Six Ways to Survive The Last Week Before Christmas

I'm bracing myself for a challenging week. It's a busy time of year. 

There are very few hours of sunlight per day. That really affects the spirit of many. Kids are overstimulated, sleep deprived, and downright cranky.

Here are Six Ways to Survive the Last Week Before Christmas:

1.  Bribery Works!  Yes, I've been known to resort to bribery. I would hope that children want to be good just for that personal pride, but that's not realistic. They need to earn something.  

 

This week, we're working toward a Christmas party on Thursday afternoon. I've already planned the party.  We'll have entertainment and gifts to open, and food and fun stuff. But I tell them those plans can be canceled if they don't earn the party. I've come close to canceling the party in the past, but we've always had the party. One thing to remember about bribery... the "bait" needs to be WORTH IT, or it won't work next time! (I'll be sure the Christmas party is awesome!)

2.  Keep Them Active!  I've got some games that keep the kids out of their seats. These two games are both Dollar Deals!

Try Golfing for Tens

 

or Beanie Toss to 100

The key is to get the kids having so much fun, they don't realize they're practicing their adding skills!

3.  Try a Little Yoga!

Kids really adapt well to Yoga, and it really calms them down and helps them focus! Honestly, it helps me, too!

4. Add some music to your day!

I use this one in my classroom all the time!

 

Any baroque music makes a great calming background for the classroom!

Of course, my acupuncturist uses this background music, and I know it relaxes me!

Or, if you're looking for holiday music, this one is my personal favorite in the classroom: 

And who doesn't love this one?

5.  Let them paint!

I am always amazed at how quiet the children become when I pull out the watercolors! Of course, one needs to have an educational purpose for painting, but I really don't think creative teachers like us would have a problem thinking of something, do you?

6. Have a Game Day!

There are plenty of board games out there that are perfect for strengthening the children's reading and math skills, and some great strategy building, but be sure to keep the "learning" part a secret... they'll think they're getting away with something!  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Apples to Apples is my favorite! It always makes the kids giggle, and (shhhh...) works some valuable thinking skills! 

Scrabble works reading, writing, and even math, as well as strategic thinking!

Uno is a classic! 

Plus, Yahtzee is a great game for strengthening math skills!

Then, of course, regular playing cards will always entertain, and make mathematical paths in the brain. (Seriously!)

Well, there are six ideas to help you through this week. I hope this helps! 

But, as all teachers know, when all else fails, be sure to keep a stash of chocolate in your desk for those particularly stressful days!

How do you survive the week before the holidays!

Team Building Activities

I use a whole lot of games in my classroom to practice skills. 

In order for game playing to be successful in the classroom, children need to be able to stay focused on an activity, take turns, and play fairly. In a second-grade classroom, this isn't always the case.

I often start the year with some team-building activities, then come back to team-building activities at the end of the year. I'm thinking I really need to sprinkle these activities throughout the school year.

Maybe it's because my dad was a football coach, or maybe it's simply because it's important, but I'm often looking for excuses to build teamwork. (My classroom theme this year has been sports!)

I've been looking around the internet for ideas for team-building activities, and came up with a few!

HERE is a long list of team-building exercises from a place in the UK called Venture Team Building.  I've tried the "Human Knot" and "Minefield". It's fun to watch the "aha" look in the eyes of the kids when they realize the whole team has to go back if someone steps on a minefield. That's when they realize it's not just about them personally!

HERE is another link I found. From this link, there are several more links to specific team-building activities such as "Easy Team Building Activities for Kids", "Team Building Activities for Kids That Are Selfish", and "Team Building Activities for Kids to Build Self-Esteem".  This one is definitely worth a peek! Most of these are simple things that can be done in the classroom, and fun for the kids.

As with any lesson, it's important to spend time at the end of the lesson "debriefing" and discussing what was learned. 

Still looking for more Team Building? Try these: 60 Team Building Games and Activities for Classrooms.

Do you know any other Team Building activities?

Are You Ready for Day 100?

Holy cow, Day 100 is right around the corner! 

