OCTICORN is one of my new favorite picture books for teaching students that IT IS OKAY TO BE DIFFERENT! This cute story is about a octopus/unicorn who doesn’t seem to fit in with either group. This book provides lots of good teaching points for students, too. This post contains affiliate links to products I […]
Our sophisticated A.I. judges your awful taste in music.
Audiobooks worth listening to in 2024. Best audiobooks of 2023. Also find the list of best audiobooks right now
We listened to a lot of audiobooks on our vacations, which has really gotten the kids (especially Dragonfly) interested in listening to ...
Welcome to our series on social emotional learning in the elementary classroom! We are going to be chatting about some effective strategies and procedures you can easily and quickly apply to your classroom for improvement in student self-awareness, self-control, and social skills. During the month of January, we will cover four different SEL topics. January has always been my favorite month to teach, because I was always able to do a reset with the students I already had a relationship with. We could then really hone in and improve SEL skills to in turn take a deep dive into instruction. The less you are having to stop and redirect student behavior, the more time you have to teach. We know that is more important now than ever. This month, we will cover four topics that I felt were most needed right now that could cover the most behaviors: listening, making good choices, kindness, and resilience. Let's talk LISTENING and FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS. Why is listening important? Active listening is a vital skill in the classroom, as well as in life. You listen to directions, announcements, instruction, conversation, and more. As a student, I was not always the best listener. I tried really hard to listen, but I lacked the strategies to comprehend what was being said. I was more of a visual learner, so auditory was difficult for me. I think we sometimes forget that our students need to be explicitly taught the strategies and skills we expect them to apply. I have found that students need explicit SEL instruction all throughout the year. The problem is that we don't have the time to do that. I tried to think of ways you could easily and quickly incorporate it into your day, because it's so important to keep your classroom running smoothly and to decrease undesirable behaviors. The best time I feel to teach these, if you can, is first thing in the morning, during morning meeting. I have come up with some quick mini lessons, along with quick and fun activities, to teach each SEL topic. This week, we are going to look at some strategies to increase active listening in your classroom. Listening Strategies and Tips Call and Response The first thing you need to have in place is a call and response. I would only do one or two at a time. One that I always do is: Teacher: 1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me Students: 1, 2 Eyes on You When I teach this, I practice it a ton. It is important that students STOP AND LOOK AT YOU. Do not let them continue what they are doing. They will not be actively listening if they are still doing something else or talking while you are talking. Be firm about that expectation and wait until everyone is focused on you. We want to establish a muscle memory of them stopping, looking at you, and listening until you are finished. It's so important to have high expectations here. There are many different call and responses out there to choose from. Just be consistent with one or two for a while before changing to a different chant. Voice Volume and Tone If you know me, you know that I am not loud at all! Ha! I am pretty quiet so I use that to my advantage in the classroom. The lower I talk, the more they have to really listen. I also make sure that I keep a calm tone when I speak. This is also very important to have a calming environment because they tend to mirror what they are seeing. Something that I have found that has helped a ton with listening is buying a microphone headset and speaker. I just got one off of Amazon. It saves my voice and my energy, and I can use a calm tone that students are more likely to listen to. Keep Directions Short and Direct Stick to one-step instructions. Be direct and clear with your instructions, as well. If you can also add a visual, that will greatly help students. As students get better with one-step instructions, begin to slowly introduce more steps. Echoing One of my favorite and most effective ways to give instructions is through echoing. I will say the instruction in a sing song voice. The students know to echo me when I use that voice. Not only does it help them better comprehend the instructions, they also are busy being engaged which cuts down on opportunities to get off task or misbehave. Read Aloud Books The best way to begin a discussion with students about an SEL topic is through a read aloud. We want them to understand why listening is important. It helps us to be a better friend, we learn more, we are more caring, we understand what to do next, etc. I really love the book, The Worst Day of My Life Ever! by Julia Cook. The character in the story is having a very bad day because he chose not to listen to others. Students get to follow along on how those choices affected his day. His