Do This! Not That...Back to School Blog Hop
I am teaming up with my Lesson Delicatessen friends to bring you our DO THIS! NOT THAT Back to School Blog Hop! As teachers we are always reflecting on what works, what bombed, and what needs some tweaking! I am all about self-reflection. Read on if you want to find out about a blunder I have made for awhile as a 6th grade teacher...grab a great FREEBIE, and find more valuable ideas and goodies from my buddies as you head through the hop! The last stop lets you enter to win a $100 TPT Gift Card!
I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas this summer and meet 1,100 other teachers that are passionate about their work in the classroom, blogging, and creating the best classroom resources. It was an AMAZING adventure and I was so fortunate to share the experience with my children's kindergarten teacher, Jonelle Bell from A Place Called Kindergarten. I adore this lady and am so grateful to have had this experience together!
What I realized is that so is EVERY SINGLE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! For so many of my students it is busy, loud, and overstimulating. Add to it a first day activity that I thought was fun for the students, but has potential to be truly uncomfortable for many. You know the one, students have to get up out of their seat and ask everyone in the class a question, then get all of their peers to sign next to said questions on their paper?! For a number of years I decided to implement this Class Signature Scavenger Hunt on the first day of school without realizing how it is loud, it is busy, and it is overwhelming to new and introverted students. DON'T DO THAT! I, too, plan to take a break from these intense hunts and I plan to...
DO THIS...(and grab this FREEBIE)
The
purpose of this Getting to Know You! Chit Chat Cards resource is to allow
students to have the chance to share about themselves and listen to a peer
while providing them with a focal point to begin their conversation in order to
generate even more thoughtful discussion.
These question cards give students the chance to engage in conversation with a peer or small group without overwhelming them and sending them all over the classroom.
Simply PRINT, LAMINATE, CUT, and EXPLAIN! Have students share their thoughts with a partner or in a small group. These cards will encourage positive peer interactions from that very first day of the school year, while making students feel more comfortable with one another. That is our ultimate goal, right?!
Enter my ELA Made Easy Upper Elementary Bundle Giveaway (a $90 value) below.
Then, head to my friend Amy's blog, Teaching Ideas 4 U, and snag another great tip and FREEBIE! Best of luck as you and your students tackle the 2015-2016 school year!
Simply PRINT, LAMINATE, CUT, and EXPLAIN! Have students share their thoughts with a partner or in a small group. These cards will encourage positive peer interactions from that very first day of the school year, while making students feel more comfortable with one another. That is our ultimate goal, right?!
Enter my ELA Made Easy Upper Elementary Bundle Giveaway (a $90 value) below.
Labels: Back to School, Blog Hop, Do This Not That, First Day of School, Freebie
posted by Erin Beers @ 6:00 AM
17 Comments
17 Comments:
Erin, I LOVE this tip! I especially love how you took your own experience in Vegas and related it to the classroom. It shows what a reflective teacher you are!
Thank you for sharing the Chit Chat Cards. I love the idea of small group rather than whole group. One activity that I always thought was fun was the toilet paper activity where the students take as many squares as they want, then discuss one thing about themselves for each square. I will no longer do this activity because it takes too much time. I like that the Chit Chat Cards will give everyone time to speak.
I am switching grades, so most of mine won't be used. I am adapting! :) I have to say that as an extrovert, I LOVED those games. It gave me an excuse to talk to someone I wanted to, without them looking at me like I was crazy to just walk up and talk. Met several young men that way ;). My daughter, however, dies inside at those games. Just another example of diverse learners!
Your chit chat cards are great ! We do something similar, it's a big hit!
Thanks for sharing your resources! I love this idea of getting to know you cards. I certainly will use them in my classroom.
I too, used to do the class signature activity. Now you've got me rethinking that... Thanks for providing an alternative.
I think I may try these. Thanks for sharing!
I always enjoy your thoughts and insights!! And I really love the idea of Chit Chat cards - thank you!
I always used the getting to know you bingo activity. I won't use that anymore. Instead, I will try the Chit Chat activity.
The get up scavenger hunt.
I can't wait to try the Chit Chat cards on the first day!
One year I read Chrysathemum to my students, but I quickly realized that my students had heard the story three other times on the first day in years prior. I never used that story again! Lol! Thanks for the giveaway :)
I don't know what activity that I won't do again but I do try to stay away from the "what all I did this summer" activities. I come from a low income school so a lot of our kids don't have those type of opportunities. I try to find activities that help me learn more about the student instead.
Snowball fight.
Thanks for the freebie! I'll never play the toilet paper game again (where you take as much as you need and then talk about yourself).
Thanks for the freebie and great give away!
It would have to be the scavenger hunt.
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