ONE "KINDNESS" LITTLE THING

What a great day to celebrate RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY! (February 17th is officially Random Acts of Kindness Day, but these activities are perfect any day!)

                                   

What does "random acts of kindness" mean? Brainstorm examples and then challenge each of your students to do at least 3 acts of kindness today. 

Kindness Club

Write "The Kindness Club" on the board or a poster and have students write the names of classmates who do something kind for them.

Give each child "kindness tickets" to distribute to friends who do something nice for them.  
*Thanks to Carolyn Kisloski for creating these tickets and poster for you.
                                                                                     
                                                        
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljaHRsT05ZYmxPZlE/view?usp=sharing

Kindness Bracelet              
Make bracelets from pipe cleaners. When they do a good deed they can get a bead and add it to their bracelet.
                 
Kindness Book
Make a "Kindness Book" where students can record something positive a classmate has done for them.

Here are some other suggestions from randomactsofkindness.org:
1.  Smile at one extra person.
2.  Each lunch (or play) with someone new.
3.  Make sure to say "I love you" or give someone special a hug.
4.  Send a positive message or help someone.

DON'T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK DAY

Yes, it really is DON'T CRY OVER SPILLED MILK DAY.  This is a good concept to model and encourage in your students.  When you make a mistake it's O.K.  Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again.  

I thought it was important to model making mistakes in front of my students.  "Oops!  Let me try that again."  If something we had planned didn't work out I'd say, "We'll try and do that another time."  Things don't always go our way.  That's life and that's O.K.

Oh Well!
It's important to teach children strategies for coping when things don't go right.  Role play spilling milk, losing a game, and other incidents.  Teach children to say, "OH, WELL!"

IT LOOKED LIKE SPILT MILK
Life has ups and downs and the world keeps on changing, but this book by Charles Shaw is a classic.
                                           

This was a book my students wanted to hear/see again and again.  It was also fun to go outside and look for objects in the sky.  Tie in with descriptive writing by having your students draw pictures and write what they saw in the clouds.

Art

Fold blue construction paper in half. Have children put a spoonful of white paint in the middle, fold, and then rub. Open. Dry.
What does their spilt milk look like? Have them write a story about it.

I think my picture looks like two angels dancing...or maybe cherubs kissing!

PUNCTUATION PAYS

Your students will be excited to read aloud with these activities.

Whoa!

Sit like cowboys and cowgirls by straddling chairs. When you come to a period, children pretend to pull back on the reins as they say, “Whoa!”
                         
Walk and Read
Capital - Capital letters are at the beginning of a sentence. They tell you to “GO.” Have children stand every time you come to a capital letter.
Word Walk – Step in place for each word.
Period - Periods tell you when to stop. Sit down when you come to a period.
Question Mark – Shrug shoulders.
Exclamation Point – Jump.
Comma - Hop for a comma.
Quotations -Two fingers in the air and wiggle.

*Children can also take a small step in place for every word they read.

Correct the Teacher 

Write the morning message and other things on the board and read without proper punctuation. Let children correct you!

*Write nursery rhymes and other familiar poems with unusual punctuation.
                   

*Read a story in a monotone voice without pausing to help children realize the importance of punctuation.  

Statements and Questions

Seal envelopes and cut in half as shown to make a puppet. Make a period on one side and a question mark on the other side. If the teacher says a question the children hold up the question mark. If the teacher makes a statement they hold up the period.
                                         

Handy Edit
Teach children how to edit their work with this “handy” idea.
(Make a fist with your right hand to begin.)
1. If you started your sentence with a capital letter you can stick up your thumb.
2. If you read the sentence and it makes sense you can stick up your index finger.
3. If you remembered to put punctuation at the end you can stick up your pinky finger.
4. Then you can say, “I love my sentence.” (Turn your fist over and you will be making sign language for “love.”)

     

WHAT IS A SENTENCE?

Make those language standards more meaningful with these activities.

What Is a Sentence (Tune: “Where Is Thumbkin?”)
What is a sentence?
What is a sentence?
A complete thought.
A complete thought.
It starts with a capital letter.
It starts with a capital letter.
And ends with a punctuation mark.
And ends with a punctuation mark.

Punctuation Sticks 

Use jumbo craft sticks or paint sticks for this activity. Draw a “.” “?” and “!” on the end of each stick with a marker. Write simple sentences on the board. Take one stick at a time and place it at the end of a sentence. Children practice reading with that expression.



