Monday, February 22, 2016

X is for X-Ray Fish


Sharing this little gem from one of my teacher friends.

Trace outline of hand on black construction paper.
Add Q-tip "bones", a triangle for the skull, and googly eye.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Weekly Graphing Idea - Letter U


1. Name something you can sit or stand under.
2. Name something you can not stand under.


1. What else can you use an umbrella for, other than keep off rain?
2. How many people can share an umbrella?


1. Name a job where you would wear a uniform.
2. Why do people wear uniforms?

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Word Building Relay Race



I gave each table a pad of post-it notes (this was a great way to use those different shaped pads I'd been collecting!)

Each table elected one person to do the writing, and one person to do the running.

I then posted two word families. At "Go!", they would come up with a word for either (or both) word family. Writer would put the word on the sheet, and the runner would go up to the board to place their word.

I would stand at the board to prevent duplicate words. So when the Pink Team got "dog" placed up there first, no other team was allowed put that word there, too.

When the buzzer goes off, the team with the most words wins! (In this case, Green Apple Team was the winner.)

The kids loved it! We'd do it at least once a week, using two different word family prompts.

Click on the photos for larger versions.

Monday, February 15, 2016

How Children Prepare and Eat Their Lunch in Japan



How children prepare and eat their lunch in Japan(shared for educational purpose only)www.valiantls.com
Posted by Valiant Japanese Language School on Monday, November 16, 2015

Friday, February 12, 2016

Weekly Graphing Idea - Letter T


1. Are you ticklish?
2. Where are you ticklish?


1. Can you touch the tip of your nose with your tongue?
2. Can you fold your tongue?
3. Is your tongue rounded at the end, or pointed?


1. Name something that comes in twos.
2. Think of two ways to eat corn on the cob without touching the cob.
3. What are your favorite two subjects in school?
4. How many different ways can you say "two"?

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Time Out for Potty Break!

I was fortunate to have bathrooms in my classroom, but I know some teachers haven't that luxury.

A friend of mine who teaches at another school came up with this ingenious silent signal so that her students could ask for a potty break without interrupting the lesson. All she has to do is give the student a nod, and the child can excuse him/herself. For those children who are very shy about verbally requesting permission to go to the bathroom, (especially in a room full of kids) I think this a quick, efficient, and face-saving use of the well-known Time Out hand gesture.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Study Break: School Sees Positive Difference Giving Kids More Recess

While some schools are packing the day with more classes, a handful are bucking that trend, trying to improve performance by adding more free time.

Reported by NBC News. Click here for the full report if the video does load below.


Friday, February 5, 2016

Weekly Graphing Idea - Letter S


1. What is your favorite soup?
2. Do you eat your soup with crackers?
3. Why do you like soup?


1. Do you own or have you ridden a skateboard?
2. Why are skateboards fun?


1. Where have you seen a snake?
2. Would you own a snake for a pet? Why or why not?
3. If you saw a snake outside your house, what would you do?

Friday, January 29, 2016

Weekly Graphing Ideas - Letter R


1. Name a story or book that has a rabbit in it.
2. If you had a pet rabbit, what would you name it?


1. What would you buy if you were rich?
2. How much money does it take to make you rich?



1. If you owned a robot, what would you make him do?
2. What are some good things about robots? Some bad things?

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Using Pinterest Pictures in the Classroom - Unknown Art


1. How many different colors do you see?
2. What do you think this is a picture of?
3. Why do you think you can't see it clearly?
4. How would you fix this picture so you can see what it is?
5. If you could make your own picture like this one, what would you use? How would you do it?