Everybody has heard the phrase ‘when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.’ Modify that a little bit for school and you get ‘when students aren’t happy, students aren’t learning.’ Teachers agree that when activities are fun, students are more engage. When they are more engaged in an activity, they learn more.
There is a wide assortment of computer software that teachers can purchase for their classroom that makes learning fun. Here are a few examples.
The “I Love…” series software program (I love Math, I Love Reading) is popular with students and teachers alike. The series covers math, science, and spelling. Reader Rabbit teaches the students reading comprehension and phonic skills. Arthur (a mouse) is a popular figure that teaches spelling, sentence construction, and math skills. These programs build a strong foundation of the different subject areas.
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is another great educational software. Even kindergarten students enjoy this software. Students learn how to type and develop fast typing technique. The eight arcade games make typing practice fun. It’s surprising that their little fingers can learn such great typing skills at such an early age!
Did you love geography as a kid? If you didn’t, you probably didn’t play the Oregon Trail or Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. With the Oregon Trail, students learn the history of the United States. They learn map reading skills and geography. They learn critical thinking skills as they decide how to keep the people in their wagon train fed and safe as they work their way to Oregon.
In the game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, there is a series of missions where students track and catch the theif, Carmen, and her gang. Students find clues as Carmen travels through different destinations trying to evade her pursuers. Students learn geography, history, and world cultures.
Other Carmen games include Carmen Sandiego Math Detective, and Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego.