GREAT TEACHERS 105

SONG CATCHER was a popular movie in 2000 about a musicologist who discovered a treasure of traditional English ballads that had been preserved in the mountains of Appalachia for over a hundred years. Her goal was to "catch" the songs, preserve them, and share them with the outside world.

I liked to think of myself as a TEACHER IDEA CATCHER. As I traveled across the United States I would invite teachers to share their ideas so I could keep them alive for you on my blog.

Focus Finger Play (Pat Kesler uses this before handwriting. It wires up the brain!)

Two tall telephone poles (Fists touching with index fingers pointing up.)

Across them a wire was strung. (Touch middle fingers.)

Two little birds hopped on ((Put thumbs up on middle fingers.)

And sung and sung and sung. (Swing fingers.)



Facebook (Ruth Lefko )


Take two boxes and write "Facebook In Box" on one and "Facebook Out Box" on the other. Provide children with scrap paper, pencils, and markers. Children fold a sheet of paper in half and draw their face or a picture on the front. Inside they write a note to the teacher or a friend and place it in the "In Box." The messages are delivered and then the teacher or friend write a reply and place it in the "Out Box." What a great idea to encourage writing!

Short Vowels (Joanne Poland)
Here’s an active way to help children remember short vowel sounds.at the chair – children stand at their chairs as you emphasize the short /a/
edge of the chair – children sit on the edge of their chairs = short /e/
in the chair – children sit in the chair – short /i/
on the chair – children stand on the chair – short /o/
under the chair – children crawl under the chair – short /u/

Name Game (Kristin Murray)
Put stickers on unifix cubes and write the letters in the children’s names.
-Count how many letters in each person’s name.
-Pair children up and see who has more, less, or the same.
-Graph names. Whose name is shorter, longer, or the same as the teacher’s name?

A Fuzzy Little Caterpillar (Leanne Hutchison, Jackson, TN)
(Tune: "I Had a Little Turtle")
A fuzzy little caterpillar wiggled right by me. (Wiggle index finger.)
He wiggled long. (Wiggle finger away.)
He wiggled short. (Wiggle finger close.)
He wiggled right at me. (Wiggle finger at your face.)
I put him in a box. (Cup hands.)
"Don't go away I said!" (Point finger.)
But when I opened up the box
There was a butterfly instead! (Clasp thumbs and wiggle fingers like a butterfly.)

*You can adapt this song for "I had a little tadpole...I put him in a jar... Don't go away I said. . But when I opened up the jar a frog hopped out instead!"

Word Bags
Prepare bags with different multi-sensory materials similar to those below. Children choose a bag, take it to their desk, and then spell words (sight words, vocabulary, spelling) using the material in the bag.
*Wikki sticks
*magnetic letters
*colored pencils for rainbow words
*alphabet stickers
*alphabet blocks
*dry erase board

Chant Sight Words (Becky Ashton, Indianapolis, IN)
HE - muscles up and say "h"
muscles up and say "e"
flex muscles and say "HE"
SHE - flick hair on "s"
flick hair on "h"
flick hair on "e"
hands on hips and say "SHE"

Yummy Words (Sarah Kilfoil)
Let each child select a favorite word - yummy word! It can be a favorite food, something they like to do, etc. Place the words in a pocket chart or word wall and use for attendance.

Back to Back
This is a great brain break that a teacher in Indianapolis demonstrated with us. Every child needs a partner and touches body parts as the teacher calls out:
back to back (touch backs)
shoulder to shoulder (touch shoulders)
elbow to elbow
knee to knee
head to head
wrist to wrist
feet to feet
hip to hip
Continue calling out vaious body parts...
End with "bottom to chair" as children sit down!

Can You Dig It? (Rachel Lawrence)
Hide magnetic numerals in a sand table. Each student is given a sheet with math facts appropriate to their level. During math centers they have to do their facts and then dig out the answers (magnetic letters) in the sand.
*You can also hide letters and have children spell words.

