My favorite is the fall bulletin board with the owls sitting on the tree. Great for autumn, which is just around the corner. Check it out!
image: microsoft
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Tons of Classroom Decoration Ideas
Go over to the The Virtual Vine's collection of bulletin boards and door decoration ideas. They have a ton of posted pictures that may be just the inspiration you need for your classroom decorations. Several pictures would be very fitting for back-to-school themes.
My favorite is the fall bulletin board with the owls sitting on the tree. Great for autumn, which is just around the corner. Check it out!
My favorite is the fall bulletin board with the owls sitting on the tree. Great for autumn, which is just around the corner. Check it out!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Math Activities: "Measure Yourself!"
Here is a simple math activity provided by LHS kids. It combines practice with measuring, technology, and animal facts!
Students need to use a ruler or meter stick to measure parts of their body (ear, foot and entire height) in centimeters. Next, they enter their measurements into the website. The website compares their measurements to that of some animals. You can use that information to ask them math problems about their data (How many centimeters smaller are your feet than an elephant's? How much taller than a bobcat are you?).
Also, the final step on the site features some other cool, printable math activities:
Students need to use a ruler or meter stick to measure parts of their body (ear, foot and entire height) in centimeters. Next, they enter their measurements into the website. The website compares their measurements to that of some animals. You can use that information to ask them math problems about their data (How many centimeters smaller are your feet than an elephant's? How much taller than a bobcat are you?).
Also, the final step on the site features some other cool, printable math activities:
- Print out a nanometer ruler and measure tiny material, recording their data on the provided chart.
- Get out your stopwatches and have students record how many times they blink, breathe and do other things in one minute.
- Students can measure the classroom with their own feet. As a partner activity, this could be a good math center. You can also make a trace of your own foot and have them compare their measurements with your foot, and go home and measure their bedroom with their feet.
- Students can practice measuring and estimation with this activity as they examine a baby elephant's footprint. They will need string and some coins to record their data
Great resources! Have fun measuring!
image: microsoft
Math Center: Division Dash!
- Grade Level: 3-5, or any students needing to practice dividing two-digit numbers by a one digit number
- Operations: division, and addition to determine points
- Materials: cards numbered 1-9, score sheet, paper and a pencil
- Steps:
- The rules of the game are outlined in detail here.
- The basic idea of the game is for students to flip over three of the cards, which will be their two-digit dividend and their one-digit divisor. (Let's say they flip over 5, 6 and 2. They can divide 56 by 2.) Students will find their quotient (ignoring remainders) and that will be their score. After each turn, they add their quotients up for their new score. The first person to reach 100 wins the game. This is a two-person activity.
- Possible Extension:
- Increase the number of numbered cards in the stack, and have students flip over more cards for two-digit by two-digit division, or larger problems.
- Add a timer. Students have to reach 100 within a time limit, and each problem has to be accurate to win.
image: microsoft
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Time Filler: License Plate Puzzles
Got a few minutes of class time to fill?
Substitute teachers in particular have questions about how to fill a few minutes of class time. As I always say, a classroom with nothing to do can quickly erupt into chaos. You'd be surprised how rowdy a class can get just 10 minutes before dismissal, especially.
What I like to do is have a few brainteasers, short stories or puzzles on hand just to occupy students' minds for those few minutes until we transition to something else. Kids usually like things like that because they can be done orally as a class, and they're fun!
I found these License Plate Puzzles from Brain Candy, and all you have to do is print them out and save them for work in case you ever have the opportunity to use them in class. You can display your print out on those neat document cameras I love or, if the class doesn't have one, you can just copy the license plates on the board for all to see.
Essentially, these are just rebus puzzles in the form of vanity plates. See if students can figure out what the message is saying for each one.
If you have a few more minutes to fill, challenge students to create their own vanity plates on paper. You can even introduce it with a whole story about how they've just gotten their first car and they really want to make a statement with their vanity plates. Tell them they can only use letters and numbers, and no more than 6-7 spaces to create a message.
Cool way to exercise the brain!
Here is another list of vanity plate messages. Make sure they're school-appropriate. ;-)
Substitute teachers in particular have questions about how to fill a few minutes of class time. As I always say, a classroom with nothing to do can quickly erupt into chaos. You'd be surprised how rowdy a class can get just 10 minutes before dismissal, especially.
What I like to do is have a few brainteasers, short stories or puzzles on hand just to occupy students' minds for those few minutes until we transition to something else. Kids usually like things like that because they can be done orally as a class, and they're fun!
I found these License Plate Puzzles from Brain Candy, and all you have to do is print them out and save them for work in case you ever have the opportunity to use them in class. You can display your print out on those neat document cameras I love or, if the class doesn't have one, you can just copy the license plates on the board for all to see.
Essentially, these are just rebus puzzles in the form of vanity plates. See if students can figure out what the message is saying for each one.
If you have a few more minutes to fill, challenge students to create their own vanity plates on paper. You can even introduce it with a whole story about how they've just gotten their first car and they really want to make a statement with their vanity plates. Tell them they can only use letters and numbers, and no more than 6-7 spaces to create a message.
Cool way to exercise the brain!
Here is another list of vanity plate messages. Make sure they're school-appropriate. ;-)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
"Santa Claus, Indiana": Geography Activity
Ever heard of Santa Claus, Indiana? Would your students believe that it's a real place?
Use interesting town names as the basis for a geography classroom activity. This idea comes from Education World's "Boring" Geography Lesson, named after the town of Boring, Maryland.
Give students a list of interesting town names, like this one. Choose some of your favorites (I like Ding Dong, Texas) and make a simple map/atlas assignment asking students to find the latitude and longitude of these places, or use any other maps skills you would like them to practice. Education World makes other suggestions for this activity, such as having students make creative newspaper headlines using the strange town names. Have students use a map to create a list of unique town names they've discovered. The class could also use the internet in lieu of paper maps for information about these towns.
