ACTIVE LEARNING #9 - HANDY EDIT

Children can learn 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.”)

The Writing Process

Motivate children to write by having them stand and echo this chant.  Spread your arms wide as you clap and step from side to side to the beat.


Chorus:

Who knows the writing process?
     Who knows the writing process?
I know the writing process.
     I know the writing process.

First step. (Hold up one finger.)
     First step.
Brainstorm. (Hands on the side of your head and shake down.)
     Brainstorm.

Chorus

Second step.  (Hold up 2 fingers.)
     Second step.
Write it down.  (Pretend to write with index finger on palm.)
     Write it down.

Chorus

Third step.  (Hold up 3 fingers.)
     Third step.
Edit your work.  (Shake finger.)
     Edit your work.

Chorus

Fourth step.  (Hold up 4 fingers.)
     Fourth step.
Publish your work.  (Brush hands together.)
     Publish your work.
Chorus

Oh, yeah! (Hands on hips with an attitude.)

ACTIVE LEARNING #8 - VOCABULARY

Vocabulary words will "stick" in children's brains with these strategies. They're also good for learning a second language.

Dramatize
When introducing new words invite children to dramatize what the words mean. They can dramatize with their faces, hands, or whole bodies.

                            
                                           EXHILARATED!

Pantomime
Children pantomime vocabulary words as classmates try and guess their word.
                                                                                             

Sign Language
Learn how to sign vocabulary words by looking at videos online.




Brochure 

Tri-fold a sheet of paper to make a brochure. Children write the word on the top section, the definition in the middle, and illustrate it or write a sentence in the bottom section.

                                  

Antonym Actions
Let children act out words that are opposite what the teacher says. For example:
     Teacher says “hot.”
     Children respond by shivering.
     Teacher says “loud.”
     Children respond by being quiet.

Synonyms
Call out synonyms for the students to interpret. For example:

     Happy – delighted – joyful - gay - pleased
                                                   
     Angry – mad – furious
     Sleepy – tired – fatigued

ACTIVE LEARNING #7 - LET'S EAT!

Note! I realize that some schools do not allow "outside food." However, I know from experience that if they EAT it they will REMEMBER it! You can always share these ideas with families if you can't do them at school.

Cereal Math
Fill sandwich bags with with ½ cup of mixed cereal, such as Fruit Loops. Children can practice the following.

· Estimation- How many pieces are in your bag?

· Counting- Count and see how many you have. Did you estimate more or less? Is it an odd or even number?

· Sorting- Sort the cereal by color, shape, or size.

· Patterning- Can you make a pattern with your cereal?

* Addition and Subtraction - Demonstrate addition with the cereal or subtraction by eating it!


Graham Crackers
Give each child a large graham cracker. What shape is it? Break it in half. What shape is it now? Break the squares in half. What shape do you have now?

*Let children nibble saltines to make circles and triangles.



Pretzel Shapes 
Give children pretzel sticks and pretzel twists and challenge them to make geometric shapes. How many pretzel sticks will you need to make a hexagon? How many pretzel sticks will you need to make a triangle?

                                                              

*Challenge them to make letters with the pretzels.  This is fun to do with a partner as they take turns making letters and identifying them.

*Use pretzels to tally.

                 

Three Dimensional Shapes

What could you eat that's a sphere?  Cone?  Cube?  Pyramid?

ACTIVE LEARNING #6 - THINK PAD

These THINK PADS are easy to make and can be used in multiple ways.

Stack 6 sheets of paper on top of each other. Staple each of the corners as shown. Cut vertically and horizontally in half to make four “think pads.” Make several dozen of these.  To begin give one to each child.  Keep the others in the writing center. Explain that if they do a lot of thinking and writing they are welcome to get another pad.



                                                                           

Use these pads for some of the activities below:

Notes 

Children can use these to take notes as they listen to a book or watch a video. They can draw, write words, or simply scribble. Encourage them by commenting, “You’re taking notes just like the big kids do in high school and college! Isn’t it fun to know how to take notes to help you remember?”
      


What can you find out?
Collect non-fiction books about a topic that you will be studying in your class. Place the books on a table along with think pads, paper, and pencils. Let two children work together and take notes to look in the books and see what they can find out (learn) about the topic. 
                                          
Written Response 
Older students can use think pads to write the answer to math problems or other questions.
                                                                   
Scavenger Hunt
Use think pads to find different objects in the classroom that relate to reading, math, or science standards. They might go on a scavenger hunt for objects that start with “CH.” How many ovals can they find? Can they make a list of nouns? Can they find objects that a magnet will attract?
                                                                                            
Brainstorm 
If children finish their work early they can brainstorm or doodle on their think pads.

