The best days I had in class were always the days when I planned a concept trivia game for the students. For the most part they were the days that students behaved well, and stayed on task. Competition is fun, especially when every one has a fair shake at winning. I love the idea of this hack and incorporating fun intentionally into every day as a routine. I want to use the celebration piece, like for birthdays and holidays, as I think that will incorporate a little fun on most days. I think I might use the Monday Meditation time for my students, as I time to calm their thoughts, and get them ready for a new topic.
I like so many ideas from the book, but the one that I will implement as soon as I can, is to support my students outside the classroom. I will show up at the games, and the plays and the concerts when they happen. It will be important to do to let the children know I care.
I'm hoping to have more opportunities this year to attend outside activities also. 3rd graders in our area do not have many outside activities and I do attend most of the school sponsored things available to them. This year we are moving into the same building as our middle and high school so I'm hoping to attend some sports activities if my scholars have older siblings playing. Even though it's not directly for my kids, I think it shows support of the family and will still help build those relationships.
I'm hoping to have more opportunities this year to attend outside activities also. 3rd graders in our area do not have many outside activities and I do attend most of the school sponsored things available to them. This year we are moving into the same building as our middle and high school so I'm hoping to attend some sports activities if my scholars have older siblings playing. Even though it's not directly for my kids, I think it shows support of the family and will still help build those relationships. Tammy Ahern- Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
I also liked that the author mentioned meditation. I received my 200HR yoga teacher training this summer. I want to add meditation into each day and also some movement. I think especially with the added stress this year it could really help. Chynna Triska PLA@103
Showing up to games, concerts, award dinners was always a fun way to support students. My students loved when I'd bring my son to events too- I'd also not tell them & it'd be a surprise for students to see us in the stands. Tricia Christopher- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
I agree with you that I would love to try and get to know my students more outside of the classroom and attend more of their events if they are available.
I think adding Mindfulness and Meditation to our daily classroom routines could also be a huge help to our students.
I too liked the Meditation Monday idea. A teacher at my previous school I was teaching at was piloting a program called Calm Classroom. It was pretty interesting and the scholars seemed to really enjoy the meditation time it provided them. It also taught them ways to meditate on their own when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Best, Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I used to work at a day treatment facility and twice a day students would participate in "Mind Mending." At first I thought this was really bizarre but after awhile I really looked forward to it. During this 10-15 minutes students were permitted to read, listen to music, color or draw. These particular students had great difficulty managing their emotions so these calm spots in the day were very beneficial to them. I did this with my first graders this past year. After lunch each day my students knew for 10-15 minutes there was no talking and they could color or draw while I played calm music. Students were always excitable after I picked them up for lunch so this was a great way for them to calm down and refocus on learning. Most days they would ask me to play one more song and extend the quiet time! Cathy Branch Middlebury Academy
I agree Alicia, my favorite classes are the review games I plan. I like Kahoot, board & dice games of my creations. I also like to give my students a project of creating their own board game to review material taught during a unit.
Another way I incorporate fun into my classroom is with 3D bulletin boards. I found packaged Birthday balloons at the dollar store and hung them on my Birthday Board. As the students had birthdays they took their balloons off the board and carried them with them all day.
Action 1: I have created a Jeopardy game for review, which surprisingly opened the scholars creative higher level thinking skills, as they described the reasons for their answers. The scholars never cease to amaze & enlighten me with their insights! To make the scholars lessons become more interactive and to connect the material to the scholars lives, I have sent home projects with directions & a parental log-in card for parents to sign & write down how they helped their child or how their child taught them a skill to help complete a project. The scholars loved teaching their parents & the parents loved taking part in helping their child with a project. Give scholars choices, once they learn the basic skills and procedures allows them to develop in their areas of interest. Also, encouraging the scholars to teach each other & have fun.. helps build trust, community, and leadership skills... not only needed in school, but in society & the workplace. Action 2: Hack 2 Expecting their best in & out of the classroom... showing I trust them by allowing them to make more choices (mentioned in Hack 10) will be used this year, more than in the past... to help build confidence in the scholars.
Janine, Allowing the scholars to have more choice in the classroom is pivotal! I forgot to mention that. Thank you for bringing it up. We need to do that every day. I’m definitely a fan.
Keep class interesting! This includes online as well! I’ve become fairly good at the “hooks“ to make certain that scholars are at their computer and prepared for their daily lesson. In person, it’s not quite as difficult to keep the scholars engaged. It’s important at the beginning of the school year that we learn about our class. This means learning about each individual and what they enjoy in and outside of the classroom. We can learn so many things about them just by asking these questions. It’s also helpful to engage with scholars in the halls between transition, if possible. This downtime relaxes the scholars and allows them to open up about their preferences and interests. Additionally, as we’ve spoken about in previous chapters, it’s important to take the child’s interests outside of school in consideration. Scholars will respond immediately with enthusiasm if they know you attended their game or dance performance that evening. It’s important to keep the fun in the classroom. I remember it as a kid and I am sure that it is one big motivator in returning to the classroom, post Covid, as soon as possible. The camaraderie among the scholars is essential. While I am not a fan of the subtitle of the chapter, I do appreciate the meaning behind it. I agree that connecting with scholars is the key to engaging and contributing to their overall academic success.
I agree its important to get into the children's outside interests. Since we are physically separated at this time, I think that the social media hack can help us to connect with the students' outside interest when we can't get out to watch games.
Action 1: We try to vary the fun things we do in class. We use videos a lot to introduce concepts and the kids really enjoy them. Flocabulary is the best! We usually have to watch them twice because the kids want to sing and dance through them. I try to play it once so they can do that and then the second time through they have to pay attention to the content of the video. We've used Jeopardy for review. Not always the funnest but I have a set of light up buzzers that make different sounds so it makes it more interesting for the kids. We incorporate some kids of movement daily, Go Noodle videos or mindfulness activities are also popular with the kids. I've discovered some new games during virtual Summer Advantage this year that I think the kids will find fun whether we're online or face-to-face so I plan on incorporating more Boom Cards, Kahoot, and GimKit games into our content. We do at least one field trip each year and have some celebrations around the holidays. One thing I do is celebrate kids weekly using our behavior system. They earn tickets for doing things in class, helping others, good work, etc. I draw 3-4 at the end of each week for rewards and we celebrate those students. There are a variety of prizes but they like the coupons best, especially the teacher helper and lunch with the teacher ones. Action 2: I feel like many of the hacks in the book are things that I've already been doing so I don't think there is any particular one that is a favorite for me. I think most of them are essential to building relationships with students and having a good classroom atmosphere. There are a few that I need to improve on, such as allowing kids more choices and celebrating smaller successes in the classroom. The only hack I don't really incorporate is the social media. Our 3rd graders are not allowed their phones in class and I believe, legally they are all underage for most of these social media apps (although we know they still get on them). However, I think we could use some of the formats of these apps as paper/pencil activities to make things more interesting for kids. I really liked that idea so it is something new I will try to incorporate this year.
Thanks for sharing some of the activities you've learned about/used during Summer Advantage! I was looking for my activities that could also be used for virtual learning.
To try and make things interesting and fun, I use what I have learned that they like. After you learn what interests them, it makes it fun for everyone. My class really loved to listen to jazz when they worked. Just added some background music when we were working sometimes helps you get over a midday slump! This last year I had a "Friendsgiving" meal with my class. I invited all parents and we brought dishes to share. It was a very fun day and I loved getting to know parents and younger siblings more. I liked a lot of ideas from this chapter. I think one that I can use that I don't already is the social media. Since I teach third graders, I know they won't be able to have their own accounts but I want to find some fun ways to incorporate this. Chynna Triska PLA @103
Action 1: I include the "F" word in my classroom with many lessons that I teach throughout the day. My students love to sing and dance, so I try and incorporate many learning videos. We also play games based on skills that have been taught.
Action 2: My favorite idea or hack that I plan to implement this upcoming school year will be taking in a game, play or concert, and email early and often.
I would like to also thank you for this opportunity to be a part of this book club. This is not something that I would normally sign up for, but I truly enjoyed the reading.
C.Louketis I also try to include the "F" word in my everyday lessons. My students love playing Word Bingo, because they get prizes if they win. Making learning fun keeps the students interested in what you are teaching and they remember the information better. The hack that I know that I will do as soon as school start is to support my students outside the classroom as well as inside the classroom. Getting to know their interest outside the class will help a great deal on the inside of the class. C.Louketis (A+ Arts Academy Maybury)
Incorporating songs and dancing is a great way to let students have fun. My students have always loved music, especially when they songs are current pop and rap songs. I think it would be great to go to more events of my students. It would be a great way to build relationships.
I taught first grade last 3 years and for fun and learning we would have brain breaks that incorporated dancing and singing, too. They loved it not only does it gives their brains a break, but I often selected music videos that had kids balancing and doing patterns. We kept data on essential skill for students k-3 and motor skills and repeating patterns were part of the skills- they had fun and I could monitor essential skills.
I love the act of bringing in music of really any sort into the classroom. In the summer online program, I brought the scholars into my “breakout room” everyday with a music piece; inspiring them to come back to the computer, sit up straight, and raise their hand so I know they are ready to learn. Scholars look forward to hearing this familiar song each day. The music tells them I’m ready to learn from them as well. Music is so very inspirational for people of all ages.
I love the act of bringing in music of really any sort into the classroom. In the summer online program, I brought the scholars into my “breakout room” everyday with a music piece; inspiring them to come back to the computer, sit up straight, and raise their hand so I know they are ready to learn. Scholars look forward to hearing this familiar song each day. The music tells them I’m ready to learn from them as well. Music is so very inspirational for people of all ages.
I also love bringing music in the classroom. Music is such a huge part of the scholars lives in my area. With many social media outlets such as tik tok and youtube, music definitely draws them in and keeps them engaged.
I LOVE Fun days in the classroom! I try and have at least one day a month that we do something completely different and change up our routine. For example in September we have an apple theme so at the end of the month we have an apple party, in October we hit the 50th day of school so we have a Sock Hop/50's theme party, etc. Some fun things I do during daily lessons are lots of review games and activities where we get up and moving. Bringing Fun into the classroom helps students stay interested and they remember these events and concepts later because it was fun and different. I would like to try and go to more events for my students and be part of their lives more out of school. I would also like to try and meet with my students more often to get to know them better.
I agree that doing fun activities can help students stay interested. I love your idea of a sock hop for the 50th day of school. I always celebrate the 100th day, but never considered doing it for the 50th day. I think it would be great to go to events for my students, but since I have always worked with first grade, there is very little that they are involved in yet. Hopefully in second grade, they will be permitted to join more after school activities!
I agree with Colleen! Anna's class is awesome! Colleen does A LOT of cool stuff in her class too! Keep up the great work this year ladies! One cool thing Colleen did in May when we were online was use a blue light with her lights turned off in her house. She used a highlighter to teach perimeter. It was really creative and a cool way to teach! Stefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
I try to do something fun around our themes each month as well! The students always look forward to our last culminating day where we do something out of routine. I also love the idea of a 50th day sock hop! Brittany Connett PLA@93
I love Anna's thoughts and ideas! She is an amazing teacher! I learned a lot of cool ways to transition between activities from her last year. Our scholars need breaks often and keeping their attention is sometimes difficult. Being able to use songs and dance with learning have made the breaks fewer and the transitions manageable.
English is not my primary language, I had to google what it meant "50th day sock hop" :) That is a neat idea. I will definitely introduce to my ELLs. Thanks for sharing! Betty Salgado JRPLA
Including the “F” word in my classroom is something I do as often as possible. School isn’t meant to be a prison, especially at the elementary level. In order to make learning fun, I like to do a couple of things. I like to celebrate all holidays and special events that we can. For Read Across America Week I plan special Dr. Seuss days that are themed off his different books. For the past couple of years, I have always done “Fun Friday” with my kiddos. At the end of the day on Friday, we do some sort of special activity. It is usually a STEM activity, but has also been group games and crafts. In my lessons I like to incorporate technology through videos and games. I have found that students respond positively to anything technology related and are more eager to learn. I use a lot of YouTube and BrainPopJr videos.
My favorite hack from this book is definitely Hack number nine. I think it is going to be crucial to be really positive this year with everything going on. It is going to be a stressful year as we navigate going back to school in the middle of a pandemic. I think that incorporating a lot of positivity and showing students that we see them doing good things will go a long way and make them feel important. I think Hack four is also going to be important this year. Since we are going to be in our classroom all day, I think it is going to be critical to find ways to let them move. To be honest, I loved all the hacks though. I feel like I was able to take away at least one idea from each of them to use in my classroom this year.