 

There are loads of ideas on Pinterest and teaching blogs all over the internet. The hard part is choosing the best stuff without having to spend a month on Day 100!  

In the Common Core State Standards, most of the second grade focuses on Numbers and Operations in Base Ten. Day 100 is a great day to celebrate the concepts of Place Value and Base Ten. Luckily, most of these activities go right along with these standards for this level!

Last year I posted about my tradition: Day 100 Caroling!  We really do go from classroom to classroom and sing a song. I wish I could share all the songs I've collected, but they're not mine to share, but I'd be glad to share my own: 100 Days Smarter. I think it's a nice reminder of all the work we've done so far this year! Plus, music, movement, and fun are all ways to help the brain remember things! Day 100 Caroling is one thing that kids tell me they remember about being in my second-grade classroom.

Here's an activity we've already been playing for a couple of weeks, since it's directly related to what we're working on in Math. (Adding and subtracting with 2 digits.) They really need to master the idea of adding and subtracting tens, and this freebie game is doing the trick!  Beanie Toss to 100

For some of my kids, I need to challenge them with more complex computations. This game is a popular one, and makes them think. With my second graders, I have them figure out the number they're waiting for ahead of time, but older kids probably wouldn't need to do that. I Have... Who Has...? gives the children practice figuring out compliments of 100.  (57 +  = 100)

Color-Coded Number Grid There are tons of games that can be played on the Number Grid! My favorite is simply Race to 100 with dice or Race from 100 with dice. The children roll two dice and proceed along the number line from 0 to 100. The subtraction version has them starting at 100 and counting backward to 0. The conversations that go along with these games are as valuable as the number grid itself. For more of a challenge or a quicker game, use 3 or 4 dice!

Again, with second graders, I want to celebrate 100 with more than just counting to 100. This game gives the children practice adding and subtracting 100 to 4-digit numbers.

Mental Math 100 Game

Want to make your life easier? Grab this bundle! It's got a little bit of everything, for lots of math levels and interests! 

Day 100 Games and Activities for Older Students

 

And, of course, a few books for the occasion! Explore each image for an affiliate link to Amazon to learn more about the book! I never miss an opportunity to include literature in my math lessons.  My students love books!

 

• 100th Day Worries
• Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School
• 100 Days of Cool
• The Night Before the 100th Day of School

I find Day 100 brings much excitement from all levels. How will you be celebrating Day 100?

Hanukkah Game Board

Looking for a little something to help your kids celebrate Hanukkah?

 

This game can be used in many ways in the classroom!

 

Brain research tells us that frequent repetition helps bring information from the short term memory to the long term memory. (Rather than "Practice Makes Perfect", I prefer "Practice Makes Permanent"!)  

 

I use board games like this to practice sight words, math facts, sentence fluency, task cards, or any skill that needs practicing! The children just roll one die, but before they can move their place marker that many spaces, they have to perform a task. I sometimes have a selection of cards the children can choose from, and sometimes I have a specific skill for them to practice. Here are some ideas for practice cards: Practice Card Bundle, Word Work Bundle, or Reading Celebration Game.

Just click this link to download your Hanukkah Game Board

To practice the important skill of reading nonsense words, try this resource: Hanukkah Two Syllable Nonsense Word Game.

Want a little more on Hanukkah and other seasonal holidays? Try this collection of informational texts and Winter Holidays Reader's Theater

or looking for something digital?

Try this Boom Learning 

December Holidays Around the World

 How do you bring Hanukkah into your classroom?

Playing Math Games to Strengthen Important Skills

I find games to be a great way to learn and develop skills.

Brain research tells us that adding the element of fun helps to connect the memory. Isn't that a great reason to play learning games?

I like to teach a game during small group instruction time, so I can watch the children play and make sure they are focused on the learning goal. I'll have them play a couple of times with guidance before I let them play on their own.

After a game has been introduced and practiced, it will be available as a choice during math stations or centers.  There are times when certain children are assigned a particular game as well.

