GREAT TEACHERS 118

 Many "Mini" Ideas from Minneapolis 2015

Picture Game Pieces (Katie from Little Falls) 

Use pictures of the kids that you have taken and turn them into game pieces. When they play any game they can use their own game piece and they'll actually be moving themselves. 
*If you have the bases from Candyland or Chutes & Ladders the pictures fit nicely into those. 

Singing Directions (Sandra Knap) 
Sing directions rather than repeating yourself.  (Tune:  "If You're Happy and You Know It")
Example: Grab a milk and sit down for a snack. 
Grab a milk and sit down for a snack. 
Grab a milk and sit down for a snack. 
Grab a milk and sit down for a snack. 
*Add, "Just like Alisa. Just like Jonathan..." 

Password (Megan Engelsgjerd) 
Practice sight words or CVC words by placing a sign on your door that says, "What's the password?" Write a new word each day and the students have to whisper it when they enter and leave the classroom. 

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. 

Spiderman (Jessica Schmidt)
That's when the children need to "glue" themselves against the wall. 

Friend Book (Barb Larkin) 
Make a friend book at the beginning for the year where each child has a page with their favorite book, names of family members, favorite food, color, etc. Towards the end of the year play a guessing game where you give three clues about one of the classmates and the children have to guess who it is. 

Mystery Person (Amy Keith) 
Parents fill out a sheet of paper with five clues about their child. (Begin with generals and end with specifics.) The teacher puts the clues on sentences strips and covers them up. One clue is revealed each day until they figure out who the mystery person is. 

Pretzel Legs (Tracy Hagen) 
Children sit down with legs spread out straight. The teacher says 3 "p" words and when she says "pretzel" the kids sit criss cross. 

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. 

Behavior Management (Denise Clusian) 
Place a Chutes and Ladders board on your wall. When the children deserve it they "earn a spin." As they make their way to 100 they may have a slide just like in real life. “Oh, well! We'll have to work a little harder.” When they reach 100 the class votes on what they want for a reward/party. 

Rainbow Clap (Kammi O'Hara) 
Start on one side of your body and clap in an arch over to the other side. 

Self-Regulation (Sarah Mumaw-Flury) 
Put your idea in your hand and hold it up. 
Whisper your idea or the answer to the question in your hand and then hold it up. Release! 

Mystery Bag (Janie Lundstrom) 
Hide an object in a myster bag. Students have to ask questions to get clues about what is inside. 
*Give clues, such as it starts with (sound). 

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Awesome shirt that a teacher wore in Birmingham in 2013!

Noun Song (Staria Russell)
(Tune: “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”)
A noun is a person, place or thing.
Yee haw!
A noun is a person, place, or thing.
Yee haw!
A noun is a person. (Point to or name a person.)
A noun is a place. (Name a place.)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. (Name a thing.)


Roping Spelling Words (Jennifer Stringer)
Let children turn their chairs around and sit on them backwards (like a horse). The teacher throws out a word. The kids then “catch it” and spell the word
(c –a –t) as they pretend to rope each letter.


Sight Word Cadence (Karen Fortner)
There are twenty words you’ll need (Children repeat each line.)
If you want to learn to read…

    You     could      their      was
    Go      where     some      have
    Said    me         little         the
    This     come     with        here

*Select words that are difficult for children because they cannot be sounded out phonetically.


Wikki Stick Words (Tami Humphries)
Write nursery rhymes or poems on chart paper. Children use Wikki sticks to circle the sight words they find in the poem or rhyme. Use with a whole group activity, center, or small group.


Around the World (Phyllis Malone)
To review letters, sounds, words, etc. play “Around the World.” Have the children sit in chairs and mix up the flash cards. If they answer the question right they get to stand. If not, they stay seated. Once everyone is up, start round two. This time they sit. The last one to sit down “wins.”


Sight Word Um Umph! (Casandra Stewart)
Place sight word cards in a bag along with school day pictures of the teacher. Laminate cards and pictures on like paper. Students pull cards out and read the words. If a student pulls a card with the teacher’s picture, she has sight word “Um Umph!” and all her cards must go back in the bag. Students love this game!


Four Corners Sight Word Game (Brandi Morse)
Tape sight words around the room. Teacher closes eyes and counts to five. The students walk to a word. If the teacher says a word where they are standing, then they must sit down. Continue until one child is left standing.


Cowboys and Chickens (Gina Copeland)

This is similar to the “Boom” flashcard game, but use pictures of cowboys and chickens. When the cowboy comes up the children make a roping motion as they say, “Yeehaw!” If the chicken comes up they flap their arms and cluck.

GREAT TEACHERS 116

Met some great teachers and gathered some fantastic ideas on St. Louis in 2014! 