I definitely agree that hack nine may be the most crucial to implement this year with everything going on! I think this book did a great job of help providing at least one new and helpful tip within each hack. Good luck this academic year! :)
I created a fun game for the last 5-10 minutes if we had free time. I called it "The ABC Game". I had a tennis ball and we'd start at the letter A and we'd play hot-potato with 5 seconds of naming a word that starts with the letter A. If someone didn't name a word in 5-seconds, they were out & we'd go on to the next letter. Tricia Christopher- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
Ms. Christopher, What a great game! And I could see so many ways to make this work in any classroom and for many different purposes. Thanks for sharing. Best, Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Action 1: One of the ways that I have learned to make learning fun entails making connections. I look for ways to connect what we are learning with music, current events, and life. I’m always looking for opportunities to bring in examples that they are able to relate to within the class.
Action 2: I would like to implement in the upcoming school year hack 5. I feel that allowing for more use of social media could be beneficial to their learning outcome. Also, it allows them to teach me how to use a few of these forms in class.
I like how you try to make connections with multiple platforms, not just one or two here and there. I think that keeping those connections help to keep the scholars interested and motivated in their learning! Thank you for sharing!
I like the idea of using more social media in the classroom as a learning tool. I also like the idea of the students being able to teach the teachers more about how to use social media at the same time.
Action 1: I love to incorporate games into my lessons. I use them for a review or as an introduction for a unit. I also love to tell stories to my students. I think that it makes me look more like a human than this perfect individual. Action 2: I think that I am going to try the BINGO with the classroom management and procedures. I think it would a good way to go over what they learned in the first week of school!
Making learning fun is such an important part of teaching. I love using food as manipulatives : whether its writing out name and letters in pudding, counting with Cheerios , graphing colored candy or exploring our senses during Fall,my scholars reach a level of excitement when they see me breakout the "FUN" learning tools. It also makes clean up much easier :) I also love pumpkin explorations. There are so many standards that you can address while allowing the kiddos be hands on exploring pumpkins. We weigh and measure, sink or float, estimating seeds, compare and contrast, life cycles, predict...the list goes on and on. Making learning fun is the only way to teach :)
My favorite hack is probably Hack 5. Meeting the scholars in their world will have such a positive impact on the relationships we develop within our 4 walls. Thank you for organizing this Book Club. I look forward to the next :)
One way I like to keep fun in the classroom is having multiple hands on experiences for scholars whether that includes using food as a manipulative or taking our classroom outside to perform a science experiment. I love to keep the kids on their toes and keep them guessing what's going to happen. I feel like that really helps to keep them motivated and interested in their learning.
My favorite hack is definitely Hack 4. I am a firm believer that scholars need to move around and take breaks in order to keep their focus on the right thing. Incorporating brain breaks into lessons is something I will try to continue in these crazy times!
Audree Zabell @ GVPLA: Thank you so very much for sharing. Keep moving forward --- I like your comment about moving the classroom outside to perform a science experiment. That's exciting to me, because I believe Science is FUN --- even in a virtual world!
Ms. Zabel, I love the idea of taking the scholars outside for a science experiment. And having a hands on lesson to me makes the lesson come alive! Thanks for sharing and have a great school year. Best, Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Audree, I agree, students need to move! I usually took a daily brain break with my first graders each morning. We did a lot of Go Noodle, Jack Hartman videos, and I also randomly pulled student names and they had to come up with an exercise for the whole class to do. The students love these breaks. I used them often in the morning because it was very easy to incorporate music and movement through songs while teaching about various reading concepts. One of my biggest ideas from this book is to also use media (music/movement) while teaching math concepts. I am not sure why I never thought of this before, but I can't wait to incorporate videos that reinforce math concepts through music and movement. Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
I really like to incorporate personal stories with my scholars. They ask me a ton of questions about school when I was growing up and how things were similar or different. I also play games with them. For the days that might be a bit more strenuous than others, I throw out candy for correct answers, volunteers who read, and/or for scholars working hard in general. They have always responded well to that. This year I plan to incorporate more games and fun activities with my scholars, which might be a little more difficult due to social distancing. We will make a way!
Action #2:
I want to use Hack #6 to my advantage this year. With smaller class sizes I am hoping to be able to meet more needs for more of my scholars. It will take some extra planning and differentiation, so I want to make sure that I take the time to make learning engaging for my scholars. I am looking forward to getting to know how my scholars learn as individuals and what makes them tick.
Action #1: Fun was something that all kids love and us adults, too. Teaching first grade allowed me to do some crazy things around the “f” word. For instance, I dressed up like Johnny Apple Seed when we read the folk tale of how he went about planting seeds. Little did they know I incorporated content into the drama- adding up how many states he visited, graphing using word problems…the kids loved it. Another fun thing we did was make jelly sandwiches when we did fractions, and ice cream cones when we did solid shapes. I always advertised to peak their interest by telling them when we are done with this lesson or unit there is going to be some fun activity. That kept them interested for sure. Of course, brain breaks were GoNoodle as long as we got our work done or I used cards with simple brain break activities. We had a student of the day and that person was the one who selected the card when it was time to break. Student of the Day was another fun thing I did. They all had the class list memorized and they knew when their turn was coming up. You can bet that got them to school, no one wanted to miss their special day. Action #2: Favorite hack…I have to say getting to know my scholars and parents at a more personal level has to be the hack I want to incorporate from the beginning. There are so many good ideas around this theme it is hard to select, but selecting the ones that are quick and easy are the ones I will focus on first.
Action 1: I try to include the F word in my classroom by telling my students about me. They love when I tell them about my 3 boys. I also like to compete with my students. I get on a lot of the websites that I allow them to get on and we compete against each other at times or I just show them I use the website too. I also project it on the board when I am using a particular website so that all the students can actually see me type or work math problems & battle with them.
Action 2: I plan to use Hack # 1 a little more often. Sohn'a Duff @PLA103
I agree, I always say I am going to make my classroom fun and exciting and them I get bogged down with the academic side of life. I feel the pressure to make sure my students are getting a good education. I have to remember that students are more receptive to learning when they are having fun! DeEtta Crane GHA
I would use Hack #1 as well telling the scholars about me because a lot of them did mot know that I have any kids at all or grand kids. This gets them all excited about talking about their families plus it is an ice breaker.
Ms. Hill, I keep a small opened photo album of "Family & Friends" on my desk... I agree, the scholars, staff, & community love to learn about us... get to know us. Sometimes we get so busy teaching the curriculum... we don't always take time to get to know each other... the photo album invites others to ask questions.
When I was in the classroom using the F word, just before we would have our spelling test on Friday the scholars would love to play this game that would help them just before the test, I can't think of it at the moment just had a blank. The scholars would love to brag about them who studied and who didn't so this would get the other scholars to study more for next week.
I agree with the posts of many others as well as the book. Making the classroom fun is key to success. In my room I share a lot of funny pictures of my cat and my scholars are always excited to see what silly pic I have taken recently. I love to use fun youtube vidoes, go noodles, and brain pop vidoes while learning. My scholars get excited to do the quizzes at the end of the brainpop videoes. I also love to create review jeopardy games. I was introduced to Kahoot by a coworker this past year and my kindergarteners were obsessed. It took a while for them to learn how to login and put in the codes each time we played but in the end it was worth it. Just like many other teachers claim, I am no artist. My scholars love to see my awful drawings and have so much fun plus it gives them the sense that they dont have to be great at drawing either as long as they try their best. My scholars also love to sing and dance and we especially love when the "big kids" (8th graders) get to come dance with us.
One thing I would like to try to implement is the birthday wall. Giving scholars different ways to recognize their birthday will be exciting compared to the usual just singing to them.
There are so many ideas from each hack that I want to use this coming year but I'm afraid most of them won't be able to be implemented with everything that is going on in the country right now.
Hello Charlene Long: I just want to thank you for your candor; because what you have written are my sentiments too. Blessings to you as you seek to educate scholars in new and interesting ways. Best reards.
I'm worried about the same. But I'm also looking forward to see how our awesome teachers adjust the hacks to work for them during this unprecedented time. Or we stick them in our back pocket for when things get back to "normal" :)
Ms. Long, I have the same fear and thoughts. I've been worried about what this school year and possibly the next few will look. One thing I know is that as educators we are resilient and determined to make the best for our scholars, families and school community. You've got this!
Ms. Long, I have the same fear and thoughts. I've been worried about what this school year and possibly the next few will look. One thing I know is that as educators we are resilient and determined to make the best for our scholars, families and school community. You've got this! Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Action #1: How do I include “FUN” in my classroom? To start, I believe in being my authentic-self by being real with my scholars. I love laughter and being serious about education at the same time. So, I teach my scholars that it’s okay to laugh. I act silly, change my voice, dance, wear fun-colorful clothing-lipstick-and jewelry, and give those true moments about life and the importance of education from my perspective. In addition, I love on them and let them know that “I CARE ABOUT VERY SPECIAL YOU!” As an educator, I utilized the five (5) BINGO strategies; and so much more as I seek to create a student-centered learning environment where learning is taking place in FUN and exciting ways. I am a life-long-learner!
Action #2: I am going to keep this book near as a reference tool; because I have gleaned something from each “hack.” My focus will definitely be on HACK #8-"The Value of Positive Communication," as I seek to create positive communication with parents, caregivers, and all stake-holders.
Mackcine, I am certain that I would love your classroom! I am a teacher who can usually be found smiling and laughing. I know it takes a bit to get there in the beginning with setting the stage but it is worth it. I am silly and every year I tell myself I want to dress up like Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus! I wish I could get away with wearing her wardrobe! lol I love your statement "give those true moments about life and the importance of education from my perspective." I feel like this is so valuable because many scholars do not necessarily have an adult sharing this with them. It creates a bond with your scholars that is true and invaluable. I also continue to learn each and every day in some way. . . often from my peers and even better from my scholars! Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Action #1: How do I include "FUN" in my classroom? I believe in just being myself and sharing that with the scholars. I tell them stories of when I was in school or funny things that happened to me over the weekend. We laugh together...We celebrate together...We have a good time together. In my classroom we celebrate one another with cheers, claps, celebrations that I have. I probably have over 50 different ones. Some are pretty silly, and the students love them. I have had scholars in the past who have even made up some. And sometimes the fun just happens. I agree with the author though I think one of the best ways to have some FUN is to take Selfies or bring out Snapchat. These were some of the best memories from my last few years of teaching.
Action #2: There are so many different hacks that I feel like I will take away from reading this book this summer. I feel like I will be able to incorporate many of them in my new role. I think the one that I will focus on the most is the communication hack. I have had strong communication with my scholars, families, and staff from my previous school I was at. Now moving into a new school and role I will have to rebuild these relationships in a new way under a new way of life too. I look forward to the upcoming school year and all that it will bring. Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Hi, Jenina! Being yourself is definitely a major part to having fun within the classroom! I love talking to my students about what I did over the weekend and hearing about their weekends in return! Also, I love the superlatives that you mentioned of having celebrations of every student. I have done that before and it was awesome! I want to include that this year! :)
I do quite a few mini-celebrations in my 1st grade classroom throughout the school year to ensure we are having fun. I have a bulletin board with each of our birthdays listed. On their birthdays students get a pencil, award, crown to wear for the day, and a special seat to sit in. I always encourage them to bring in birthday treats to share at the end of the day. I always have extra treats on hand for those students who don't bring in birthday treats.
This year we also celebrated our improved MAP scores in the winter with a pizza party (reading scores) and an ice cream party (math scores). We also were experiencing a decline in classroom behavior right around the beginning of December. One Friday I made hot chocolate with peppermint spoons and whip cream for those who had demonstrated excellent behavior that week. I am big about celebrating all things big and small in my classroom. I want my students to WANT to come to class and I also WANT to enjoy being in my classroom each day so I look for ways constantly to ensure its an atmosphere of positivity. Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
Cathy, We aim to provide an atmosphere where our scholars want to be with us. I am also very glad that we had Book Buddies together this year! It was my first time and I will say that my third graders asked EVERY Thurs and Fri if it was Boook Buddy Week! I think it was fun for your first graders too. Having a small snack added to their enjoyment. While I am not certain we will be able to do this in 2020-2021, maybe we could even do a Penpal program. . . Scholars who struggle with writing could draw, have letter prompts, or even use stickers to express themselves! Thank you for being so flexible and easy to include this important experience that I am certain my scholars from last year will remember!! Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Hack 10 Celebrations and Games and Field Trips, Oh My!
