SIGN TO LEARN

I LOVE SIGN LANGUAGE!  I really do!  It's multi-sensory, engaging, and it keeps those little hands busy.  Sign language can also be a great tool if you have children with different language backgrounds, and it provides a new challenge for children who are very bright.   It's free, simple, and easy!  

My favorite website is aslpro.com.  If you go there you can download manual signs for the alphabet letters and use those to make games.  You can also use their video dictionary to learn how to sign different words.  Click on "dictionary" and then scroll down to the word you want to learn.

Sing and Signs – Teach children signs for letters as they are introduced. 

Use this song to the tune of “Where Is Thumbkin?” to reinforce the concept.

                   Where is A?                     Where is A?  (Children repeat each line.)

                        Here I am!                        (Hold up the manual sign for A.)

                        Here I am!                        (Children repeat and copy sign.)

                        What do you say A?         What do you say A?

                        /a/ /a/ /a/                       /a/ /a/ /a/

 

Letter Box – Here’s another song you can use to teach children manual signs for letters.  It goes to the tune of “Polly Wolly Doodle.”

I wish I had a letter box            

To put my A in.

I’d take it out and go             (Hold up sign for a.)

/a/ /a/ /a/

And put it back again.            (Pretend to put hand back in box.)

Continue singing other letters and making signs for other letters.

Sign and Spell – Use sign language to spell children’s names and other words.

Dismissal – Tell the children to watch your hand.  As you make the sign that their name begins with, they may be dismissed to line up, go to centers, wash hands, etc.

Signing Game – Make different signs and see if the children can guess the letter you are making.  What’s a word that begins with that sound?

*For older children finger spell words and see who can decode it.

*Play “Simon Says” by signing motions for children to make.

Word Wall Words – Learn signs for high frequency words.  Visit

aslpro.com and click on “dictionary” to see signs demonstrated.

Hint!  Encourage the children to make “strong” letters.  As children tighten up muscles in their hands, they will also be strengthening those small motor skills.

Come back tomorrow and I'll have more ideas for integrating sign language in  your classroom!

ALBUQUERQUE TURKEY

Albuquerque Turkey

(Tune:  "My Darlin’ Clementine" - HAPPY EVERYTHING CD - Disk 1)

Albuquerque is a turkey                    (Put hands on hips like wings.)        

And he’s feathered and he’s fine.

And he wobbles and he gobbles          (Strut and wiggle.)

And he’s absolutely mine.

He’s the best pet you can get,          (Pretend to stroke a turkey’s head.)

Better than a dog or cat.

He’s my Albuquerque turkey,

And I’m awfully proud of that.

Albuquerque is a turkey,

And he’s happy in his bed.                 (Lay hands on palms as you smile.)

Cause for our Thanksgiving dinner,

We’ll have pizza pie instead!             (Put palm up in the air like twirling a pizza.)

Martha Shehan made an adorable book to go with the song using D. J. Hook's illustrations.  Here is the link so you can run off a copy for your classroom:

drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/11_Nov/1booksNov/albuTurkey.pdf

Tie Turkey – Make your own Albuquerque turkey for your classroom.  Cut out the body, head, and feet of a turkey and staple to a bulletin board.  Have children bring in old ties from home and pin around the back of the body to resemble feathers.


Turkey Glyph - Give each child a cut out of a turkey body.  Provide them with paper feathers in the following colors.  Children can add feathers to their turkey according to the foods they plan to eat for their Thanksgiving Dinner:

         green – beans or peas

         yellow – corn

         white  - mashed potatoes

         orange – pumpkin pie

         red – cranberries

         purple – gravy

         blue – dressing

         brown – turkey

         black – roll

HOMEWORK SCHOMEWORK

I try not to use my blog as a political platform, but today I must stand up and shout, “Homework schomework!”  Some of the stories about primary children and the amount of homework they have to do make me shiver and shake!

