ABC's Of Successful Teaching . . . Kk Ll Mm . . . Keep Kids Learning and Motivated!

 

The goal for EVERY teacher is to keep KIDS MOTIVATED and LEARNING.  

These two aspects go "hand in hand" because students who are MOTIVATED tend to retain concepts being presented,  listen carefully, and in most cases be very cooperative.

So as an educator what can you do to keep KIDS  MOTIVATED and LEARNING?

• Create a classroom that promotes a love for reading and produces readers.

A love of reading promotes a love of learning.

Fill your classroom with books.

Read to your students and have them read to you.  

• Allow students to experience ownership in their learning process.

In writing when the opportunity presents its self allow students to choose their writing topic.

Present choices for how information can be presented.

• Encourage communication.

Conference with students so they can present their likes and dislikes.

Let them share how they are feeling about their learning experience.

• Focus on student interests.

Allow them to explore topics.

• Let students explore a variety of learning styles.

Visual   Auditory   Verbal   Physical   Mathematical   Social    Solitary

• Use games whenever possible to promote practice and review.

• Help student focus on what they are learning and progress they are making not their performance compared to others.

• Celebrate achievement!!!!

Find it here.

Begin motivating right at the beginning of the year with this resource.

Students enjoy writing about themselves and as an educator it is fun to read and make note about the information they share with us about them. These little bits of information are perfect for helping us to communicate, motivate and make a special connection with our students.

This resource includes:

That's So Exciting ... Something that excites them.

Wow! How Awesome ... Something the student feels they are good at.

Good to Know ... What they like about school.

That Sounds Yummy ... A favorite lunch.

That Sounds Fun ... What their perfect weekend would be.

Take Lot's of Pictures ... Fun on a wonderful vacation.

A Friend Is the Best ... About a best friend.

An Amazing Wish ... What would you wish for?

Each topic has:

Graphic Organizer for drawing or writing quick thoughts.

Paragraph Organizer for developing a lead sentence, two details and a closing sentence.

Six pages for writing (early writers, and then two sizes of print for levels of development) Each level has lines or the print line. *See the preview.

• Support students in learning to classify, think critically and ask questions.  

Avoid just teaching the right and wrong answer.  Help students to develop skills to find answers and be able to explain their reasoning.

• Make everyday an enjoyable learning day!!

ABC's of Successful Teaching ... Joy

JOY!!

Defined as...a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

Hoping that each day you look for "joy" in the job that you do...educating our future!

ABC's of Successful Teaching . . . Invitation to School/Meet the Teacher

 

Find the resource here.

Making students feel welcome is so important.

They most likely have the jitters about you and the new school year.

Sending an "invitation" to your new students is so exiting for them to receive.

Share with them about you and then have them share with you about them!!

ABC's of Successful Teaching . . . Helping Others

Find the FREEBIE here.

In my classroom a familiar question is:

Have you helped someone today?

Helping others makes us feel good about ourselves.

Helping others makes us feel a part of a group.

It has been proven that helping others is even contagious.

When we are helpful, we are kind and we build a classroom community where students feel safe and an environment where they can learn while cooperating and supporting others.

Some of my favorite quotes.

So when I catch a student helping another...

Something to think about...

How do you as an educator help your peers, team, district?

ABC's of Successful Teaching ... Games for practice!

Find it here.

Why I love using games in the classroom

Motivation. Studies show that playing games in the classroom can increase overall motivation.  

Student Attentiveness. Games move quickly and are fun capturing student attention.

Problem Solving. Strategies developed for success.

Language Development.  Students communicate with others while participating.

Self-Esteem Boosting.  Games can be set to student levels for student success.

Increased Class Cooperation.  Because games are enjoyable student interest is as well.

Memory Workout. Remembering game rules and strategies.

Reaching Independent Levels. Games are easy to vary using same skill at a different level.

Win/Lose.  Because by rolling dice or spinning winning is often left to chance.  

Students begin to accept that winning is not everything.

My students shake hands after the game.  Win or lose!!