I didn’t realise all the fun things we did in class until it was brought to my attention. Some of the things we did was, have a birthday board, we acknowledged everyone’s birthday! We used music and dance in math class. My students loved playing Bingo and using white boards for review. We celebrated student achievement with cheers.
I think field trips are so important. I can remember field trips I went on in school. Virtual field trips are becoming more popular. Guest speakers are also a great way to bring the community into the classroom.
I agree with fieldtrips. I always set up 4 or 5 fieldtrips a year. This year is going to be so different. I do not think that fieldtrips are an option. :( Chris Truesdell - Trix
Action One: I love having fun with my scholars! School should be a place where students are able to be uplifted while they learn. In my classroom, we play improv games to incorporate active listening--something that is essential to Language Arts (especially when we get into our argumentative unit) and to life in general. I have also made other games/activities for lessons, like literary yoga. In this activity, students answer questions to literature and do a coordinating yoga pose. Not only do we play games that are tied to what we are learning, I also allow students to listen to music while they work and have alternative lighting within my room (when we need a break from the bright fluorescent lights).
Action Two: I really enjoyed the hack that had to do with student self-assessment and the different techniques involved within self-assessment. I really want to do the green, yellow, and red handprint this year (instead, I’m going to design it as a stop light!) for students to do a quick self-assessment at the end of a lesson. It will not only serve as a reflective tool for my students, but it will also serve as formative assessment data for me.
I felt like this letter from a scholar was a great reminder to keep doing what I'm doing. Each week, I would have scholars write a letter to me. Some weeks I would give a topic. This particular week, I asked scholars to share the best part(s) of their week. "Dear Mrs. Lisco, The most memorable parts of my week were. . . weaving our line down the hall. Also Donavan's Word Jar and Field Trip to the boiler room. Of course racing the clock math, natural resources, Soar Bucks cashed in and Dojo. I love Gonoodle to keep warm, dress down, our own Charlotte's Web book and frog boxes and bullets. Also sparkle spelling games, the turkey craft, and learning about grillas..." After establishing rules and boundaries, I make it part of my goal to make school for scholars fun. If they don't want to be at school, it is rather miserable for everyone around. "Weaving down the hall" was when I have them follow the leader (me). I remember this day because I typically do not vere from my hallway routine. I am a fan of silent Simon Says in the hall (I whisper commands) or whisper words spelling (which means every scholar needs to be paying attention). The Field Trip to the boiler room was because my classroom did not have heat for 3 weeks this winter. For some reason, there was an issue that was tripping the breaker. We were so cold in my class that I lined up the class and said "FIELD TRIP!" I took them on a round'about trip to the Boiler Room where they waited patiently as I went in and worked magic that would hopefully bring us a bit of heat! (we also warmed up in the meantime!) I try to celebrate birthdays and 1/2 birthdays (which many . scholars love because they have summer birthdays). We do holiday celebrations and 100th day fun. I do not think I am short on activities to interest the class but I will admit that I see this year having certain challenges with the many unknown variables ahead. So far as ideas to try coming up this year, during Summer Advantage, we did several online games that were new to me. I was able to feel comfortable with small groups to try them and gain confidence. Kahoot, jeopardy, trivia, and a math game that up to 5 scholars can be logged on to compete (I forgot the name of it). I am a big fan of selfies with scholars but I am very lax at printing them. I would love to have photos posted throughout the room (if I can lengthen my arm for socially distanced photos. lol). I love the idea of drawing for vocabulary, summaries, and to explain. I did this in my STEM group for Summer Advantage and it was effective for learning. Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Oh my goodness, I want to be in your class!! I love the fun activities and the positivity you maintain for your students! What a great idea to have them write you letters!
Action 1: As a classroom teacher we had a lot of FUN! We had songs for transitions and learning, did brain breaks, danced, go noodle, sometimes I would dress up in relation to a lesson, tell stories for engagement and novelty. I found the less fun stuff I did the more behavior problems I had. With that being said, for all fun/interactive activities we had essential agreements that explained what the activities should look like/sound like, they were modeled and reinforced.
Actin 2: The take away hack I will implement this year is Hack 5. I have used social media/technology before but it will be even more imperative this year as we go virtual. I also loved the BINGO Board shared in Hack 10!
Action 1 I hold celebrations for holidays, completing a project, and doing what they are supposed to do, doing their best work get rewarded with their favorite snacks. If they have been shluffing off and not trying, they don't participate in the reward. It works pretty well until their friends feel sorry for them and share their snack. I sometimes will put on some music for them to listen to while they work. Mostly at Christmas. We play games that are educational. Use cards to practice multiplication tables. Miscellaneous things like that. Action 2 I like using the Bingo for scholars to find answers to questions. I use information they need to know for the answers. Eg. for Math I can put in the answers to multiplication or division problems and they have to know what problem makes that answer to be able to use it.
Action 1: In my classroom, I do brain breaks, use go noodle, and yoga breaks. I also hold book and goody raffles in my class every semester. The raffles are based on the tickets they receive for good behavior, doing their homework, and doing their classroom jobs. At our school we also have Fun Fridays. The students earn fun Friday based on their behavior from the previous week. Some fun Fridays are dance parties or they get snacks or allowed to wear clothes other than their uniform.
Action 2:This book was filled with so many great hacks. I think I'm going to make more of an effort do the self assessment with my students.
There are a few ways that we have fun in my third grade class. One of the ways is to celebrate students' birthdays. They get a small present (puzzle and pencil), get to put a birthday cover on their chair for the day and get sung to. We also celebrate holidays in the class with little parties that incorporate activities that are outside our norm, such as a game day during the half day before December break. We also add fun on a more regular basis with the activities that we do, like playing games, doing class transformations and reading chapter books out loud.
I like to think that my class is fun, but I think there is a lot I can improve upon to make that true for all students. I would love to give myself and out and say that I will have to wait until I am back in the classroom with my students to incorporate the hacks, the truth is that I am going to challenge myself to find ways to implement as much as I can, even virtually. I think two hacks that I will start with are to get personal with them, not only finding more out about them but also sharing more about myself, and to vary assessments offered.
I truly believe that if WE are having fun together, then our lives are much better. I love to laugh with my kids. In our morning meeting, I encourage my kids to come with a joke or a riddle that we have to solve as a class. They love trying to stump the class. I am going to implement the birthday board idea. I am going to designate part of my white board for my children to write birthday messages to each other. Jenelle Miller PLA103
Action 1- I do try to incorporate games into the class. The kids love to play bingo and I have been doing Password with sight words. They love trying to get the students to guess the word. I have done games on the whiteboard with math flash cards and who ever writes the correct answer on the board wins a point. I do videos and started using kahoot. Things are going to look different this year so we will see what we can incorporate.
Action 2- I like the idea of celebrating birthdays and other small accomplishments. I don't do enough of that.
I found this section to speak to me because I look at how schools no longer have recess. Our schedules are so packed that we don't seem to have time for fun. With the pandemic we will no longer have gym or are aloud to leave the classroom so we need to come up with other things so that everyone can have fun.
It is so easy to get caught up in all the necessary testing that teachers forget about having fun. There are so many ways to make learning fun. In my classroom we play educational games frequently. One that I learned from a teacher that has since retired is T-Ball, AKA Trash-Ball. Students are in teams and have to answer questions, along with explaining how they came up with the answer. It requires team work because all members of the group have to understand how to get the answer and show or explain the answer. Members of the team then get to take shots at the trash can for points. We also play Kahoot with vocabulary words, Buzz with math multiples, read poems from Shel Silverstein. I do show and tell with picture and stories about my 2 rescue dogs. This of course leads to more stories & pictures about their dogs or pets. I have been known to tell stories about when I was in 5th grade, which they always love to hear about.
Action 2:
I like the idea of doing a birthday wall with baby pictures. Anytime pictures are involved they love it. Selfies are another idea I would like to try.
I love having fun with my Scholars. It helps build the climate of the room. We have brain breaks, GoNoodle, scavenger hunts and always Fun Friday’s which is usually theme based according to what we are learning. We had cake during long a week. You earn Fun Friday’s with good behavior choices. I’m going to work on birthday wall. I always says I’m going to do this but never accomplish it so this year is the year!! Mindi Spychalski-PLA@103
When I was in the classroom, I taught a variety of grades from 1st grade up to 6th grade; the activities we would do in my classroom to have fun really came down to what grade I was teaching. Young grades we would play a variety of games, do crafts, sing songs and dance; however the older grades which I worked with most recently I found that anything competitive was fun for them. Some of the games we would play in math to review concepts included Around the World, Math Dash, Trashket Ball. One hack that they mentioned in this Chapter that I used to do but strayed away from is the Birthday Wall. I would start to implement that idea again, but slightly different since we would be in a virtual setting; I would create a web page for the class and include a birthday wall on that.
I like this hack. Some things I can do are post the month's birthdays on the corner of the board. I can also play the bingo. I liked those ideas. I really liked the idea of posting a baby picture prior to the scholar's birthday. I remember one of my teachers posting baby pictures and we had to guess who the baby was. I have told stories to my students about things that happened to me when I was a girl in elementary school. It's always interesting to observe how into the story the scholars are. The example of the bingo was very helpful. Back in the 90's, one school I taught at had a buzzer system for the academic team. When my class was ready for a test, I would have a student wheel the buzzer system to my room and we would play "Jeopardy" by buzzing in. The students really enjoyed reviewing this way.
Gale, I know I can tell you one of my favorite review games in HS was Jeopardy! with my World History teacher. I think I've tried it a handful of times since and I've been wrapping it around my head how I can continue it now with my current class subject.
I plan to keep this book on hand and refer to it in the future. I got a lot out of it. It seems like a lot of these hacks might be easier to implement in a middle or high school. I still enjoyed participating in the book club this year.
Gale I agree there are many thing I want to try from the book. Hopefully in person learning or try with our on-line learning. Will have to really try after I get comfortable with the whole e-learning.
Action 1: The ways I make learning fun for kids is to find songs or poems that relate to the lessons being taught. I also add fun/silly songs in during brain breaks. The scholars love to sing and dance. I also love when I teach my penguin unit, I let the students try walking like a penguin. I also bring a softball in and let that be the "pretend" egg. They enjoy trying to walk with it across the room. Action 2: The idea I wold like to try is the birthday board/wall. I usually make a board with all the birthdays but, I don't do much with it. This year I would like to do some of the things listed.
I include the "f" word in my class by turning certain lessons into a game. Something that has held true with the classrooms I've been in is that my scholars are competitive. They love to compete and get excited to do so. I make sure to let them know before we begin that if there's any poor sportsmanship then we will immediately stop, and proceed with the lesson in a "normal" manner. This alone usually tends to keep the scholars in line, and they even hold each other accountable to be kind to one another. With being virtual this academic year I'm already planning the future Kahoots we'll do, and trying to brainstorm other ways to make learning fun even though we're not in the typical school setting. My favorite hack from this book was hack 4 about getting scholars up and moving. I believe movement is such a crucial part of life, even for adults, so reading about different ways to implement this in my classroom was awesome.
I have a small basketball hoop in my room we use for spelling games and as a reward. I usually start a lesson with a song on my SMART board to get the kids ready for the lesson and get their wiggles out. I also have them perform short plays. My favorite hack was about movement too! I am excited to read the next book. Stefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
Action 1: The way I put the "f" word in my lessons, are by using hands on and interactive activities during centers. Students think they are playing, but they really are learning having fun. Also, I include songs as hooks, and positive feedback. Action 2: I like the idea of incorporating more movement, and for students to have more choices for assessments and activities. These are the hacks I will try to implement this school year.
With our new normal, I feel like a lot of the hacks are hard to implement at this time, but it also helped me to thing more out of the box, and try to be creative under these circumstances. It gave me a broader view of how to create effective lessons.
Hello Mrs.Luna-Herbert, I love reading your post, great job. I really enjoy songs a hooks it really helps schloars as well as yourself remember things. Yes , positive feedback is very important, especially for the scholars who don't get that at home.
The F word is very prevalent in my classroom , I believe it truly important to educate the whole child. What I mean by this is mentally, physically and emotionally. There are many ways that I back up my learning with fun. For one, especially with science we watch the science kid to help them relate to the lesson at hand. Secondly, each day after specials we have a brain break time where they place the heads on the desk and listen to relaxing music. Oh! I can't forget to mention one of my favorites, Go noodle!!
I absolutely love this book, I am happy to say that I will work on trying each hack to see which one in particular will work with my scholars. I know that some may take some may not so I know not to beat myself up about it.
