Chicken Stacker

Here is a fun and interactive site based on the subject of English Language Arts at the grade one level dealing with communication. This is a great site for your students to access as it is a fun and educational game where you must listen and select the word with the proper vowel sounds such as a, e, i, o, u. It is called the "Chicken Stacker" because each try you have with connecting a vowel sound to a word, the word is displayed on an egg, and each word you choose right, you then stack a chicken and once you stack 5 in a row you can move onto a next level or a different vowel sound. The helpful component of this site is if you choose the wrong word, it explains why that word does not match the proper vowel sound so your students can learn from their mistakes and move onto the next try! For example, if you are looking for the "a" sound and choose the word rot, it then explains to you why that word does not contain the "a" sound and it also plays the sound on the computer so not only are you reading about it but you are listening to the vowel sound as well! It has great sound effects even such as the chickens that you must stack always make a fun chirping sound, and once you have guessed the right words that contain the proper vowel sound an egg cracks open with a baby chicken inside! You can make the speed go slow or fast, a level that is easy or hard, and you always get a re-try on connecting a word to a vowel sound so you can learn from your mistakes and continue progressing!

I would incorporate this site into my classroom by first giving a brief overview lesson to my students about all the various vowel sounds, and using words as examples. Such as for the sound of "a" I would use examples such as cat, sat, rag, which shows that the "a" sound can be a short sound or a long sound as well. After we have practiced this as a class and the students have a basis of knowledge within this area, I would then have them access this website of the "Chicken Stacker" to listen and communicate more through learning about the various vowel sounds. Instead of using flash cards to test their skills with the vowel sounds, I would have them access this site so they are provided with a variety of learning tools in hope that they can excel to their highest potential. I would monitor to see how my students were progressing, and if some were excelling at a high rate, I would have them move onto the hard level to challenge their skills even greater. To wrap up this lesson, I would have my students return to their desks where I would hand out a short exam on vowel sounds in order to test their knowledge on how they progressed through the class lesson at their desks and also at the computer.

I feel this site would be beneficial to my students because it is almost as though there is a teacher within the site. As a teacher, you cannot be by everyone of your students sides explaining to them what they did wrong for every question, but by the site providing guidance and assistance if the student answers one of the questions wrong, it then explains to them what they did wrong, and gives them examples of correct answers. This way they can learn from their mistakes and try again! It is also a kid friendly site due to the bright colors, animals and sounds. Also, by supplying both reading and listening skills within this site, it provides a variety of topic areas within the classroom. The students can listen on the speakers what kind of sound the word makes, and then use that sound for future reference!