Last week a
teacher told me about dry erase crayons.
Why did I not know about this wonderful tool? Have you heard the story about the little boy who got a
hammer and he found a hundred things to hammer? I’m like that little boy when I learn about something
new. So, here are a few uses for
tying the crayons to Core Standards.
*A teacher said
she had the children sing and write each morning as a quiet transition to start
their day. They did same song
every day for a month. Even
children who struggled at the beginning of the month improved dramatically with
the repetition.
Numeral Writing:
Sing “Chant and Write” as children write numerals.
Chant and Write (“Totally Math” CD)
(Children echo
each line.)
Zero is where it
all begins- (Slap thighs to the
beat.)
Curve down around
and up again.
Number one is so
much fun—
Pull straight down
and you’ve got a one.
Number two is easy
to do—
Up around down and
across makes two.
Number three is
simple to see—
Draw two humps
sideways and that’s a three.
Number four I do
adore—
Go down, across,
then down some more.
We’ve reached
five, now let’s not stop—
Pull down, circle
round, put a hat on top.
Number six is easy
to fix—
Big curve, small
loop will give you six.
Number seven is
really sizzlin’—
Straight across,
slant down, and that’s a seven.
Number eight isn’t
very straight—
Make “S” then back
up for an eight.
Number nine I
think you’re fine—
A loop on top of a
long straight line.
Number ten we’ve
reached the end—
Put a one by a
zero and count again:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!
Shape
Detectives – Call out descriptions
of various shapes for children to draw.
For example: This is a
two-dimensional shape with four straight lines and four vertices.
Numbers – Draw sets, write down the answer to math
facts, what number comes before or after, etc.
Story Elements – After reading a book, have children draw
the setting, the main character, what they think will happen next, etc.
Phonics – Ask children to draw objects that being
with a particular sound.
Call out a word
and ask them to write the beginning sound, ending sound, vowel sound, etc.
Phonological
Awareness – Can children
draw pictures that rhyme?
Write the number
of syllables you hear in a word.
Write the number
of phonemes you hear.
Interactive
Writing – When doing group
writing activities, keep children engaged by challenging them to write words
independently.
Spelling – Use for a practice spelling test.
Science and
Social Studies – Connect to
units of study by asking children to draw animals you’d find in a desert
habitat; signs of spring; healthy foods, etc.
*Okeedookee! I think you’ve got the idea and I bet
you can come up with a million other ways to use these crayons.