Noodle Sensory Fun (Kyle Kranes)
Cut fun noodles into sections and let the children roll on their back, arms, legs, belly. It’s a great cool down and brain break – and perfect for sensory kids.

Line Up Call Back (Jeana Rhoades)
I say “line.”
You say “up.”
Line (teacher)
Up (Children)
I say “sit.”
You say “down.”
Sit (teacher)
Down (Children)
“Happy” – “Monday” etc.

Name Game Line Up (Heather Barrio)
Play the name game to transition to go home, outside, etc. The teacher picks a student to stand up. That student picks a friend to line up, and the game continues until one person is left. The last child gets to pick me!!! This activity helps children learn their classmates’ names. If a student says, “I don’t know her name.” Explain that they should say, “What’s your name, friend?” This also helps shy students engage with the group.

Vowel Flip Book (Krystal McVicker, American International School, Vietnam)
Make a flip book with 5 flaps. Write the vowels on the top of the outside. Children draw or cut out pictures with short vowel sounds and glue them under the correct vowel flap. 

     

*Another teacher shared that they use flip books to reinforce beginning reading and sight words like “the,” “a,” “I,” etc. Write “the” on the front of all four flips. Children open and draw a picture under each flap. Then they can read “the house,” “the sun,” and so forth.

Virtue Book (Jane Lake)
After studying virtues, make a booklet for each word and then let children illustrate it or cut pictures out of magazines. You could also call it a “Good Manners Book” or “My Best Behavior Book.”
Examples of virtues could be: be kind, think of others, love everyone, listen and watch, be eager and excited, share with others, try my best, be ready.

Fantastic Friends (Jane Lake)
At the beginning of the year (or for Valentine’s Day) make a book about friends.
1. A good friend is…
2. I’m a good friend when…
3. What friends like to do together…
4. Symbols of friendship…
5. Names of my friends…

Eye Ball Stories (Penny Salvato)
*I cracked up with this one! 

Penny makes "eye" pointers for her children.  She tells them that she collected the eyeballs on the playground from kids who played too rough!!!

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GOOD NEWS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 2016!

Personality Bag (Kathy Channon)
Find a large bag with a zipper and handles and put a note in similar to the one below:

Dear Families,
Your child is bringing home the personality bag which they need to fill with all the things that tell us about them. For example, a spoon for cooking, ballet slipper for dancing, photos of the family, hobby items, such as baseball cards, and so forth.

Each day at the beginning of the school year a child takes the bag home, fills it up, and then uses it to introduce themselves to their classmates.

Book Jackets (Rose)
Cut figures off book jackets and add a strip of Velcro to the back so the kids can use them to retell the story on a flannel board.
*You can also put magnetic tape on the back and use on a magnetic board.

Flip-a-roo (Rose)
Place the pencil point on the table pointing towards the child. Tell the child to pick it up and then push the top of the pencil “flip-a-roo” towards them and they’ll have the perfect pencil grasp.

My State Book
Make a state book based on your state flower, animal, famous people, state bird, capitol, flag, insect, famous places, etc. Children can become EXPERTS about their state.
For example: New Hampshire, New Hampshire, what do you see?
I see the Capitol in Concord looking at me.

Capitol in Concord, what do you see?
I see the purple lilac looking at me.
Dartmouth, Dartmouth, who do you see?
I see Dr. Seuss looking at me....

*The teacher who shared this idea said her kids loved reading this book and the parents were so impressed that their children knew more than they did about the state!

The Big Cheese (Michele Busby)
This is a counting game the children love. Start in a circle and the teacher chooses a number for the children to count up to. (At the beginning of the year you can practice up to five, but increase the number as the year progresses.) The teacher begins at 0 and each child calls out the next number. If “5” is the number then that child who says “5” must sit down. This continues as children count 0-5 around and around until there is only one person standing – THE BIG CHEESE!

*This counting game can be used for skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s. It is also great for counting on.

The Vowel Game (Similar to the Big Cheese)
Students stand in a circle and begin by singing the vowel song. (A E I O U, A E I O U, A E I O U, these are the vowels of the alphabet.) Students start saying the letters of the alphabet, but when they say a vowel they must sit down. This gets repeated until everyone is seated.

Bottle Cap Math/Reading (Kathy Channon)
Collect colored bottle caps (Boost works well) and write letters or numbers on them. You can also write punctuation marks or math signs (+ - =) on them. Use them in a center and children can make words, work out math problems, etc.
Adaptation: Go through magazines and cut out letters with all different kinds of fonts. Sort and the children can use these to glue words together.

Picnic Book with a Window
Cut a “window” out of one section of a picnic book and children can draw a secret picture inside.



Talking Key (Laurie)
Let children use a skeleton key to “turn on” their voice when sharing at circle. Pass the key around and the child holding the key gets to talk.

