iPad Apps for School

The Best iOS Apps for Students and Teachers

Maths

Math Vocabulary Cards – A Math Review App in English and Spanish

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math vocab Math Vocabulary Cards is a free iPad app designed for elementary school students. The app offers exactly what its name implies, a series of flashcards of mathematics vocabulary terms. Each card contains a term, a diagram, and a definition. By default the term is hidden and students have to guess the term based on the definition and diagram. Students can also use the cards with the definitions hidden and the terms revealed.

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Math Vocabulary Cards can be used in Spanish or English. Simply select a language at the bottom of each card. Students can browse through the entire gallery of flashcards or choose a specific category of terms to study.

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Penguin Jump Maths – A Fun Game for Practicing Basic Math Skills

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penguin jump Penguin Jump Maths is a free iPad app that offers a fun game for students to play to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. Students play the game in the role of a penguin trying to jump from iceberg to iceberg. The object of the game is to be the first penguin to make it across all of the icebergs without falling into the water. In addition to measuring success by being the first to cross the icebergs players also earn points for speed and accuracy.

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Penguin Jump Maths isn’t a revolutionary app by any means. But if you’re looking for a fun and free app for your students to use to practice their basic math skills, the app could provide just what you need.

A Visual Math Glossary for Your iPad

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Screen Shot 2014-11-03 at 6.47.30 PM For years Jenny Eather’s A Maths Dictionary for Kids has been a favorite resource of mine and many other teachers for years. Maths Charts by Jenny Eather is the iPad companion to the website.

Math Charts by Jenny Eather provides simple and clear definitions of math terms. Each definition includes a diagram to illustrate the term’s definition. You can print any and all of the visuals included in the app.

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The first few charts in each section of the app are free. You do have to buy the full version of the app in order to unlock all of  charts in Math Charts by Jenny Eather.

Zap Zap Fractions – Tutorials and Games About Fractions

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zap_zap Zap Zap Fractions is a fun and free iPad app designed to help elementary school students learn about fractions. The app contains clear narrated visual lessons about the basics of fractions. After completing the lessons students can test their skills in recognizing fractions by playing the Zap Zap games. The games present students with a series of visuals that represent a fraction. Students have to select the correct fraction to “zap” the oncoming obstacles in the game.

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The lessons in Zap Zap Fractions are rather basic. For more robust lessons you may want to have your students download Fractions Basics. Fractions Basics offers lessons on adding and subtracting fractions, equivalent fractions, and improper and mixed fractions.

Curious Ruler – A Neat iPad App for Measuring Objects

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Screen Shot 2014-09-10 at 12.19.20 PM Curious Ruler is a neat iPad app for measuring objects. The purpose of the app is to provide comparisons between common objects like coins (US, Canadian, and Euros) and the object that a student measures.

To use Curious Ruler students select an object from the menu of comparison objects. The list of comparison objects includes coins, basketballs, and iPads. Students then use the camera on their iPads to snap a picture of an object. For example I took a picture of my mouse and learned that an iPad was 2.5 times its size.

Curious Ruler isn’t the most robust app that you’ll find in the App Store and your students could do similar things with physical objects. That said, the use of Curious Ruler would be for students to check their answers after physically measuring and making comparisons.