Who else would be excited about a voluntary book study..

Only teachers! Lol okay maybe a few other professionals but you gotta admit we are a pretty unique bunch of people. I've seen so many Instagram and blog posts about this book study it really warms my heart. It reminds me that there are still teachers out there passionate about their jobs and wanting to improve. I'm really looking forward to learning from all these amazing teachers.  So here's the book...

 

 

The book had great reviews online and a few teachers have already told me it's pretty great. I'm looking forward to adding a few new tools to the toolbox after this. Here's the schedule for the Book Study.

 

Kickin it in Kindergarten- Chapters 1 &2 (February 28th)
Mrs. Wills Kindergarten- Chapter 3 (March 7th)
Queen of the First Grade Jungle Chapter 4 (March 10th)
Fabulous in First Chapter 5 (March 14th)
One Extra Degree Chapter 6 (March 17th)
Mrs. Jump's Class Chapter 7 (March 28th)
The First Grade Parade Chapter 8 (March 31st)
In April, you will be visiting these girls for the remainder of the study:
Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Chapter 9 &10 (April 4th)
What The Teacher Wants Chapter 11 (April 7th)
First Grader At Last Chapter 12 (April 11th)
Erica's Ed Ventures Chapter 13 (April 14th)
KinderGals Chapter 14 &15 (April 18th)
A Rocky Top Teacher Chapter 16 (April 21st)
Mrs. Wills Kindergarten Chapter 17 (April 25th)
Little Warriors Chapter 18 (April 28th)
Falling Into First Chapter 19 (May 2nd)
Kickin' it in Kindergarten Chapter 20 (May 5th)

Join in whenever you like! If you are not a blogger you can participate in the comments of posts!

So I'm linking up with Kickin it in Kindergarten for Chapters 1 & 2

 

Chapter 1 - Brainstorming and Discussion

"When people open their mouths to talk, they send more oxygen to the brain"

Hmm..Didn't know that!

 

I'm a major fan of using discussions in my math lessons. We often have math PDs at our school and they love stressing the importance of structured math talks and partner discussions.

 However, I realized after reading through this chapter that math may be the only place it was happening. Luckily this text offers suggestions to use in a variety of content areas.

 

My Top 3 strategies

-  Utilizing the "Bloom's Taxonomy Revised" (complete with model questions) to create questions in class.

- Using the Think, Pair, Share technique when posing questions or discussion topics.

-Waiting a minimum of 5 - 7 second when asking a question

(Sometimes I flake out on the wait time or start dropping hints to soon!)

 

 

Chapter 2 - Drawing and Artwork

"Different parts of the brain are activated when people are involved in art activities."

That one I did know, but it is useful to be reminded.

 

I feel like being a primary teacher lends really well to adding art into almost any content area. Little ones are more likely to enjoy singing a song about the days of the week or rainbow writing spelling words. Even those additions can make things a bit more engaging.

 

My Top 3 Strategies

- Let students create a personal Pictionary by illustrating vocabulary words.

- Have students design a book jacket that encompasses the major concepts that have just been learned.

-Have students design a poster that shows the major details of a specific science unit. 

 

So far, I am really enjoying the book. I also like that there is room after each chapter to record ideas that you can incorporate into your classroom. Stay tuned and hop around to the other blogs participating.