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 :)

 

 

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.