Sticky Notes 
Children also love sticky notes to write reminders to themselves, notes to friends, etc.
Note! Sometimes physicians or dentists will donate these to your class.

                                  

ACTIVE LEARNING #5 - FIST LIST

There's something about moving your fingers and repeating information that will help your students with planning and organization.

Fist List
Have students tuck in their thumb and then put down a finger as they repeat each task they need to complete. Adapt to their assignment for the day. For example: 

     Put down 1 finger. “Journal writing.”
     Put down 2nd finger. “Phonics game.”
     Put down 3rd finger. “Independent reading.”
     Put down 4th finger. “Ipad skills.”

                                    

*This will also nurture the executive function by helping kids plan and organize.

Recall Fist List
Recall at the end of the day by asking students to make a “fist list” of what they learned that day.  They can put down a finger for everything they learned or feel good about.

New Skill Fist List
Here’s a formula for learning a new skill.

     1st – Hold up one finger and repeat it out loud.

     2nd - Hold up the second finger and visualize using the skill.

     3rd – Hold up the third finger and repeat it with a partner.

ACTIVE LEARNING #4 - YOGA YEAR

Make this A YOGA YEAR by incorporating some of these strategies. Yoga has health benefits, as well as learning benefits. "Mindfulness" is a buzz word now in education, and yoga might be just the trick to help children focus and relax.

Yoga Letters
There are several videos where yoga poses are related to the alphabet.  Wouldn't it be fun to incorporate yoga poses with phonics?  Here's a poster that you can download free:

     

http://www.youngyogamasters.com/2014/05/28/yoga-alphabet-printable/

Yoga Shapes
I loved the yoga poses for kids I found on this website:


https://www.kidsyogastories.com/shapes-yoga/

Monument Poses
Linda Smith shared this idea for tying in MONUMENT POSES with social studies standards.

Statue of Liberty – One arm up holding the torch and the other arm holding a book with feet apart.
                                                                            
Washington Monument – Feet together and arms up and with pointed fingers.
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 overhead.
Liberty Bell – Arms down swinging side to side as you say, “Bong, bong, bong, crack!”

Superhero Yoga
And, wouldn’t your students love doing this Superhero Yoga that Charley Schillinger does with her students?
Superman – Do a plank.
Wonder Woman – Sit in an invisible chair.
Spiderman – Feet together and squat.
Batman – Arms out and one leg up.
Captain America -  Squat with legs apart and stretch arms over head and behind as if extending a shield.
Flash Lunges - One foot in front and lean forward and touch the floor.
Black Widow - Take turns stretching out your arms.
Iron Man Pose - Stand straight and look up towards the sky.

Here's here blog so you can learn more about it:

https://mscharleyblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/15/superhero-yoga/

                             https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljZWZjN205R0NXMGc/view?usp=sharing 


Morning Stretch
Several teachers have told me how my “Morning Stretch” really helps their students focus and get ready to start each day.
                                           
                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIq9TbaCokc


Here are some personal insights on yoga from my friend Drew Giles:

As a certified yoga instructor for both adults and kids, I have learned firsthand the benefits of teaching yoga and mindfulness to kids. Yoga is the coming together of mind (thoughts and feelings) and physical body. It’s a form of tactile and kinesthetic learning, which is the most basic child-centric learning style. Yoga can enable your students (and yourself!) to be more attentive and focused for learning. As a quick energizer, even one yoga pose done with purposeful breathing for just one minute will oxygenate the blood and lift the energy level of your students. Contrary to sceptics, yoga is not a religion. The practice of yoga was built on spirituality and the promotion of being kind and compassionate towards yourself and others. It is not a religion and does not judge religions.

Some of the benefits include: 

•       Increases self-esteem

•       Improves behavior, less discipline problems

•       Invites a calm atmosphere

•       Increases physical and mental awareness

•       Provides opportunity for discovery and fun

•       Improves motor development on both sides of the body

•       Relieves stress, anxiety and anger

•       Improves self-control

In a School Setting, yoga can also benefit educators by:

•       Giving educators an alternate way to handle challenges in the classroom

•       Giving educators a healthy activity to integrate with lesson plans

•       Gives educators a way to blend exerciseinto their classes

Ready to incorporate yoga in your classroom?!  Here are a few fun tips.

·     Make the yoga class fun! Let go of thinking what a traditional yoga class may look like. A kids’ yoga class is all about moving in mindful and silly ways, learning how to pay attention to the breath and having a good time.

