Wednesday, December 12, 2012

KANSAS CITY HERE I COME!


Going to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come! 
Actually, I just got home from KC where I picked up these ideas!

Hot Number!  (Nola Faulkner)
The teacher picks a random number between 1-10.  That’s the number that is the HOT NUMBER.  Students stand in a circle and one by one count by ones from 1 – 10.  The student who says the hot number can jump or cheer and then must sit down.  Keep counting from 1-10 until one child is left.

Polite Partner Share (Meghan Burkholder)
Before reading a story, do questioning and partner talk.  The kids turn to a partner and say:
Eyes to eyes.
Knees to knee.
It’s nice that you
Are partners with me.
After sharing their thoughts they thank each other.  It’s also a great way to practice taking turns when talking.

McDonald’s Cheer (Michelle Sanders)
Ba, da, ba, ba, ba.
I’m loving it!  (Arms overhead like the golden arches.)

Fun Rules  (Jackie Fursman)
*Handwriting or work – “I accept no slop.”
*Hoods cannot be worn unless it rains or snows inside the school.
*You can only run in the school if there’s an elephant or tiger chasing you.
*You can only lay down if “I” do.
*Ask three before me when I’m at the reading table.

1, 2, 3, Show Me!  (Joy, Olathe, KS)
Using individual white boards the teacher asks a question and the children write a response.  The teacher says, “1, 2, 3, show me!”  Children quickly hold up their slate and show the teacher.
Sample questions:  Write the number 15.  Write the letter Mm.  Write 5 tally marks.  Write the number that comes between 2 and 4.

Three Star Sentences  (Joy, Olathe, KS)
To help kids learn the mechanics of sentence writing they can earn 3 stars.  They get a green for using a capital at the beginning; a yellow for spacing between words; a red star for punctuation.
Nuts and Bolts (Jennifer Pyle)
Get nuts and bolts from the hardware store.  Write the letters of the alphabet on the nuts.  The children have to screw the letters on the bolts to spell high frequency words.

Doubles Don’t Give Me Trouble (Sarah Jackson)
(Tune:  “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”)
1 + 1= 2, 2 + 2 = 4, 3 + 3 = 6, 4 + 4 = 8, 5 + 5 = 10, 6 + 6 = 12
Now I know my doubles,
They don’t give me any trouble!
7 + 7 =14, 8 + 8 = 16, 9 + 9 = 18, 10 + 10 = 20, 11 + 11 = 22, 12 + 12 = 24

Mnemonic Device for Spelling BECAUSE (Rachel Micheel)
Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants


Make an Appointment  (De’Angela Briggs)
To make an appointment card place 4 pictures on a 6” square of paper.   (You could use sports teams, fast food icons, seasonal objects, etc.)  Students trade papers and write their name on a line.  As you work through the day, tell the students to find their (name a picture on their appointment card) partner.  They’ll have four different partners to work with during the day.
Puppet Password
Have a class puppet that gives a password every day.  For attendance, the children say the password instead of “here.”  Select a password that is the subject for the day, such as “Pilgrims,” “winter,” etc.  Use this chant to introduce the password:
Mr. Mouse, Mr. Mouse (or whatever your puppet is),
Oh, what do you say?
What is the password for today?
Pretend to let the puppet whisper the password in your ear.  You can also let the puppet go home with a student each weekend and come back Monday with a story and pictures.  Keep the stories in a class book.

Tissue Boxes  (Natalie Bush)
Save cube tissue boxes to make games.  For example, write CVC words on index cards and place them in the tissue box.  Glue library pockets on the outside of the tissue boxes.  Children sort the words by middle vowel sounds.

Check In (Janelle Crouse)
Place a small table outside your classroom door with a shape with each child’s name.  (For example, a stocking for Christmas)  As children arrive they find their name and hang it up. 
*Use for name recognition, phone number, address, birthday, etc.
“Have a super sparkly day!”

Centers (Maggie Mosher)
Have a grid at each center with all the students’ names.  As children finish the center they can color in the box with their name and move on at their own pace.  They can’t go back to a center until all the names are colored in.

Pretty Nails
I have such poor, pitiful nails that I am always impressed with pretty nails.  Isn't this Santa nail too cute?