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Monday, July 2, 2012

HOT IDEAS FROM "HOT"LANTA!

Oh, my goodness!  Did we have a GREAT conference in Atlanta!  Loved, loved, loved all of the teachers!  And, you’ll love these ideas they shared!

Shake Down  (Diep Nguyen)
(This is an awesome brain break!)
Shake your right hand five times as you count out loud.
Shake your left hand five times as you count.
Shake your right foot five times and count.
Shake your left foot five times and count.
Shake your right hand four times…left hand four times…right foot four times…left foot four times.
Shake your right hand three times…
Shake your right hand two times…
Shake your right hand one time…
Oh, yeah!!!!

Put the Baby to Bed  (Nitefa Jones-Pecou, The Children’s School, Atlanta)
Now it’s time to go to sleep.         (Hold up index finger.)
Put the baby in the bed.                  (Open palm and lay finger down.)
Cover the baby in the bed.         (Wrap fist around finger.)
Kiss the baby goodnight.                  (Kiss finger wrapped up.)
“Waaaa.!”  (Make the sound of a baby crying while waving around finger.)
“Uh oh!  Baby’s out of bed!”
*Ask the children what you can do to get the baby to sleep.
*Add the children’s suggestions to the song.  For example, “Feed the baby.” 
Now it’s time to go to sleep.
Feed the baby.
Put the baby in the bed.
Cover the baby in the bed.
Kiss the baby goodnight.
*Keep Adding the children’s suggestions to the song and try to remember them all and create hand gestures for them.
When you are ready to stop, whisper the last verse.

The Twelve “Joys” of Teaching (Christy, Sharon, & Terri Lynn from Martha R. Smith, Jesup, GA)
Here’s a great song to sing at your first faculty meeting when you go back to school.
On the first day back to school my principal gave to me one book study.
2 ELP’s
3 Cases of head lice
4 Picture days
5 Focus walk-throughs
6 Angry parents
7 ADD kids
8 furlough days
9 RTI’s
10 Weeks of busy duty
11 Fire drills
12 Staff meetings

THE  (Kathleen Adair)
(Tune:  “Shortnin’ Bread)
You can say the.
You can say the.
But you always spell it
T – H – E.

Lookin’ Good Cheer  (Kipp DC:  Discover Academy)
Top – ch  (Make imaginary line across.)
Side – ch (Make imaginary line down.)
Bottom – ch (Make imaginary line on bottom.)
Brush your hair.  (Pretend to brush your hair.)
Put on your chap stick/lip stick.
Looking good!
Looking good!
Awwwh, YES!
*Marshmallow cheer – Hands up!  Pretend to take a big bite.
Batman Cheer – Hands up!  Stick out arms and go (da da da da da da da da) Batman!

Push Five Handshake  (Wynter McBride, Athens, GA)
Hold your hand up flat and push against the student’s hand.

Chair Bands (Wynter McBride, Athens, GA)
Get Pilates bands and cut them in half.  (Target has the best price.)  Tie around the front legs of the students’ chairs.  They can bounce their feet on these or push against them to release extra wiggles.

Dropbox  (Wynter McBride, Athens, GA)
Use Dropbox (free app) to send photos from your smart phone to print.

Special Helpers (Karen Butler, Brewton, AL)
Have “special helpers” (stuffed animals) who look for good behavior or participation.  Children get to keep the stuffed animals at their desk for the rest of the day.

20 Questions  (Jocelyn Boldizsar)
Play “20 Questions Game” to develop:
*critical thinking skills
*questioning skills
*listening, processing, and recalling skills
*introduce descriptive words

3 Goals  (Melissa Lane)
Each parent creates 3 goals for their child at the beginning of the school year.  The parents write them down and tell the teacher how they will help their child reach their goals.  Review the goals at the mid-year conference and end-of-year conference.  This lets the teacher know what is important to the parents and transfers some of the ownership for reaching the goals to the parent.

PVC Center
For those of you with lots of parent volunteers, you can have a Parent Volunteer Center.

Ketchup Folder
Students keep work they need to finish and “catch up” on.

The Little Engine That Could…  (Jackie Daniel, Magill El., Loganville, GA)
At the beginning of the year read the story of “The Little Engine That Could.”  Talk about things that we can do like the engine.  Repeat, “I think I can, I think I can…”  Learn the sight word “can” and have students set goals that they want to accomplish.  For example, “I can write my name.  I can write my numbers.”  Each student comes up with a goal and draws a picture of it.  The students dictate their sentences and make a class book of “I Can.”  In January, have children look at their goals from the beginning of the school year.  If they accomplished that goal they make a new one.  If they did not accomplish it then talk about the progress they made.  Make a new book of goals in January.  At the end of the year check the book again and make goals for first grade.

Pass the Stomp  (Sarah Poole)
Six or more children join hands in a ring.  Child one lifts right leg and neighbor on their left lifts her left leg at the same time, stomping together.  Continue passing the stomp around the circle.

The “Magic” Way  (Theresa Watkins, The Children’s School)
Do a finger play activity or song with words.  Ex:  “Ram Sam Sam” or “Twinkle Little Star.”   Do the same activity without words and call it “the Magic way.”

Mrs. Buck Says  (Donna Marie Buck)
Play the game of “Simon Says” using the teacher’s name.  During the game there is no talking.  If you don’t follow directions or if you make a sound you are out.  If you are out of the game and make noise you won’t get to play the next game either.

Great website for free Dolch words, phrases, games, activities, etc.

Lots of free downloads.

Get Your Heads Down  (Wynter McBride, Athens, GA)
Spray students’ papers with body spray.  They’ll get their heads down and start working!!!

Math Manipulatives  (Kathleen Adair)
Make your own rekenrek tools with foam board, pipe cleaners, and red and white pony beads. 
You can also make a simple one with a pipe cleaner bracelet with 5 red and 5 white beads.
Draw a black line down the center of a snack size zip bag.  Insert manipulatives (glass lobs slide easily) inside.  Children can move the objects around to discover different ways to make number bonds.
Pocket Book  (Linda Milam)
Take a strip of construction paper (4 ½” x 9”) and fold it as shown.  Punch holes at the top and insert a pipe cleaner handle.  Cut the edge with decorative scissors.