Word Ladders

One my of goals this year is to increase vocabulary skills in my classroom. I have noticed as I watch game shows like Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy that if you have a good grasp of vocabulary you are better at solving the clues. I also noticed that some of the most popular word games like Words with Friends and Word Drop are also influenced by a strong background with vocabulary.

More and more people are watching these shows and downloading these apps. I was thinking these games could help me increase vocabulary skills in the classroom, which will help improve reading levels and writing proficiency. So, while I am going to be including some of those games into my classroom. I am also going to work on other activities that build vocabulary.

One of these activities is the Word Ladder. If you have ever been to http://www.sporcle.com you will notice an abundance of word ladder quizzes. I think that is very interesting that even as adults we like word ladders. It made me go back and pull out my word ladder books from a few years back. You may be asking what is a word ladder. If you are really interested, here is the history of the word ladder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_ladder

The word ladder basically starts with one word and that word changes by one letter at a time to become a completely new word.

CORD --- CARD ---CARE ---FARE---FATE---RATE


There are many variations of the word ladder. When we do it in class, we use the Word Ladders published by Scholastic and developed by Timothy Rasinski. I think this is the one I am currently using. It is the 4th - 6th grade book.

http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/reading/fluency/daily-word-ladders-grades-4-6-mkt9765

You can get them in different grade level ranges. They are all excellent for building vocabulary skills.
 

 

 

You can also find some activities online for word ladders.

 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/type/word_ladders.htm

 

http://www.puzzlechoice.com/pc/Word_Play_Menx.html

 

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordladder/

 

http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/word-ladders-for-kids/

 

I use these as part of my morning work at least twice a week. It is helping the students look at words more critically and it is exposing them to new words they have never seen. It also helps them work with synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meaning words. I think it is a great addition to my morning work. I can't wait to see them use some of the words we are learning in their writing!

 

TGT

 

More Higher Order Thinking Skills

I have been trying to lift the level of thinking in my classroom over the last few weeks. With the introduction of the common core standards, students are having to think deeply about topics and support their thinking with evidence. Including puzzles, problem solving activities, and critical thinking games into the daily curriculum will help them think deeply all of the time. It hasn't been the easiest. You have to teach them how to do each of the activities and model tons of thinking skills. I am slowly adding more and more activities! My last post was about how I am using SET in the classroom.

Today, I want to talk about Logic Elimination Grids. If you didn't know the name for them I am sure that you know what I am talking about. They have been around for a long time. We even did them as kids at some point. Usually they were done as a time filler or to keep us busy. We didn't stop to think about how important they are to helping us be better thinkers.

I am incorporating them into my morning work for students. We do them at least twice a week in the mornings. They can be very simple like the one above or they can be more complicated like the one below.

The students are getting better and better at solving these puzzles. We look at it like being detectives and having to gather all the clues. I can't wait to actually teach them to play CLUE later in the year. They will have the skills they need to successfully solve the mystery. Having them do them in the morning when they first comes in really helps me get my things done in the morning and gets their brains turned on first thing in the morning.

Currently my morning work assignments look like this:

Monday: SET (see first post on Higher Order Thinking Skills), Morning Math Review, Logic Elimination Grid

Tuesday: SET, Morning Math Review, Tangram Tuesday (see post about Tangrams)

Wednesday: SET, Morning Math Review, Word Ladders (see post about Word Ladders)

Thursday: SET, Morning Math Review, Logic Elimination Grid

Friday: SET, Morning Math Review, Word Ladder

The students are always engaged first thing in the morning. I love to include higher order thinking skills right from the beginning. Once I get through this first month, the students will be the ones explaining their thinking and leading the morning work reviews. Once we get really used to the word ladders and logic elimination grids I will have the students start creating their own.

If you are interested in logic elimination grids you can find some at the following sites:

http://www.thelogiczone.plus.com/kids_index.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/math/logic/puzzles/

http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/logic_games/logic-game-petcenter.html

http://www.logic-puzzles.org/


TGT



Higher Order Thining Skills & Critical Thinking

I have been teaching my third grade students to play SET over the last few weeks. SET is a wonderful game for helping students learn critical thinking skills. We are also developing some problem solving skills and puzzles are the best way to do that. We have to organize, classify, and evaluate.

SET is a game of visual perception. The students have to find sets in the cards that are displayed. These sets have to follow very specific rules which makes finding a valid set like solving a huge puzzle.

 

 

 



The rules to SET are really pretty simple. A set consists of three cards that has all the same or all different criteria. Meaning all three cards have to be the same or all three cards have to be different when it comes to the categories of shape, color, number, and shading. In the above set of cards, the one purple lined squiggly, the two purple lined ovals, and the three purple lined diamonds would be considered a set. They are all purple. They are all lined. They are all a different number. They are all a different shape. They meet the criteria of all being the same or being different for each category.
 
You can learn about and work through a practice tutorial online at :

http://www.setgame.com/

Just select the learn to play tab at the top and then select the SET game. I used the tutorial to help teach the students how to play.

