One of the most important elements of teaching is providing students with plenty of opportunities to actively engage in learning with their peers. This blog post covers my favorite cooperative learning strategies that I have used in my classroom. These activities can be used across all subjects and several grade levels (3-6+). Bonus: I created […]
Video tutorial and 7 pages of free printable worksheets to help kids learn the colors in french, and to read, write and spell 12 french colors.
I love learning about arrays because they are so visual which allows for a lot of really fun rectangular arrays activities and practice! I l...
We came up with our Lingokids weekly plan, printable activities to make at home and a few more tips for homeschoolers! Let's playlearn at home!
Enhance your child's ability to follow directions and describe the location of an object using positional or directional words.
While not necessarily "un-schoolers", we ARE eclectic homeschoolers. And with that title comes ALL forms of learning...including a little bit of un-schooling or as I like to call it..."schooling at the speed of summer." Our official last day may have marked the end of assignments and schedules, but, it did not put a three-month halt to our learning. On the contrary, there is plenty o' schoolin' going on 'round here. It's just been slowed from a gallop to a trot. It's intentionally more leisurely. It's purposefully more gentle. Here's what our days look like during the sunshine months. Devotions For the summer, we pack away the Good Morning Board. Although we obviously still have breakfast and still get dressed, our morning routine is less planned than during the fall and winter. We do still make devotions a morning-time-MUST, however. The older three kids and I read from our individual Bibles and devotional books and then, we each take rotating turns reading a picture Bible story to the two youngest. Pleasure Reading In addition to our daily read-aloud for the month, my oldest three boys have to read out loud to me for at least 15 minutes each day. This not only gets them closer to their summer-reading-program goals, but it also maintains constant reading practice throughout the summer. My daughter, ever the book-a-holic, is rarely without a book in her hands. So, although I encourage her to read at least 15 minutes a day, it is really more of a obligatory request. As is our summer-time custom, we often allow all the kids to stay up past bedtime to read. The extra-long daylight makes it nearly impossible for them to fall asleep at the normal time anyway. So, the Hubs and I like to capitalize on the lengthier days by instituting the following late night reading rules. You have to be in bed at the normal time...8:00 at our house. You may read books, look at picture books (for those too young to read), or listen to audio books...for one hour. If you get out of bed for any reason other than an emergency, you forfeit your reading time and have to go right to bed. An extra late bedtime AND a whole hour of uninterrupted reading time! A win-win for everyone. Summer Science Project Since we spend six months of our traditional school year buried by snow, it is difficult for us to pursue any biological themes for science...at least the ones that are shaded in GREEN. For this reason, we have always chosen one particular element of nature to study during the summer months. As with any delight-directed learning, I left this year's science project choice up to the kids. After some brainstorming and a quick family vote, they decided that this summer we'd focus our science efforts on WEATHER. A couple of times each week will find us reading great weather-themed living literature books conducting weather-related experiments recording the temperature and cloud patterns of the day on a calendar using weather instruments and tools Who knows? We may even end our study by making a celebratory cloud cake! Discovery Basket Time So far, our summer days have been more mobile than in year's past. Since we are in the process of trying to sell our house, we have not been at home very often...requiring a more flexible schedule. So, while we haven't been able to enjoy our discovery quiet time EVERY day, we have tried to sneak it in whenever possible. Individual Interests Summer...with its fun-in-the-sun-laziness...has always been a great time for my children to explore individualized extra-curricular interests. Because the season is short, the commitment is minimal. I might not be able to taxi my daughter to three-day-a-week basketball practices ALL WINTER LONG...but, I CAN commit to chartering her to a morning basketball camp for one week in the summer. In addition to free weeklong swimming lessons offered by our local YMCA that my oldest three participated in the very first week of summer vacation, here's what my kids have chosen for their own personal summer learning. Sweetie Pea "Mommy's Helper" for a family friend once a week week-long morning basketball camp two-day sewing camp for girls offered by some wonderful women at our church Super Boy Alert Cadet training with dad nearly-free weekly guitar lessons offered as a ministry from our church's children's ministry assistant bi-weekly art lessons with an exceptional retired art teacher in our area Blonde Warrior AND Greased Lightning twice-a-week morning T-ball at a local park While I love the vigorous learning that takes place during the school year, I also enjoy the "exhale"-style schooling that happens during the summer months. The organic kind...the slow-down kind...the GENTLE kind. So, that's what our summer learning plans look like. How about yours?
