Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Click here to read the full app review.
ShapeKit
What’s It Like?
There are many ways ShapeKit could be used in both a large and small group setting, and not all of them are in the math classroom. In math, the features of two-dimensional shapes can be reviewed as students create images. A creation challenge could be issued in the classroom, and the app could be the sketchpad for creation. The parameters of the challenge could be set; for example, make an alien creature with six eyes, a quadrilateral for a body, four non-quadrilateral arms, and at least two legs. Then, students can be left to create their creature and animate it for the class to watch. Another math activity could be an exploration where students are challenged to determine what two shapes–when they are connected together–make a new shape. The teacher could name the shapes to use or the teacher could just name the new shape they want to be made and allow students to explore on the app.
Price: Paid
Grades: K-3
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Shapes are the springboard for creativity as students animate their thoughts and ideas.
Cons: Animations have limited frames available.
Bottom line: An engaging app that will allow students to think about shapes in novel ways.
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