I also made a chart for my wall to help the students check their SETs. The students must check each group of cards they selected and make sure it meets the criteria for a set.
 

How to Check Your SET.. 

1. Are they all the same color? Are they all a different color?

2. Are they all the same shape? Are they all a different shape?

3. Are they all the same number? Are they all a different number?

4. Are they all the shaded the same? Are they all shaded differently?







 

Here I have two metal bookcases back to back. I covered with paper and made an extra bulletin board. I keep my Boggle cards and my SET here. The cards and letters are in name tag pouches and have a magnetic strip on the back. The name tag pouches came in a set of 50 and the magnetic strips were also in a set of 50. I think they were originally made to go on the back of business cards. It is working like a charm!

 

We play it every day at the end of the day as we are packing up to go home. I put the twelve cards up on the white board and the students look for and record the sets they find. I keep the cards on display all day so the kids can think about the sets before we get to the end of the day.

Anyway, It is working very well and soon the students will be able to play the game with their classmates as a follow on activity throughout the day. It really is a great way to get the brain going. I set it up at the end of the day; however, we don't check it until the next morning. When they come in the next morning it is still on the board and they have a little extra time to find the ones they were missing.  

It really is a neat way to end our day and start our morning. The kids look forward to making their sets and are very proud of themselves when they find all six. If we are running short on time, they are begging  me to put it up so they can at least start it. They love to solve puzzles!

TGT

Whole Brain Teaching

This has been an interesting week. The kids are move at lightning pace through the curriculum. I gave a math pretest and half the standards they already know. I have spent a lot of time teaching the whole brain procedures and working on procedures school-wide. I have even borrowed some whole brain ideas that other teachers were using in their rooms that work really well. I am going to give a quick overview of what we have accomplished.

Class Expectations the Whole Brain Way

1. Follow Directions Quickly - Make sure you use the hand motions of something zooming along.

2. Raise your hand for permission to speak - Raise your hand and then lower it using your hand to make the talking motion.

3 Raise your hand for permission to get out of your seat - Raise your hand and then lower it using your hands to make the motion of someone walking.

4. Make smart choices - Tap the side of your head with your finger.

5. Keep your dear teacher happy - frame your face with your fingers and smile.

Each rule has a motion that goes with it and helps student to remember it quickly and allows them to internalize them. If you teach the Whole Brain Procedures you can have the students teach each other the rules and procedures. We even play Simon says with the rules and procedures.

1. Class? Yes?  With this one the teacher says Class? and the students respond Yes? and then get quiet. They have to respond the exact way you say it too so mix it up. I do things like Class? Class? Class? OR Class= E- I - E - I - O. The kids love it!

2. Hands & Eyes - When you have something really important to say to them say Hands and Eyes and they put their hands in their laps and look at you intently. Some of them even stare you down. Make sure you use it when you want to say something important not just every single time. That way they know what is coming it truly important.

3. Teach. OK! When you want them to teach other. Teach and little, tell them they are going to be teaching each other what they just learned. Say Teach and Clap once. They respond with OK and one clap and then they turn to their partner and teach.

4. Switch! When you want to switch partners doing the teaching.

5. Mirror. When you want students to listen and copy your gestures exactly. Works really well with things they need to remember with steps. Add the motions and they really get it. I use this a lot and then have them teach each other using the mirror actions.

6. Yes! No way! - When you want to quickly assess learning. Ask them true/false or yes/no questions. They respond with Yes and raise their fist or arms OR they respond with no way and do a gesture that means no.

Some Whole Brain Techniques Created by other teachers.

1. Bodies and Chairs - teach students how to stand quietly behind their desk with their chairs pushed in. When you say Bodies and Chairs they stand and say Bodies and Chairs three times. This gives them time to stand, push in the chair, and then get quiet. Works like a charm. I can't find the blog I found this one. Not my idea but it does work well.

2. Criss Cross - When you want them to come to the carpet, sit down, and put any materials (dry erase boards, folders, papers) down so you can teach the mini-lesson. You say "Criss Cross' they respond "Applesauce (cross legs), spoons in your bowl (put down materials in front of you).

Some Kind of Whole Brain Techniques that we use without knowing it. They are signals for specific kinds of behaviors with specific expectations.

1. Good Morning Readers/Writers/Mathematicians - When this is said the students get out materials and come to the carpet and get ready for this workshop.

2. Turn and Talk - Much like the Teach Okay. It allows students to share knowledge and teach each other.

3. Up off you go - When workshop is over you say this and motion with your hands like you are shooing them away. The students get up quietly and return to their desks getting right to work.

I created one technique of my own to go with the 4-S Line.

I know we want them to line up to go into the hall in a certain manner. I call it the 4S because all the things we want them to do start with S. Straight (both hands out to make sure you are behind the person in front of you), Single File (look forward and back to make sure you are in line), Silent (finger over lip) and Safe (hands at your side). I created hand motions to go with each letter. The kids do them automatically to make sure they are straight, single file, silent and safe.