Your child's brain hierarchy determines how your child learns and develops. How they develop when they are young determines their learning in the classroom.
Create, customize and print custom worksheets. Leverage Brother Creative Center's learning activities templates for Addition Line to 10.
Your kids will have fun learning fractions with these FREE Fraction Worksheets from Worksheet Fun! Stop by and download your copies today! The post *FREE* Fraction Worksheets appeared first on Mama
Create, customize and print custom worksheets. Leverage Brother Creative Center's learning activities templates for Addition Line to 20.
Effective homeschooling will bring tremendous result in the long run…You Can Do it right with this free resources.
These speaking cards can be used in an English language classroom to allow students to practice the language they have been taught regarding work and jobs.
One of the most important elements of teaching is providing students with plenty of opportunities to actively engage in learning with their peers. This blog post covers my favorite cooperative learning strategies that I have used in my classroom. These activities can be used across all subjects and several grade levels (3-6+). Bonus: I created […]
Basic vocabulary, like knowing prepositions, is necessary for beginning readers. Teach prepositions with this simple game.
Speaking cards are a very useful tool in an EFL classroom as they allow students to practice the vocabulary and grammar they have learnt in previous lessons.
Games make learning fun, so print out and play Superhero Memory to learn contractions. Who knew grammar could be so exciting?
Schede didattiche sul present simple (presente abituale) per la scuola primaria con esercizi di verifica in PDF da stampare e svolgere in classe o a casa
Get your students reading and writing this summer with these fun and engaging enrichment activities for elementary grades.
Cone of Learning I took one look at this and everything made sense. I first saw this picture, ever, in the book Increase Your Financial IQ by Robert T. Kiyosaki on page 183. I HIGHLY recommend this…
Pass them on to your first grade teacher friends!
Learning to read is such a fun and special time: it's a valuable skill, and sparking an early love of reading can make it become a lifelong passion. In order
Recognise and show, using diagrams, families of common equivalent fractions. Discover our full range of Year 4 maths resources and worksheets.
Grab a set of marshmallow and toothpick geometry cards to print and build with your kids. It is such a fun way to learn geometric shapes!
Hi there, I am thrilled to be joining my #kinderfriends for another great blog hop! We are sharing some of our favorite books for the classroom. The books I'm sharing today are all about bugs. I always end my school year with a big unit on insects and these are some of my must have books on the topic. I also have a great FREEBIE for you, so keep reading to go grab it. Bugs for Lunch is written by Margery Facklam and illustrated by Sylvia Long. I love this book because it introduces the concept of predators who eat insects. It has wonderfully written rhyming text just right for young children. The detailed illustrations are realistic and easy to understand for the little learners who will be looking at each page. It has a section in the back of the book with more information about each of the predators including humans with some of the countries and cultures where people eat bugs. You can go grab this book at Amazon by clicking on the image above. If you purchase this book through my link, I will recieve a tiny commission for sending you there. Thanks! (This is true for any of the links to Amazon on this post or anywhere on my blog.) All the book images on this post should take you to Amazon so you can get the book. The Backyard Books series by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries are MUST HAVES for a unit on insects. I alternate the focus of my unit each year between butterflies, ladybugs, and honeybees. I have one of these books for each of those insects. You can also find these books for ants, dragonflies, snails, and spiders. This book, Are you a Butterfly? takes your class through the journey of a butterfly's life cycle in a fun and conversational way. It is loaded with information including food, molting, growth, and also has a section at the end with more interesting facts. The illustrations are incredible and depict many important concepts you will be teaching your students if you do a unit on insects. You can grab this over at Amazon by clicking on the image above. Beetle Bop is by Caldecott Honor winning author and illustrator, Denise Fleming. This book is so much fun! Her colorful, vibrant illustrations and energetic, rhyming text will keep your little students engaged as you enjoy a variety of examples from the largest group of insects - beetles. My kiddos were interested to learn that ladybugs are part of the beetle family and we discussed that they are actually named ladybird beetles. This book is perfect for pre-k and kindergarten students! There are lots of language lessons you could connect with this book. It also makes a great five minute filler when you just need something quick. Do you know these books written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long? I absolutely adore them. I own every single one they have created and my kiddos love them too! A Butterfly Is Patient is a non-fiction introduction into the world of butterflies that covers a variety of interesting concepts. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and they will delight your little entomologist's minds. I consider this book a treasure and I can't recommend it enough. If you teach a unit on insects or butterflies, you need this book in your collection. It touches on life cycle, pollination, protection from predators, food, size (smallest and largest), wing scales, comparison to moths, and migration. You may also want to check out some of the other titles by this dynamic duo. My other favorites include A Seed is Sleepy and An Egg is Quiet. After reading an awesome non-fiction book, I like to record some of the information my students remember or find interesting. This year we used a tree map to do that. We recorded information after reading A Butterfly is Patient and Are You a Butterfly. The check marks on the chart show when a second or third child contributes an idea that has already been recorded. The tree map becomes a handy reference in the classroom during our unit. This chart is blank and laminated so I can use it for any topic we are studying. I use Vis-a-vis wet erase markers to record our ideas. Then when we are done with our topic, I just wipe it down and tuck it away until we need it again. That's a little time saver for charts you know you will use over and over. I also want to share a fun art project you can do with your students to make the butterfly life cycle come to life for them. We made caterpillars using egg cartons cut down to four sections. First my students painted them and then we decorated them another day. The caterpillars were up on our flower garden bulletin board for several days. Then, when our live classroom caterpillars went into chrysalises, each of my little students wrapped their egg carton caterpillar into a butcher paper chrysalis. Then we hung those back on our bulletin board. Meanwhile, I also had my students paint a set of wings that were perfectly sized for the egg cartons. I framed this painting activity as a lesson on symmetry and didn't mention that the wings were for our caterpillars. The kiddos only painted one side of the wings and folded them in half to paint the other side. If you do that with your students, make sure they use LOTS of paint. This is the bulletin board with the chrysalises hanging in the garden: Then... this is the sneaky part... on the Friday afternoon before our open house, I take the caterpillars out of the paper chrysalises and glue the wings onto the caterpillars. I come back in on Sunday, when they are dry, and gently fold the wings around each body as I tuck it back inside the chrysalis and tape it back together. They go back on the bulletin board so that my little learners don't suspect a thing. Each student gets to open up his or her chrysalis during open house and discover that the caterpillar grew wings inside! This project is a bit of a time investment for the teacher, but the payback in joy for children is so worth it. ( It makes parents really happy too.) Here is another one up close: Her rainbow striped wings match her rainbow caterpillar perfectly! I think she knew what the wings were for... I usually put the butterflies back up on the bulletin board for another week before I send them home. Here it is: OK, this is my last book recommendation for you about bugs. I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe and Ed Young is a fictional story about the littlest cricket at Swampswallow Pond. The cricket is desperately unhappy because he has taken a criticism to heart and believes he is ugly. He whines "I wish I were a butterfly" on just about every page of this classic tale. After lots of great advice from other bugs at the pond, it finally takes a long talk with a dear old spider friend to make him realize that being special is about much more than outside beauty. The story ends with a fantastic realization as a butterfly hears the cricket's beautiful music and declares "I wish I were a cricket" leaving young readers to infer how that made the littlest cricket feel and what he might have said next. The almost abstract illustrations by Ed Young are truly extraordinary and create a pond environment from a bug's perspective that will inspire a young child's imagination. I adore this book and read it to my class every year. I would read it even if I didn't do an insect unit. It's a great story with a good message. And finally... here is your freebie! This story map page can be used in many ways. Here you can see we used it as a way to record the setting, characters, and plot from the story above. I have my students do this as a small group activity with an adult to do the labeling and dictation. It is a great way to check comprehension and extend learning about any piece of fiction. Students can also use it as a map for their own story writing. Here is another by one of my little students: And here is what the blank looks like. The section in the upper right hand corner is blank so that you can write in the title and author/illustrator of the book you are using before you make copies. I hope this is helpful to you and your students! You can go grab this in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Just click on the link below the story map to go get it. Story Map FREEBIE by Katie Byrd There are lots more great books and ideas from the #kinderfriends. Keep hopping along and go visit my friend Robin over at Class of Kinders. Just click on the link below her picture. Class of Kinders - Book Bash Blog Hop Thanks for stopping by! Happy teaching!