This is a wonderful blog by Jeanne Sager 

10 Benefits of Classroom Games for Kids

Check out this FREEBIE

 

Father's Day . . . June 19th . . . Let's Celebrate Dad!

Find it here.

June 19th... Let's celebrate Dad!

How will you surprise him?

Listen here.

From the author and illustrator of HOW TO BABYSIT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA comes another delightful story by Reagan and Wildish...HOW TO Surprise a Dad!

It is perfect for enhancing creative thinking and writing "how to" pieces.

This packet is filled with activities to support comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and even a little mathematics.

Vocabulary for posting (colorful cards with pictures)

Writing...

How to Surprise a Dad

How to Surprise My Dad

Sequencing

An opinion page

A "how to" page

Writing final copy pages with differentiated levels of writing pages.

Comprehension...

Cause and Effect...It was...so what would happen?

Story Elements

Predict...what surprise would your dad like?

Interview with Dad

Writing about your interview.

Word Work...

Parts of Speech

ABC order

Black and White vocabulary cards to match the words (students can color and take home)

Roll and Read...have fun reading words loudly, softly, silly, slowly, quickly

Word Search

Morning Senses...smell, touch, taste, hear, see

What would dad like to find inside his gift?

2 Mathematics Game (Subtraction to 12 and 20)

Find it here.

Celebrate this special day with DAD!

These resources are designed to provide activities to help students celebrate DAD by reading and writing.

Slide One:  An Interview with Dad

Slide Two:  Writing about Dad

Slide Three:  Making Predictions about Dad

Slide Four:  Text to read about dad...Use adjectives to describe Dad

Slide Five:  The perfect day with dad.

Slide Six:  Poem about Dad.  Making a list of things we love about dad.

Slide Seven:  Math with Dad...Directions for a game

Find bundle here.

Interactive Google Slides and the Paper Pencil Resource to make the perfect classroom team to celebrate Father's Day.

The resources include:

Three literacy suggestions with activities to follow.

Just Me and My Dad

What Dads Can't Do

How to Surprise Dad

Craft Suggestion for card ... I'm "hooked" on my Dad

Word work:  word search, adjectives, abc order, word scramble

Writing: Interview, what make's Dad special, about my Dad

Graphic Organizers

Vocabulary for posting

and so much more!!

Find it here.

Celebrate this special day with DAD!

The resource includes:

Three literacy suggestions with an activity to follow.

Just Me and My Dad

What Dads Can't Do

How to Surprise Dad

Craft Suggestion for card ... I'm "hooked" on my Dad

Word work:  word search, adjectives, abc order, word scramble

Writing: Interview, what make's Dad special, about my Dad

Graphic Organizers

Vocabulary

and so much more!!

 

ABC's to Successful Teaching . . . Developing Fluency!

Find these freebies  here.

Today I want to take some time to talk about FLUENCY but not only FLUENCY in reading.  I also want to look at what I like to call FLUENCY in mathematics.

Let me clarify.

In my experience, students with a strong base of sight words are strong readers.

The same is true in mathematics.  Those with a strong knowledge of facts are strong mathematicians.  

DEVELOPING FLUENT READERS

**Make sure books are at or below student level.

Read to a partner!I like to assign partners and I keep a list and be sure I read with them on a rotating basis.

We choose our books on Monday.  They can bring a book from home if they want.

The only rule is...the book they choose must be one they can read easily.

Sometimes I have to ask them to make another choice.

Better readers can choose a chapter from a book.

Then Thursday we partner read.  

Read with expression and accuracy!

I love this activity.  Use your sight vocabulary list for the week.

Partner up the kiddos and have fun.

You can have them write the words or read them from a  list you have prepared.

Doubles Chant

This is so helpful in memorizing the doubles facts.

We say it each day before calendar.

                                                            

How to Make 10

This game is so helpful in learning the combinations.

It is played like Concentration.

Turn all the cards over and put them in 5 rows of 5.

Take turns turning cards over to find a match.

If they match you keep the cards.

The player with the most matches at the end wins!!

Just some FUN ways to increase student FLUENCY!!

Tomorrow...