Use interesting town names as the basis for a geography classroom activity. This idea comes from Education World's "Boring" Geography Lesson, named after the town of Boring, Maryland.
Give students a list of interesting town names, like this one. Choose some of your favorites (I like Ding Dong, Texas) and make a simple map/atlas assignment asking students to find the latitude and longitude of these places, or use any other maps skills you would like them to practice. Education World makes other suggestions for this activity, such as having students make creative newspaper headlines using the strange town names. Have students use a map to create a list of unique town names they've discovered. The class could also use the internet in lieu of paper maps for information about these towns.
- How miles away is Whynot, MS from Jackson, MS?
- In which state would one find Loyalsockville?
- Is Unalaska, Alaska east or west of Juneau, Alaska?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Fun Math Game: "Bizz-Buzz" (Practicing Common Multiples)
"Bizz-Buzz" is a more challenging version of "Buzz" and would be a good activity for students who've already mastered that game.
The same rules of that game apply to "Bizz-Buzz," only this time, students will be given two numbers. When the group counts and one student reaches a multiple of the first number, they will say "bizz" instead. As in the first game, when a student reaches a multiple of the second number, they will say "buzz" instead. When a student reaches a common multiple of both numbers, they will say "bizz-buzz!"
For instance, let's say your target numbers are 4 and 7. When the group is going around counting, any student who is supposed to say 4, 8, 12, 16, etc. will say "bizz" instead of those numbers. If a student is supposed to say 7, 14, 21, etc. when it is their turn, they will say "buzz." The student who is supposed to say 28, however, should say "bizz-buzz."
Just like in the first game, if any student misses saying either "bizz," "buzz" or "bizz-buzz" at the correct time (or takes a long pause to figure out when they should say it), the entire group has to begin their counting over again with 1. Counting continues as long as students say the right numbers or terms.
As you can see, "Bizz-Buzz" is a good way to practice common multiples, mental math and cooperative learning. It may be difficult at first to keep up with the numbers mentally, but that's what makes it fun!
Give it a try and see how your class likes it!
The same rules of that game apply to "Bizz-Buzz," only this time, students will be given two numbers. When the group counts and one student reaches a multiple of the first number, they will say "bizz" instead. As in the first game, when a student reaches a multiple of the second number, they will say "buzz" instead. When a student reaches a common multiple of both numbers, they will say "bizz-buzz!"
For instance, let's say your target numbers are 4 and 7. When the group is going around counting, any student who is supposed to say 4, 8, 12, 16, etc. will say "bizz" instead of those numbers. If a student is supposed to say 7, 14, 21, etc. when it is their turn, they will say "buzz." The student who is supposed to say 28, however, should say "bizz-buzz."
Just like in the first game, if any student misses saying either "bizz," "buzz" or "bizz-buzz" at the correct time (or takes a long pause to figure out when they should say it), the entire group has to begin their counting over again with 1. Counting continues as long as students say the right numbers or terms.
As you can see, "Bizz-Buzz" is a good way to practice common multiples, mental math and cooperative learning. It may be difficult at first to keep up with the numbers mentally, but that's what makes it fun!
Give it a try and see how your class likes it!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Fun Math Game: "Buzz" (Practicing Multiples)
This is a fun math game that I witnessed being played while I subbed for a fifth grade class last year. I was terribly amused by it and wanted to describe it for you all. It's simply called "Buzz."
It's a great game because it helps kids practice multiples, and it's oral. You don't need anything except for the kids to sit in a circle.
All you have to do is give them a number. Let's say "7." Choose someone to go first and they will start counting with 1, next person says 2, and the next person says 3, so on and so on around the circle. The object of the game is to count quickly (have a nice rhythm going) and say "buzz" whenever you get to a number that is a multiple of the number you chose. So once they get to 14, 21 or any other multiple of 7, that person will say "buzz" and the counting continues.
If the person forgets and says the number instead of "buzz," the round ends and they have to start the counting over at 1. Counting also begins again if the person takes a long pause on their turn. The counting should be automatic. After several times around the circle, you can choose a new number.
The kids really enjoyed this game, and I did as well! What usually happens is someone doesn't pay attention and forgets they are supposed to say "buzz." Sometimes a kid won't realize a number is a multiple (especially if the counting goes on for a while and the numbers get high). When someone messes up, everyone groans and laughs and begins again. The goal is to try and keep the counting going for as long as possible, trying to beat the record for how long it can last.
This can be played with the whole class, like we did, or a small group. Give it a try!
image: microsoft
It's a great game because it helps kids practice multiples, and it's oral. You don't need anything except for the kids to sit in a circle.
All you have to do is give them a number. Let's say "7." Choose someone to go first and they will start counting with 1, next person says 2, and the next person says 3, so on and so on around the circle. The object of the game is to count quickly (have a nice rhythm going) and say "buzz" whenever you get to a number that is a multiple of the number you chose. So once they get to 14, 21 or any other multiple of 7, that person will say "buzz" and the counting continues.
If the person forgets and says the number instead of "buzz," the round ends and they have to start the counting over at 1. Counting also begins again if the person takes a long pause on their turn. The counting should be automatic. After several times around the circle, you can choose a new number.
The kids really enjoyed this game, and I did as well! What usually happens is someone doesn't pay attention and forgets they are supposed to say "buzz." Sometimes a kid won't realize a number is a multiple (especially if the counting goes on for a while and the numbers get high). When someone messes up, everyone groans and laughs and begins again. The goal is to try and keep the counting going for as long as possible, trying to beat the record for how long it can last.
This can be played with the whole class, like we did, or a small group. Give it a try!
image: microsoft
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