First of all, if a young child goes to school and sits and listens and works and learns for six hours, they deserve to do what they want when they get home.  The need to play, move, laugh, yell, imagine, and be KIDS! 

Second, most parents have worked hard all day as well.  When they get home they have to prepare food, wash clothes, clean the house, pay bills, etc.  They should not have to sit at the kitchen table with their child crying over some stupid homework for an hour. 

Third, how do giving worksheets that are drill and kill really help children learn?  What’s the point?

So, what is the point of homework?  Homework should teach children responsibility.  Homework should be a tool to help parents see what their child is doing at school.  Homework should extend learning from the classroom to the home.  Homework should be MEANINGFUL! 

If I were in charge of the world, primary grade children would NOT be allowed to spend more than 30 minutes on homework each night.  They might be asked to read 20+ minutes and then have ONE other assignment.  I would try to make the assignment engage with the parent and connect the real world with what’s going on in the classroom.  For example, the assignment might be to ask their parents what a veteran is and to find out who the veterans in their family are.  The assignment might be to ask their parents how they use math in their jobs.  The assignment might be to cut out a picture from the newspaper and write one or two sentences about it. Take a look at my monthly activities and use those as a springboard for reinforcing skills at your particular grade level. 

Kids, I’m on your side!  Parents, I’m on your side!  Teachers, I’m on your side as well, but take a hard look at your homework assignments and see if they are really educational, necessary, and reasonable!


NOTE!
I wrote the above blog last week before I met my daughter at the NAEYC Conference in Orlando.  Holly brought up the fact that many parents WANT homework and are impressed with lengthy assignments because they think it will make their children smarter.  You might be surprised at what Holly's research revealed!


 In the book Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators,

 Teachers, and Parents, Harris Cooper puts together a variety of

 research studies on homework. He finds that in elementary school,

 homework has almost no impact on academic achievement. In middle

 school, the results are mixed. In high school, moderate levels of

 homework can help the learning process. But it needs to be meaningful

 and relevant and not just busy work. 

 Here’s another interesting editorial:

 http://www.chron.com/life/article/Doing-homework-on-doing-homework-   

 1822665.php

 And here's a good article that sums up some homework facts:

 http://www.chron.com/opinion/editorials/article/Spare-the-child-

 Excessive-homework-assignments-1633056.php

 I also found an interesting interview with a Finnish education

 expert. In Finland, children spend fewer hours in school, do very

 little homework, and don't take standardized tests. I'll have to

 watch the show about it with Dan Rather--it should be on next week.

 But here's an interesting quote that suggests drill and kill is a

 really outdated mode of education--he relates it to "the old

 industrial mindset":

 "There’s no evidence globally that doing more of the same

 [instructionally] will improve results. An equally relevant argument

 would be, let’s try to do less. Increasing time comes from the old

 industrial mindset. The important thing is ensuring school is a place

 where students can discover who they are and what they can do. It’s

 not about the amount of teaching and learning."

VOTING DAY

Tomorrow is the second Tuesday in November and the official “Voting Day.”  I know many schools will be closed tomorrow, so today is the perfect time to discuss what it means to be an American and the privilege that we have to vote.  Here are some good questions:

         How old must you be to vote?

         Can men and women both vote?

         Do you have to pay to vote?

         What does “secret ballot” mean?

         How do you determine who wins?

The “majority rules” is a key concept to our democracy and something that you can practice in your classroom on a daily basis.  Let children vote on the game they want to play, the song they want to sing, or the story they want to hear.  The teacher will still be in charge by selecting two or three options (the outcome of which will achieve her goals), but the children will buy into the idea because they have some voice in the matter.  Voting can also contribute to the feeling of community and team spirit in your classroom. 

In my kindergarten I set up a cardboard box on a table to be the voting booth.  Children took turns checking off a class roster as their friends voted in the booth.  The ballot had two options for each of these categories:  game, story, song, and snack.  There were picture clues along with the words so children could “read” and mark their choice.  A shoebox became the ballot box and the excitement increased as we tallied results at morning meeting.