Shape Crackers (Pamela Pounds)
Send a note to parents the first week of school asking them to send crackers to help the children learn their shapes. (Ritz - circles, Club crackers - rectangles, Doritos - triangles, Wheat Thins - squares, and Town House crackers - ovals.)
*Give children two crackers and ask them to describe how they are different.
*Have children eat one half of a cracker.
*Give children a square cracker and challenge them to nibble it into a circle.
*Give children two like crackers. Ask, “Are they the same amount?” Next, have them break one of the crackers into little pieces. Ask, “Are they the same amount now?” You’ll be surprised at their response. (This is called conservation of quantity and is an experiment Piaget used to demonstrate developmental stages.
*Give children a sheet of paper. Pass out a square cracker to each child and tell the children to draw what it looks like on their paper. Next, give them a circle shaped cracker and ask them to draw it. Continue with other shapes. It’s a fun way to practice pre-writing skills.

GREAT TEACHERS 104

I have so much fun going through ideas teachers have shared with me at my workshops. See if you can make a “fist list” of three new things you’d like to try this week.

Rainbow Clap(Kammi O'Hara) 

Start on one side of your body and clap in an arch over to the other side.

Spiderman(Jessica Schmidt)

To focus children’s attention in the hall say, “Spiderman.” When the children hear that they need to "glue" themselves against the wall.

Silence (Karen Reindl) 

Tell the kids you're going to play "silence." 
"Let's shake it out!" 
Stand tall and still and hold up one hand. Slowly put up one finger at a time. However, if they make noise before that stop until they are silent again. When you get to 5 or 10 everyone can clap.

Self-Regulation(Sarah Mumaw-Flury) 

To discourage children from shouting out the answer, have them whisper their answer to the question in their hand and then hold it up. When the teacher says, “Release!” they open their hand and say/whisper the answer. 




First Thing on Your Paper(Christine Williamson) 

The first thing I do is always the same. 

Pick up a pencil and write my name!


Word of the Day(Mairin Born)

Put a sight word each week (or day) in a clear nametag pocket. All week the kids must name the word or turn it into a sentence as a "ticket" to talk to the teacher.

Hint! Use shapes or letters for younger students.


Class Names(Tune: "Ten Little Indians")

Aiden, Grayson, Hugh, Jack 
Jacob, Jayden, Mac, Maddie 
Nicholas, Oliver, Samuel Willa 
These are the kids in our class. 

*Sing this song all year to learn each other's names, alphabetical order, etc. With different class sizes, just adjust the names to fit by either singing quickly in a row or drawing out one name a little longer. 




Stress Button(Christine Burchfield)

Put a piece of Velcro on a poker chip for children to keep in their pocket. They can rub the Velcro on the chip to calm down.
*Place Velcro strips on the side of their desk to rub and relax. (Pam Armon)


N.A.P.(Joy & Dawn)

Teach children to say “N.A.P.” when they make a mistake or bad things happen.
N – not
A – a
P – problem



Useful Signs(Miranda)

Teach children signs for white and chocolate milk, as well as specials like art, music, PE, etc.



Daily Song List
Make a song list for each day of the week with a different good morning song, calendar song, phonics song, movement song, and good-bye song.


15 Minutes of Walking/Exercising
Whether or not you have a Fitbit, try building 15 minutes of walking each day as you count, sing letter songs, say days of the week, months, spell words, and review other information.




GREAT TEACHERS 103

These ideas are from workshops I did in 2012. There are some "SEEDS" here that you can grow into other activities in your classroom.

Count to 100 (Special K's, Marion, OH)
Count each "ten" with a different style.
Quiet 1's (whisper)
Yucky teens (attitude!)
Roaring 20's (loud)
Twisty 30's (twist)
Jumpy 40's (jump)
Flying 50's (spread arms)
Angry 60's (stomp feet)
Spooky 70's (ghost voice)
Flippin' 80's (pretend to flip pancakes)
Laughing 90's (hold stomach and laugh)
Jump and cheer for 100!!!

*It would also be fun to say the alphabet, read sight words, and practice other skills with some of those silly voices.


Travel Soap Containers (Robin Davis)
Use travel soap containers to store crayons, magnetic letters, sight words, etc. 


Roll Call (Renee Nicolo)
Call the roll in different languages. “Buenas dias.” “Guten morgen.” “Bonjour.” “Gua-cha.”

