IPad Apps and Classroom Theme

I started a class on using iPads in the classroom on Monday and learned so much in just one day.  We have a follow-up to the class next Monday.  Because I am a lover of bargains I was especially keen on one app that lists other apps that are available for a discounted price for a limited time period.  The app is free and is called Appshopper.  One of the apps I found that I think will be a big hit is called Dabble, and it is also free right now.

This app is a word building game.  There is a pyramid of letters on the screen, and the user must rearrange the letters to create 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-letter words.  It can be kind of challenging but would probably be appropriate for second through sixth graders.

I've seen some chat around the blogs about classroom themes.  I try to switch mine up every year, and one I thought was especially good was a theme on Discovery.  I created these mock Discover cards for each of the students.

The numbers on the card are the date school started followed by the room number.  The expiration date was the last day of school.  The colors I selected matched the design of the actual Discover card at that time.  I used these cards to mark the student hooks in the hallway.  The Discovery theme encompassed all subject areas, and I referred to the theme often throughout the year.