mom gives him tips on how to be a better listener and how to follow instructions that students can also apply. (I have made a resource that contains all of the mini lessons for teaching students to be better listeners, along with quick activities for a week focused on this topic.) Two other good ones are Lacy Walker, Nonstop Talker and My Mouth is a Volcano. Songs and Videos I love to incorporate music to help students better remember a strategy. You will get a song I wrote in the unit call "I Am Listening", but I have also linked some classroom approved videos you can show before or during your mini lesson about listening. Be a Whole Body Listener I Am a Good Listener (begin at 1:00) Why is Listening Important? Listening Game The Dance Freeze Song The Listening Game: Cosmic Kids Listening Mini Lessons Incorporate mini lessons into your morning meeting devoted to listening. I like to focus on one topic or skill per week. These lessons are quick and to the point. I also like to create an anchor chart with my students so that they have a visual reminder to refer to. Students also make a mini anchor chart to add to their SEL notebooks. Listening and Following Directions Activities Practice the Strategy For each lesson, I review the anchor chart and sing the listening song to open the lesson and review what we have learned. I then read a portion of the read aloud, The Worst Day of My Life Ever! I do this similar to an interactive read aloud, including text dependent questions that also start discussions about listening. After the story, I teach a new strategy that we then practice. I will take you through each day of this unit. We already covered day one and the anchor chart, so let's move on to day two. On day two, we learn a new listening strategy and then students listen to the story Go Away Big Green Monster. I do not show them the illustrations; they have to draw the monster by listening to the description. This is a fun way to practice active listening! They love to share their monsters with one another. On day three, we learn another listening strategy and play Listen, Draw, Check. You can use this game in all content areas for review. The game is very similar to Battleship. They have to be really great listeners and follow the directions to match my game board, which we check at the end. On day four, I introduce the students to an SEL animal character. Each character is a different animal and has a poem. For this activity, students have to follow the oral coloring instructions and color their Listening Lion. They also get a copy of the poem to trace. Finally on day five, we read the whole story and then discuss what lesson the author was trying to teach the reader. I then assign a writing activity (differentiated sheets included) in which they have to apply what they have learned about listening and following directions. This is a great way to wrap up the unit and assess their understanding. Listening and following instructions are skills that apply to so many parts of the school day, so they are vital to a smoothly run classroom. When you are having to stop and address behaviors, it is draining. Let's set our students up for success by giving them the tools they need to thrive in the classroom. I would love to hear and share with others if you have any great listening strategies! Thank you so much for stopping by this week! Be sure to come back next week for our next SEL skill, MAKING GOOD CHOICES. The following two weeks will be all about KINDNESS and RESILIENCE. You can grab the Listening and Following Directions Activities below or by clicking on any of the photos!
Looking for some creative inspiration? Podcasts are a fantastic way to dive into the world of art and culture while on the go. Here are my top recommendations for art and culture podcasts that will
For the elderly who loved to read all their lives, listening to someone read to them can bring profound comfort and joy. Why not start a Read-Aloud Readers Group activity at your facility; a Book Club with a difference! Read-aloud activities are an intervention well worth pursuing. In this article we cover: The Benefits of Reading Aloud to the Elderly Reading Aloud for Families How to Find Suitable Reading Material Read-Aloud Books for Dementia Care Types of Reading Activities for Elders 5 Attributes of a Good Reader Read-aloud Stories to get started with
Create your own listening center in your classroom with these easy instructions from this kindergarten teacher!
Guessing games are a great way to practice speaking, critical thinking and vocabulary building in ESL classrooms starting from young learners through adults. Whether you are an English teacher or a parent trying to improve your child's vocabulary in a first or second language, guessing games are a MUST! Here's where to start: Ages 3-4:
Want to learn to speak Spanish like a native? Listening to Spanish podcasts is effective and FREE! Check out my top recommendations (the podcasts I actually listen to to improve my own Spanish!)
Do you struggle with finding interesting ways to teach ESL listening skills? Maybe you have an activity or two already but you want to be able to mix it up and keep things interesting. By the end of…
Add these amazing mental health podcasts to your playlist and learn how to improve your mindset. These podcasts are totally free and full of great content!