*Younger kids would get a kick out of answering like an animal (bark, meow, tweet, and so forth).

Ten Little Everything (Karen Foley)
Adapt "Ten Little Indians" for every topic or holiday in the year.
"1 little, 2 little” for penguins, snowmen, hearts, butterflies, etc.
1 little, 2 little, 3 little penguins,
4 little, 5 little, 6 little penguins,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little penguins at the South Pole (or at the store, or on the farm, etc.)

Itsy Bitsy Spider (Sharon Howard)
After singing the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” let children change what kind of spider it is. It could be happy, mad, mean, angry, silly, pretty princess, etc. Then children decide how that spider would go up the waterspout.

Preschool Clubs (Laney Brightbill)
Make posters that describe self-help skills. Once children can do they skill they get to add their picture and name to the club. For example:
-Button club
-Zipper club
-Glove club
-Shoe tying club
-Jacket club

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


ARITHMETIC (Bridget Weaver)
This mnemonic device will help you remember how to spell arithmetic.
A
Rat
In
The
House
Might
Eat
The
Ice
Cream

GREAT TEACHERS 102

 

Reading through the notes teachers share at my workshops is like finding a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks! Look through this list from a conference in North Carolina in 2012 and I guarantee you’ll find something to add a sparkle to your new school year!


Funtime Center (Michele Montgomery)
Ask parents to send in cereal boxes. Cut off the back and laminate. Place in a reading bin with dry erase markers and allow students to work the puzzles if they finish their work early.
*You can also collect kids’ menus from restaurants and laminate.


Pick Up Sticks Sight Words (Lesley Whitman)
Write sight words on popsicle sticks. The children use wooden skewers to try and pick up sticks without moving any of the other sticks. Encourage them to read the word on the stick.
*You could make a similar game with letters, math facts, etc.


Magazine Pictures (Lesley Whitman)
Cut out odd magazine pictures and glue them on cardstock and laminate. For the pre-k children pass out a pictures and let each child talk about their picture. It’s a great way for making inferences and encouraging complete sentences.
*In kindergarten put several pictures in a basket and let children draw a picture and then write about it.


Baby Fish Fingers (Deborah Morales)
Tell the children that their thumb and index finger are their baby fish. When they need to open anything they should use their baby fish. (Works like a charm for ketchup packets.)
At circle time tell them to put their baby fish in their fish bowl (hole created by sitting cross legged).


Cutting Shoebox (Chris Lance)
To encourage children to practice cutting at home by asking parents to fill a shoebox with junk mail and safety scissors. Keep the box on top of the refrigerator and bring it down when parents are busy cooking dinner.

Stretching Sounds (Maria Bristal)
Buy little plastic slinkies at the dollar store and let the children use these to stretch out words.


Write Your Name on Your Paper (Christy Jones)
Sing this song to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”
Write your name on your paper,
Write your name.
Write your name on your paper,
Write your name.
If you don’t write your name,
Then they all look the same.
Write your name on your paper,
Write your name.

Greetings (Jennifer M. Britt)
Greetings are so important and you can use an apron with different types of greetings for kids to choose. 

 An adaptation to this would be to make a wheel (like Wheel of Fortune) and use picture symbols to represent the different handshakes (biker, fisherman, butterfly, thumb kiss, Spiderman, hand hug, farmer, etc.) 
*You could also use a wheel and spinner for cheers, songs, etc.


Bike Safety (Jennifer Britt)

Talk about bike safety and let the children suggest rules, such as wearing a helmet, looking all around before getting on their bike, etc.

* Let children make a license with their picture, date of birth, address, eye color, hair, address, etc.


Snowman Counting (Debbie Stowe)
You will need cups, cotton balls, and tweezers for this activity. Draw snowmen on cups and write the numerals 1-10 on their tummies. Children use tweezers to pick up snowballs (cotton balls) because they are too cold. Can they place the correct number of snowballs in each cup?

