Finally getting around to sharing what I've been up to. What a school year!!
Here's what we are doing in our class in September. I'll upload my lesson plans to Google Drive and keep updating them there so check it out here.
gonoodle.com
K and 1st: Let's Listen
We started by reading Interrupting Chicken. Then we practiced our skills by learning the chicken dance on Go Noodle.
gonoodle.com
Then we talked about all the body parts it takes to listen (eyes, ears, body, brain, etc). We then met Howard B Wigglebottom who is also learning how to listen. After watching our story,
we practiced again by playing Freeze It on Go Noodle.
Sleeping before school starts is the worst! However, it does lead to some midnight lesson ideas.
I recently got this book, The Black Book of Colors.
"Living with the use of one's eyes can make imagining blindness difficult, but this innovative title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers. This extraordinary title gives young readers the ability to experience the world in a new way." (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3476560-the-black-book-of-colors?ac=1&from_search=true). About the same time my librarian texted me about introducing this amazing graphic novel, El Deafo. "Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school--in the hallway...in the teacher's lounge...in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it's just another way of feeling different... and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend? " (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20701984-el-deafo?ac=1&from_search=true)
And then my brain started going crazy!!
Icebreaker activity- Marshmallow Game:
1) Build a structure using marshmallows and toothpicks. Hide it somewhere where the students can't see. I use about 5 marshmallows and 4 toothpicks. You don't have to make it overly complex.
2) Break the students into teams. Each team needs to assign the following jobs (you can rename however you want):
Eyes- this will be the only person who can see the structure.
Ears- this person will listen to the "eyes" and relay the information to the "mouth".
Mouth- Listens to "ears" and shares information with the rest of the team.
Hands- the rest of the team who listen to the mouth and build the structure. If your class is too small you can just assign eyes, ears, hands.
* Deal breakers: I limit the time they have to assign each role. If they can't all agree their team is disqualified. Once you have decided you can't change jobs. Again, once you have a job you have to keep it or your job is disqualified.
3) How it works- (I will explain the role of each person and the game before we play.)
I will take the "eyes" to see the sculpture. Only they can see it and they can go back as many times as they want to see it. They can NOT touch it or move it. They must then describe what they see to the "ears". Then the the "ears" describe what they heard to the "mouth." I stress the importance of whispering so other teams can't hear you. Think of this like a game of telephone. The "mouth" then tells the "hands" what he/she heard. The "mouth" can NOT touch the materials. The "hands" are the builders who must recreate the sculpture.
4) I walk around to monitor the teams and the first team to recreate the sculpture wins.
*Deal breakers- if your team gets beyond a whisper you will be disqualified, using unkind words or being disrespectful will also get you out of the game.
5) Come together to process the game. Discuss what worked, what didn't, what team building skills they had to use, what team skills they would improve if they did it again, and most importantly how they used their senses to accomplish the job.
Trailer follow up discussion questions:
*What did they notice in the trailer?
*What are they wondering?
* What are the challenges the main character is facing?
* If you couldn't hear, what daily challenges would you face?
Last night I found myself wide awake at 3am. My mind running in circles of lists of things I needed to do. So at 3am I made an activity sheet to go with "What If Everybody Did That".
So I hope you get some use from my lack of sleep =)
Get the activities here:
1) The illustrations really engage the students.
2) You can introduce so many topics with it:
- Character Education Traits like responsibility, respect, and citizenship.
- The importance of classroom, school, and community rules/laws.
- Rules and consequences
- Cause and effect
3) It works for a variety of ages. It's always hard to find a book that appeals the masses, but I've used this book for grades 2-5th and they all love it.
In fact I love it so much I made some discussion cards for students. You can use the cards to help facilitate discussion as you read or as a game (Quiz Quiz Trade) at the end of the story. You could also use the cards as writing prompts! Get them at my TPT store.
These discussion cards are a companion for the book "What If Everybody Did That" by Ellen Javernick. You can use the cards as you read the story or as a discussion/review game at the end. This 20 page packet includes: 80 question cards, directions to play Quiz Quiz Trade, and connections to Common Core and ASCA Mindsets. Some of the cards ask similar questions, but they are differentiated for your grade and reading level of your students. There is also a blank card for you to create your own question.
Are you guys loving this Android commercial as much as me?
I adore it! I knew I had to sneak it into one of my lessons. I also had to share with one of my favorite collaborators, S. Svarda, School Librarian extraordinare. Check out her blog here!!!
This month my lesson with 2nd/3rd really continues to morph, especially with Valentines Day. Here's a rough sketch of what I did and how I used this wonderful video.
Introduction: This month we are talking about respect, being a considerate classmate, and bullying prevention. I introduced the topic asking students to share with a neighbor one way they include others at school.
Lesson: Next I asked them to look and see if they could see any of their answers in our story and we read the award winning and wonderful book "Each Kindess" by Jacqueline Woodson.
Next (depending on time) we played Quiz Quiz Trade using my "Each Kindness" cards. You can get them on my TPT store for $1. Some classes we played a short game (find 5 partners) and some classes we played a longer game. It really depended on time and what I had planned next.
Follow Up Fun - Here are 2 options for what to do next.
"Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
1) Build a structure using marshmallows and toothpicks. Hide it somewhere where the students can't see. I use about 5 marshmallows and 4 toothpicks. You don't have to make it overly complex.
Mouth- Listens to "ears" and shares information with the rest of the team. 
Hands- the rest of the team who listen to the mouth and build the structure. If your class is too small you can just assign eyes, ears, hands. 
