Practice Makes Permanent and Games Make it Fun!

I started playing a game during Math the other day that I hadn't played in years!

We were practicing skip counting in my second grade class, and I realized a lot of these kids really need to practice skip counting a whole lot!

 

After all, research on brains and learning tells us that practice makes permanent. (This is good if they're practicing the skill correctly, not so good if they're practicing the skill incorrectly! I suspect we all know the pain of unlearning a bad habit!)

So in order to practice the skill of skip counting, I remembered this game:  Countdown!

The children stand in a circle. The teacher decides which numbers will be repeated for the game. To start, we counted by 5s from 5 to 35. A child was chosen to start the game by calling out "five". The children went around the circle calling out the next number in the sequence. Whoever said 35 would sit down. They repeat the sequence, eliminating the "35" person each time, until there is only one left standing, the winner!

Luckily, they enjoy the game, so they're glad to repeat it, with variations on the counting pattern! Plus, brain research tells us that adding an emotional element (fun) improves the memory!

This game works for ANY sequence that needs to be learned. Here are some examples:

• the seven continents
• the states of matter
• the seasons
• the times tables
• prime numbers

I'll bet you can think of more! 

What are your ideas?

In case you're interested, I've written these directions out so you can download and put them in your files!  Just click the image or click here: How to Play Countdown!

Give it a try: your students will love it!

Five Fun Ideas for a Seashore Week!

In many ways, this has been one of the most fun weeks I've had as a teacher in ages!  Why? Because we're done with most of the "have tos" and I get to teach what I truly feel the children need, and will enjoy. 

I chose to go with a Seacoast Theme for this week, and I'm not sure who had more fun, me or the kids!

We were totally busy, and squeezed in the seacoast theme every chance we could!

Here are a few of the things we did:

1.  Towels!  We brought in beach towels, and the children sat on them every time we had stories on lessons on the rug. Each day, there were more beach towels and paraphernalia, it really looked like the beach! We even had a couple of "boogie boards" and a child sized beach chair! These came in handy during Independent Reading time, as well. Yes, you guessed it, we read loads of books with the Beach theme!

2.  Games!  I managed to dig up several games with the beach theme that reviewed important skills we studied this year. Of course, instead of the usual tubs, I picked up some pails and buckets at the dollar store to store the beach themed games. Great stuff!

3. Books, books, and more books!  Our wonderful librarian found some great books for us to share! Here are some of my favorites:

  

  

4. Floating Boats!  This was a huge hit this week, and something I managed to bribe motivate the children with as they're getting into their "summer mode". We made sailboats out of milk cartons, then today we floated our boats. First, they put their boats in the water, then we added "people" (balls of clay) It was interesting to see how many people they put into their boats without disaster. They were thrilled to bring their boats as well as the "people" home at the end of the day today. We called our bodies of water The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. We figured the Arctic Ocean was mostly ice and probably wouldn't have sailboats. (Yes, I'm always finding excuses to squeeze in a bit of geography review as well!)

 

5.  "Beach Day" Theme Unit: We did manage to squeeze in some real learning, mostly in the form of centers. This set has plenty of review materials for my second graders! You can see this unit by clicking the link below or click here: Seashore Bundle

 

A little more learning fun: Science and Social Studies Activities for Summer

What themes do your students enjoy in your class?

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?

Don't Be a Turkey!

Second graders are expected to add and subtract within 20 fluently. 

This is no easy task, but this game helps them master the 9s trick!

I find, once the kids catch onto the tens trick, the nines trick is easy! I first use a number grid, like THIS ONE to show them how easy it is to do "ten more". From there, it's pretty easy to figure out "nine more". 

Once they have a good understanding of the 9 more trick, they're ready to play Turkey Nines!  It works like "Old Maid", so they pair off all the addends and sums with nines, and one of your little turkeys will end up being the "Thanksgiving Turkey".

This is one of those games where "even the losers are winners" because there's something about cooking a turkey that makes the little ones giggle. Plus, they're getting better at that mental math!

Here's a fun little move about how the game works!

Want to give it a try? There's a smaller, free version here!

Have fun practicing mental math, and don't be a turkey!  (At least, don't be a cooked turkey!) 

Want more turkey learning fun?

Boom Learning Turkey Facts

Turkey Informational Mini-Book

Wild Turkey Life Cycle

Or try the whole bundle at a huge discount HERE!

How are your little turkeys learning and practicing their skills?

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!

Learning About Learning from Teaching Golf

I helped out my gentleman friend with his golf camp this week. 

Yes, that really says golf camp, but don't faint, I didn't actually teach golf. I know better than that!  I just helped with crowd control.

I really don't know anything about golf. I've always been terrible at sports, and really don't have any desire to go there. But I enjoyed watching my guy in action, and it got me thinking about teaching and learning.  

In a way, I'm envious. What he teaches is far less complicated than what I teach. He has far fewer students and only has to teach a few different skills, that just keep getting practiced for the rest of the week. I'm also a bit envious because the kids that are learning golf have far greater attention spans than the kids I work with! These kids are ages 9 - 16.  My second graders are 7.

I found myself comparing my job to his job. I guess teachers always make those connections, it's who we are!

These are some things I noticed happening at golf camp, that also happen in the classroom:

• Feedback is essential. In golf, the ball gives the feedback. If it goes where you wanted it to, you're doing it right. If it doesn't go where you want it, you need to adjust.

• There is a lot of repetition on important points. These guys worked all week on the basic strokes, and they often were quizzed... "How is chipping different from pitching?"

• The vocabulary is used over and over until it flows naturally. Yes, I really do know what chipping and pitching are!

• Even golfers need a break to let their learning settle before they hear something new.  

• It's important to practice correctly. Practicing incorrectly could create a bad habit. Those bad habits are harder to correct than learning to do it right to begin with!  (Accuracy has more value than speed in reading!)

• Talking about it helps! Those conversations about what you're learning helps you understand what you're learning.

• Movement helps the learning. In golf, that's easy! Once they get the feel for each stroke, they can focus on the details, it's all about moving. It's not so easy to include movement in the teaching of reading, but it helps!

• Making connections helps the brain remember information. When the golfers were taught each stroke, they heard connections to other sports and other movements, particularly when it came to the "follow through" of each stroke. Readers make connections to the books they read. The brain needs these connections!

• The use of humor is necessary and appreciated. Brain research tells us that emotions help learning stick. My guy tends to slip jokes into his demonstrations, even though a few of them were over the heads of the kids. I admit, I tend to do that in the classroom, too. If the kids aren't entertained, at least I am!

• Even golfers have assessments! On the last day, the boys were asked to "teach" something they had learned to the others. It was very impressive! They were a little quiet about it, but they used the right vocabulary, and described the details of the different strokes! My gentleman friend got the feedback he needed on his teaching skills.

Interestingly enough, most of the above items go right along with what brain research has taught us about how the brain learns! Isn't it amazing how much teaching golf has to do with teaching reading? or math? or social studies? or science?

The other day I was inspired to make this Par 3 Math game:

 You can find a smaller, free version of this same game here: Par 3 Math Sampler

 

It was so well received, that I was inspired to make another golf-themed game! I made this phonics game.

 It also works like a Bingo game, and works with dice. There are enough game boards so it can be played with a whole reading group.