Paint Paddles and Clothespins (Mary Jane Long)
Write numerals vertically down a paint paddle. (They'll usually donate these at a paint store.)  When the teacher says, “Show me 4,” the children attach a clothespin to the numeral and hold up their answer. You can use paddles for addition, subtraction, and other math skills.
*Make paddles with letters, shapes, etc.


Rotten Apple (Mary Jane Long)
Use die cut apples for this game. On the apples write letters, numbers, words, or whatever skill you are working on. On a few apples write “rotten apple.” Children take turns choosing apples and identifying the information. They must put all their apples back if they pick the “rotten apple.”
*Adapt throughout the year with a broken heart in February, cracked egg in April, melting snowman in January, etc.


Hey There Neighbor! (Ruth Ann Tensi)
Hey, there, neighbor! (shake hands)
What do you say? (switch hands)
It’s going to be a great day. (reach up diagonally)
Greet your friends. (high 10’s)
And boogie on down. (shake bottom while bending knees)
Give ‘em a bump (bump hips gently)
And turn around. (turn around in place)
*Count to ten while they find a new partner.


Hang Those Letters Down (Kate Barnes)
Boys and girls, some letters stand tall. (arms up)
Some sit on the wall (arms straight out)
And some fall.
I’ll show you what to do with those letters in a minute.
Let’s go through the alphabet.
a, b, c, d, e, f, g
g?!
Hang those letters down down 

(Sing to the tune of “100 Bottles of Pop on the Wall”) 
Hang those letters down.
Some letters stand tall, 
Some sit on the wall,
Some hang those letters down.
h, i, j
j?! (Repeat above chant.)


Pencil Grip (Ann Blackard)
Break crayons in half and children will use three fingers. Golf pencils also encourage children to use three fingers.


Author/Illustrator Party (Denise Catoe)
At the end of the year have an author and illustrator party using children’s individual books they’ve made in the classroom. It’s a way to celebrate writing throughout the year. Parents are invited to attend and cookies and drinks are served.

GREAT TEACHERS 101

Great teachers are not born...they are made by the teacher next door. 

If you ever attended one of my workshops you heard me say that! At the end of most workshops I would have a "show and tell" time where teachers could share their ideas. I started collecting their ideas and posting them on my blog about 15 years ago. This coming month I'll share the best of the best each day!

Join me and earn a BA - Borrow and Adapt

BS - Borrow and Steal

*I promise that you'll find some tried and true "jewels" each day!

March 2016
AWESOME IDEAS FROM AUGUSTA, GA!

Basketball Letter Aerobics (Heather Clark)
Pretend to be basketball players as you spell sight words.
Tall letters – shoot the ball into the basket.
Mid-line letters – pass the ball to a friend.
Letters with a tail – dribble the ball.

Monument Yoga (Lynda Smith)
Washington Monument – feet together and arms up and with pointed fingers.
Statue of Liberty – One arm up holding the torch and the other arm holding a book with feet apart.
Honest Abe – sitting position with arms out as if on a chair.
Mount Rushmore – legs apart with chin under fist and switch sides.
The Arch – arms in an arc twice over head.
Liberty Bell – arms down swinging side to side as you say, “Bong, bong, bong, crack!”

*Talk about active learning!!! This is something middle school kids would enjoy!

Getting Quiet Chant (Tatanisha Whitaker)
(Tune: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)
If you can hear me with your ears, clap 2 times. (Hold ears open.)
If you can hear me with your ears, clap 2 times.
If you can hear me with your ears, if you can hear me with your ears, if you can hear me with your ears clap 2 times.
*Good for circle time, after group discussions, or sing alongs.

Toy Microphones (Kelsha)
Put toy microphones in the classroom library to encourage students to read. Students can practice making character voices as they read. For example, read with a deep voice for the big bad wolf in “Three Little Pigs.”

Fly Swatter (Heather Clark)
Put Velcro on a fly swatter. Laminate cards with flies on them and put Velcro on the flies. Students swat the flies and identify the information.
*You can put letters, numbers, sight words, etc. on the back side of the fly cards.