Action 1: I always try to include the “F” word in my classroom as much as possible. One thing I like to do is have a fun Friday with the scholars. We usually do an activity like cooking, creating a craft, or playing a game for fun.
Action 2: One hack I plan on implementing is hack number 3. I really would like to go to scholar’s games or events after school to cheer them on. I think it would make a big difference in connecting with them.
I try to incorporate as much fun as I can in our classroom! We always have a fun Friday where the students are able to do something out of our routine such as sidewalk chalk, a fun snack, puzzle time, etc. I also try to do a fun culminating activity for our different themes each month. For example, in September we always learn about apples and then we make an apple cake in the crockpot. It’s little things like cooking or painting that keep the students engaged and wanting to learn more. I have found that it doesn’t always need to be something elaborate either, just giving the students 5 minutes of talk time can make them relax a bit and ready to focus on our lesson. This book has given so many great ideas that I can’t want to implement. My biggest takeaways are to be more intentional with communicating with parents (positive communication) and to not be afraid to try new things in the classroom such as no seating chart. Brittany Connett PLA@93
Act #1: I always tried to incorporate fun activities into my high school English classes, be it trivia games, readers' theater, artistic outlets, creative writing, and poetry slams. Students were allowed to display their own writing and drawing about the room, as well as talk about their interests. I tried to bring in video clips related to the reading. One of my favorite units was always one focused on surprise endings, and how the author was able to catch the reader off guard, sometimes in the last sentence. Act #2: One hack I hope to learn more about, especially in our current situation, is the use of social media in the educational process. It is such a huge part of our lives, and to ignore it, or demonize it seems illogical. Social media needs to be utilized as a powerful teaching tool.
Act #1: My students are always hungry, so I like to bring food and relate to a class, a culture lesson or a holiday. For instance I did guacamole in front of the class to show them nouns and adjectives. For the students birthdays, I try to surprise them with something, usually a homemade cake. I love when they remind me and look forward to it. Sometimes, the best behaved class gets a party on Fridays. I also like to share with them stories of things I did when I was their age or something exciting I am doing. Students love competition so I try to always have a game. Music is another tool that I use along with short YouTube videos. Act #2: Having a wall with the students birthdays without names and have them guess is something I would like to apply this coming year when we get in classrooms. From the comments I just read I would like to use go noodle. It seems very interesting specially when learning a language. Lastly, I will go back and make a summary of good tips I learned from this book and evaluate what can be applied in this new normal.
I love the idea of bringing food into lessons. One year when I was teaching adjectives, I had different candies and foods for the kids to try at different stations. They had to come up with so many adjectives to describe what they ate. They loved it and I had a great time watching some of the kids try the Warhead candy for the first time. It was hilarious!
Betty, I also like the birthday wall/birthday part of the room idea as well! I hope it is something easy we can both implement. I think our kids will really like it! I know there are times I wish it had been easier to keep track of everyone's birthdays, student and staff wise. Maybe we can create something for staff as well? :)
There are a few different ways that I incorporate fun into my classroom. My students love having brain breaks with GoNoodle. They love dancing around and since we have had it at our school for multiple years, they have their favorites and sing along as they dance. It's a great time to get to know your kids in a more informal way.
I also try to incorporate hands on activities in my classroom. I have what I call STEM bins and the kids use them during indoor recess or if I want to do some team building exercises. They have legos, magnets, linking cubes, dominoes, and other materials in them. I love watching the kids use their creativity and make different things out of the materials. I also love seeing how the ideas change from class to class as the years go on.
There are many hacks that I plan on using from this book. One in particular that I really love is using social media as a tool in the classroom. I am planning on setting up a spot in my room for pictures that I will take throughout the year and making it my "Instagram" spot. I always take pictures throughout the year and try and figure out a way to display them. I might try and have students bring in pictures that they take outside the classroom as well. I really like this idea and am going to try and implement it this year.
I have always tried to focus my lessons on hands-on activities. My goal is to get scholars excited and engaged in their learning. Every year in the middle of winter, I have a beach day. It helps us all get a break from the cold, boring winter. I display the ocean with waves on the projector, have beach balls and towels set out around the room, and decorate like a tropical island. Scholars can do activities such as; multiplication arrays with edible sand and fish candies, beach ball fact toss, shell descriptive writing, etc. We end our activities with special pudding/crushed graham cracker/mini umbrella treats! I try to do other fun things throughout the year such as; Go Noodle videos, gem/rock excavation for science, Hoosier wax museum project, etc. I would like to incorporate more outdoor activities this year. I think it's going to be important this year due to the distancing we have to do. Creating stem bins and activities that can be done outside can allow for social distancing while we make learning fun! Heather Hill PLA @93
Action #1--I include fun in my classroom (library, media center and High Ability 8th Grade Class) by integrating my real world experiences and connect them with dramatic read aloud selections that at the beginning of my classes. They love to hear about other countries and the problems I encountered---solving some and others not. It helps them laugh at me and we learn that solving problems is a way of life for all of us. We become a team of helping each other solve problems and also bridge this into books and media in which we explore the many adventures/problems of political leaders, explorers, inventors, etc. We gain insight from their life problems/solutions. Action #2--There were many favorite ideas found within the book but I want to make "movement" through "brainbreaks" a part of the push-in library time this coming year. Many students need this and I feel this will help to keep them focused on their reading or media work. With students remaining in their same location much of the day, they will need their muscles and brains to connect and be active periodically. I will also use some of Shel Silverstein's poems to bring humor to the class. I have used music to help them relax and enjoy their reading in the past--this will continue as they request certain CDs in the past. I will bring in more variety. Also, I have used stuffed animals in the lower grade levels as motivators to have someone to read to and to have and hold. This will not take place this year due to the spreading of germs. I think I will have them create a picture of an imaginary friend or thing to read to and write down the title of each book or cover picture on the back. This will help them motivate themselves and also praise their imaginary friend for sharing so many books/stories. Jean Faillace, Timothy L. Johnson Acadamy, Ft. Wayne, IN
I like the sharing of so many ideas this summer and wish all a very successful school year for 2020-2021. All of the scholars will thrive due to the professional and caring educators that give their all each and every day!
Hello Jean Faillace! I love all this ideas that you plan to use in your classroom. I especially like the the idea of dramatic read alouds. I would love to try to use this with my class during Reading class such as reader's theatre. I teach elementary scholars so I would love to see how they make a connection of an understanding of the real world and a written story. Thanks and enjoy your summer and I hope you have a successful 2020-2021 school year as well, especially with the new online learning.
Action 1: One way I make learning fun in my classroom is within our online curriculum we have sections that have learning games within the lessons. So this is an extension of what was taught to reinforce skills. Also I started back in November a learning center rotation and sometimes I would allow the scholars to choose what center will be in the rotation. One that was really a big hit was "write the room". Scholars had a lot of fun walking around looking for different words. I have fun Fridays in my classroom. Scholars have a choice on Fridays of centers, learning computer websites and we play games such as bingo, different math games with playing cards and some board games. I also celebrate birthdays at the end of the day. We sing Happy Birthday the scholar blow out the candle with a snack cake or cupcake. In addition I love music and I have learned that my scholars do too so I use YouTube often. While the scholars move from one activity to another I use music to make the transition smoother.
Action 2: I would like to learn more ways to incorporate more movement during my lessons. I am working on learning ways to use the turn and talk strategy in my teaching cycle and add a time when the scholars move to interact with others.
Angela Posey PLA @ 103 One way I implement Fun in the classroom with learning is I have a scavenger hunt using Vocabulary words. Each child is given a paper with direction describing the words they should find and record them on the sheet. This activity allows movement for the students and they are able to review the words. I have also put computation and Problem-Solving problems around the room . The students walk around with a partner and solve the math problems. They really enjoy this activity. The discussions about solving the problems are powerful. I have always used a childrens' book to introduce a concept or a short video clip. This strategy helps to focus the children on the concept. Action 2- One hack I would like to try is to try is to have the students to practice meditation techniques at the beginning of class. I would also like to implement some Yoga movements. Movement keeps the students motivated. I will definitely be looking for different ways to employ more movement.
Action I - One way I include the "F" word in my classroom is to let students practice their typing skills with various games on the typing website we use once their Google Classroom work is done. They have a Typing Racer game that they love to race each other in and like to see me competing with them as well.
Action II - One of my favorite ideas from this book I plan on implementing this upcoming school year is a parent log & increased parent phone calls. I think a log will improve organization for contacts, references, etc., and will be helpful in the long run.
My scholars really enjoy group competitions. They can become very competitive and loud, but I enjoy watching them have fun while learning or reviewing material. This year, I would like to use the hack of giving scholars more choices. I teach math, and I think giving scholar's more choices about some activities in the classroom would make them feel like doing math is less of a chore.
Action 1: I am always talking about my 3rd grade teacher and what I did when I was in third grade. Some topics are computers, cell phones, I talk about my cats and husband. My students are usually very comfortable with me to tell me jokes sometimes. We play bingo to review alot of subjects: time, multiplication, addition, subtractions, etc. Our school has monthly skating parties and a Holiday World trip built into our year. This rewards excellent behavior and academics. Action 2: I want to use more slides to introduce material, and videos with a game piece to it. I like the idea of a birthday wall and the small celebrations and the homework free Wednesday!
I try to incorporate fun into most of my lessons where I can. I try to do it in the forms of games, videos, brain breaks, bingo, etc. I feel that without making the aspect of learning fun, they do not get as much out of learning. I have found that a lot of scholars are very competitive and like to participate in games for lessons or review.
One major thing I am going to implement is the communication log with parents. I feel like this will be most helpful and important since we are starting online. I want to make sure I am constantly reaching out to parents and communicating all the necessary information for it to be a smooth couple of months.
Kelsey I love the idea of implementing a communication log with parents. This will ensure that all calls are logged and will be a reminder to you as while.
Before scholars come into my class there are 3 emojis that they can selct from to greet me at the door. It makes it so fun to see the kids do a jig, fancy fist bump or show a symbol of love.
Before scholars enter the class they get to select there morning greeting. At the beginning of the year I meant them at the door and allowed them to select a greeting as the year went on I would allow another scholar to do the morning greetings. They really enjoyed that and would wait at the door until they where greeted.
The best days I had in class were always the days when I planned a concept trivia game for the students. For the most part they were the days that students behaved well, and stayed on task. Competition is fun, especially when every one has a fair shake at winning. I love the idea of this hack and incorporating fun intentionally into every day as a routine. I want to use the celebration piece, like for birthdays and holidays, as I think that will incorporate a little fun on most days. I think I might use the Monday Meditation time for my students, as I time to calm their thoughts, and get them ready for a new topic.
ReplyDeleteI like so many ideas from the book, but the one that I will implement as soon as I can, is to support my students outside the classroom. I will show up at the games, and the plays and the concerts when they happen. It will be important to do to let the children know I care.
I'm hoping to have more opportunities this year to attend outside activities also. 3rd graders in our area do not have many outside activities and I do attend most of the school sponsored things available to them. This year we are moving into the same building as our middle and high school so I'm hoping to attend some sports activities if my scholars have older siblings playing. Even though it's not directly for my kids, I think it shows support of the family and will still help build those relationships.
DeleteI'm hoping to have more opportunities this year to attend outside activities also. 3rd graders in our area do not have many outside activities and I do attend most of the school sponsored things available to them. This year we are moving into the same building as our middle and high school so I'm hoping to attend some sports activities if my scholars have older siblings playing. Even though it's not directly for my kids, I think it shows support of the family and will still help build those relationships.
DeleteTammy Ahern- Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
I also liked that the author mentioned meditation. I received my 200HR yoga teacher training this summer. I want to add meditation into each day and also some movement. I think especially with the added stress this year it could really help.
DeleteChynna Triska PLA@103
Showing up to games, concerts, award dinners was always a fun way to support students. My students loved when I'd bring my son to events too- I'd also not tell them & it'd be a surprise for students to see us in the stands.
DeleteTricia Christopher- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
I agree with you that I would love to try and get to know my students more outside of the classroom and attend more of their events if they are available.
DeleteI think adding Mindfulness and Meditation to our daily classroom routines could also be a huge help to our students.
Anna Callender A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave
I also enjoyed the idea of meditation. Teaching scholars strategies that they can use throughout life is important.