Quiet Lamp (Laurie)
Use a small fancy lamp and turn it on when it’s time to work. Children must be quiet and concentrate whenever the light is on, but when you turn it off the students may talk.

Incentive to Tie Shoes (Catherine)
As soon as your students can quickly and independently tie their shoes they are allowed to take their shoes off. This is a BIG DEAL and really motivates kids to learn and practice tying their shoes.
Tips: Shoes must be kept side by side at their desk.
Shoes can only be off when they are at their seats.
If there’s a fire drill don’t worry about putting your shoes back on.

Super Duper Number Troopers (Dee Kettlewood)
Here’s a game to reinforce odd and even numbers.
The children make 2 fists and that’s zero.
Put up one finger on right and say “1.” (“1” doesn’t have a partner so it’s odd.)
Put up one finger on left and say “2.” (That’s a partner so it’s even.)
Put up another finger on right and say “3.” (That’s odd.)
Put up another finger on left and say “4.” (That’s a partner so it’s even.)
Continue counting and saying if the number is odd or even.
When you do larger numbers just say like “30” and then count up from their on the fingers.

GREAT TEACHERS 114

SEE IF YOU CAN FIND SOME "JEWELS" FROM MY 2012 WORKSHOPS.

Button Factory Language Unit (Ann Michael)
Ann used this favorite song as a springboard for the following activities:
Button box – sort, organize, match, describe
Button fashion show – children wear clothing with buttons
Button shirt – put a wide Velcro strip on a child’s shirt. Put Velcro on buttons and have children put the buttons on their shirt.
Button sweatshirt – teacher wears a sweatshirt covered with a variety of buttons and children describe the buttons

Classroom Management Trick (Alison Barnes)
Teacher: Give me one.
Students: One. (clap one time)
Teacher: Give me four.
Students: One, two ,three, four. (clap four times)
*You can do this as many times as you want mixing up the numbers. End by saying:
Teacher: Give me fingers to lips.
Students: (Put 2 fingers to lips and smile quietly.)


Take a Picture Walk (Lauren Martin)
This activity will help children learn to turn pages from the front of the book to the back. Use two fingers to mimic walking through a book as you chant:
Walking through the pictures.
Walking through with speed.
Walking through the pictures
And now it’s time to read.
Students close the book to the front and raise their hands to describe the pictures that they saw.


Animal Reading (Mary Baykouski)
Read predictable books using different animal sounds or whatever theme sound the children suggest.
For example: The Farm (moo moo)
The boy is on the farm. (moo moo)


Transition Song (Sharon Dudley)
Tune: La Cuckla Racha
Come to the carpet, come to the carpet.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la.
We are ready.
We are listening.
We are ready for some fun, story, math, etc.


Candyland Adaptation (Amanda Dalgleish)
Level one - Write the color names on the color cards.
Level two – Make new cards by writing color words in the same color as the word.
Level three – Make cards with just the word written in black.

More Skill Games with Candyland (Katie Spies)
Make Candyland cards with numerals, word wall words, math facts, etc. Put harder level words or facts on the double color cards.


Tattle Stopper (Linda Rossiter)
Pick up some old tax forms at the library. When children start to tattle hand them a form and tell them to fill it out and then bring it back to you.


Waiting Gemstones (Dawn Corkran)
Let students pick a stone and decorate it. When they need help they lay their stone next to the teacher and return to their work until the teacher can help them. (Most of the time they will solve their own problem.)


Go Tell Puppy (Yolanda Coppedge)
When children have an issue, they tell it to the toy puppy in their calm down area.

Thinking Time (Maggie Silver)
Some children are much faster at identifying words. To give an opportunity to all the kids, when you come to a new word point to it and slowly say, “1, 2, 3, what word do you see?” That will give the children extra time to sound out the word.

GREAT TEACHERS 113

Yes, indeed, there were some great teachers with great ideas in North Carolina in 2013!

Envelope Factory
This is how teachers take an idea and milk it for all its worth! I’ve showed you before how to cut an envelope in half to make a puppet. Look how this can be used to reinforce Standards.

*Put a period on one side and a question mark on the other. When the teacher makes a statement, children hold up the period. When the teacher asks a question, the children hold up the question mark.
*Write “fact” on one side and “opinion” on the other side.
*Write “fiction” on one side and “non-fiction” on the other side.
*Write “yes” on one side and “no” on the other side for a quick review.


Letter Pops (Kristi Moore)
Glue upper and lowercase letters on jumbo craft sticks. Children can match letters that go together.

*You could also use these for helping children find a partner.


