Happy Five for Friday!
I'm linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching
I'm also linking up with Angela for an awesome linky:
Lately, I've become much better at searching and focusing on what is going well vs. all other ridiculousness (which is really clear to see!). The "good" is still few and far between, but there's tiny glimpses of what's working.
This week was full of lessons and NWEA testing. My caseload of students weren't huge fans of the lessons and the disruption to our schedule. We saw a bit of regression in those awesome behavior strides we made in the first few weeks.
Enter: Spaghetti
The above picture sums up my teaching so far this year!
It's been a year like no other and I can't wait to see where we end up in June (that is not sarcasm, I really am excited to see how this all turns out!)!
I've been "throwing spaghetti" to see what sticks and what doesn't.
Here's what helped my little guys shine this week:
5. Whole Brain Teaching
Do you use the Five Rules? We've been reviewing the rules in the morning and afternoon...my students ♥ this! We started "call and response" with gestures and now they do them in unison by themselves :) Going over these 5 rules is one of the main "moments" of the school day that I have 100% attention. These rules have magic powers with my students! I'm digging out my Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids and rereading with a highlighter this weekend!
4. BLAST!
My students are supposed to be independently applying phonics sounds and spellings through blending, building word families, and reading decodable books. But we are working on sitting in chairs safely and taking "chill breaks" appropriately. So this week, I brought out some old "tired and true" spaghetti:
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BLAST! Game Cards
A couple years ago I created Blast-style games for the majority of the phonics skills we teach in first grade. Last year I barely touched them because I was working with a highly motivated group who needed extra experiences putting pencil to paper.
This group is still learning how to use pencils in a safe manner, soooo I brought out the CVC/CCVC Star Wars game . My students LOVED it! I was able to get one little guy (who has produced about 1% work so far this year) to "lead" the game - I found out 1) he CAN blend successfully and 2) take turns (with assistance). My students had so much fun and I was able to get an accurate read on their prior knowledge. This was probably the most successful moment of the week!
3. Music
I found out that if I sing instructions and any content, my students will try to sing along. It doesn't seem to matter that I can't sing at all ;) If you know of any terrific resources to support this...please pass them along! In the meantime, I'm using the piggyback song approach - adding lyrics to familiar tunes. Sing it with me.."who is sitting safely in their chair, in their chair, in their chair?"
Catchy, right?
2. Sensory Box
I introduced the weekly sensory box and it was a HUGE hit! The box will change weekly to support our book theme, but I may go purchase an additional box so I can keep this one permanently:
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I provided a clipboard for student-pairs to work together to construct words. It's been wildly successful and one of the few moments I've seen a particular little friend actively participating.
1. Write the Room
This is the latest spaghetti I'm going to try throwing - wish me luck! My students have been struggling with walking in the hall (they are getting better!), so this is going to be interesting! Any tips for introducing this lively movement activity? Thanks!
After reflecting on #1-5, it's clear that my students thrive with sensory stimulation...tactile, kinesthetic, and auditory (music). I will be busy this weekend researching more spaghetti to engage these awesome friends in learning. If you have any recommendations (ideas/products), please leave a comment.
Thank you!
I know what you mean about singing!!
ReplyDeleteI teach Prep (Kindergarden) and I too find that when I sing instructions, the students are more likely to stop chatting and focus on what I am saying. I have a pack up song that goes 'Everybody pack away, pack away, pack away! Everybody pack away, it's for Numeracy' (or whatever I need them to do next) It's to the tune of Mary had a little lamb. :)
I'm using WBT this year too and it has made an incredible difference in my classroom. I team teach so I actually teach math and science to two classes. My teaching partner and I both use WBT so it is really consistent between both of our rooms. Also, check out YouTube for bazillions of educational songs!
ReplyDeleteOn the Go Teacher Mama
Wow! Sounds like you are having quite a year. I think you're on the right track using the whole brain teaching. As for hallway ideas, it depends on your school rules/norms for hallway behavior. If your school expects complete silence I've done a silent "simon says" walk where the leader gets to start some kind of action (for example patting your head) and it has to pass all the way to the end of the line without any noise. If it does then I either have the next person start a new action or to change it up I have the line ender come to the front and start a new action. The challenge is to see how many actions they can complete before they get where they are going. They earn a point on the board where I keep track of points in a teacher vs students points. If they don't make it all the way through without giggling or talking, it's a point for me. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job in the midst of all that spaghetti! Love all your ideas how you keep your students engaged with their hands & brains! That sensory tub w/ the letters & chunks is great! I found you on the Five for Friday linky.
ReplyDeleteLearning at the Teacher Table
Awesome post! My students love Write the Room. I usually give them 10 minutes to do write the room. I almost set it up like a contest and I tell them whoever can get almost all of the words and spelled correctly will get an extra sticker on their charts. This helps to keep them motivated and focused on the task at hand and they really do not mess around with each other this way. It was no where near perfect the first few times we did it, but it has gotten better and the kids really love it.
ReplyDeleteMiss Crafty Teacher