DeleteI too liked the Meditation Monday idea. A teacher at my previous school I was teaching at was piloting a program called Calm Classroom. It was pretty interesting and the scholars seemed to really enjoy the meditation time it provided them. It also taught them ways to meditate on their own when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
DeleteBest,
Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I used to work at a day treatment facility and twice a day students would participate in "Mind Mending." At first I thought this was really bizarre but after awhile I really looked forward to it. During this 10-15 minutes students were permitted to read, listen to music, color or draw. These particular students had great difficulty managing their emotions so these calm spots in the day were very beneficial to them. I did this with my first graders this past year. After lunch each day my students knew for 10-15 minutes there was no talking and they could color or draw while I played calm music. Students were always excitable after I picked them up for lunch so this was a great way for them to calm down and refocus on learning. Most days they would ask me to play one more song and extend the quiet time!
DeleteCathy Branch
Middlebury Academy
I agree Alicia, my favorite classes are the review games I plan. I like Kahoot, board & dice games of my creations. I also like to give my students a project of creating their own board game to review material taught during a unit.
DeleteAnother way I incorporate fun into my classroom is with 3D bulletin boards. I found packaged Birthday balloons at the dollar store and hung them on my Birthday Board. As the students had birthdays they took their balloons off the board and carried them with them all day.
Michelle Fendrick A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave
Action 1: I have created a Jeopardy game for review, which surprisingly opened the scholars creative higher level thinking skills, as they described the reasons for their answers. The scholars never cease to amaze & enlighten me with their insights! To make the scholars lessons become more interactive and to connect the material to the scholars lives, I have sent home projects with directions & a parental log-in card for parents to sign & write down how they helped their child or how their child taught them a skill to help complete a project. The scholars loved teaching their parents & the parents loved taking part in helping their child with a project. Give scholars choices, once they learn the basic skills and procedures allows them to develop in their areas of interest. Also, encouraging the scholars to teach each other & have fun.. helps build trust, community, and leadership skills... not only needed in school, but in society & the workplace.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: Hack 2 Expecting their best in & out of the classroom... showing I trust them by allowing them to make more choices (mentioned in Hack 10) will be used this year, more than in the past... to help build confidence in the scholars.
Janine,
DeleteAllowing the scholars to have more choice in the classroom is pivotal! I forgot to mention that. Thank you for bringing it up. We need to do that every day. I’m definitely a fan.
Keep class interesting! This includes online as well! I’ve become fairly good at the “hooks“ to make certain that scholars are at their computer and prepared for their daily lesson. In person, it’s not quite as difficult to keep the scholars engaged. It’s important at the beginning of the school year that we learn about our class. This means learning about each individual and what they enjoy in and outside of the classroom. We can learn so many things about them just by asking these questions. It’s also helpful to engage with scholars in the halls between transition, if possible. This downtime relaxes the scholars and allows them to open up about their preferences and interests.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as we’ve spoken about in previous chapters, it’s important to take the child’s interests outside of school in consideration. Scholars will respond immediately with enthusiasm if they know you attended their game or dance performance that evening.
It’s important to keep the fun in the classroom. I remember it as a kid and I am sure that it is one big motivator in returning to the classroom, post Covid, as soon as possible. The camaraderie among the scholars is essential.
While I am not a fan of the subtitle of the chapter, I do appreciate the meaning behind it. I agree that connecting with scholars is the key to engaging and contributing to their overall academic success.
I agree its important to get into the children's outside interests. Since we are physically separated at this time, I think that the social media hack can help us to connect with the students' outside interest when we can't get out to watch games.
DeleteAction 1: We try to vary the fun things we do in class. We use videos a lot to introduce concepts and the kids really enjoy them. Flocabulary is the best! We usually have to watch them twice because the kids want to sing and dance through them. I try to play it once so they can do that and then the second time through they have to pay attention to the content of the video. We've used Jeopardy for review. Not always the funnest but I have a set of light up buzzers that make different sounds so it makes it more interesting for the kids. We incorporate some kids of movement daily, Go Noodle videos or mindfulness activities are also popular with the kids. I've discovered some new games during virtual Summer Advantage this year that I think the kids will find fun whether we're online or face-to-face so I plan on incorporating more Boom Cards, Kahoot, and GimKit games into our content. We do at least one field trip each year and have some celebrations around the holidays. One thing I do is celebrate kids weekly using our behavior system. They earn tickets for doing things in class, helping others, good work, etc. I draw 3-4 at the end of each week for rewards and we celebrate those students. There are a variety of prizes but they like the coupons best, especially the teacher helper and lunch with the teacher ones.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I feel like many of the hacks in the book are things that I've already been doing so I don't think there is any particular one that is a favorite for me. I think most of them are essential to building relationships with students and having a good classroom atmosphere. There are a few that I need to improve on, such as allowing kids more choices and celebrating smaller successes in the classroom. The only hack I don't really incorporate is the social media. Our 3rd graders are not allowed their phones in class and I believe, legally they are all underage for most of these social media apps (although we know they still get on them). However, I think we could use some of the formats of these apps as paper/pencil activities to make things more interesting for kids. I really liked that idea so it is something new I will try to incorporate this year.
Thanks for sharing some of the activities you've learned about/used during Summer Advantage! I was looking for my activities that could also be used for virtual learning.
DeleteKayla Walker PLA@103
To try and make things interesting and fun, I use what I have learned that they like. After you learn what interests them, it makes it fun for everyone. My class really loved to listen to jazz when they worked. Just added some background music when we were working sometimes helps you get over a midday slump! This last year I had a "Friendsgiving" meal with my class. I invited all parents and we brought dishes to share. It was a very fun day and I loved getting to know parents and younger siblings more.
ReplyDeleteI liked a lot of ideas from this chapter. I think one that I can use that I don't already is the social media. Since I teach third graders, I know they won't be able to have their own accounts but I want to find some fun ways to incorporate this.
Chynna Triska PLA @103
Action 1: I include the "F" word in my classroom with many lessons that I teach throughout the day. My students love to sing and dance, so I try and incorporate many learning videos. We also play games based on skills that have been taught.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: My favorite idea or hack that I plan to implement this upcoming school year will be taking in a game, play or concert, and email early and often.
I would like to also thank you for this opportunity to be a part of this book club. This is not something that I would normally sign up for, but I truly enjoyed the reading.
Deborah Dominick
PLA@ Jones-Clark Elem.
Beaumont, Tx
C.Louketis
DeleteI also try to include the "F" word in my everyday lessons. My students love playing Word Bingo, because they get prizes if they win. Making learning fun keeps the students interested in what you are teaching and they remember the information better.
The hack that I know that I will do as soon as school start is to support my students outside the classroom as well as inside the classroom. Getting to know their interest outside the class will help a great deal on the inside of the class.
C.Louketis (A+ Arts Academy Maybury)
Incorporating songs and dancing is a great way to let students have fun. My students have always loved music, especially when they songs are current pop and rap songs. I think it would be great to go to more events of my students. It would be a great way to build relationships.
Delete-Courtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
Music and dance are very powerful. I have notice that my four children learn better when they are able to apply this to their learning.
DeleteI taught first grade last 3 years and for fun and learning we would have brain breaks that incorporated dancing and singing, too. They loved it not only does it gives their brains a break, but I often selected music videos that had kids balancing and doing patterns. We kept data on essential skill for students k-3 and motor skills and repeating patterns were part of the skills- they had fun and I could monitor essential skills.
DeleteDessalee Cook/Greater Heights Academy
I love the act of bringing in music of really any sort into the classroom. In the summer online program, I brought the scholars into my “breakout room” everyday with a music piece; inspiring them to come back to the computer, sit up straight, and raise their hand so I know they are ready to learn. Scholars look forward to hearing this familiar song each day. The music tells them I’m ready to learn from them as well. Music is so very inspirational for people of all ages.
DeleteI love the act of bringing in music of really any sort into the classroom. In the summer online program, I brought the scholars into my “breakout room” everyday with a music piece; inspiring them to come back to the computer, sit up straight, and raise their hand so I know they are ready to learn. Scholars look forward to hearing this familiar song each day. The music tells them I’m ready to learn from them as well. Music is so very inspirational for people of all ages.
DeleteI also love bringing music in the classroom. Music is such a huge part of the scholars lives in my area. With many social media outlets such as tik tok and youtube, music definitely draws them in and keeps them engaged.
DeleteI LOVE Fun days in the classroom! I try and have at least one day a month that we do something completely different and change up our routine. For example in September we have an apple theme so at the end of the month we have an apple party, in October we hit the 50th day of school so we have a Sock Hop/50's theme party, etc. Some fun things I do during daily lessons are lots of review games and activities where we get up and moving. Bringing Fun into the classroom helps students stay interested and they remember these events and concepts later because it was fun and different.
ReplyDeleteI would like to try and go to more events for my students and be part of their lives more out of school. I would also like to try and meet with my students more often to get to know them better.
Anna Callender A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave
I agree that doing fun activities can help students stay interested. I love your idea of a sock hop for the 50th day of school. I always celebrate the 100th day, but never considered doing it for the 50th day. I think it would be great to go to events for my students, but since I have always worked with first grade, there is very little that they are involved in yet. Hopefully in second grade, they will be permitted to join more after school activities!
Delete-Courtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
You guys look like you are always having fun! Its such a great introduction to our school!
DeleteI agree with Colleen! Anna's class is awesome! Colleen does A LOT of cool stuff in her class too! Keep up the great work this year ladies! One cool thing Colleen did in May when we were online was use a blue light with her lights turned off in her house. She used a highlighter to teach perimeter. It was really creative and a cool way to teach!
DeleteStefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
I try to do something fun around our themes each month as well! The students always look forward to our last culminating day where we do something out of routine. I also love the idea of a 50th day sock hop!
DeleteBrittany Connett PLA@93
I love Anna's thoughts and ideas! She is an amazing teacher! I learned a lot of cool ways to transition between activities from her last year. Our scholars need breaks often and keeping their attention is sometimes difficult. Being able to use songs and dance with learning have made the breaks fewer and the transitions manageable.
DeleteHeidi Hilt A+ Arts Academy, Fair Avenue
English is not my primary language, I had to google what it meant "50th day sock hop" :) That is a neat idea. I will definitely introduce to my ELLs. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteBetty Salgado JRPLA
Including the “F” word in my classroom is something I do as often as possible. School isn’t meant to be a prison, especially at the elementary level. In order to make learning fun, I like to do a couple of things. I like to celebrate all holidays and special events that we can. For Read Across America Week I plan special Dr. Seuss days that are themed off his different books. For the past couple of years, I have always done “Fun Friday” with my kiddos. At the end of the day on Friday, we do some sort of special activity. It is usually a STEM activity, but has also been group games and crafts. In my lessons I like to incorporate technology through videos and games. I have found that students respond positively to anything technology related and are more eager to learn. I use a lot of YouTube and BrainPopJr videos.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hack from this book is definitely Hack number nine. I think it is going to be crucial to be really positive this year with everything going on. It is going to be a stressful year as we navigate going back to school in the middle of a pandemic. I think that incorporating a lot of positivity and showing students that we see them doing good things will go a long way and make them feel important. I think Hack four is also going to be important this year. Since we are going to be in our classroom all day, I think it is going to be critical to find ways to let them move. To be honest, I loved all the hacks though. I feel like I was able to take away at least one idea from each of them to use in my classroom this year.
-Courtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
I definitely agree that hack nine may be the most crucial to implement this year with everything going on! I think this book did a great job of help providing at least one new and helpful tip within each hack.
DeleteGood luck this academic year! :)
Kayla Walker PLA@103
I created a fun game for the last 5-10 minutes if we had free time. I called it "The ABC Game". I had a tennis ball and we'd start at the letter A and we'd play hot-potato with 5 seconds of naming a word that starts with the letter A. If someone didn't name a word in 5-seconds, they were out & we'd go on to the next letter.
ReplyDeleteTricia Christopher- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
Hey Tricia,
DeleteThe ABC game is a really good idea! I am always thinking about new ways to fill the last 5-10 minutes of class. I will definitely be trying that!
Great idea!
What a great way to informally assess while having fun. I will definitely be trying this :)
DeleteL.Roark
GHA- Flint Mi
Ms. Christopher,
DeleteWhat a great game! And I could see so many ways to make this work in any classroom and for many different purposes. Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Action 1:
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways that I have learned to make learning fun entails making connections. I look for ways to connect what we are learning with music, current events, and life. I’m always looking for opportunities to bring in examples that they are able to relate to within the class.
Action 2:
I would like to implement in the upcoming school year hack 5. I feel that allowing for more use of social media could be beneficial to their learning outcome. Also, it allows them to teach me how to use a few of these forms in class.
LaTiesha Hollowell
PLA@103 6th Grade
I like how you try to make connections with multiple platforms, not just one or two here and there. I think that keeping those connections help to keep the scholars interested and motivated in their learning! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteAudree Zabel GVPLA
I like the idea of using more social media in the classroom as a learning tool. I also like the idea of the students being able to teach the teachers more about how to use social media at the same time.
