Spanish City Locations Partner Activities (Speak, Read, Listen, Write) These are a great activities for students to city locations and activities in Spanish. The three activities are very interactive and offer students an opportunity to work collaboratively. Vocabulary: El hospital, la panaderia,...
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 […]
Inside: Ideas for playing Bingo in the Spanish classroom and a free printable Bingo board. It might seem odd to dedicate an entire post to the humble game of Bingo. Bingo is traditionally a game for developing listening skills and recognizing words, a staple in almost any language classroom. Don’t miss the versatility of this game,
This week 4th graders started by viewing slides of some of Dubuffet's work and discussing his progress as an artist throughout his life. I read about another Dubuffet art project a ways back HERE where the teacher posted a cool site with music also written by Dubuffet. We listened to a bit of that, too. The kids had some great comments as to how his music compared with his art!!! VERY interesting and insightful!! We then started to work creating a Dubuffet inspired paper sculpture. I bought some 110# white cardstock for this so that it would be stiff enough to stand without sagging. First, students got 1 piece of 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" piece of cardstock and three pieces cut 8 1/2" X about 2 7/8". They cut the three smaller pieces into organic shapes. They cut slits where appropriate and assembled the 3 pieces to make a "base" that would balance. I had the students do these 3 pieces first for 2 reasons: 1) to make sure they used 3 pieces as a firm base and 2) in case some kids worked slower I wanted to make sure that they at least had a 3-piece sculpture. Once they had learned to assemble those 3 pieces, the larger two pieces that they would do next were pretty easy to add on. Once students figured out their construction, it was time to add lines or design motifs. We did not stick to Dubuffet's color palette, but I did as kids to limit their palette to 2 colors, plus black. The base is piece of 6" X 6" illustration board that was donated to us. Some classes were taking longer to complete the coloring process, so I had them assemble the white pieces so they would understand the process. They then took them apart and took the pieces with them so they could finish them back in their classrooms. Thank you to the great 4th grade teachers who were willing to have the kids complete the work with them. This was my last day with 4th graders for this 4-week cycle, so there was not the option of finishing next week in art class!! With winter break coming up soon, I also showed students how to take apart a cereal box and recycle the cardboard to make a sculpture like this. Here is the one I made during the last vacation at home: I hope some of the kids try it at home!!
We cannot overlook the importance of teaching listening comprehension strategies to our students. These strategies are easy to implement into any classroom.
A map game can help your child learn the important life skill of map reading. This fun activity combines following directions with map skills activities.
Visualize this! It’s a Thursday afternoon. There is a buzz around school that there is a possibility of a “Cold Day” tomorrow! Below zero temps were blowing our way… Not a Snow Day… but a “Brrrrr, it’s a bitter Cold Day”! Teachers and students alike are […]
When was the last time you told someone how much you appreciate them? If it's been a while, then you should definitely send appreciation messages to the people in your life who matter most. Expressing
Check out our top ESL Listening and Speaking Activities. Lots of great ideas to get your students listening and speaking in class today!
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
Learn to connect, create rapport, develop trust, and build deep relationships. In this day and age, the art of deep listening is a superpower. If you can make someone feel heard and important, you are on the highway to their heart. And it's not as difficult or complex as you think. How to go from stranger to cherished friend in record time. How to Listen with Intention is ultimately a book about relationships. A relationship must be give-and-take - are you taking more than you are giving? Are you making people feel comfortable opening up to you? Are you listening well, or unwittingly being a conversational/relationship narcissist? It's time to ask these difficult questions and learn the skills to not only help people in times of need, but create new friendships with just about anyone -- after all, who doesn't like to be heard? Increase your emotional intelligence and people analyzing skills. Patrick King is an internationally bestselling author and social skills coach. His writing draws a variety of sources, from scientific research, academic experience, coaching, and real-life experience. Understand people two levels beneath their actual words. --The most damaging mindsets for listening. --How we are all biologically programmed to be terrible listeners, and we have no idea about it. --The one person you should emulate for better listening. --How listening styles, frames, and levels can help you - and how you are not even close to what you think you are. --The concept of active, reflective listening, and why it's so tough. --Reading people, emotional intelligence, and empathy. Become the most trusted ally and source of comfort and understanding.
Do you take time to focus on teaching speaking and listening skills? A lot of lessons and activities often focus on literature, reading, spelling, and writing. Sometimes the speaking and listening skills get lumped into lessons, or we realize we’ve really been lax on the speaking skills the first time we have students give a presentation. However, students need to have dedicated opportunities to practice speaking and listening. Read on for activities you can incorporate into your classroom.
Teaching your students to follow directions and build their listening skills takes work! I couldn’t believe this when I read it, but did you know that LISTENING makes up 45% of our daily communication?!?!?!?! That blew my mind! As teachers, we spend so much time teaching reading and writing, which are very important, but how […]
That's it, done! I think I am going to go and have a lie down. Please take a look at my new alphabet shop for more details. www.paulthurlby.com/shop.html. Any questions, please email me, I'm here to help!
Asking And Giving Directions Worksheet Free Printable from follow directions worksheet kindergarten , image source: thecluster.co
Don’t know where to start reading the Bible? Use this simple guide to choose a reading plan that works for you. Includes chronological, yearly and more.
The ancient world was filled with music and singing from the time of the earliest civilizations and the Seikilos Epitaph is the oldest surviving record of
Do you explicitly teach listening skills to your students? Did you know that 70-80% of our waking hours are spent in some form of communication? Of that, listening makes up about 45% of our daily communication! When I learned these statistics, I knew that I needed to be as intentional about teaching/practicing listening skills as […]
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!
the KonMari method of decluttering doesn't work for everyone... and here's why. Pros + cons, plus tips on what to try instead.
A collection of children's stories with links to their perfect Classical Music pairings, great for inspiring imaginative movement.
Literacy is so much more than reading and writing, with listening being an important component as well, as has been recognised in both the US Common Core Standards and the Australian National Curri…
The Cotswold Way is a multi-day walk through some of England's most picturesque landscape. Listen to our Cotswold Way podcast to learn about this English hike.
10 fun and educational ESL activities for busy teachers! Try these games and activities in your classroom (or virtual classroom) today!
Do you feel like you have to yell to get your students’ attention? What about around the end of the year or special days when their energy level is high? Or are you a homeschool preschool mom who sometimes gets frustrated with your little one? Here’s some ideas you may not know about (or might...Read More
If you're interested in hiring a brand designer but are wondering how it all works, listen up. I'll take you through my current onboarding process for my branding projects from start to finish.
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