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Showing posts with label BOOM digital task cards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BOOM digital task cards. Show all posts

Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities

To teach children, we need to build relationships with them. 

To work comfortably with each other, they need to build relationships with each other. 

Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities: Here are some suggestions for building relationships.

So how can we build relationships?

Whether school is starting soon, or not for a while, these things are important:

  • Building bonds of trust with your students.
  • Helping students build bonds with each other.
  • Get to know the student's academic abilities,
  • Help the children get to know your expectations and procedures. 
This post suggests some team-building and getting-to-know-you activities. These activities will also help you get to know your students while showing your expectations as well!
 
Here's one way to get them comfortable with you and with
each other:

Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities: Here are some suggestions for building relationships.

Morning Meetings are a great way to start the day! I like to start with some sort of greeting. These Morning Meeting Greeting Activities come with a fun question for every single day, a nice picture and the same writing prompt.


Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities: Here are some suggestions for building relationships.


This "Get to Know You" Game is a perfect way to begin reading groups, centers, or just have fun. The cards can be shared at morning meeting, or used with the included Board Game.

Explore this image for a link to this popular resource!
 
This resource has a collection of games and activities for building classroom community. These are perfect for morning meetings!  60 Team Building Games and Activities to Build Classroom Community
 
Looking to save some money (and time) on a bundle? Try this one:
Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities: Here are some suggestions for building relationships.


Back to School Team Builders, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities! This collection has everything you'll need to get to know your students and get them feeling comfortable with each other! Once you've got them feeling safe and comfortable with each other, then the REAL learning can begin!

I'm sure you'll find ways to build relationships with your students. 

What's your plan?

Team Building, Ice Breakers, and Get to Know You Activities: Here are some suggestions for building relationships.

Back to School Success Strategies Part 4: Watch their health!

It's getting closer to that time again. 

No matter where you are in your summer vacation, getting back is in your future. This series of posts is designed to make that return a bit smoother for you.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.

Today is Part 4 in a five part series about returning to school successfully.

Watch their health!

The last few years have been difficult. The pandemic has caused huge stress in the lives of our children (as well as us) and it's still around. Health and safety have always been the most important thing in our classroom, but now we are to be even more aware of keeping them healthy, and we can teach them how to look out for their own health.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of Boom Learning Digital Task Cards for several reasons: they're easy to use, can be used on any device, they're easy to assign through different digital platforms, and most of all, the children LOVE them! This set of Boom Cards helps the students learn about bacteria and viruses and how to fight them. Germs: Viruses and Bacteria Boom Cards

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.


This resource has an informational text with 10 questions, 6 brain breaks, and 4 sketching questions. Germs: Reading Comprehension for Active Learners


This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.

Here's another Boom Learning Resource! This one helps the children understand what they can do to help fight germs and maintain healthy habits: Healthy Habits Boom Cards


This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.



Finally, here's an informational booklet the children can read, learn, and illustrate. This can be easily sent home, or read, discussed, and illustrated in class. If they can keep socially distant, it's fun for them to make posters to show what they have learned! Healthy Habits Informational Text Booklet

Be sure to read the other four parts of these Back to School Success Strategies!

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you establish routines.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you build relationships.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review known skills.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you watch out for their health.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help watch out for their emotional health.
 

I imagine you're thinking of more ways to watch out for their health.

I hope you'll share some of these in the comments below.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you teach them about good health.

Back to School Success Strategies Part 3: Review, Review, Review!

It's getting closer to that time again. 

No matter where you are in your summer vacation, getting back is in your future. This series of posts is designed to make that return a bit smoother for you.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.

Today is Part 3 in a five part series about returning to school successfully.

Review, review, review!

We all know that our students have had a whole lot of time away from learning. You can call it "summer slump" or "summer slide," or numerous other things! No matter what it's called in your neck of the woods, it's time to get them back in the swing of things and bring those skills back!
 

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.

These task cards are a great review, and the students LOVE them! They're easy to use, and great for centers. Basic Concepts Practice and Review: Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.

This was designed for end-of-the-year fun, but it's also perfect for the beginning-of-the-year review! End of Year or Summer Collection: Review, Practice, & Celebrate!

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.

But it's important to keep it interesting. I like to let the children practice important reading skills by having them read informational text about important Science and Social Studies topics. It's a real time saver, and they absolutely love the topics! This bundle of Earth Changes gives them a lot of information, yet loads of practice with reading and comprehension skills. Earth Changes Bundle: Reading Comprehension for Active Learners.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.


Math fact fluency is an important part of everyday mathematics. (This system was mentioned in Part 1 - Routines.) Brain research tells us it's important to review information in order for that information to go into their long term memory. I recommend that children review frequently the "levels" they have already mastered in this system to keep the information solid. If they never go back to it, they won't remember it! Math Fact Fluency System: the Bundle

 

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.


These Math Challenges are a fun way to review old math skills for grades 3-5! Since math continues to build on previous skills, it's important that those skills are strong. These challenges review second grade math concepts, but with an added challenge! Mystery Math Challenge Bundle

Here's a link to several "summer review" resources that can get their brains back on track: Summer Review Games and Activities

Be sure to read the other four parts of these Back to School Success Strategies!


This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you establish routines.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you build relationships.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review known skills.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you watch out for their health.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help watch out for their emotional health.
 

I imagine you're thinking of more ways to review and strengthen important skills!

I hope you'll share some of these in the comments below.

This is a series of 5 posts designed to make the return smooth and successful. This post has some ideas that will help you review and strengthen known skills.

Categorical Thinking

The brain automatically wants to sort ideas into patterns and categories. This helps the brain organize and remember information.


When we encourage children to think of categories and patterns, we can increase their ability to make logical connections, draw conclusions, and make predictions.

