Games

= ﻿ = = Games: Literacy Games = Website: [] This website offers an assorted array of authors and books for the younger audience for honing on literacy skills. Students are challenged to read, follow instructions and make choices in order to complete the assigned tasks. Application: Students of today are technology driven therefore, learning skills are better understood if technology driven. The librarian could use this resource as a means for promoting literacy, independent reading activities as well as whole group activities within the library setting. Submitted by: Brenda Henricks 11/12/10 =Funbrain Games= [|www.funbrain.com] Educational games in language arts, math, history, science and geography.

Funbrain games is a great site with many levels of interactive games which are used as a reinforcement tool. It allows the teacher/librarian to customize the games according to age and academic level. It gives the option to monitor a student’s progress by providing scores with online quizzes. Because this site covers several subject areas, the librarian and teacher are able to collaborate and choose which games will be available in the school library setting. Students would be allowed to come in during recess or after school and have access to these games. This site may be incorporated into an educational setting by making it part of a weekly routine. Students would have to become comfortable with the site and learn to use the features before they can begin taking the fun interactive quizzes. This site can strengthen and reinforce content from a previous or on-going lesson.

contributed by Maritza Perez-Lowenberg

Quiz Hub

[|www.quizhub.com]

This web site includes educational quiz games for grades K-12. It assists K-12 students in English, Geography, History, Math and Science through engaging, yet educational mini quiz games. It is a great resource for librarians because it could help them assist students in many subjects through engaging games. Teachers can set up dates to come into the library so the students could utilize the website. The teachers and librarians could collaborate to help struggling students by allowing them to play these games as a type of tutorial. Another great feature that this website has to offer is practice test for state exams. Students could come into the library, either with a class or on their own time, to take these practice tests.

As a teacher, I would incorporate this website and use it together with the promethean board. It could be used as a review or as a tutorial. By using it with the promethean board, students would be able to interact and become more engaged with this website. It would be beneficial for teachers to use this website in the classroom because there are many quizzes available within one subject.

Sandra C. Alvarado

Technology Project #4 Building a Wiki Game- Whyville

Website: ﻿[|www.whyville.net] Description: Whyville.net, created for children ages 8-15, with the goal of making learning fun, is founded on constructivist, inquiry-based pedagogy. Designers created a real-world simulation complete with government, commerce, recreation opportunities, and a newspaper. Users are referred to as citizens and are expected to practice good citizenship. They can watch live debates, vote in elections, build houses, solve environmental problems, earn a salary ("clams" in Whyspeak), and create a business. Education Daily states that Whyville is one of “edu-gaming’s biggest successes. Joining the Whyville community with a group of students to explore its value in learning is one way in which librarians can continue to model the best of what 21st century learning is all about. Incorporation: Whyville works with such institutions as NASA, the Getty Museum, the School Nutrition Association, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to bring the educational content to its “citizens.” Science unit on nutrition: One in five children in the U.S. is overweight, and these children are at elevated risk for diabetes and heart disease. Now, in consultation with nutrition experts at the Health Science Center, the creators of Whyville have expanded the city to address the international epidemic of poor nutrition in the 8-14 age group. Whyvillians come to the grill, the market, and, the Whyville Cafeteria sponsored by the School Nutrition Board, all located in the Whyville Mall Food Court, to purchase and eat their virtual food. William Beer, M.D., clinical assistant professor at the Health Science Center and a clinical nutritionist at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System says: “One of the most exciting things is the Menu Planner, which includes 500 of the most common food choices. The children can see Nutrition Facts, such as carbohydrates and fiber, on all the food. We want children to focus on nutrition value.”

Beverly McCalmont

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This website has a variety of science related games, quizzes, video games and puzzles. It is a fun way to reinforce science topics and concepts that are researched and studied in the library. These games could also be used to encourage students into choosing a science topic to research by building interest. ======

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In other educational settings, this website could be used to assess students’ understanding of science concepts by using the online quizzes and puzzles. The games and video games could be used in whole group activities as a way to review a topic. ======

Araceli Machiela
St Joseph School Library

[|**http://library.stjosephsea.org/quia.htm**]

** The website that I have chosen is to evaluate is the St. Joseph School Library. Quia Library Skills Games and Review is an excellent site that targets literacy games and activities. These games help students review, practice and apply concepts previously taught as well as library skills. The website includes topics like: alphabetizing, parts of a book, genres, word games and reference games. Children can play these games to help them practice using a catalog, call numbers, the Dewey Decimal system, or even to choose internet websites, web pages, word and reference games. ** I think that this website can be used by classroom teachers and librarians. Classroom teachers can use the games to teach the students how to locate books in the library, practice using the card catalog, or about the Dewey Decimal System prior to going taking the students to the library. They can use it as learning stations to reinforce skills being taught. Janeth Oster

Starfall []

Starfall.com allows students in the primary grades to play phonics, reading, and vocabulary building games. The site also has a calendar which allows students to practice math skills. Through the use of the games, students also gain technology skills.

Starfall is a great website for teachers and librarians, especially elementary level. Teachers use Starfall to help students reinforce and practice phonics, reading, vocabulary, and math skills. They can use the website as a literacy center, in a small group, or as an incentive. It is also great for students who love using technology and have a difficult time learning via other methods. A technology applications teacher at the school I teach at uses the website at times to introduce students to new technology skills (using a mouse, using the keypad, etc.). In the library, Starfall could be used to get students excited about books, especially with the selection of ereaders offered. Another use is to include Starfall in planning library lessons. Games and books from the website could be used to reinforce library themes and concepts.

A specific way I would use Starfall is to introduce students to the types of books you can find in a library, such as theme books or fiction and non-fiction books. I would use one of the ereaders to introduce the specific them and then showcase some of the books students can check out on that specific topic. We would also discuss other topics students can find in the library and how to find books about topics they are interested in.

Melissa Titus