These little tricks are helping me make my classroom run smoother by cueing appropriate behavior and an action that goes with each one. I love them teaching each other. Hope your week is going as well as mine!

TGT

Working on Procedures!

The first two days of school are officially over. I have spent the most part of two days reconditioning students from summer routines to school routines. I do think this is the hardest part of being a teacher sometimes. You have to explicitly teach what you want the students to do in each and every part of the day. If you don't model it for them and have them practice it the way you want it done then they will certainly do it the way they want it done. This is why teachers are so exhausted the first few days back to school. We are working just as hard as the students!


Classroom Rules! (Love Whole Brain Teaching - Simple Rules and easy to remember). We learned them. Taught them to each other and then played Simon Says with them. Great work!

After the rules, then we need to teach the procedures we us all day long:

The following is a list of procedures we have learned the last two days:

1. Morning Routines
2. Hall Behavior (4-S line)
3. Specials Procedures (where we line up and wait to go to specials)
4. Bathroom Behavior on our hallway
5. Bathroom Behavior on other hallways
6. Coming back into the room (this one is a potential for chaos and one that is easily overlooked. Make sure you teach this one)
7. Math Workshop Routines
8. Classroom Voices
9. Turning in Papers
10. Pencil Procedures
11. Break Time Procedures
12. Playground Routines
13. Lunch Time Routines
14. Reader's Workshop Structure
15. Writer's Workshop Structure
16. Science & Social Studies Structure
17. Dismissal Procedures
18. Carpet Procedures
19. Seat Sack Procedures
20. Supply Basket Routines
21. Whiteboard Procedures

As you can see, I have taught a lot procedures over the last two days. I am sure I have some more in each and every category I have listed. For example, under morning routines they have to know how to mark their lunch count, turn in paperwork, and turn in money. So, there are routines embedded into each one. You really do have to look at each section of your day and how you want it to function.

We learned all of these room procedures, as well as, how to work with partners. I taught the students the whole brain teaching procedures in order to help them get quiet, listen, and teach each other. The students love to teach each other.

We now know:

1. Class? Yes!
2. Hands & Eyes
3. Teach! Okay!
4. Switch
5. Mirror
6. Yes! No Way!

It was so easy to establish the guidelines and I hope it works as well when we begin the real lessons.

For the next week, we will be practicing these routines until we get it down perfectly! If we get all established in just the right manner we will have smooth sailing all year round. I am looking forward to a great year of learning!

TGT

Open House & First Day of School

So, Last night we had Meet N Greet! It was amazing! It was probably the best one ever. I took a lot of the ideas about Open House Scavenger House that I saw on pinterest and put them all together. I started with the things I needed accomplished. Information sheets, transportation for the first day and all year long, treats for the students and for the parents. I also wanted to answer any questions the students might have and talk about goals we were setting for our third grade year.

These are the areas that I included in the scavenger hunt(pinterest idea 1):

1. Sign In sheet

2. Wish list items (Mr. Sketch makers, post-its, glitter crayons, highlighters, extra pencils)

3. Welcome Back Letter

4. Transportation Note

5. Goals for the year

6. Finding your hook, desk, bin and treat! (Baggie filled with Dubble Bubble and says We are going to have a 'Dubble-y' fun year in third grade)

7. Questions about the class

8. Check out the library

9. Meet a new friend!

10. Parents meeting the teacher (Microwave Popcorn with label "Thanks for popping in!" pinterest idea 2)

All of this was amazing in and of itself. The kicker is that is wasn't just a scavenger hunt with clues! The students had to use technology to decode the QR Codes!! I had two Ipod touches, two Ipad minis, and two smart phones being used at all times. It was wonderful! A room full of parents and students working together to read the codes and visit all the areas. The room was full of activity. The kids were engaged. I had time to talk to parents when they got to meet the teacher. Woo-Hoo!

 

First Day of School

What a great first day of school! The kids were excited. The teachers were excited. The parents were excited to send them off to school! Today, we did a variety of getting to know you activities and went over the classroom rules and all of the school procedures! We certainly practiced the 4-S line all day long. You know, Straight, Still, Silent, and Safe! We worked on bathroom procedures. We will get better at that I am sure. Our bare halls just echo so badly and the bathrooms are in the middle of the halls! Uh Oh!

The most exciting part of the day was when we got to lunch and they had run out of pizza.
Of course, half my class had ordered pizza! Hmm, regroup..pick a new lunch item...move on! My kids did great! We talked about rolling with the punches and embracing the shake! If you haven't heard about embracing the shake you need to visit Ted Talks! Powerful message that I shared with the kids in order to show them attitude is everything.

After School Dimissal was over an hour long today. We had car pool problems, bus problems, and daycare van issues. But you know what? I am so excited to get up tomorrow and do it all again. That is how great a day it was!

My kids learned the classroom rules! Then learned all of the whole brain teaching techniques and I can't wait until we are using them in more meaningful ways tomorrow. I hope everyone has a fantastic first day at school and a wonderful 2013 school year.