UDL ToolKit: A teacher's best friend!

For teachers, it is important to have an arsenal of literacy tools, study tools, audio books, graphic organizers, and the like to help students become more engaged with their learning. I was recently checking out this UDL Toolkit wiki page and found a lot of different tools that will help students to access different content through the use of different materials. Here is a brief list of what tools you can access on this site.

Graphic Organizers: 

bubbl.us/- is a mind mapping tool that can be created on the computer as your lesson unfolds, this mind map can be customized to any content and is simple to use so that older students can use independently or as a different way to take notes.

Prezi- Prezi is a organizational tool that can also be used as a presentation format. Instead of the standard linear presentations that powerpoint allows, Prezi can be linear, or more of a fluid way to present information. Prezi is definitely a more graphically interesting way to present information. This can be used as a way to present information to students or for an assessment tool for students to use.

Literacy Tools:

Star fall- Star fall is a website with engaging games to help students from Pre-k to 2nd grade learn phonics, and create phonemic awareness. There are games and most of the site has audio so students can wear headphones. Only recommended for primary students and those students in Special Education who need work of phonics recognition. Games and audio are juvenile.
 
Inkless Tales- This website has lots of short stories that are animated and put together with music and voice overs to help students be more engaged while reading. It looks like books that come to life! The website states that the "books" include Dolch sight words, which would be great for my students who have reading goals that include mastering Dolch/Fry sight words.


Study Skills:

 Study Stack- Study Stack is a website that allows you to access premade or create your own study flash cards. The premade ones are already sorted into categories. All you have to do is choose your subject and start flipping! I can't wait to send this to my mother who is a 8th grade Science teacher, who tries to incorporate technology into her lesson plans.

There were similar sites like study stack but this was the only one that did not make you sign up for an account and allowed the user to immediately start "flipping note cards." 


Math Tools: 

 Geo Board- This geo board is a great way to engage students in learning about shapes and how to make them. Geo boards are a staple in any primary classroom but can be cumbersome with all of the materials. This is a great tool for whole group instruction and even for a small group activity.

Base Ten blocks- Base Ten blocks are another great math manipulative to teach students the basics of place value, number sense and adding with regrouping. This can be a useful tool for whole group instruction with each student using their own base ten blocks or as a instructional how to.

Other great resources: Lately, I have been using Teachers Pay Teachers, Pinterest and Boardmaker. Teachers Pay Teachers and Pinterest have great center activities, games and bulletin board ideas. Boardmaker is what I use to make student schedules, instructions, and social stories.