3 Great Reasons to Launch Something New Now

Launch the new now? What? Why would I want to start something new at the end of the school year? Well, I have 3 great reasons that the end of the school year is the perfect time to start something new in your classroom.

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5 Tips for Facilitating Student Created Math Games

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Are you looking for a fun end of the year math activity? This week my students have LOVED creating their own math games. Creating their own games encourages higher order thinking, problem solving, team building, and creativity.  I'm going to offer you a few tips I have learned from this experience.

My students were excited to learn they would have the opportunity to create their own math games to review math standards we learned this year.  But that excitement peaked when I showed them  the Dollar Tree finds I purchased for them to use.  Note cards are a must for creating playing cards, and 200 cards for $1.00 meant I didn't need to worry when cards needed to be redone ...and redone!  I purchased a variety of stickers for game board decoration, and mini erasers for game playing pieces. Honestly, the spinners just didn't work well for us, so I was glad I had some from a math kit that spun easier.  The balls were in case they wanted to get creative and create a basketball type game.  Everyone will be a winner with a special pencil.  You can't tell, but these items are placed on white bulletin board paper, which we used to create our game boards.

After putting my students into teams, I showed them LOTS of examples.  I pulled out our Candy Land Board Game, and pulled up Google Images to show tons of examples.  We discussed how there was a theme, bright colors, a designated path, etc.  This helped when they planned their own games. Although the stickers were going to be used...even if they didn't match their game's theme!  It was interesting to note that one of the teams really had a struggle creating a game that had a clear path.  I think this reflects their lack of background playing games.  It was enlightening for me to see the problem solving and struggle going on even with the simple task of planning their game.

Initially I planned for my students to spiral review several standards within one domain, as they planned, created, and played their math games. Big mistake!  This is really a huge undertaking for inexperienced game creators.  Even though my second graders are ready for third grade next year, developmentally they could only focus on one standard.  Once I narrowed down their focus, and again provided examples of the kinds of questions they could create, they were off and running.  A good rule to remember is "simple is best!"

My students planned out the theme, type of game, materials they would need, and any additional notes, prior to starting their game boards.  This led to productive talk and kept them focused on the task.

They worked together to plan their game boards on paper or white boards using dry erase markers. Again, this promoted collaboration and engagement.

Finally they worked together to put their masterpieces on paper.  I supplied white bulletin board paper which gave them plenty of room to think and create.

 We integrated technology by using a word processor to type and edit our word problems.  I might be able to read their writing, but I didn't want it to hinder other students once we started playing the games.  This allowed me to work with individuals on spelling, grammar, and asking math questions. Later students cut the text apart and glued it on note cards.

 Notice the stickers everywhere!  Students have completed their game boards, made their question cards, and started working on creating an answer sheet.  After they do a trial run playing their own game, I will mix up teams, so that one initial team member remains at each game station to coach others as they play.  This way everyone can play each game and there will be a "standard expert" at each game as well.

I quickly found out it was in my best interest to have individual storage containers for each team as they worked on creating their games this past week.  I put out containers and teams choose what worked best for them.

I'm loving these magnetic tins I discovered at the Dollar Tree.  They are perfect for holding game pieces.  We just put them up on the whiteboard each time we are done!

 This was a great end of the year activity for my students.  They were highly engaged during the entire process.  In addition to delving deeper into the standards, we learned problem solving and team building skills.  I hope you found some of these tips useful!

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How To Host An End-of-the-Year "Pick"-Nic!

Hello Friends!

Are you wondering how to keep your primary students engaged during the last days of your school year?  Do you want to make some lasting memories with your class?  Then plan to provide a daily "pick"-nic of learning privileges for them to choose from!  Offering a choice of tasks they must or may do will keep them on target and on task!  

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Keeping it FUN The Last Few Weeks of School!

The end of the year is upon us and I am sure you are feeling as much stress as I am!  I still have a lot of end of year assessments, filing, report cards, and with all of the field trips and activities planned, I'm not sure how I am going to get it all done in the next few weeks.  One thing I need to remind myself of is that these are the last few weeks we will be together, as a class.

