Elementary Matters is an educational blog focused on Elementary grades 1-3. These posts will make an elementary teacher's life easier by sharing information about how the brain learns best. It includes time savers, suggestions for classroom management, hints on effective teaching of reading, writing, and math, and several ideas for squeezing Science and Social Studies into daily instruction. These posts include links to several videos, articles, resources, and plenty of free materials.
Ever notice how kids have a hard time keeping track of which meaning goes with the word "area" and which meaning goes with the word "perimeter"?
My kids used to, but then I made up a couple of tricks that helped the kids remember which one was which. Brain research tells us that making these connections in the brain help children remember!
Area is measuring squares. Both words have the are in them, which I emphasize when I teach it. I also make a hand motion that reminds the children that we're talking about a full surface.
Perimeter measure around the sides. I emphasize that r in both words, and make a hand motion moving around.
You know, I'm kind of obnoxious about the way I repeat it over and over, making the same hand movements, and emphasize the are for area and the r in perimeter.
But I've had former students tell me they remembered the difference between area and perimeter and they repeated the movements I used to make when they were in my class.
I also made up this activity for the children to practice the differences between the two. See the image or HERE: Area or Perimeter
When my students do this activity, they repeat my gestures every time!
I've been in the mood to tell about my very first day of school.
Yes it was a very long time ago, but if you recall, the memory is connected to emotions, and I had some VERY strong emotions that day.
My mother was a teacher, my dad was the Phys Ed director in my town, and my older sister went to school. I had to stay home with the babysitter while everyone else in my family went to school. Needless to say, I wanted to go to school just like everyone else in my world.
I kept asking when I could go to school. My mother showed me on the calendar how many days had to go by before I could finally go. I counted, and counted, and finally, the day came.
"But you promised." I was inconsolable. I remember my mother bringing me out to the front porch, trying to convince me that they wouldn't let children go to school when the weather was that bad.
I must have gone to school the next day, but I really don't remember!
It was the intense emotion that I remember to this day. Yet another lesson on the brain and emotions. And another hurricane story.
Here are couple of videos about Hurricane Donna, if you're interested!
Hurricane Donna Newsreel:
This is pretty old, but interesting! Apparently Hurricane Donna caused a lot of damage because it hit so many different places and kept going! The newsreel does end rather abruptly... technology has improved a lot since then!
Track of Hurricane Donna:
This shows why Hurricane Donna caused so much damage: it hit Puerto Rico and several islands, the keys and up the coast of Florida, then the entire coast of the US through New England (where I lived.) Luckily, Hurricanes don't always follow that path!
Click HERE for more information about Hurricane Donna. (This one contains a slide show if you find "please click here" near the bottom of the text. Very interesting stuff, if you're fascinated by weather, as I am!
Everything I've read about brain research and memory tells me that there are strong ties between the memory and emotion.
As an experienced teacher, it's clear that children will remember events that are associated with emotional events. Personally, I prefer to keep that emotion a happy one while in the classroom. (Although I'll bet everyone reading this remembers events from extremely unhappy times, I'll leave those negative emotions to a power higher than myself... hopefully it's not the principal!)
I remember, a long time ago, I walked into a workshop after a long day of workshops. It was a long morning, and we were fed a good lunch. This was mid afternoon, the time when many countries like to take a siesta, and the rest of us wish we could.
As I walked to the room for my next workshop, I was seriously thinking of sneaking out to find a place I could slip in a little nap. I walked into the room, and I heard music playing. Not your typical "little kid" music, but fun music, the kind you'd hear at a party. Immediately I started smiling and happily found a seat, smiling at the other teachers in the room, who were also smiling. I saw lots of other people do the same... looking around, smiling, moving to the music, chatting happily... can you picture it?
When the workshop started, we were all in grand moods. I still wonder if I would have enjoyed that workshop as much, or even been able to stay awake, if it weren't for the "feel good" music while we were arriving.
I've remembered this moment many times. I've collected a number of classic "feel good" songs that I like to play when the children enter the classroom. These songs always bring smiles to faces. Even though they hate to see it end, they settle right down ready to work after the happy music.
I find this music is great for Open Houses, too. It's nice to see those parents smiling. I'm preparing my music for this Monday's Open House... it's their first impression of me, and I want it to be a good one!
What music makes you feel good? Here is one of mine! I can't help but smile when I hear Aretha!
HERE's a freebie with a list of many of the songs I use:
What music do you like to play that makes people feel good?
What do you remember about this day so many years ago?
This is one of those events where people would always remember where they were, and what they were doing. (Again, brain research tells us that memories are associated with strong emotions!)
I remember where I was when Kennedy was shot. (Yes, I really am that old!) I was 8 years old in my third grade class. The principal got on the intercom and told us to pray. She didn't tell us why, she just told us to pray. (Yep, Catholic School!)
I got home that afternoon to find my mother watching the TV, talking on the phone and crying. I watched a little bit of the TV to find out what was happening. I saw that clip in Dallas of the famous motorcade, with President Kennedy falling over and Jackie reacting... I saw that over and over.
I sensed the huge sadness of the event, said something like "aw, that's too bad", and went out to play with my friends.
Almost 40 years later: One beautiful September morning, I was in my second grade classroom. My student teacher was about to have her first evaluation by her supervising teacher, and one of my students was about to get a baby sister.
One of the teacher assistants in our school stopped into the classroom and said she'd cover the classroom, both my student teacher and I should go to the office. She quickly whispered something to me about a plane crash.
I went to the principal's office to find several teachers watching the TV. Some were crying, some looked quite shaken. The first tower had just collapsed. They kept showing the second plane hitting the second tower over and over. Then the second tower collapsed. It was surreal. Teachers came in and out to find out what was going on.
We decided not to tell the children. They were rather young to "get it", and this was the sort of thing that was best coming from parents. Before going back to class, I stopped into my daughter's classroom and gave her a big hug. (I never did this! I tried very hard to stay out of the way of my daughter's class, so she was quite surprised... but her teacher understood.) I told her, "I just needed to give you a hug today."
We took the kids out for an extra long recess that day. The teachers all huddled together, trying to stay strong. The kids all played on that beautiful September day in New England. A couple of children were dismissed early that day. We gave them all a break from homework that night.
When I got home, I told my daughter about what had happened. I watched it on the news over and over. I called my sister and we talked and cried. My daughter went outside to play. History repeats itself.
What happened over the next few weeks was interesting. Flags flew everywhere. People were warmer to each other, even total strangers. Patriotism became stronger. People were proud of their country.
About a week later, I was at a local apple orchard listening to blue grass music and celebrating fall on yet another beautiful fall day in New England. I remember one man pointing to the sky and saying, "a plane". The crowd was silent. Seeing a plane in the sky wasn't unusual, but this was the first one we'd seen since September 11th. We all watched the plane go by silently, then turned and smiled at each other. They were hopeful smiles.
Fast forward to the present. Right now is one of the roughest times our country has been through that I can recall in my many, many years. People are angry. Unemployment is high and morale is low. People are doubting the strength of our government. People are doubting the strength of our economy. People are scared.
But I still believe. Maybe it's that Catholic school upbringing in the 60s or living through the Vietnam war protests of the 60s and 70s. Or maybe it's something that my parents taught me. But I believe in my country. I believe we will work out all the problems and be a stronger country in the long run. And I'm still proud to be an American.
No matter how many times I hear this song, I'll end up weeping by the end:
