5-10 minutes of class... what activities can you do?

What to Do With That Awkward 5 or 10 Minutes of Class You Have Left

Read the entire article here: http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/09/25/what-to-do-with-that-awkward-5-or-10-minutes-of-class-you-have-left

Create fun structured conversations. Give the whole class a sentence stem that they have to fill in themselves, and then make them go find at least 10 different partners to practice it with. The repetition of both speaking and listening will help cement it in their brains, and the not-sitting-in-their-chairs will make it fun. 

• "One thing I will remember to tell my future grandchildren about differential equations is _____"

• "I shall uphold the honor of my English teacher, Ms./Mr. _____ and never mix up 'you're' and 'your.' I will remember the difference by _____."

• "I'm going to go straight home and tell everyone on Facebook how the most important thing I learned about cells is ____."

• "If I made a modern-day movie about the Shakespeare play we read today, I would cast _____ as _______ because they are both ______."

Have students face off in Trashketball to decide which half of the class gets dismissed first. For Trashketball, first divide the class into two teams. Each team sends a representative to the front (or you can choose a representative). The representatives are then asked a review question. If the question is answered correctly, the representative's team earns two points. Then the representative has a chance to earn another two points for his/her team by shooting a ball made of trash (see the featured image) into the class trash can from a set distance. Then, a new set of representatives face off. Whichever team is in the lead when the bell rings gets dismissed first.

Read whole article here:
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/09/25/what-to-do-with-that-awkward-5-or-10-minutes-of-class-you-have-left

Kids' Books that teach important life lessons

http://www.rhythmsofplay.com/kids-books-that-teach-important-life-lessons/

KABOOM - Great Learning Game for Classrooms

I just found this game online and am obsessed! I can't wait to create a few versions of this activity for my classes!

WHY?

1. It is highly engaging!
2. It lasts for as long as you need it to!
3. It can accommodate nearly ANY content area/targeted skill!
4. It is quick to prep!
5. It costs next to nothing to make!






You need sticks, a cup/holder, and to determine which subject area you want to focus on.

For example - basic math facts:

Or maybe you need to glue on some items:

or labels/tags:



You can do this for vocab, definitions, math equations, sight words, rounding, parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms, story elements, the options are endless!

Once you decide and create - here is how to play...

1.  First student pulls out a popsicle stick.

2.  The student identifies the "answer" or "correct response."  If their answer is correct (determined by either a reference sheet or their peers) they get to keep the popsicle stick.  If they answer it incorrectly, the stick must go back in the cup.

3.  The students continue around the circle, selecting one popsicle stick at a time and answering their question.

4.  Any student who pulls a KABOOM! stick has to place all of the popsicle sticks they have accumulated back into the cup, leaving them with zero.  (It may sound harsh, but it happens OFTEN, so all students will at some point get "Kaboomed!"

5.  The game NEVER ENDS because eventually someone will get a Kaboom! and their popsicle sticks will go back into the cup to keep the game going.

 

Source: http://www.starrspangledplanner.com/2015/03/kaboom-possibly-best-center-game-ever.html

Perimeter and Area Visual

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Parts of a Plant - Labeling Parts

A Simple Plant Project {labeling parts}

  After learning about the different parts of a plant, students put their knowledge to good use with this art project.


Here's what we used:  blue construction paper for the background, 1/3 brown construction paper for the soil, snippets of brown yarn for the roots, half of a green pipe cleaner for the stem, free-drawn leaves on green felt, bold colored cupcake liners for the flowers, sunflower seeds for the center of the flower.

After assembling their plant, students cut and paste these labels to complete their project.  Grab the labels here if you can use them!

Thanks to Mrs. Lirettes Learning Detectives Blog for this awesome idea!

5 Peer Conferencing Revision Strategies That Actually Work

From this post I found some fun and interactive ideas to help my students with revision

Revising and editing a peer's writing helps students learn to work as a team. It also gives them a fresh perspective on the proofreading process that will help them become more aware as they write and edit their own work. So, how can you make the peer review and editing process engaging, meaningful and fun for students? Here are five ways to get your students excited about peer review that actually work!