ABC? 
Say the abc’s according to the punctuation marks.
A B C.
D E F ?
G H I J!
K L M ?
N O P !
Q R S T.
U V W?
X Y Z!

                                      

And that's THE END of today's blog.?!

BACKWARDS DAY

Backwards Day
Children will get a kick out of planning a “backwards day.” Remind them to wear clothing inside out and work through your daily schedule from the bottom up. Start with a good-bye song and end your day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a greeting. At lunch eat your dessert first. What else can the children suggest?
                                        
Opposite Song
(Tune: “Shortnin’ Bread”)
We can do opposites, opposites, opposites.
We can do opposites follow me.
Top and bottom… (Touch top of head and bottom of foot.)
Front and back… (Touch tummy and then back.)
Happy and sad… (Smile and then frown.)
Left and right… (Hold up left hand and then right.)
Up and down… (Point up and then down.)
Loud and soft… (Say, “Loud,” loud and “soft,” soft.)
Open and shut… (Open and shut hands.)
Stand and sit…and put them in your lap! (Stand and then sit and put hands in lap.)

Let children suggest other opposites you could sing in the song.

Opposite Game
Whatever the teacher says, the students do the opposite. For example if the teacher says “cry” the children laugh. If the teacher says “up” the children point down.

Have children fold a sheet of paper in half and illustrate opposites.

Use a T-chart to write words that are opposite.

Take photos of children acting out antonyms and use them to make a class book.                               
Hint! Introduce the word “antonym” and explain that it means the same thing as “opposite.”

VERBS, VERBS, ACTION WORDS

If you can DO it, then it's a verb!
                                    
Verbs, Verbs, Action Words (Kiss Your Brain CD)
Verbs, verbs, action words
Things that you can do.
I’ll say a word, and if it’s a verb,
Show what you can do.
Run (Children run in place.)
Fly (Children pretend to fly.)
Dog (Children shout, “That’s not a verb.”)

Continue calling out verbs for the children to pantomime.

Charades
Let children take turns acting out verbs as their classmates try and guess what they are doing.

Pass the Story
Write verbs on index cards and place them in a sack. Have the class sit in a circle and begin passing the bag around. The first child chooses a word and begins the story by using that verb. The second child chooses a word and adds to the story with their word. Continue passing the bag as children add to the story using a verb from the bag.

Catch and TellHave children think of an action word in their head. The teacher throws a ball or beanbag to a child. That child states the verb they are thinking of and then passes the ball to another friend. Children continue passing the ball and saying verbs.

Say What?
Write simple verbs on the board. Invite children to come up and add different endings for their friends to read and then use the word in a sentence.
                              
*Cover the end of a fly swatter with white paper. Write different endings on the paper (ing, ed, s). Children place the ending by verbs and read the new word.

PARTS OF SPEECH

It’s more fun to learn anything with a song.

Noun Song (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.)

Noun House
Fold a sheet of paper in half vertically. Fold in the top corners and then fold up the bottom to look like a house. Children open the house and draw pictures, write words, or cut out pictures of things that are nouns.
       
                                      
Verbs
Verbs, verbs, action words.
Things you can do!
I’ll say a word and if it’s a verb
See what you can do.
Fly – that’s a verb. (Flap arms and pretend to fly.)
Let’s fly.
Run – that’s a verb. (Run in place.)
Let’s run.
Chair – that’s not a verb. (Shake head “no.”)
You can’t chair.
Hop – that’s a verb. (Hop on one foot.)
Let’s hop.
Walk – that’s a verb. (Walk in place.)
Let’s walk.
Tree – that’s not a verb. (Shake head “no.”)
You can’t tree.
Swim – that’s a verb. (Pretend to swim.)
Let’s swim.
Jog – that’s a verb. (Jog in place.)
Let’s jog.
Sit – that’s a verb. (Sit down.)
So sit down in your seat.
Now you know action words.
Move to the verb beat!

*Let children brainstorm other action words and act them out.

T-Chart
Have children make a T-chart and write words that are nouns and verbs.

Wacky Sentences

You will need different colors of index cards or paper cut in 3” x 5” rectangles to make this game. Write nouns on one color and verbs on the other color. Mix up. Children draw a card from each pile and then make up a “wacky” sentence using the words.
                            
Hint! Use the teacher’s name, principal, or other famous people.