I need to make them enjoyable and fun...for all of us!

I am sure your students are getting a little wild and unfocused, just like mine.  After our super snowy winter, these warm and sunny days leave us yearning for summer vacation.  I think a few of my kiddos have even started their vacation a bit early!  I try my best to keep them engaged and interested by making things as fun as possible.

Here are some ideas for you to use in your own classroom:

Go Outside
Almost anything that you do in your classroom can be done outside!  My students will work so much harder to be able to earn outdoor work time.

Don't have any tables outside?  Just use clipboards or notebooks and have your students sit on the ground!

Incorporate Technology
When we review for unit tests, we almost always use apps or websites like Socrative to make it interactive.  It is amazing to see how much more engagement we get when we use Socrative verses our regular text book review sessions.

The same goes for practicing math facts!  One of my favorite websites for math practice is Sheppard Software.  My students even practice using this website at home!

Make it Meaningful
One of my favorite activities for my students is to have them create something for my next year's class.  I have done it a few ways but here are a few of my favorite ideas.

I used to have my class write friendly letters to my next year's class.  They LOVED it!  They didn't even realize they were going through the writing process and practicing their skills they learned over the year.  And as a bonus, my new students received wonderful letters on the first day of school from some "old pros".

I created a graphic organizer to help them plan their writing.  I even differentiated it for my kiddos with varying needs.

My new favorite thing to do with my class is to have them create an OFFICIAL guide to my class.  They are now the experts ready to share their knowledge with my new crop of kiddos.

The excitement of creating something OFFICIAL takes over and they put forth their best effort.  I have even had kids ask if they could make official guides for their previous grade levels on their own time.

You'll get a kick out of reading the "meet the teacher" page!  It's surprising how well your class has gotten to know you throughout the school year.

Here is my very first attempt of uploading a video to give you a better look at my favorite end-of-year activity!

Make it Interactive
I have found that hands-on learning is the best kind of learning.  I know that when I need to administer the DRA, I also need my class to be fully independent.  These self-checking activities allow me the time I need to get my work done without interruptions!

Keeping your kids actively learning and engaged will keep your behaviors to a minimum.  Making the activities fun will entice your kiddos that have already "checked out" to keep involved.

Finally, I love to give my students a gift at the end of the year to keep them learning throughout the summer.  I used to give them a brand new notebook to journal in during the summer, but this year I created a special writing journal full of prompts, but with plenty of room for them to write about their own ideas.

I just ordered a class set of these writing journals to be printed and cannot wait to give them to my kiddos along with a few new pencils on the last day of school.  You know that all they have left are pencils that are 3 inches long with no eraser!  New pencils are a MUST!

Keep calm...summer is almost here!  Hopefully these ideas will make the end-of-year-crazy a little less crazy!

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Fun Farewell Gifts

Hello Friends!

It's Jennifer from Stories and Songs in Second here!

I've got 14 more school days left on my school calendar, and just started shopping for my farewell gifts!  Have you?

Time is precious at this time of year, so I will keep today's post short and helpful!  My favorite shopping stop is The Dollar Tree or Target's Dollar Spot for FUN, FUN, FUN summer-themed trinkets that students and adults on your list will appreciate and enjoy  in their months away from school!

Last year I created these bag and bucket tags as a FREEBIE , and wanted to be sure your grabbed them from my TpT store!  They can be tied onto student, parent volunteer, and colleague presents as a festive way to say "Bon Voyage!" and "Thank You!"

Some sample photos follow that will  give you some ideas on what types of themes and goodies you can include to "shower the people you love with love!" 

My class LOVED these buckets I made them last year that were stuffed with bubbles, sunglasses, goldfish, sidewalk chalk, books, and notepaper!  

My parent volunteers were ready to enjoy some well-deserved poolside time with these bags!

My fellow staff members appreciated these sweet treats as we set sail
for a summer of rest and relaxation!

I hope you enjoy using these FUN and easy ideas
to help "wrap up" your school year!

Continue to keep calm and teach on!

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