Kahoot is a web-based game that is fully customizable and has commonly been used by teachers in nearly every grade level and content area, although I could see it used best from grades 2-12. The game itself is very user friendly and easy to play on iPads and Chromebooks alike. Students at the high school level also have enjoyed playing on their mobile devices.

If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to do formative assessments, look no further! Kahoot is a way to review concepts with your students in the style of a popular trivia game. It combines elements of a student response system (like the clickers) with suspenseful sound and friendly competition. This creates a truly engaging atmosphere that captivates all students in the room, even my most reluctant learners!

My favorite part about Kahoot is the data generated by the game following a round of play. You have the option to download an Excel spreadsheet that shows each student's name and how they answered each question. This allows teachers to adjust lessons and review content if needed.

To get started:

Go to getkahoot.com and create a free account.

To access your kahoot account and create new games, go to create.kahoot.com

For students to play a game you created, they will go to kahoot.it

This app, while somewhat costly, could be a great download for helping students learn how to read. It features 20 phonetic books, each focusing on a particular short vowel word family: at, an, ad, am, en, et, ed, ell, it, ig, id, ip, ot, og, ock, op, un, ub, uck, and ug. As an added benefit, each word family has its own color, so when those words are repeated in other books it helps kids who have learned about that family to recognize words they might know or have seen before. 35 sight words are also introduced, which are repeated in the other books for increased recognition. The app can also be used alongside leveled readers, which lets kids learn phonics, sight words and reading for meaning all at the same time.