1. Neon Revision
   
   Many kids don't know what or where to mark when reading another student's work. Neon revision is an approach that can really help. First, give each student or pair of students three highlighters and these instructions:
   
   Highlighter Markers: 3 Colors
   Yellow – Mark the first word of each sentence. Questions to think about: Is there variety? Does the writer use transitional words? Are there any sentence fragments or run-ons?
   Pink – Highlight each adjective. Think about: Is the writing descriptive? Are the adjectives strong and specific? 
   Blue – Highlight each verb. Think about: Are there too many "to be" verbs? Are the verb choices strong? 
   
   Students begin by highlighting specifics. Then, remind them to look at the big picture. After highlighting, they can make comparisons and add suggestions about what the student needs to add, adjust or remove. Proofreading will come later. First, they are helping a peer with sentence fluency and word choice—both descriptive language and "showing without telling."
   
   Teach students about the revision sandwich: compliment, suggest, correct. Remind students that when reviewing someone's work, always start out by saying what they like about their work. Next, they make a suggestion and converse with their partner. Students ask questions. Then, they make corrections. By working together, they both learn from each other.
2. Writing Wheel Checklist
   
   Have students assemble their writing wheels using this template, a piece of plain paper and a brad for the center. To assemble, cut out both circles and attach with the brad. Explain that they will use the writing wheel checklist to help them edit one another's writing. Students should do each task on the wheel as they review another's work. The writing wheel checklist is portable, so students could even check their peers' writing from home on a class blog! Students can post their writing on a kid-friendly blogging site such as sKidblog or Weebly, where peers can write comments. Using their writing wheel as a reference, students will know how to assess their classmates' compositions for conventions.
   
   Click here for a PDF of the Writing Wheel Checklist.
3. Revising vs. Editing (What's the Difference?)
   
   
   Students need to know the difference between revising and editing in order to help refine their peers' writing. Revising makes writing better. Editing makes writing correct. A popular approach in many classrooms is to use the acronyms ARMS (for revising) and CUPS (for editing).
   
   Revising (The big picture)
   Add words and sentences (be descriptive, capture all ideas).
   Remove words and sentences (be concise).
   Move words and sentences (sentence fluency, organization).
   Substitute words and sentences (word choice, voice).
   
   
   Editing (Conventions)
   Capitalization
   Usage (Verbs and nouns—does it make sense?)
   Punctuation
   Spelling
   
   To help students with their understanding, say you use your arms and hand to hold your ear to help them remember that when you revise, you want the writing to sound better. If you punch a hole in a cup and look through it, you are using your eyes. This will help them remember that when you edit, you want your writing tolook better. Students could even create a telescope made out of a paper cup and call it their Revisoscope! Check out Busy Bee Kids Crafts to see how to construct one. Once students know the difference between revising and editing and have the acronyms memorized, they can jot them down on a Post-it note when checking a peer's writing. The acronyms will remind students of what to look for and how writing can be improved to make it look and sound better!
4. Proofreading Spectacles
   
   Put your proofreading spectacles on, it's time to edit! To make editing for conventions fun, have students wear crazy glasses with the lenses popped out of them. It will motivate students and encourage them to look closely at their peers’ writing. Remind students to always reread to check for misunderstandings in writing. You can purchase glasses at the dollar store or a party supply store. You could also have students create their own glasses out of paper.

1. Switch! Revising and Editing Stations
   
   
   Set up six stations around the room. Label each station with one of the following titles:
   1. Word Choice
   2. Ideas and Content
   3. Organization
   4. Sentence Fluency
   5. Voice
   6. Conventions
   
   Print out Be the Editor task cards for students to use when revising and editing at each station. Students use Zaner-Bloser's task cards to help them discuss and check one another's writing! The task cards provide the children with prompts, making editing/revising easier. By concentrating on one writing trait at a time at each station, students will not feel overwhelmed. Along with the task cards, put out highlighters, sticky notes, colored pencils and other writing utensils to keep students interested.

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