Silent Math (Cindy Lang)
While students are waiting for the restroom or drinking fountain, one student shows the person beside them a number on their fingers and then a function sign (+ or -) and another number. The friend will answer by showing the correct number of fingers. Continue playing until everyone is back in line.


Syllable Stepping (Michaela White)
As a way to transition and line up students, have them step out syllables and sounds. Every student stands in place. The teacher (or student helper) calls out a word. The students move according to the syllables they hear.
Ex: arctic – 2 syllables – walk 2 steps in line
*Segment sounds (CVC words, etc.) by stepping for each sound and then sliding as you blend the sounds.


Twister (Traci Branch)
Use a Twister mat and write words, numerals, letters, etc. on the circles. Write the words on the spinner and let the children play.
Hint! A shower curtain can be used to make the game with a homemade spinner.


Word Family Step Book (Gaye Vitolo)
Staple a step book at the top and cut up as shown. Write a different rime on each section and then challenge children to write all the words they can that end with that sound.
*Use for long vowel, short vowel, and r controlled.
*Use for tenses or place value.

Question Strategy (Jamie Turnage)
Students tap their brain to think of the answer to a question and then blow the answer in their hands. They all release the answer on the count of three.


Wolfpack Cheer (Julie Earnhardt, Lisa Byrom, Joan Munn)
Stick index finger and pinky up in the air and then touch middle finger and ring finger to your thumb to make the “wolf.” Children can make fingers “bark” as they give a silent cheer for their friends.


Schoolwide Vocabulary Parade (Tammi and Tiffany from Manchester El.)
This is a one month project. First, each child chooses a word and writes a proposal with the word, the definition, a sentence, and a picture.
Kindergarten – nouns
1st Grade – verbs
2nd Grade – adjectives
3rd Grade – multiple meaning words
4th Grade – similes
5th Grade – idioms
Based on their word, each child creates a hat that they wear on a special day and they parade around the school.


Word Wall Wednesday (Joan Munn)
Ask questions about words on the word wall. Assess by having the student write down their answer on a “ticket.”
*On “Thinking Thursday” do math word problems.

GREAT GREAT TEACHERS 112

Take a look at some of these TERRIFIC ideas from Toledo in 2013!  Great ideas never go out of style!


Self Control (Becky Gilsdorf)
Use this visual cue to help children who are out of control.
Cross hands over your chest. (Self)
Slide both hands down the sides of your body. (Control)
As the child repeats the movements silently it will calm them down.


Hand Poem (Barb Williams)
Hands up high. (Hands in the air.)
Hands down low. (Hands down.)
Hide those hands, now. (Hands behind your back.)
Where did they go? (Shrug shoulders.)
One hand up. (Right hand up.)
The other hand, too. (Left hand up.)
Clap them, (Clap.)
Fold them, (Fold in lap.)
Now we’re through!

Quiet Coyote (Alyssa)
Hold your hand with the pinky and pointer fingers up like ears. Tap the middle and ring finger on your thumb.


1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me (Rooe Aliakbar)
Teacher says: 1, 2, 3 - eyes on me.
Children respond: 1, 2 – eyes on you!

Wiggle Song (Sarah Drummond)
(Sing in a whisper voice.)
I wiggle my fingers.
I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my ELBOWS. (yell this word)
I wiggle my nose.
Now, no more wiggles are left in me.
So I will sit still -
As still as can be. (Fold hands and place in your lap.)


Verb Chant (Linda Pelger)
A verb, a verb, is an action word, an action word.
You can do it, do it, do it, do it, do it.
Can you jump? (Jump two times)
Can you hop? Swim? Dive? Laugh? Frown? Jog? Etc.


Attention Grabber (Sherry Raessler)
I am looking.
What do I see?
I see (student, class) sitting (or standing or whatever you need)
Properly.


Rhyming Chant (Tina Ponzi)
(Slap knees and clap hands to get the rhythm.)
When I say bat, you say cat.
Bat – cat
Bat – cat

*You can also use this chant for opposites.
When I say hot, you say cold.
Hot – cold
Hot – cold


Stinky Brain Break (Jamie Garner)
The kids get to take their shoes off during center/workshop time and we call it a “Stinky Brain Break.” 


FREEZE (Jamie Garner)
Teacher says: Freeze!
Students respond: Ice Cold! (Wrap arms around self as if shivering.)
Teacher: I’m looking for frozen students.


Grab Your Partner (Tina Rufenacht)
Pass out one Old Maid card to each student and when they find their match, it’s their partner.
*You can also use shapes, clocks, beginning sounds, etc.

Quieting Tricks (Meghan Boyle)
*Before going in the hallway say, “Hands on your hips. Smile on your lips.”

*Hush little children don’t say a word.
We’re leaving the room and shouldn’t be heard.
Hands at your side and do not talk.
Tip toe in the halls when we start to walk.