It's a good idea to allow the children to play games below their level, as these are important skills that should be mastered in order to perform the higher skills with ease. Just because the skills are easy for the child doesn't mean they don't have value! In fact, if the game isn't somewhat easy, it won't be fun for the children. Also, if the game isn't somewhat easy, the children will be more likely to make mistakes, which won't help them master the skills. I've learned "practice makes permanent," and we don't want to make incorrect skills permanent, do we? If you've ever had to unlearn a bad habit, you'll know just what I mean!

I have a series of BINGO games that I designed to go along with second-grade skills. They all have a sports theme, which is a big draw for the kids. I find once they learn the format of a particular game, it takes less time to teach a similar game, meaning more time practicing each skill!

You can find this resource here:  Par 3 Adding 3 Addends

As mentioned above, once the students know the format and how the game works, they can play similar games to strengthen similar skills. It just so happens that I have several math games that follow this same format with different sports themes that can be found here:

Sports Themed Bingo Math Games

Still looking for more math games to strengthen their skills?

Here are plenty more Math games, including several freebies! Math Games Category
 

Games are a great way to build skills AND have fun!  Enjoy!

Ten Ways to Motivate Students

Today's post is all about motivating students.

These are ten of the ways I motivate students:

Pride!

Luckily, there are some students who take pride in themselves and just plain want to do well. They want to make the teacher happy. Don't you love these kids? Don't you wish there were more of these? Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who don't have pride in themselves, or just don't have enough. (This is something we can work on!) Therefore, we need the other nine.

Stickers! 

Children love stickers. A hefty supply is necessary for most teachers of little ones. Personally, I usually only give out stickers for homework, but many teachers give out stickers for daily work. My students work pretty hard for one sticker for homework each day! On special occasions, I'll pull out the scented stickers!

Working with a partner! 

Kids are social, and the idea of working with another child is super motivating. Let them choose their own partner, and you'll be their hero! They can read with a partner, write a story with a partner, or practice math facts. There's a whole world of possibilities.

Let them earn an extra recess!

I think this is a "win-win". We know that kids need to run and exercise and burn off steam. The promise of being able to do what they need to do is motivating for the kids to work! 

Inspire them!

I find if I say a few words about a book, the children all want to read that book. If I show them a sample of my writing, they want to try a similar piece of writing. If I make something look interesting or fun, they want to try it. I could never sell cars, but I sure can sell a book to a kid!

Let them put something cool on their desk for a while!  

Personally, I use a collection of beanie babies that I've saved since my daughter was little. They can keep it on their desk for the day. If they do something quite spectacular, I let them keep a little flag on their desk for a week. They are mighty proud of these, and they can tell you what each little trophy is for!

A few desk decorations in my classroom!

Play a game!

There are so many possibilities for games. There are group games like Around the World, Scoot, and variations of Jeopardy, Hollywood Squares, and Family Feud. Then there are partner games, centers, and activities. Sometimes they have so much fun, they don't even realize they're learning!

Group Projects!

When there is a product and a "performance" involved, the kids get moving! Most kids love working in small groups putting together some sort of project, then others are super motivated by the thought of standing in front of their class. They really remember these group projects for years to come.

Have a dance party!

This works well for my group. You can work out the details, but if they reach a certain point, just stop for the moment, and turn on the music. My kids love this, as it happens to be a group that really responds to music and movement. It only takes a few minutes of the day, and they've had their exercise and burned off some steam. That makes a dance party another "win-win"! Other forms of this type of group reward can be a pizza party or a make-your-own ice cream party. (The dance party is cheaper, though!)

Special recognition!

Single out a student for spectacular work. I often read examples of good work, or hold up examples of good effort on handwriting. I have a Super Improvers Wall, where they get stickers and work their way up the ladder when we notice they have improved at something - it can be anything from remembering to pass in homework, to improvement in behavior, to improvement in knowing math facts. One of my students said moving on the improvement board was even better than earning a flag for a week!  See HERE for more about the Super Improvers Wall!)

This is just a small sampling of the possibilities for motivating students.  

Here are a few other posts that might interest you!

Giving Feedback!

Five Hints to Help Avoid False Praise

Give 'em a Shout Out!

The Importance of Failure

How do you motivate your students?