Categorizing helps children process information. By sorting items into categories, we are helping them develop deeper meanings and understandings.

Even toddlers start to sort their toys! Sorting by color, shape or size are popular activities for the younger set. As they get older, they start to sort more items to help understand their life: numbers, letters, foods, books, and even trash. 

Categorical Thinking: The brain automatically wants to sort ideas into patterns and categories. We can help children strengthen these skills.

Once they're in school, they're learning a whole lot more categories in all the different subject areas: math (shapes, numerical systems) science (animals, plants, systems) social studies (countries, history, geography) writing (narrative, expository, persuasive)

And, of course, we all know about the Dewey Decimal system!
Categorical Thinking: The brain automatically wants to sort ideas into patterns and categories. We can help children strengthen these skills.

As we get older, categories help us keep track of our lives, both pleasure and business! Think of the categories involved in sports, TV shows and movies!

And of course, our daily budgets are in categories.


 So, it's pretty clear that our brains need to be able to sort our lives in to categories. Yes, this is a life skill!

How can we help children develop these skills? Well, here are a few suggestions:

1. Be a role model!  When you are organizing something, not only let them watch you, but also let them hear your reasoning. As you're picking up, talk about what you're doing...I'm going to put this paper on these shelves because this is where the writing materials go, or I'll put this book with the other informational books. 

2. Let them join in! At home, let them help you sort laundry, put dishes away or tidy up the playroom. At school, let them suggest ways to organize the books or the math materials. Get them thinking, and value their ideas. It's amazing what they can come up with!

3.  Let them practice sorting! Attribute blocks are a great way to sort by attribute, since each block has several attributes!

The image below has an affiliate link to Amazon (I get a few cents, it doesn't cost you a thing!)  

One of my favorite activities for the kids with these blocks is the "Attribute Train." It works like this:
  • The first person puts down any block.
  • The second person puts a block next to it that is different in only one way.
  • Play continues, with players putting down blocks in a "train", with only one change per block.
  • Keep playing until no more blocks can be played.
The kiddos absolutely LOVE this game, and will play it over and over, keeping them thinking!

Want another way to get them thinking about sorting and categorizing, and think about important vocabulary as well? Try some of these Boom Learning Digital Task Cards!


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Country-Science-Tool-or-Sandwich-BOOM-Digital-Task-Cards-5497983?utm_source=Categorizing%20blog%20post&utm_campaign=country%2C%20science%20tool%2C%20or%20sandwich


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Animal-Plant-or-Mineral-BOOM-Digital-Task-Cards-5509409?utm_source=categoriical%20thinking%20blog%20post&utm_campaign=Animal%20plant%20or%20mineral


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Matter-Solid-Liquid-or-Gas-BOOM-Cards-3344045?utm_source=Categorizing%20Blog%20Post&utm_campaign=matter%20boom


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Distance-Learning-Canada-USA-or-Both-BOOM-Cards-3829372?utm_source=Categorizing%20blog%20post&utm_campaign=Canada%20USA%20or%20both

The Best Thing We Can Do

Many students have been learning remotely for a long time.

Many people are concerned about academic loss from not being physically in school.

No matter what the children have experienced for the last several months, it has most certainly NOT been a normal school year.

What can we do?
Our world has been crazy, and  education has been a struggle. Here are some ideas on how we can best help children right now.

Yes, there will be a big slide this year. Far bigger than the typical summer slide. But as teachers we know that we need to take our students from where they are, and bring them as far as we can bring them. Some students lose less than others. Some lose a lot. It happens. But we do the best we can.

There's not much we can do right now to prevent that slide, especially when we're not in the same room as the children.

But what can we do? 
 Brain research tells us that when children go for a long period of time without practicing skills, they won't remember what they've already learned. Therefore, we need to do a lot of review right now. Give them plenty of practice with the skills they have developed this year. But it's important to make it as fun as possible!

One of my favorite platforms for reviewing skills: Boom Learning! These digital task cards can be used on any device, and gives immediate feedback to the students. The teacher can see exactly what the students have been doing, and they can repeat each task over and over again for frequent review.

One of my favorite collections of Boom Learning Cards:

Here's a link to many more!

Here are some more review activities that are perfect for "end of year" or "summer review."

It's also important that children read frequently, and use their written skills often. I recommend a daily journal (with a gratitude element) and writing letters and emails to loved ones as well as friends. Board games and cooking experiences will give them math practice too!  Squeeze it in when you can, but in a fun way! 


Our world has been crazy, and  education has been a struggle. Here are some ideas on how we can best help children right now.

I'm sure you already know how crazy things are, and how many people are dealing with heavy duty anxiety right now. Children are scared. Parents are frustrated. Teachers are trying to learn a whole new job without training and are trying to make it work. It's definitely not a good time to push them academically. They are experiencing history, that's enough! Their brains are overloaded. Don't push, just review! (I'll bet your instincts were saying this, too!)
Our world has been crazy, and  education has been a struggle. Here are some ideas on how we can best help children right now.

This is probably the most important thing teachers and parents can do right now: let them know you care.

Elementary teachers know how much they are missed, and how reaching out to the little ones will make their day. Search for ways to make personal contact with each child. Email, call, drive by, or if your district allows, video conference. 

We know those personal connections are what really makes teaching work, and what makes online learning so tough.

But it's also what makes teaching worth it. 


Want to know something that might make you feel a little better? When this is all over, they'll be older. When they're older and emotionally ready to learn, they pick things up quickly. They'll be ok. They'll be more than ok!

Want more information? Here's an informational brochure for parents: Parent Communication Brochure: Social Distancing Edition


Our world has been crazy, and  education has been a struggle. Here are some ideas on how we can best help children right now.
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