This is a fun animals exercise for beginner ESL students focusing on the verb can and can't.
Looking for a fun way to teach 2D shapes? This marshmallow geometry activity will do the trick - and fill your tummy!
Steal these for your writing unit!
Free printable plural nouns worksheets. Kids will learn nouns ending in S, X, CH, SH, Y, F, FE, O & irregular plural nouns. Pdf with answers.
The kids and I have been talking about words with ing added on the end. My youngest has just started coming across these words in his reading and his big sister was showing him how to break the wo…
This model and template will help college, high school, and middle school teachers put together a syllabus that sets you and your students up for a great year.
Teaching sports vocabulary is often a popular topic in an English language classroom. Students can use these speaking cards as a practice activity.
This set of nets for foldable 3D shapes includes 8 different shapes in two formats: with tabs and without tabs. Great for ALL ages!
Thousands of teachers have used these tried and true GUARANTEED tups to stop students from blurting out. Chatty Class? YOU NEED TO READ THIS!
I’ll be honest with you – I was a student who REALLY struggled with math in school. I couldn’t see how it applied to every-day life or other learning subjects. I know that if my teachers had provided me with this tool growing up, it would have been a GAME-CHANGER. I created this math tool
Learning about butterflies lends itself nicely to teaching symmetry! Watch this video to see how to do an easy butterfly symmetry lesson and craft.
El verbo “TO BE” significa “SER” o “ESTAR”. Con el sujeto YO (en inglés “I”) va siempre “AM” (I am: significa “yo soy” o R…
If you have followed the discussion over the past years about "21st Century Skills" or have been on this planet long enough, you know that the ability to work with others is just as important as any "content" knowledge that we, as teachers, can provide. That being said, working "cooperatively" is NOT natural for all people, especially young children, and we have to make sure we are thoughtful about how we help students learn this valuable skill. Today I thought I'd share three key things to keep in mind--and then offer a few suggestions to get your brain thinking about ways to incorporate more learning partnerships in YOUR classroom! Partnerships are the perfect "starting point" for cooperative work! Think about how difficult it is for us, as adults, to get 4 or 5 of us to agree and be productive! Young students simply haven't been around long enough to know how to do that "delicate dance" of sharing, contributing, listening, and more. Learning how to actively listen is easier with just one other person. Sharing with just one person is so much easier for student who are more shy--and it's easier to have a back and forth conversation than try to balance several people. As students become accustomed to working with pairs, then it becomes easier to add people to the group. When forming partnerships, be mindful of your students' feelings. Be careful about the "find a partner" direction--because that is SO difficult for so many students. Whether they be shy, slower thinkers, worried about other students' feelings--asking students to form partners on the fly is often a tricky situation. Think about those who struggle finding partners and make sure everything is safe for them. Ideas? Use a "people picker" like popsicle sticks or index cards. Premake partnerships whenever possible (in addition to avoiding popularity contests, this allows you to encourage students to work with MANY other students, not just best friends). If you DO have students pick partners at times, consider a disclaimer, "If you don't find a partner in 15 seconds, come to me." so you can quickly help pair off those last few students. My students get very used to working with EVERYONE in the class (males, females, tall, small, etc) and they actually REQUEST me to pick popsicle sticks to take the partnering process out of their hands. We need to explicitly TEACH partnering skills Before I ask my students to work in partners, we have a number of discussions where we talk about what partnering LOOKS like, SOUNDS like, and WHY working in partnerships is beneficial. Together we made a list that we continue to refer to as we refine our partnering skills. The students did a pretty good job, I thought! Consider making a similar list with your students to make sure they understand that partnering isn't always easy--but it's worth it! As students start to work in pairs, you may need to stop and review some of these...and your students may come up with different ideas as well. Students need to realize that partnering isn't easy--and they will have to work at it! For some students, understanding that "balanced power" means that BOTH people have to share and both people have to listen is key--they can all relate to times they have had someone try to take over a group...and trying to work with someone who is NOT engaged or on task. So when should I use partnerships? All day long! Think about all the different ways that "Two heads" might be better than one...try some of these! Creating a climate where students work peacefully together will help increase engagement, improve learning, and increase the amount of academic discourse in your classroom. Another added bonus? As