helpful for pre k as well as kinder learners. This can help our students to become familiar with sight words as well as basic spelling patterns. By working with basic CVC pattern words students are exposed to letter sound recognition and begin fundamental sight word recognition. This engages students through fun interactive games stimulating sound sight and touch senses.

5. Writing

5.1. Write About This s is a writing prompts app that answers the question, "What should I write about?" by giving students 125 images with 375 different writing topics to choose from. They can search by keyword or category, or just select a randomly generated image and writing prompt. Each picture has three prompt levels to challenge everyone, from early to advanced writers; the prompts encourage critical thinking, creativity, and description.

5.2. StoryBuilder App is an educational app that prompts kids to record answers to questions about a picture, then puts their answers together into a story. The app uses auditory and visual prompts and has three levels of play.

5.3. Preschool 1st 2nd grade worksheets alphabet decals by Athip Paosombat Preschool 1st 2nd grade worksheets alphabet decals on the App Store Students will have a chance to practice handwriting with this app. Students are encouraged to trace their ABCs appropriately with the guide of dots examples and auditory directions provided. This would be ideal for pre k or kinder level of students who are just beginning to learn to write. Reviews recommend providing students with a stylus in order to gain pen and paper practice with handwriting.

6. Technology

6.1. Digital Compass by Common Sense is an interactive game for upper elementary and middle school students that allows students to step into the shoes of a character to experience the twist and turns of digital life.

6.2. Happy Onlife is a game based app that presents key messages about children's use, overuse and misuse of the internet, together with risks such as cyberbullying. It also presents simple and clear strategies of prevention, mediation or remediation of internet issues.

6.3. Hopscotch: Make Games by Hopscotch Technologies This is a coding based game for students. Through this game students are practicing and honing valuable critical thinking and problem solving skills. Games can be created for other students or even edited by friends for improvements.