Friday, March 8, 2013

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?


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.
Letter Writing:  Play an alphabet song, such as “Letter Tails,” “Alphardy,” “There Is a Letter You Should Know.”  Children practice writing the letters on their desk or dry erase board as they sing.
*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. 
Hint!  Let children wear a silly band and put it around the end of the crayon to give them more control.