Alyssa+Chambers--Kidspiration

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**__ Introduction __**
Kidspirations is a great tool to use for mapping out stories, brainstorming and helping build writing and reading skills and is used for grades Kindergarten-5th grade. They could use words or pictures to help them with their brainstorming. This program also allows the students to compare stories, describing a character, retelling or sequencing a story, or create their own journals. This program does not just have to be used in writing and math. It can be used in science and social studies as well and can help with developing thinking skills. This is also a great tool to use for students who are visual learning. Kidspiration also provides a word guide that combines a dictionary and thesaurus. It also has sight word lists from the Dolch and Fry lists. Another feature this program has is that it provides teachers with lesson plans that go along with their curriculum.

__** Why did I chose Kidspiration? **__
I chose Kidspiration because it is a visual learning tool. Being a visual learner, I know how important it is to use tools like this in lesson plans. Even if students are not visual learners, it can still be good for them to see what is being taught instead of just hearing it. I also like how you can view your work using pictures or just writing and the work that is created on Kidspiration can be saved and printed and used for other activities. It is easy to use so students can use it by themselves and the teacher can use it to teach her lesson plans and can demonstrate what they want their students to do. The ways this tool can be used are endless and can be used for all subjects.

__** How will I use this in my classroom? **__
One way that I would use this in my future classroom is by giving the students a list of topics they can choose from and write their own story. I would have them use Kidspiration to then map out and brainstorm their story (putting the main topic in the middle and then picking two or three main points for their main part of the story). I was able to download the free trial and play around with it and started to like it even more! I did an example of a web that would eventually turn into a paper. I would also use Kidspiration for my math lessons because it is a good way to visualize the math problems and find the solution to them. I would also probably find ways to use this program with other subjects as well! There are so many possibilities!

__** Resources **__
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