Book Study - Strategy 4 Games

Well I'm a little tardy for the party with this chapter! But better late than never right? :)
Linking up with Queen of the First Grade Jungle
 

So strategy 4 was all about games which I am a definitely a fan of in the classroom. I try to throw them in whenever they can be effective and get the kids involved or moving around. The chapter starts off explaining how games can be beneficial at any grade level. They can help the students gain understanding and also motivate them to learn and show what they know! The instructional activities area contains a variety of game ideas and resources.

 

 

My math centers usually include a game like this one seen below that I created this summer. (Available in my TPT store of course!)

 

 

 

They also loveddddd hopping from seat to seat recording greater than or less than equations with this cute game by Adventures in Kinder and Beyond

 

 

 

 

Another suggestion was a game called "Loop" that most of us refer to as "I Have, Who Has". There are tons of free versions of it online!

 

 

I also enjoy quick little brain break games if we are about to transition or need a refresher. A favorite of my students is when I call out an adjective or describing phrase and the kiddos must find something matching the criteria within 15 seconds. Ex. "Yellow" or "Something with corners". I give them rules ahead of time like no running, no disrespecting someone else's items, etc. Then I have a few students share what they found and we return to seats or the rug for learning.

 

I could definitely broaden my use of games throughout the topics though. I tend to focus on math and literacy. But utilizing vocabulary game suggestions from this book in science and social studies would reach two goals at one time! Gonna be looking into that :)

 

This chapter once again just gives me a new angle to consider when reflecting on my teaching. "Where can I incorporate a useful game?" is a question I should be asking more often! What are your thoughts? Feel free to share and have a fantastic weekend!

Book Study- Strategy 3 Field Trips

Well good morning and Happy Saturday! :)

 

Hope you had a fun, productive week! Mine went well, especially with some Seuss sprinkled in thanks to Read Across America.

          

 

 

But lets get into the Book Study.
This week we are linking up through Mrs. Wills Kindergarten :)

 

Strategy 3 was about Field Trips. This is one of the chapters I could see people having a small issue with. Still some great information, but I must admit as I was reading a few suggestions I was quick to say "I can't do that with my kids!". I wasn't intentionally being negative but some of the ideas were things that I would need to tweak to fit with my group of kiddos.

 

With that being said I still found the chapter useful. One of the better suggestions was a reminder to move lessons outside of the classroom whether that means heading outside or taking an in school field trip. We used a lot of those at the beginning of the year to get our first graders used to our 2 story school building.

 

 

 

Pictures from our field trip to the Creative Discovery Museum last month :)