Teach children the basics to paint like Pollock in just 40 minutes. Great for grades K-2, kids learn new techniques with paint, yarn and becoming fearless
Help make your English Language Learner’s transition into your classroom easier! This resource can be used for making a lap book or as an interactive notebook! This could be a fun ESL teaching activity for your ELL's during the first week of school! I love making ESL beginners lessons, so my hope is this will become an ESL classroom favorite through the years! Take a look at the preview! Includes: Cover Flip book of “My First English Words” Flap book of “My Favorites…” 10 Questions and Answers Flaps for “An Old Friend” and “ A New Friend” to help the children realize that old as well as new friends are important. Have fun! Jill Richardson Click here to Follow my Blog Click here to Follow me on Facebook *************************************************************************** THE BIGGEST WAY TO SAVE IS TO GET THE ELL EVERYTHING BUNDLE! It includes 55 resources to use with your ELL Newcomers. The thematic units will help your students with listening, speaking, reading, & writing. It includes a year of Newcomer units any ELL needs to increase ESL VOCABULARY quickly! It also includes 5 Lap Books, ELL Games, ELL Writing & More! IF YOU CLICK ON THE PREVIEW IT WILL SHOW YOU A PREVIEW OF EACH RESOURCE INCLUDED! There is also a link below to each of the resources included! Click Below! ELL EVERYTHING BUNDLE *************************************************************************** ELL Newcomer Year Long Curriculum Mega Bundle Units 1-20 Click Here to See a Video Preview *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Bundle Units 1-5: School Vocabulary, Introductions, Colors, Verbs, Vegetables, Click Here to See a Video Preview *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Units 1-5 Bundle Individual Product Links Unit 1 ESL Newcomer Introductions Unit 2 ESL Newcomer School Vocabulary Click Here to See a Video Preview of Unit 2 ESL Newcomer School Vocabulary Unit 3 ESL Newcomer Verbs Unit 4 ESL Newcomer Color Words Flap Books Unit 5 ESL Newcomer Vegetables ************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Bundle Units 6-10 Fruit, Prepositions, Opposites, Homophones & Homographs, Food Groups *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Bundle Units 6-10 Individual Product Links Unit 6 ESL Newcomer Fruit Unit 7 ESL Newcomer Prepositions Vocabulary Unit 8 ESL Newcomer Opposites Unit 9 ESL Newcomer Homographs & Homophones Unit 10 ESL Newcomer Food Groups ************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Bundle Units 11-15 Nouns, Days of the Week, Idioms, Alphabet, Digraphs *************************************************************************** Unit 11 ESL Newcomer Nouns Unit 12 ESL Newcomer Days of the Week and The Four Seasons Unit 13 ESL Idioms Unit 14 ESL Alphabet Flap Books Editable Unit 15 ESL Digraphs *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Animal Habitats and Insects Bundle Units 16-20 *************************************************************************** Unit 16 ESL Desert Animals Unit 17 ESL Polar Animals Unit 18 ESL Rainforest Animals Unit 19 ESL Wetland Animals Unit 20 ESL Newcomer Insects and Creatures *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Bundle *************************************************************************** ESL Roll and Read Individual Resources Below ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Classroom Words 1000 Follower Freebie! ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Verbs ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Body Parts ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Feelings ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Food Vocabulary ESL Newcomer Roll and Read Household Vocabulary Click below for ESL/ELL Lap Books! *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Lap Books Bundle (Verbs, Body Parts, Feelings, My First English Words *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomers: My First English Words Lap Book Click below to watch a Video of this Fun Resource! Video: ESL Newcomers! My First English Words Video ESL Newcomers: My Feelings Lap Book ESL Newcomers: My Body Parts Lap Book ESL Newcomers: Verbs Lap Book *************************************************************************** ESL Label It! Write About It Bundle! Morning Work or Literacy Centers for Preschool - Second Grade *************************************************************************** ESL Label It! Write About It! Bundle for Preschool - Second Grade (Individual Product Links below) ESL Spring and Summer Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) ESL Fall Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) ESL Thanksgiving Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) ESL Christmas Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) ESL Winter Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) ESL Valentine’s Day Writing with Labels (Morning Work or Literacy Center) *************************************************************************** ESL Newcomer Unit 10 Food Groups Bundle *************************************************************************** ESL Food Groups Individual Links ESL Vegetables Flip Book ESL Meats and Protein Flip Book! ESL Junk Food Flip Book ESL Fruit Flip Book ESL Dairy Flip Book ESL Bread and Grains Flip Book *************************************************************************** Other ESL Resources You May Enjoy Using! Science Vocabulary Posters and 7 Step Vocabulary Lessons Push or Pull Vocabulary for ELL's ESL Strategies to use with ELL Activities ESL Newcomer Spring Interactive Printables FREEBIE! ESL Newcomer Homographs Find Your Match Game *************************************************************************** ESL I Have Who Has Products! ESL Newcomer School Vocabulary I Have Who Has ESL Newcomer Body Parts Vocabulary I Have Who Has *************************************************************************** Customer Tips: How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. ☺ Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store. ☺ ***************************************************************************
It's another week of teaching bible class to these precious three year olds! They sure loved this lesson of Samuel and the fun activities that went with it. ARRIVAL Just like every week, the first 10-15 minutes of class the children come in and play with toys that are laid out on the table. It is
To help my students learn about the 12 Apostles of Jesus, I created a mini accordion book. On each page, they glued the picture and name of each apostle until we had all 12 included. We gave some facts about each Apostle and then listened to a cute song to help with learning the names. ... Read More about Learning about the 12 Apostles
If you're wondering how to annotate books digitally, here are all of my digital note-taking tips and favorite apps!
