I have been sharing Self Regulation Tools every Thursday but wanted to turn to some activities that you can do with your kids....
Use role-play. Using any of the topics you discuss as scenarios, act the situations out in small groups or partners. Not only is role-play a lot of fun for kids, but it makes it memorable. Note that it’s always most helpful to act out the socially appropriate way to handle situations. For this reason, it’s extremely helpful to partner students up with peer role models who can help kids brainstorm solutions for handling challenges.
Source: https://www.thepathway2success.com/15-strategies-to-help-build-self-regulation-skills/
Opinions expressed on this blog are my own and do not represent any other organization or affiliation I may have.
Thursday, 30 April 2020
Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Get Outdoors: Animals
Okay, I have been doing weekly posts about getting outdoors but I wanted to include this post on animal connections this week instead. Connections to animals has benefits for SEL, compassion, empathy and caring. Here are some resources...
Animals:
Dogs in the Classroom Improve SEL, Cognitive, and even Reading Skills: https://www.weareteachers.com/dogs-in-the-classroom/?utm_content=1572624120&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0e15TOQdiqb1dhfUlcFlxlpoZO3eJ4tJZbOkoRPtGF43xOpTDd_8OwSNM
4 Ways Reading Aloud to Animals Can Build Your Child: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/4-ways-reading-aloud-to-animals-can-help-build-your-childs.html
St. John's Ambulance has a Paws 4 Stories community program which can be implemented in the classroom: https://www.sja.ca/English/Community-Services/Pages/Therapy%20Dog%20Services/Paws-4-Stories.aspx
Monday, 27 April 2020
Monday Math: Math websites
Last week I posted Math Apps. This week I will share a few websites (some have app versions) to check out.
Every Monday for the past month and next month I will share Math games and activities here on my blog.
Every Monday for the past month and next month I will share Math games and activities here on my blog.
Sign up for Prodigy — a free, curriculum-aligned math video game — to engage your class as you reinforce lesson content and essential skills.
It borrows elements from role-playing games (RPGs) such as Pokemon, as players compete in math duels against in-game characters. To win, they must answer sets of questions. As a teacher, you can customize these questions to supplement class material. The game also uses adaptive learning and differentiated instruction principles to adjust content, addressing each student’s trouble spots.
Engage elementary school students by pointing them towards games and puzzles on the Math Is Fun website.
Ideal as a learning station or for classes with one-to-one device use, the games range from challenging math classics — such as Sudoku — to counting exercises for younger students. The latter category uses concise sentences and cartoon characters, making content easier for these students to process.
Age Range: 1st – 5th Grades
Visit Get the Math with your students to solve engaging challenges, each related to using math in different careers and real-world situations.
The website contains videos with young professionals who explain how they use math in their fields, such as fashion design and video game development. You can assign challenges to your class after watching, which involve playing games. For example, one is based on using materials with different price-points and measurements to design a shirt for less than $35.
Age Range: 6th Grade and Up
The free website appeals to diverse learners by featuring puzzles, articles and word problems. Playing through the site’s content, students can — for instance — read an example-filled walkthrough about how to order decimals. They can then test their skills by completing exercises and challenges.
You can use the website to create custom worksheets, too. Fun for the class, useful for the teacher.
Age Range: 4th – 8th Grades
Have students visit the online National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to access activities that involve digital objects such as coins and blocks.
Created by Utah State University, the online library’s goal is to engage students. It does so by giving teachers activities to provide, as there are manipulation tasks targeted to students at every grade level. For example, a 6th grade geometry activity involves using geoboards to illustrate area, perimeter and rational number concepts. Ideal for classes with one-to-one device use, you can also use the website as its own learning station.
Age Range: 1st Grade and Up
Sources:
Sunday, 26 April 2020
SEL Sunday Reads: Kindness Books
Here are a few recommendations for Social Emotional
Learning Picture Books, specifically around the topic of Kindness. Some of
these books were suggested to me from teachers taking an SEL education course.
Enjoy!
Every moment and action
matters to a person regardless of age or gender.
The
story follows Felix and throughout the day, we see how his actions and words
impact the people around him. By saying something or doing something positive,
fills someone’s invisible bucket with water. Saying or doing something negative
drains water out of their bucket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5R6-2m_qHk
I Walk with
Vanessa
By Kerascoët
It is a wordless picture book about a girl
Vanessa who moves to a new school and acts of kindness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGbJ_biCpzk
The Invisible Boy - By Trudy Ludwig
Brian the invisible boy is invisible until a
new student pay attention to him and Brian slowly becomes visible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okAJ62ia63Q
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed
By Emily Pearson
How one good
deed can affect many others and inspire others too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVSrz-5ps7g
Labels:
be kind,
kindness,
picture books,
read aloud,
reading,
sel,
stories
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Self Regulation Activities
I have been sharing Self Regulation Tools every Thursday but wanted to turn to some activities that you can do with your kids....
What are your favourite movement breaks and physical exercises you like to include in your day?
What are your favourite movement breaks and physical exercises you like to include in your day?
Wednesday, 22 April 2020
Get Outdoors: Gardening
I once worked at a middle school that had team gardens where they grew vegetables. Not only that, but through a community grant, and support of woodworking classes from a local high school, the team garden beds were built on the school grounds and then maintained by the classes. As a home ec teacher at the time, I was fortunate to be able to build gardening and the produce they grew into our classes. We used the vegetables for wraps and salads, we learned about growing and caring for our gardens. Such a fantastic opportunity!
Another school I worked at, I took my middle school class to plant trees for Earth Day. I still talk to a few of those students who have since graduated and moved on to be young adults and they still talk about how awesome that day was. Getting outdoors is so important!! And memorable!
I have compiled a few resources below around gardening, there are so many more out there! I encourage you to research.
I also have to thank teachers in the SEL course I instruct for some of the specific local resources from their communities.
Gardening:
School Garden Projects: https://www.seewhatgrows.org/start-school-garden-project-students/
School Garden Projects: https://www.seewhatgrows.org/start-school-garden-project-students/
This is an amazing program in BC that comes to your school and runs workshops and helps you grow with your class!
Lunch time redesign :
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54548/how-students-would-improve-their-school-lunch-experience
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54548/how-students-would-improve-their-school-lunch-experience
Our Eco Village: Vancouver Island center that helps children learn about sustainable farming and the relationship between food production and human needs. Has hands on and on site programs. https://ourecovillage.org/
Monday, 20 April 2020
Monday Math: Math Apps
Sometimes, screen time can be beneficial. There are so many ways to learn and apps can be a great option for math activities. Here are a few I found ...
Number Line helps students visualize number sequences and illustrate strategies for counting, comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Choose number lines labelled with whole numbers, fractions, decimals.
The Fractions app lets students use a bar or circle to represent, compare, and perform operations with fractions with denominators from 1 to 100. Choose the fraction model and number of equal parts. Use a color to select specific parts to show a fraction of the whole.
Students use Pattern Shapes to explore geometry and fractions, create their own designs, or filling in outlines. As they work with shapes, students think about angles, investigate symmetry, and compose and decompose larger shapes.
The Geoboard app is a tool for exploring a variety of mathematical topics introduced in the elementary and middle grades. Learners stretch bands around the pegs to form line segments and polygons and make discoveries about perimeter, area, angles, congruence, fractions, and more.
Many more math apps here
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