DeleteAction 1: I love to incorporate games into my lessons. I use them for a review or as an introduction for a unit. I also love to tell stories to my students. I think that it makes me look more like a human than this perfect individual.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I think that I am going to try the BINGO with the classroom management and procedures. I think it would a good way to go over what they learned in the first week of school!
Angela Hill@103 Paige yes games are a great way to have fun and learn, I know my scholars would love to play the BINGO game as well. Great share
DeleteMaking learning fun is such an important part of teaching. I love using food as manipulatives : whether its writing out name and letters in pudding, counting with Cheerios , graphing colored candy or exploring our senses during Fall,my scholars reach a level of excitement when they see me breakout the "FUN" learning tools. It also makes clean up much easier :)
ReplyDeleteI also love pumpkin explorations. There are so many standards that you can address while allowing the kiddos be hands on exploring pumpkins. We weigh and measure, sink or float, estimating seeds, compare and contrast, life cycles, predict...the list goes on and on. Making learning fun is the only way to teach :)
My favorite hack is probably Hack 5. Meeting the scholars in their world will have such a positive impact on the relationships we develop within our 4 walls. Thank you for organizing this Book Club. I look forward to the next :)
L.Roark
GHA- Flint Mi.
Lisa if I was in your classroom as a kindergartener you can bet you would be my favorit teacher!
DeleteDessalee Cook/Greater Heights Academy
One way I like to keep fun in the classroom is having multiple hands on experiences for scholars whether that includes using food as a manipulative or taking our classroom outside to perform a science experiment. I love to keep the kids on their toes and keep them guessing what's going to happen. I feel like that really helps to keep them motivated and interested in their learning.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hack is definitely Hack 4. I am a firm believer that scholars need to move around and take breaks in order to keep their focus on the right thing. Incorporating brain breaks into lessons is something I will try to continue in these crazy times!
Audree Zabel GVPLA
Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
DeleteAudree Zabell @ GVPLA: Thank you so very much for sharing. Keep moving forward --- I like your comment about moving the classroom outside to perform a science experiment. That's exciting to me, because I believe Science is FUN --- even in a virtual world!
Best regards,
Mackcine Jordan @ PLA103
Ms. Zabel,
DeleteI love the idea of taking the scholars outside for a science experiment. And having a hands on lesson to me makes the lesson come alive! Thanks for sharing and have a great school year.
Best,
Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
Audree, I agree, students need to move! I usually took a daily brain break with my first graders each morning. We did a lot of Go Noodle, Jack Hartman videos, and I also randomly pulled student names and they had to come up with an exercise for the whole class to do. The students love these breaks. I used them often in the morning because it was very easy to incorporate music and movement through songs while teaching about various reading concepts. One of my biggest ideas from this book is to also use media (music/movement) while teaching math concepts. I am not sure why I never thought of this before, but I can't wait to incorporate videos that reinforce math concepts through music and movement.
DeleteCathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
Action #1:
ReplyDeleteI really like to incorporate personal stories with my scholars. They ask me a ton of questions about school when I was growing up and how things were similar or different. I also play games with them. For the days that might be a bit more strenuous than others, I throw out candy for correct answers, volunteers who read, and/or for scholars working hard in general. They have always responded well to that. This year I plan to incorporate more games and fun activities with my scholars, which might be a little more difficult due to social distancing. We will make a way!
Action #2:
I want to use Hack #6 to my advantage this year. With smaller class sizes I am hoping to be able to meet more needs for more of my scholars. It will take some extra planning and differentiation, so I want to make sure that I take the time to make learning engaging for my scholars. I am looking forward to getting to know how my scholars learn as individuals and what makes them tick.
Mr. Brubaker - GVPLA
Action #1: Fun was something that all kids love and us adults, too. Teaching first grade allowed me to do some crazy things around the “f” word. For instance, I dressed up like Johnny Apple Seed when we read the folk tale of how he went about planting seeds. Little did they know I incorporated content into the drama- adding up how many states he visited, graphing using word problems…the kids loved it. Another fun thing we did was make jelly sandwiches when we did fractions, and ice cream cones when we did solid shapes. I always advertised to peak their interest by telling them when we are done with this lesson or unit there is going to be some fun activity. That kept them interested for sure. Of course, brain breaks were GoNoodle as long as we got our work done or I used cards with simple brain break activities. We had a student of the day and that person was the one who selected the card when it was time to break. Student of the Day was another fun thing I did. They all had the class list memorized and they knew when their turn was coming up. You can bet that got them to school, no one wanted to miss their special day.
ReplyDeleteAction #2: Favorite hack…I have to say getting to know my scholars and parents at a more personal level has to be the hack I want to incorporate from the beginning. There are so many good ideas around this theme it is hard to select, but selecting the ones that are quick and easy are the ones I will focus on first.
Dessalee Cook/Greater Heights Academy
I love the jelly sandwiches and ice cream cone ideas. Food is always a ways to have fun especially if it’s fun food!!
DeleteMindi Spychalski-PLA@103
Action 1: I try to include the F word in my classroom by telling my students about me. They love when I tell them about my 3 boys. I also like to compete with my students. I get on a lot of the websites that I allow them to get on and we compete against each other at times or I just show them I use the website too. I also project it on the board when I am using a particular website so that all the students can actually see me type or work math problems & battle with them.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I plan to use Hack # 1 a little more often.
Sohn'a Duff @PLA103
Sohn'a,
DeleteI agree, I always say I am going to make my classroom fun and exciting and them I get bogged down with the academic side of life. I feel the pressure to make sure my students are getting a good education. I have to remember that students are more receptive to learning when they are having fun!
DeEtta Crane
GHA
Angela Hill 103
ReplyDeleteI would use Hack #1 as well telling the scholars about me because a lot of them did mot know that I have any kids at all or grand kids. This gets them all excited about talking about their families plus it is an ice breaker.
Ms. Hill,
DeleteI keep a small opened photo album of "Family & Friends" on my desk... I agree, the scholars, staff, & community love to learn about us... get to know us. Sometimes we get so busy teaching the curriculum... we don't always take time to get to know each other... the photo album invites others to ask questions.
When I was in the classroom using the F word, just before we would have our spelling test on Friday the scholars would love to play this game that would help them just before the test, I can't think of it at the moment just had a blank. The scholars would love to brag about them who studied and who didn't so this would get the other scholars to study more for next week.
ReplyDeleteAngela Hill@103
I agree with the posts of many others as well as the book. Making the classroom fun is key to success. In my room I share a lot of funny pictures of my cat and my scholars are always excited to see what silly pic I have taken recently. I love to use fun youtube vidoes, go noodles, and brain pop vidoes while learning. My scholars get excited to do the quizzes at the end of the brainpop videoes. I also love to create review jeopardy games. I was introduced to Kahoot by a coworker this past year and my kindergarteners were obsessed. It took a while for them to learn how to login and put in the codes each time we played but in the end it was worth it. Just like many other teachers claim, I am no artist. My scholars love to see my awful drawings and have so much fun plus it gives them the sense that they dont have to be great at drawing either as long as they try their best. My scholars also love to sing and dance and we especially love when the "big kids" (8th graders) get to come dance with us.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to try to implement is the birthday wall. Giving scholars different ways to recognize their birthday will be exciting compared to the usual just singing to them.
There are so many ideas from each hack that I want to use this coming year but I'm afraid most of them won't be able to be implemented with everything that is going on in the country right now.
ReplyDeleteMackcine Jordan@PLA103
DeleteHello Charlene Long: I just want to thank you for your candor; because what you have written are my sentiments too. Blessings to you as you seek to educate scholars in new and interesting ways. Best reards.
Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
I'm worried about the same. But I'm also looking forward to see how our awesome teachers adjust the hacks to work for them during this unprecedented time. Or we stick them in our back pocket for when things get back to "normal" :)
DeleteMs. Long,
DeleteI have the same fear and thoughts. I've been worried about what this school year and possibly the next few will look. One thing I know is that as educators we are resilient and determined to make the best for our scholars, families and school community. You've got this!
Ms. Long,
DeleteI have the same fear and thoughts. I've been worried about what this school year and possibly the next few will look. One thing I know is that as educators we are resilient and determined to make the best for our scholars, families and school community. You've got this!
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
I agree. This year will be strange and unusual. I think we could definitely create a bingo board for home with interesting activities.
DeleteMackcine Jordan @ PLA103-HACK 10
ReplyDeleteAction #1: How do I include “FUN” in my classroom? To start, I believe in being my authentic-self by being real with my scholars. I love laughter and being serious about education at the same time. So, I teach my scholars that it’s okay to laugh. I act silly, change my voice, dance, wear fun-colorful clothing-lipstick-and jewelry, and give those true moments about life and the importance of education from my perspective. In addition, I love on them and let them know that “I CARE ABOUT VERY SPECIAL YOU!” As an educator, I utilized the five (5) BINGO strategies; and so much more as I seek to create a student-centered learning environment where learning is taking place in FUN and exciting ways. I am a life-long-learner!
Action #2: I am going to keep this book near as a reference tool; because I have gleaned something from each “hack.” My focus will definitely be on HACK #8-"The Value of Positive Communication," as I seek to create positive communication with parents, caregivers, and all stake-holders.
Mackcine Jordan@PLA 103
Ms. Jordan's class is one that I always enjoy visiting <3
DeleteMackcine,
DeleteI am certain that I would love your classroom! I am a teacher who can usually be found smiling and laughing. I know it takes a bit to get there in the beginning with setting the stage but it is worth it. I am silly and every year I tell myself I want to dress up like Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus! I wish I could get away with wearing her wardrobe! lol I love your statement "give those true moments about life and the importance of education from my perspective." I feel like this is so valuable because many scholars do not necessarily have an adult sharing this with them. It creates a bond with your scholars that is true and invaluable. I also continue to learn each and every day in some way. . . often from my peers and even better from my scholars!
Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
I always loved incorporating a video or a game or a riddle or SOMETHING that grabbed their interest and kept it and made the learning FUN.
ReplyDeleteI loved so many things from this book and plan to incorporate as many as possible in my position as a coach.
Amanda Rouse
Instructional Coach PLA@103
Action #1: How do I include "FUN" in my classroom? I believe in just being myself and sharing that with the scholars. I tell them stories of when I was in school or funny things that happened to me over the weekend. We laugh together...We celebrate together...We have a good time together. In my classroom we celebrate one another with cheers, claps, celebrations that I have. I probably have over 50 different ones. Some are pretty silly, and the students love them. I have had scholars in the past who have even made up some. And sometimes the fun just happens. I agree with the author though I think one of the best ways to have some FUN is to take Selfies or bring out Snapchat. These were some of the best memories from my last few years of teaching.
ReplyDeleteAction #2: There are so many different hacks that I feel like I will take away from reading this book this summer. I feel like I will be able to incorporate many of them in my new role. I think the one that I will focus on the most is the communication hack. I have had strong communication with my scholars, families, and staff from my previous school I was at. Now moving into a new school and role I will have to rebuild these relationships in a new way under a new way of life too. I look forward to the upcoming school year and all that it will bring.
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
Hi, Jenina! Being yourself is definitely a major part to having fun within the classroom! I love talking to my students about what I did over the weekend and hearing about their weekends in return! Also, I love the superlatives that you mentioned of having celebrations of every student. I have done that before and it was awesome! I want to include that this year! :)
DeleteMarcella Largent, Middlebury Academy
I do quite a few mini-celebrations in my 1st grade classroom throughout the school year to ensure we are having fun. I have a bulletin board with each of our birthdays listed. On their birthdays students get a pencil, award, crown to wear for the day, and a special seat to sit in. I always encourage them to bring in birthday treats to share at the end of the day. I always have extra treats on hand for those students who don't bring in birthday treats.
ReplyDeleteThis year we also celebrated our improved MAP scores in the winter with a pizza party (reading scores) and an ice cream party (math scores). We also were experiencing a decline in classroom behavior right around the beginning of December. One Friday I made hot chocolate with peppermint spoons and whip cream for those who had demonstrated excellent behavior that week. I am big about celebrating all things big and small in my classroom. I want my students to WANT to come to class and I also WANT to enjoy being in my classroom each day so I look for ways constantly to ensure its an atmosphere of positivity.
Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
Cathy,
DeleteWe aim to provide an atmosphere where our scholars want to be with us. I am also very glad that we had Book Buddies together this year! It was my first time and I will say that my third graders asked EVERY Thurs and Fri if it was Boook Buddy Week! I think it was fun for your first graders too. Having a small snack added to their enjoyment. While I am not certain we will be able to do this in 2020-2021, maybe we could even do a Penpal program. . . Scholars who struggle with writing could draw, have letter prompts, or even use stickers to express themselves! Thank you for being so flexible and easy to include this important experience that I am certain my scholars from last year will remember!!
Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Hack 10 Celebrations and Games and Field Trips, Oh My!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t realise all the fun things we did in class until it was brought to my attention. Some of the things we did was, have a birthday board, we acknowledged everyone’s birthday! We used music and dance in math class. My students loved playing Bingo and using white boards for review. We celebrated student achievement with cheers.
I think field trips are so important. I can remember field trips I went on in school. Virtual field trips are becoming more popular. Guest speakers are also a great way to bring the community into the classroom.
DeEtta Crane
GHA
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with fieldtrips. I always set up 4 or 5 fieldtrips a year. This year is going to be so different. I do not think that fieldtrips are an option. :(
DeleteChris Truesdell - Trix
Action One:
ReplyDeleteI love having fun with my scholars! School should be a place where students are able to be uplifted while they learn. In my classroom, we play improv games to incorporate active listening--something that is essential to Language Arts (especially when we get into our argumentative unit) and to life in general. I have also made other games/activities for lessons, like literary yoga. In this activity, students answer questions to literature and do a coordinating yoga pose. Not only do we play games that are tied to what we are learning, I also allow students to listen to music while they work and have alternative lighting within my room (when we need a break from the bright fluorescent lights).
Action Two:
I really enjoyed the hack that had to do with student self-assessment and the different techniques involved within self-assessment. I really want to do the green, yellow, and red handprint this year (instead, I’m going to design it as a stop light!) for students to do a quick self-assessment at the end of a lesson. It will not only serve as a reflective tool for my students, but it will also serve as formative assessment data for me.
Marcella Largent, Middlebury Academy
I felt like this letter from a scholar was a great reminder to keep doing what I'm doing. Each week, I would have scholars write a letter to me. Some weeks I would give a topic. This particular week, I asked scholars to share the best part(s) of their week.
ReplyDelete"Dear Mrs. Lisco,
The most memorable parts of my week were. . . weaving our line down the hall. Also Donavan's Word Jar and Field Trip to the boiler room. Of course racing the clock math, natural resources, Soar Bucks cashed in and Dojo.
I love Gonoodle to keep warm, dress down, our own Charlotte's Web book and frog boxes and bullets. Also sparkle spelling games, the turkey craft, and learning about grillas..."
After establishing rules and boundaries, I make it part of my goal to make school for scholars fun. If they don't want to be at school, it is rather miserable for everyone around. "Weaving down the hall" was when I have them follow the leader (me). I remember this day because I typically do not vere from my hallway routine. I am a fan of silent Simon Says in the hall (I whisper commands) or whisper words spelling (which means every scholar needs to be paying attention). The Field Trip to the boiler room was because my classroom did not have heat for 3 weeks this winter. For some reason, there was an issue that was tripping the breaker. We were so cold in my class that I lined up the class and said "FIELD TRIP!" I took them on a round'about trip to the Boiler Room where they waited patiently as I went in and worked magic that would hopefully bring us a bit of heat! (we also warmed up in the meantime!) I try to celebrate birthdays and 1/2 birthdays (which many . scholars love because they have summer birthdays). We do holiday celebrations and 100th day fun. I do not think I am short on activities to interest the class but I will admit that I see this year having certain challenges with the many unknown variables ahead.
So far as ideas to try coming up this year, during Summer Advantage, we did several online games that were new to me. I was able to feel comfortable with small groups to try them and gain confidence. Kahoot, jeopardy, trivia, and a math game that up to 5 scholars can be logged on to compete (I forgot the name of it). I am a big fan of selfies with scholars but I am very lax at printing them. I would love to have photos posted throughout the room (if I can lengthen my arm for socially distanced photos. lol). I love the idea of drawing for vocabulary, summaries, and to explain. I did this in my STEM group for Summer Advantage and it was effective for learning.
Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Oh my goodness, I want to be in your class!! I love the fun activities and the positivity you maintain for your students! What a great idea to have them write you letters!
DeleteColleen Hanrahan, A+ Arts Academy
Action 1: As a classroom teacher we had a lot of FUN! We had songs for transitions and learning, did brain breaks, danced, go noodle, sometimes I would dress up in relation to a lesson, tell stories for engagement and novelty. I found the less fun stuff I did the more behavior problems I had. With that being said, for all fun/interactive activities we had essential agreements that explained what the activities should look like/sound like, they were modeled and reinforced.
ReplyDeleteActin 2: The take away hack I will implement this year is Hack 5. I have used social media/technology before but it will be even more imperative this year as we go virtual. I also loved the BINGO Board shared in Hack 10!
Sarah Rahrig
GVPLA
Sarah, I love that you dressed up in relation to a lesson. How fun! I'm going to steal that!
DeleteThanks,
Jenelle Miller
PLA103
Action 1
ReplyDeleteI hold celebrations for holidays, completing a project, and doing what they are supposed to do, doing their best work get rewarded with their favorite snacks. If they have been shluffing off and not trying, they don't participate in the reward. It works pretty well until their friends feel sorry for them and share their snack. I sometimes will put on some music for them to listen to while they work. Mostly at Christmas. We play games that are educational. Use cards to practice multiplication tables. Miscellaneous things like that.
Action 2
I like using the Bingo for scholars to find answers to questions. I use information they need to know for the answers. Eg. for Math I can put in the answers to multiplication or division problems and they have to know what problem makes that answer to be able to use it.
They enjoy playing these.
Kay Clabaugh TLJA
Action 1: In my classroom, I do brain breaks, use go noodle, and yoga breaks. I also hold book and goody raffles in my class every semester. The raffles are based on the tickets they receive for good behavior, doing their homework, and doing their classroom jobs. At our school we also have Fun Fridays. The students earn fun Friday based on their behavior from the previous week. Some fun Fridays are dance parties or they get snacks or allowed to wear clothes other than their uniform.
ReplyDeleteAction 2:This book was filled with so many great hacks. I think I'm going to make more of an effort do the self assessment with my students.
There are a few ways that we have fun in my third grade class. One of the ways is to celebrate students' birthdays. They get a small present (puzzle and pencil), get to put a birthday cover on their chair for the day and get sung to. We also celebrate holidays in the class with little parties that incorporate activities that are outside our norm, such as a game day during the half day before December break. We also add fun on a more regular basis with the activities that we do, like playing games, doing class transformations and reading chapter books out loud.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that my class is fun, but I think there is a lot I can improve upon to make that true for all students. I would love to give myself and out and say that I will have to wait until I am back in the classroom with my students to incorporate the hacks, the truth is that I am going to challenge myself to find ways to implement as much as I can, even virtually. I think two hacks that I will start with are to get personal with them, not only finding more out about them but also sharing more about myself, and to vary assessments offered.
Colleen Hanrahan, A+ Arts Academy
I truly believe that if WE are having fun together, then our lives are much better. I love to laugh with my kids. In our morning meeting, I encourage my kids to come with a joke or a riddle that we have to solve as a class. They love trying to stump the class.
ReplyDeleteI am going to implement the birthday board idea. I am going to designate part of my white board for my children to write birthday messages to each other.
Jenelle Miller
PLA103
Action 1- I do try to incorporate games into the class. The kids love to play bingo and I have been doing Password with sight words. They love trying to get the students to guess the word. I have done games on the whiteboard with math flash cards and who ever writes the correct answer on the board wins a point. I do videos and started using kahoot.
ReplyDeleteThings are going to look different this year so we will see what we can incorporate.
Action 2- I like the idea of celebrating birthdays and other small accomplishments. I don't do enough of that.
I found this section to speak to me because I look at how schools no longer have recess. Our schedules are so packed that we don't seem to have time for fun. With the pandemic we will no longer have gym or are aloud to leave the classroom so we need to come up with other things so that everyone can have fun.
Chris Truesdell- Trix Academy
Action 1:
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to get caught up in all the necessary testing that teachers forget about having fun. There are so many ways to make learning fun. In my classroom we play educational games frequently. One that I learned from a teacher that has since retired is T-Ball, AKA Trash-Ball. Students are in teams and have to answer questions, along with explaining how they came up with the answer. It requires team work because all members of the group have to understand how to get the answer and show or explain the answer. Members of the team then get to take shots at the trash can for points. We also play Kahoot with vocabulary words, Buzz with math multiples, read poems from Shel Silverstein. I do show and tell with picture and stories about my 2 rescue dogs. This of course leads to more stories & pictures about their dogs or pets. I have been known to tell stories about when I was in 5th grade, which they always love to hear about.
Action 2:
I like the idea of doing a birthday wall with baby pictures. Anytime pictures are involved they love it. Selfies are another idea I would like to try.
Mary Ann Staten
PLA @93
I love having fun with my Scholars. It helps build the climate of the room. We have brain breaks, GoNoodle, scavenger hunts and always Fun Friday’s which is usually theme based according to what we are learning. We had cake during long a week. You earn Fun Friday’s with good behavior choices.
ReplyDeleteI’m going to work on birthday wall. I always says I’m going to do this but never accomplish it so this year is the year!!
Mindi Spychalski-PLA@103
When I was in the classroom, I taught a variety of grades from 1st grade up to 6th grade; the activities we would do in my classroom to have fun really came down to what grade I was teaching. Young grades we would play a variety of games, do crafts, sing songs and dance; however the older grades which I worked with most recently I found that anything competitive was fun for them. Some of the games we would play in math to review concepts included Around the World, Math Dash, Trashket Ball. One hack that they mentioned in this Chapter that I used to do but strayed away from is the Birthday Wall. I would start to implement that idea again, but slightly different since we would be in a virtual setting; I would create a web page for the class and include a birthday wall on that.
ReplyDeleteAbby Gaddis- IS
I like this hack. Some things I can do are post the month's birthdays on the corner of the board. I can also play the bingo. I liked those ideas. I really liked the idea of posting a baby picture prior to the scholar's birthday. I remember one of my teachers posting baby pictures and we had to guess who the baby was. I have told stories to my students about things that happened to me when I was a girl in elementary school. It's always interesting to observe how into the story the scholars are. The example of the bingo was very helpful. Back in the 90's, one school I taught at had a buzzer system for the academic team. When my class was ready for a test, I would have a student wheel the buzzer system to my room and we would play "Jeopardy" by buzzing in. The students really enjoyed reviewing this way.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of "Jeopardy" in the classroom. Kids always love to play games. I too will use the birthday board!
DeleteGale, I know I can tell you one of my favorite review games in HS was Jeopardy! with my World History teacher. I think I've tried it a handful of times since and I've been wrapping it around my head how I can continue it now with my current class subject.
DeleteAshley Pierce - JRPLA
I plan to keep this book on hand and refer to it in the future. I got a lot out of it. It seems like a lot of these hacks might be easier to implement in a middle or high school. I still enjoyed participating in the book club this year.
ReplyDeleteGale I agree there are many thing I want to try from the book. Hopefully in person learning or try with our on-line learning. Will have to really try after I get comfortable with the whole e-learning.
DeleteAction 1: The ways I make learning fun for kids is to find songs or poems that relate to the lessons being taught. I also add fun/silly songs in during brain breaks. The scholars love to sing and dance. I also love when I teach my penguin unit, I let the students try walking like a penguin. I also bring a softball in and let that be the "pretend" egg. They enjoy trying to walk with it across the room.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: The idea I wold like to try is the birthday board/wall. I usually make a board with all the birthdays but, I don't do much with it. This year I would like to do some of the things listed.
Karen Prince PLA#93
I include the "f" word in my class by turning certain lessons into a game. Something that has held true with the classrooms I've been in is that my scholars are competitive. They love to compete and get excited to do so. I make sure to let them know before we begin that if there's any poor sportsmanship then we will immediately stop, and proceed with the lesson in a "normal" manner. This alone usually tends to keep the scholars in line, and they even hold each other accountable to be kind to one another. With being virtual this academic year I'm already planning the future Kahoots we'll do, and trying to brainstorm other ways to make learning fun even though we're not in the typical school setting.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hack from this book was hack 4 about getting scholars up and moving. I believe movement is such a crucial part of life, even for adults, so reading about different ways to implement this in my classroom was awesome.
Kayla Walker PLA@103
I have a small basketball hoop in my room we use for spelling games and as a reward. I usually start a lesson with a song on my SMART board to get the kids ready for the lesson and get their wiggles out. I also have them perform short plays.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite hack was about movement too! I am excited to read the next book.
Stefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
I love the idea of using a basketball hoop for rewards, it gave me the idea of using a small goal for soccer goals. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteAction 1: The way I put the "f" word in my lessons, are by using hands on and interactive activities during centers. Students think they are playing, but they really are learning having fun. Also, I include songs as hooks, and positive feedback.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I like the idea of incorporating more movement, and for students to have more choices for assessments and activities. These are the hacks I will try to implement this school year.
With our new normal, I feel like a lot of the hacks are hard to implement at this time, but it also helped me to thing more out of the box, and try to be creative under these circumstances. It gave me a broader view of how to create effective lessons.
PLA 103
Hello Mrs.Luna-Herbert,
DeleteI love reading your post, great job. I really enjoy songs a hooks it really helps schloars as well as yourself remember things. Yes , positive feedback is very important, especially for the scholars who don't get that at home.
Leshun Horne PLA@Jones Clark
Mrs Luna-Herbert I love how you said students think they are playing but they are actually learning.
DeleteThe F word is very prevalent in my classroom , I believe it truly important to educate the whole child. What I mean by this is mentally, physically and emotionally. There are many ways that I back up my learning with fun. For one, especially with science we watch the science kid to help them relate to the lesson at hand. Secondly, each day after specials we have a brain break time where they place the heads on the desk and listen to relaxing music. Oh! I can't forget to mention one of my favorites, Go noodle!!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this book, I am happy to say that I will work on trying each hack to see which one in particular will work with my scholars. I know that some may take some may not so I know not to beat myself up about it.
Leshun Horne@PLA Jones Clark
Action 1: I always try to include the “F” word in my classroom as much as possible. One thing I like to do is have a fun Friday with the scholars. We usually do an activity like cooking, creating a craft, or playing a game for fun.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: One hack I plan on implementing is hack number 3. I really would like to go to scholar’s games or events after school to cheer them on. I think it would make a big difference in connecting with them.
Dottie Lerche PLA@103
I try to incorporate as much fun as I can in our classroom! We always have a fun Friday where the students are able to do something out of our routine such as sidewalk chalk, a fun snack, puzzle time, etc. I also try to do a fun culminating activity for our different themes each month. For example, in September we always learn about apples and then we make an apple cake in the crockpot. It’s little things like cooking or painting that keep the students engaged and wanting to learn more. I have found that it doesn’t always need to be something elaborate either, just giving the students 5 minutes of talk time can make them relax a bit and ready to focus on our lesson.
ReplyDeleteThis book has given so many great ideas that I can’t want to implement. My biggest takeaways are to be more intentional with communicating with parents (positive communication) and to not be afraid to try new things in the classroom such as no seating chart.
Brittany Connett PLA@93
I agree Brittany, the short 5 minutes of talk time can help with focus and getting back on track.
DeleteAct #1: I always tried to incorporate fun activities into my high school English classes, be it trivia games, readers' theater, artistic outlets, creative writing, and poetry slams. Students were allowed to display their own writing and drawing about the room, as well as talk about their interests. I tried to bring in video clips related to the reading. One of my favorite units was always one focused on surprise endings, and how the author was able to catch the reader off guard, sometimes in the last sentence.
ReplyDeleteAct #2: One hack I hope to learn more about, especially in our current situation, is the use of social media in the educational process. It is such a huge part of our lives, and to ignore it, or demonize it seems illogical. Social media needs to be utilized as a powerful teaching tool.
Act #1: My students are always hungry, so I like to bring food and relate to a class, a culture lesson or a holiday. For instance I did guacamole in front of the class to show them nouns and adjectives. For the students birthdays, I try to surprise them with something, usually a homemade cake. I love when they remind me and look forward to it. Sometimes, the best behaved class gets a party on Fridays.
ReplyDeleteI also like to share with them stories of things I did when I was their age or something exciting I am doing.
Students love competition so I try to always have a game. Music is another tool that I use along with short YouTube videos.
Act #2: Having a wall with the students birthdays without names and have them guess is something I would like to apply this coming year when we get in classrooms. From the comments I just read I would like to use go noodle. It seems very interesting specially when learning a language. Lastly, I will go back and make a summary of good tips I learned from this book and evaluate what can be applied in this new normal.
Betty Salgado JRPLA
I love the idea of bringing food into lessons. One year when I was teaching adjectives, I had different candies and foods for the kids to try at different stations. They had to come up with so many adjectives to describe what they ate. They loved it and I had a great time watching some of the kids try the Warhead candy for the first time. It was hilarious!
DeleteBetty, I also like the birthday wall/birthday part of the room idea as well! I hope it is something easy we can both implement. I think our kids will really like it! I know there are times I wish it had been easier to keep track of everyone's birthdays, student and staff wise. Maybe we can create something for staff as well? :)
DeleteAshley Pierce - JRPLA
There are a few different ways that I incorporate fun into my classroom. My students love having brain breaks with GoNoodle. They love dancing around and since we have had it at our school for multiple years, they have their favorites and sing along as they dance. It's a great time to get to know your kids in a more informal way.
ReplyDeleteI also try to incorporate hands on activities in my classroom. I have what I call STEM bins and the kids use them during indoor recess or if I want to do some team building exercises. They have legos, magnets, linking cubes, dominoes, and other materials in them. I love watching the kids use their creativity and make different things out of the materials. I also love seeing how the ideas change from class to class as the years go on.
There are many hacks that I plan on using from this book. One in particular that I really love is using social media as a tool in the classroom. I am planning on setting up a spot in my room for pictures that I will take throughout the year and making it my "Instagram" spot. I always take pictures throughout the year and try and figure out a way to display them. I might try and have students bring in pictures that they take outside the classroom as well. I really like this idea and am going to try and implement it this year.
I have always tried to focus my lessons on hands-on activities. My goal is to get scholars excited and engaged in their learning. Every year in the middle of winter, I have a beach day. It helps us all get a break from the cold, boring winter. I display the ocean with waves on the projector, have beach balls and towels set out around the room, and decorate like a tropical island. Scholars can do activities such as; multiplication arrays with edible sand and fish candies, beach ball fact toss, shell descriptive writing, etc. We end our activities with special pudding/crushed graham cracker/mini umbrella treats! I try to do other fun things throughout the year such as; Go Noodle videos, gem/rock excavation for science, Hoosier wax museum project, etc.
ReplyDeleteI would like to incorporate more outdoor activities this year. I think it's going to be important this year due to the distancing we have to do. Creating stem bins and activities that can be done outside can allow for social distancing while we make learning fun!
Heather Hill
PLA @93
Action #1--I include fun in my classroom (library, media center and High Ability 8th Grade Class) by integrating my real world experiences and connect them with dramatic read aloud selections that at the beginning of my classes. They love to hear about other countries and the problems I encountered---solving some and others not. It helps them laugh at me and we learn that solving problems is a way of life for all of us. We become a team of helping each other solve problems and also bridge this into books and media in which we explore the many adventures/problems of political leaders, explorers, inventors, etc. We gain insight from their life problems/solutions.
ReplyDeleteAction #2--There were many favorite ideas found within the book but I want to make "movement" through "brainbreaks" a part of the push-in library time this coming year. Many students need this and I feel this will help to keep them focused on their reading or media work. With students remaining in their same location much of the day, they will need their muscles and brains to connect and be active periodically. I will also use some of Shel Silverstein's poems to bring humor to the class. I have used music to help them relax and enjoy their reading in the past--this will continue as they request certain CDs in the past. I will bring in more variety. Also, I have used stuffed animals in the lower grade levels as motivators to have someone to read to and to have and hold. This will not take place this year due to the spreading of germs. I think I will have them create a picture of an imaginary friend or thing to read to and write down the title of each book or cover picture on the back. This will help them motivate themselves and also praise their imaginary friend for sharing so many books/stories. Jean Faillace, Timothy L. Johnson Acadamy, Ft. Wayne, IN
I like the sharing of so many ideas this summer and wish all a very successful school year for 2020-2021. All of the scholars will thrive due to the professional and caring educators that give their all each and every day!
Hello Jean Faillace! I love all this ideas that you plan to use in your classroom. I especially like the the idea of dramatic read alouds. I would love to try to use this with my class during Reading class such as reader's theatre. I teach elementary scholars so I would love to see how they make a connection of an understanding of the real world and a written story. Thanks and enjoy your summer and I hope you have a successful 2020-2021 school year as well, especially with the new online learning.
DeleteClarissa Price PLA @ Jones Clark Elementary
DeleteAction 1: One way I make learning fun in my classroom is within our online curriculum we have sections that have learning games within the lessons. So this is an extension of what was taught to reinforce skills. Also I started back in November a learning center rotation and sometimes I would allow the scholars to choose what center will be in the rotation. One that was really a big hit was "write the room". Scholars had a lot of fun walking around looking for different words. I have fun Fridays in my classroom. Scholars have a choice on Fridays of centers, learning computer websites and we play games such as bingo, different math games with playing cards and some board games. I also celebrate birthdays at the end of the day. We sing Happy Birthday the scholar blow out the candle with a snack cake or cupcake. In addition I love music and I have learned that my scholars do too so I use YouTube often. While the scholars move from one activity to another I use music to make the transition smoother.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I would like to learn more ways to incorporate more movement during my lessons. I am working on learning ways to use the turn and talk strategy in my teaching cycle and add a time when the scholars move to interact with others.
Clarissa Price PLA @ Jones Clark
Angela Posey PLA @ 103
ReplyDeleteOne way I implement Fun in the classroom with learning is I have a scavenger hunt using Vocabulary words. Each child is given a paper with direction describing the words they should find and record them on the sheet. This activity allows movement for the students and they are able to review the words.
I have also put computation and Problem-Solving problems around the room . The students walk around with a partner and solve the math problems. They really enjoy this activity. The discussions about solving the problems are powerful. I have always used a childrens' book to introduce a concept or a short video clip. This strategy helps to focus the children on the concept.
Action 2- One hack I would like to try is to try is to have the students to practice meditation techniques at the beginning of class. I would also like to implement some Yoga movements. Movement keeps the students motivated. I will definitely be looking for different ways to employ more movement.
Action I - One way I include the "F" word in my classroom is to let students practice their typing skills with various games on the typing website we use once their Google Classroom work is done. They have a Typing Racer game that they love to race each other in and like to see me competing with them as well.
ReplyDeleteAction II - One of my favorite ideas from this book I plan on implementing this upcoming school year is a parent log & increased parent phone calls. I think a log will improve organization for contacts, references, etc., and will be helpful in the long run.
Ashley Pierce - JRPLA
My scholars really enjoy group competitions. They can become very competitive and loud, but I enjoy watching them have fun while learning or reviewing material. This year, I would like to use the hack of giving scholars more choices. I teach math, and I think giving scholar's more choices about some activities in the classroom would make them feel like doing math is less of a chore.
ReplyDeleteAction 1: I am always talking about my 3rd grade teacher and what I did when I was in third grade. Some topics are computers, cell phones, I talk about my cats and husband. My students are usually very comfortable with me to tell me jokes sometimes. We play bingo to review alot of subjects: time, multiplication, addition, subtractions, etc. Our school has monthly skating parties and a Holiday World trip built into our year. This rewards excellent behavior and academics.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I want to use more slides to introduce material, and videos with a game piece to it. I like the idea of a birthday wall and the small celebrations and the homework free Wednesday!
I try to incorporate fun into most of my lessons where I can. I try to do it in the forms of games, videos, brain breaks, bingo, etc. I feel that without making the aspect of learning fun, they do not get as much out of learning. I have found that a lot of scholars are very competitive and like to participate in games for lessons or review.
ReplyDeleteOne major thing I am going to implement is the communication log with parents. I feel like this will be most helpful and important since we are starting online. I want to make sure I am constantly reaching out to parents and communicating all the necessary information for it to be a smooth couple of months.
Kelsey Barrix
PLA 103
Kelsey I love the idea of implementing a communication log with parents. This will ensure that all calls are logged and will be a reminder to you as while.
DeleteBefore scholars come into my class there are 3 emojis that they can selct from to greet me at the door. It makes it so fun to see the kids do a jig, fancy fist bump or show a symbol of love.
ReplyDeleteLibby T. PLAJones-Clar
Before scholars enter the class they get to select there morning greeting. At the beginning of the year I meant them at the door and allowed them to select a greeting as the year went on I would allow another scholar to do the morning greetings. They really enjoyed that and would wait at the door until they where greeted.
ReplyDelete