Today I introduced the Listening Center as part of our Daily Five, I have two areas the children can listen to stories. The Listening...
Books about listening & blurting out are here for you! Get your great book recommendations for listening and blurting out here!
Podcasts to listen to during your next road trip! Whether you're driving for 2 or 7 hours, here are binge-worthy podcasts worth listening to.
It's another week of teaching bible class to these precious three year olds! They sure loved this lesson of Samuel and the fun activities that went with it. ARRIVAL Just like every week, the first 10-15 minutes of class the children come in and play with toys that are laid out on the table. It is
Have you ever tried Spanish audiobooks to improve your language skills? Learn why and how you can do so with our list of recommendations for any level.
Audiobooks worth listening to in 2024. Best audiobooks of 2023. Also find the list of best audiobooks right now
Here are 20 best motivation podcasts to help you in your personal growth journey. If you want to start your self-growth listen to podcasts.
Today was all about kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos! After teaching about them, we listened to the book Marsupial Sue by John Lithgow. ...
Craft Ideas for Kids ( All About Me Template ) Craft activities foster communication, listening, attention, and imagination. These activities can enhance mental health and wellbeing as well as fos
If you find yourself in a book slump then these 17 addictive books will snap you right back out of it. I guarantee that these are all books you can't put down once you get
Do you struggle with finding interesting ways to teach ESL listening skills? Maybe you have an activity or two already but you want to be able to mix it up and keep things interesting. By the end of…
I like to include listening activities in my Spanish classes as much as I can. It can be seriously challenging to find good listening activities for lower-level students, though. Textbooks only have so many (good) listening comprehension activities, and it can be tricky to find recordings of Spanish speakers who speak SLOWLY and CLEARLY. Here are three great websites that I've found and used in my Spanish 1 and 2 classes: 1. Quia There are listening activities for Level 1 HERE and for Level 2 HERE. Click "Start now>>" and you will see 10 multiple-choice listening activities. Each time you reload the page, it will give you new activities. (Good news if you want more options, bad news if you want to bookmark the page and go back in the future for particular recordings.) There are probably 30 listening activities that Quia randomly picks and loads on the webpage. Quia provides multiple-choice questions for each listening activity, so you can use those or make your own! I like to go through and listen to all the activities and record the ones I want to use in class. I used Audacity to record them, which is a free program you can download on your Mac or PC. It's super easy to use, and then you can save the recordings to your computer and use them year after year. 2. 123TeachMe There are listening activities for Novice Low HERE. There are 39 "groups", and each has two audio recordings. I just go through and listen to a bunch of them and record the ones I want to use in class. These recordings show up in the same order every time you load the page, so you can pull up the website in class and play the recording(s) you want. The website includes a question for each recording, so you can use that one or create your own! 3. University of Texas A reader sent me this link, so many thanks to Amanda B! The University of Texas at Austin has Spanish proficiency exercises, organized by Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Superior. You can choose various topics for each level, and then there are several speakers from different Spanish-speaking countries, so your students can hear a variety of accents. You could easily pull this website up in class and play the recording you want, or record in advance whatever you want students to listen to. I hope these ideas have helped you include more listening activities with native speakers in your lower-level classes! Where else do you get good listening activities? I'd love to hear other suggestions!
Are you having a challenging time with your toddler? Here are 10 phrases that work like magic when your toddler doesn't listen to you.
Looking for the best podcasts to binge listen to on your commute? Here are 7 highly addictive podcasts you shouldn't miss
Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It’s legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year …
