| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Home : 2005 : January : 30
I am hoping I am going to list items you are interested in. If not, just let me know and I will try again. My classroom is quite hands-on. The children use things daily to learn. I have lots of different
I also use a lot of individual things: Let me see......I find microphones (play ones) and we use those during Math Meeting, for Student of the Day, for Show and Tell, etc....Whoever has the mic, has the floor. Another great thing to use is a magic wand. I find great ones around Halloween.....sparkling ones, ones with streamers, glow in the dark.....etc. I play a game with the students with the Word Wall where I give them a word (or even just describe it..letter sounds or whatever).....we turn off the lights and they use flashlights (one or two students at a time). My kids wear those HUGE sunglasses that you find at dollar stores to "Read the room." I look for things for the students to use for pointing to words on the page when we are reading.......such as plastic witches' fingers you find at Halloween; I use the cute drink stir sticks that have decorations on the ends (like in winter, I have a class set of the ones which have snowflakes on the ends); I also have a set of pencils to "read the room" that are large-sized ones with enormous erasers on them (mine have Mickey Mouse erasers on the top and they point to the word I am describing while walking around the room with those). For writing time, I have them put on their "thinking caps"....just plastic visors that you can purchase in a large quantity for a small amount of cash.....just decorate them in the summer with decorative paint....(I number them so that the number of the hat is the same as each child's class number.....so that there is no headlice problem). Just make the numbers prominent. I wash them at the end of the school year and they are ready to go in the fall. For listening for sounds during writing and silent reading, I ordered a set of "Phonics Phones." These can be made from two pieces of pvc pipe curves so that one opening is at their ear and the other is at their mouths, but they were more expensive that way and a little too bulky. The ones you can order are the perfect size and can even be turned easily so that one child can read to the other child (a Z-shape). I have other things I use, but will not write them all in here.....if you want some more, let me know if I am on the right track and I will send you other ideas of things I use. I have a myriad of items I use for unique overhead items. When you shop, always look for sale items, etc....and think about ways to use them instead of their intended uses (like the drink stir sticks). The children love anything that is different. If it helps, my rule is set in stone and the students know it......These are "tools" and are fun to use, but the minute they become a "toy," that child must put theirs up for that day. It works great and very seldom do I have anyone lose theirs. Enjoy! Darci
What people are currently discussing in the ProTeacher Community: |
| |||||||