students work well TOGETHER, you are free to circulate, coach, and get a better sense of what is happening with your students' learning. Buddy reading Whether your students read with younger students or with others in your class, learning to read so others can hear, taking turns, staying on task, and using an appropriate voice level are all easy to practice with buddy reading. Try making copies of a fun poem for students to experiment with--or have them partner read an article. If you really want to dig in, have students read a novel as partners where they have discussions and buddy reading over an extended period of time. They can even complete a culminating project together! Checking for accuracy One of the first "partner routines" my students learn as we start the school year is "check for accuracy". I start this with basic math problems, math homework, and other tasks--where students work alone, then compare answers with a partner. We then practice how to handle when answers are different...and learn how to re-solve the problem together to see who was wrong and how to "fix up" any mistakes together. This really helps create a climate for collaboration, not competition and is a great way for students to check homework, to check over practice work, or to test the spelling of a tricky word! "Turn and Talk" One of the classic partner activities...and a GREAT way to get all students involved in discussions--turn and talk is a way for students to participate more frequently. This DOES need to be explicitly taught as well. If you simply say, "Turn and talk to a partner", you can sit back and watch certain students immediately turning to a best friend, other students sitting back and waiting to be asked (often ending up sitting silent)--and this doesn't lead to productive talk. Teach students to turn and talk by first checking around them to "include" students (may mean creating a trio!) and to make sure that each partner has a chance to share their ideas. This is a great way to get everyone talking--especially when asking questions ALL students should have access to. Not all students will know the answer to all math problems...but everyone should be able to answer questions related to opinions...to read alouds ("What do you think Ally should do next?")...or other easily accessible ideas. Math games Math games are a fun and easy way to teach the give and take of partnering. When students struggle, you can sit with them and coach the fair play and sportsmanship...but with games, the turn taking part is more automatic and students can work on some of the other factors such as voice level, on task behavior, using supplies wisely and more. This is one of the games in one of my "Partner Play" resources! Partner journals One thing my students enjoy once in a while is what I call "partner journals". You can do a lot of different things with this--but essentially in involves "sharing a notebook" to reflect back and forth on a read aloud, an article, a math problem--anything. Check out THIS POST for more information. It is a great way for students to realize that they write so that others can understand--and if they don't, communication breaks down. Try it and see! Challenge problems Putting students in situations where they need to solve difficult problems can be a great way for partners to learn how to make suggestions, listen to ideas, and politely disagree. When the answer isn't immediately obvious, it becomes clear that "two heads can be better than one"...and students can take their learning to higher levels. What about when students WANT to work alone? This is when coaching might be important...students need to see that other students might have great ideas, might help them find errors in their own thinking--and can make the entire process more fun! My students did a great job partnering on this back to school shopping challenge! These algebra thinking cards were MUCH easier when partners started working together! The math discussions they had were fantastic--and they found lots of misconceptions and mistakes they were making as they worked! My favorite quote? "I knew I could never do math this hard by myself!" And so much more! These are just a few suggestions to get your students working in pairs--but there are so many more! Keep stressing how important collaboration is--and how it takes practice to get good at it...but when we ARE good at it, working together can be so much fun! Follow me on... Facebook Pinterest Instagram @Fourthgradestudio Twitter @FourthGrStudio Periscope @ FourthGrStudio Teachers Pay Teachers Store Blog
What's the difference between BORROWING a book and LENDING a book?
My kids weren't really interested in learning about cells until I said slime. Okay, it was a fairly cheap trick since I knew they loved slime. But I also knew that slime would be the perfect way to learn about cells. I can't say I've ever touched cytoplasm but it sounds very slime-like to me.
This article discusses the benefits of assessing the learning styles of students early on and using them to reduce the number of special education referrals.
Looking to create good study habits? See habits that create an effective daily study routine, make you a better student & life long learner.
Modify your math program by differentiating math activities, and by having lots of hands on math centers practice for reinforcing core math skills.