Ten Buddies (Ashley Snapp)
If you assign students numbers they will eventually learn each other’s numbers. To help children learn combinations of ten, challenge them to find their “10 buddy.”
Example: Emanuel is #8 and Jaslene is #2 = 10 buddy
If their number is over ten, they have a “minus 10 buddy.”
Example: Joseph is #16 and Gigi is #6 = “minus 10 buddy.”

Attention Grabber (Janice Cleveland)
This will work like a charm even in a gym full of students.
If you can hear my voice, clap twice.
Softer – If you can hear my voice, clap twice.
Whisper – If you can hear my voice, clap twice.
*You can clap or snap.

Selfie Lookin’ Good
Pretend to hold you cell phone in the air and take a picture as you say, “Lookin’ good!”

LEARNING FITNESS TRAIL

You can integrate reading, writing, math, and exercise with a learning/fitness trail.

Materials: cardboard rectangles (8” x 10”), markers, tape

Directions: Have your students brainstorm different “body” and “brain” exercises and write them on the board.

For example:
10 jumping jacks
say a nursery rhyme
8 windmills
count backwards from 20
12 squats
name your city, state, and country
15 toe touches
name 5 insects
run in place
sing the ABC’s forwards and then backwards
count by 10’s to 100
hop on one foot – hop on the other foot

Divide children into small groups and let them choose an exercise, write it on a piece of cardboard, and decorate it.




Tape the exercises around the playground and let the fun begin.

Hint! Invite other classes to participate in your learning/fitness trail.


Indoor Fitness Trail
Make a similar game to use in the classroom on rainy days.
For example:
*Count to 100 by 10's as you do jumping jacks
*Patty cake some nursery rhymes with a friend
*Count backwards from 20 as you march in place
*Do squats as you name as many insects as you can
*Balance on one foot as you name your city, state, and country
*Balance on the other foot as you say your address and phone number
*Touch toes and then stand up and read a word in the room
*Sing the ABC’s forwards and then backwards as you stand on tip toes
*Run in place as you name different shapes that you see

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME

It’s summer and time to root, root, root for your home team! There are some things that are not in your curriculum that I think all American kids should be exposed to such as the traditional song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Use this link to go to my website and get a free download.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2014/05_May_css/index.html

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take me out to the ball game. (Hand in fist as if cheering.)
Take me out to the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts (Hold up one palm and then other.)
and Cracker Jacks.
I don’t care if we never get back, (Shake head “no.”)
For I’ll root, root, root for the home team. (Cheer with hand in the air.)
If they don’t win it’s a shame. (Open up palms and shake head.)
For it’s one, two, three strikes (Hold up fingers as you count.)
You’re out! (Stick up thumb like “out.”)
At the old ball game.


Cracker Jacks Book
Cut the front and back off a bag or box of Cracker Jacks. Cut paper the size of the bag and give each child a piece. Let them draw and write what prize they would like to find in a box of Cracker Jacks.

Visor
Here's a simple visor that you can wear to the game. Cut a moon shape out of a paper plate and let the children decorate it with markers and crayons. Punch holes in the ends and tie on strings so you can fit the visor to children's heads.



Bar Graph
What's your favorite baseball team? Make a bar graph that children can fill in when their team wins.


Let’s Play Ball!
Write “1st,” “2nd,” “3rd,” and “Home” on paper plates. Place the plates in a diamond shape on the floor. Divide the class into two teams. Let them “huddle” and come up with a team name. The first team lines up and one player at a time stands on “home” as the teacher “pitches” a flash card to them. (Flashcards with words, letters, math facts, etc. can be used.) If the student can identify the information on the flash card they can walk to first base. The game continues as different players on the team come up, identify the flash card, and move around the bases. Tally points on the board. The second team then has a turn at bat.

Note! If they don’t know the answer you can call them out. I did this when I taught first grade, but with kindergarten I let the other players on the team help them. The great thing about being the teacher is that you are the baseball commissioner and you can change the rules to work for you!!!


Batter Up
Cut 4” circles out of cardstock and draw baseball stitching on them. Write words, letters, math facts, etc. on most of the baseballs. On a few write “out” and on a few write “home run.” Mix up the balls and place them in a bag. Children take turns choosing a ball and reading the word. If they select “out” they are out of the game. If they select “home run” everybody cheers.