·     Follow the children’s lead. Most yoga poses were created to celebrate the world around us. Ask the kids to come up with poses for common animals or things they see in nature. 

·     Be flexible and come up with a thoughtful lesson plan.

·     Kids yoga should be voluntary; never force children to do yoga. If a few kids are not interested, simply allow them to watch the class do yoga.

·     Give clear and concise verbal and visual directions.

How to come up with a simple yoga lesson plan:

·      Start your yoga session by creating a safe and friendly environment

·     Focus on the breath, it’s a great way to transition from spending time on the playground or coming back from lunch.

·     Next, moving into warms ups – stretch side to side or stand in a tabletop position on hands and needs, arch the back like a cat with your head looking at your belly button, lower your belly, look up as you breathe in like a cow staring at the sky.

·     Focus on the body, you can do some sun salutations and build heat in your body. This allows your body to breakdown stagnant fluids and bring in new, nutrient-rich cells.

·     After 5-10 minutes of body work, move into a cool down, long stretches – see if you can touch your shins, ankles or toes! 

·     Finally, reap in the benefits by laying down motionless on your mat of the floor. This is an essential part of yoga and should never be skipped

A few last tips for success:

·     Learn and practice the lesson plan before you teach it.

·     Be prepared with extra activities. You never know which ideas may be a flop or a hit.

·     Start slow – when first introducing yoga to the class – offer a few, simple movements during a transition period and build the amount of time up to 45 minutes! Yes, it’s possible!

·     Be present and have a positive attitude. The kids will feed off your energy.

·     Appreciate and enjoy the kids where they are at. Always phrase assistance positively like "How about this way?" or "Let's do this!" 

There are a lot of great resources out there. Pinterest, Omazing Kids LLC, Kidding Around Yoga, Kids Yoga Stories are a few of my favorites. I did my kids yoga teaching certificate through Next Generation Yoga. Hint! They offer current educators a 50% discount! (Tell them Drew sent you!) 

Reach out to me if you have any questions.  andrewjgiles@gmail.com

ACTIVE LEARNING #3 - PEER TEACHING

Peer teaching is a powerful teaching strategy that can make a difference in your classroom this year. By working with a partner children can develop social skills, cooperation, problem solving, independence, oral language, and creativity. To avoid common behavior problems that can occur when children pick their own partner, try study buddy sticks.

Study Buddy Sticks
Put like stickers on the bottoms of two craft sticks. You will need as many sticks as there are children in your classroom. Place sticks in a plastic cup with stickers facing down. Each Monday let children choose a stick and then find the person whose stick matches theirs. That is their “study buddy” for all partner projects that week.

 

Note! You can use matching letters, shapes, numbers, etc. on the sticks.

*When there is an odd number of students, let the last child chose whichever group she would like to be a part of.

Peer Partners can:

Partner Teach – One student pretends they are the teacher and demonstrates or explains something to a friend. Then they switch places.

Partner Coach – One student demonstrates a skill while the other student “coaches” (corrects, makes suggestions). Switch places.

Back Writing – Study buddies take turns making letters, shapes, numerals, spelling words, etc. on their partner’s back. After the partner guesses correctly they can change places.

Partner Pop Up Q & A
Students stand and face their study buddy. The teacher poses a question. The students talk it over, agree on an answer, and then stoop down. When the teacher sees all students down she says, “Pop!” The students pop up and say their answer out loud. 

 

Partners can also:
Read together.
Retell a story. They can also discuss who, what, where, when, why, the problem, resolution, what might happen next, etc.
Whisper a prediction in each other’s ear.
Review information after a science lesson, social studies, etc.
Clean up a center or each other’s desks.
Read around the room.
Sing a song or say nursery rhymes together.
Help with dressing, such a zipping coats and tying shoes.
Draw a picture together. They could draw their favorite part of a story, illustrate a poem, draw a picture of their teacher, and so forth.
Do crafts such as lunch sack puppets seasonal projects.
Build together with blocks, Legos, etc.
Play with play dough or clay together.
Write together. They could write a sentence, story, poem, song, observation, etc.
Play a board game.
Play a computer game.
Review flashcards.
Practice rereading books.
Brainstorm! Make lists!
Do surveys and collect data.
Play hand clap games.
Make books together.
Answer questions. Teacher asks a question and they get together to come up with an answer they agree on.
Do puzzles together.
Check each other’s work.
Edit each other’s writing.
Play “Mirror.” One child is the leader and the other child is the “mirror” and must mimic what the leader does. Switch roles after a minute.