I remember in my history of education class that the purpose of schools in the United States was to “educate to perpetuate a democratic citizenry.”  You can plant the seeds in your classroom today and every day by providing children with the opportunity to vote!

VETERAN'S DAY

VETERAN'S DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, THIS YEAR.

Veteran’s Day

(Tune:  “Danny Boy” - HAPPY EVERYTHING CD Disk 1))

Today’s the day we celebrate our veterans,

The men and women who fought for our great land.

We’ll raise our flags and hold a moment of silence

And we will carry poppies in our hands.

Because we want to thank you for your service;

You traveled far to keep us safe at home.

You fought with pride and honor for our country.

Our veterans, oh how we love you so.

Here’s the link to download this book:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/11_Nov/1booksNov/veteransDay2007.pdf

Our daughter Holly wrote this song and I can hardly sing it without getting goose bumps!

Vocabulary – What is a veteran?  For homework, have children interview their parents to find out about veterans in their family.

Poppies – Take three 7” circles cut out of  red tissue paper and fold them like a fan.  Twist a green pipe cleaner around the middle.  Open layers to resemble a poppy.  Do a search on the internet to discover why the poppy is symbol for Veteran’s Day.

Guest Speaker – Call a local military recruiting office and invite a guest speaker to share with the children what it’s like to have a job in the armed forces.

NAEYC UPDATE

If you ever get the chance to go to a conference in Orlando – GO!!!  It’s the best place for a conference in the world.  I just returned from the NAEYC Conference and it was awesome.  Attendance was down, which is not surprising, but the enthusiasm of the teachers was up.  Loved, loved, loved meeting all the teachers from across the United States and other countries.  That’s why I do what I do!  And I would do anything to help you enjoy your job and help give children a smile and a happy childhood!!!  And that’s the truth from the bottom of my heart!

We were blessed with great weather, and I was blessed to get to present with my daughter Holly.  Of course, Kalina and K.J. came along and got a taste of “Disney Magic.”  My husband had a special day at Universal Studios with K.J. and now my husband can’t stop talking about the Harry Potter ride.  It must be out of this world! 

 Kalina in her Minnie Mouse dress and K.J. in his Thing Two shirt.

We stayed at the Hilton Convention Center and it was incredible!  The facilities, pools, views, and food were outstanding.  But, it was the friendly staff that made our trip so wonderful.  From the parking attendant to the housekeeper to the front desk…everybody had a smile and acted like they were happy to be working there and making our visit a memorable one.  Those people probably all have problems like the rest of us, but they put a smile on their faces and did their jobs.  Every day when you go in the classroom you have to be part actor or actress.  Leave your worries outside, put a smile on your face, and act like you are luckiest teacher in the world!  Pretend like it’s going to be the best day ever and your feelings will follow!!!

MONTHLY MUSIC MIX

Did you know that each month I offered a “monthly music mix” with a wide variety of songs that you can introduce to your class?  There’s always a song for gathering the children, transitions, phonics, math, movement/fun, and special holiday and seasonal picks.  Here’s where you’ll find some tunes for this month:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2009/06_Jun/pg07.html

Here are two examples of simple tunes that teach.

Pencil Grip

(Tune:  “Where Is Thumbkin?”)

Where is Pointer? 

On the top. 

Ready to write.  

Start at the top.

Where is Thumbkin? 

On the side. 

Ready to help

Your pencil glide.

Where is Tallman? 

On the bottom. 

Keeps the letters

Where you want ‘em.

Five Little Letters

(Tune:  “Five Little Ducks”)

Place five magnetic letters on the board before you begin singing.

Seven little letters went out one day

Over the hills and far away.

When the teacher called /m/, /m/, /m/, /m/,

Only the letter “M” came back.

Continue with other letters.

*Hint!  Those "letter pops" that I wrote about several days ago would be great to use with this song.