Daily Domino

Most of us can remember memorizing math facts when we were in elementary school. Timed tests and flashcards immediately come to mind. I can remember being quizzed over each fact family, and how hard each of us worked to memorize them all.

Memorizing math facts is essential, and so is understanding the concepts behind those facts. Even before children are prepared to be tested over the facts, they are capable of exploring and comprehending addition.

The Daily Domino is a part of our class meeting each day. It is a simple, effective way to introduce and explore addition. I make enough copies of the Daily Domino template to last several weeks. While the children watch, I circle several numbers with a colored marker and more numbers with a different colored marker. At the same time, we discuss other key concepts.

“Boys and girls, what color am I using to draw these circles?”

“Brown!”

How do we say that in Spanish, “Marron!”

“That’s right!”

“What color are we using now?”

“Orange!”

“That’s right! How do we say that in Spanish?”

“Anaranjado!”

“Boys and girls, whisper to someone next to you our number sentence for today.”

“Okay, use your fingers to show me how many brown circles we have.”

I look at the fingers the children are displaying and write the number on the template.

“What symbol do we use we use next?”

The children make a ‘plus’ sign with their arms. We discuss how we could say ‘plus’ or ‘and’ or ‘put together.’ This is an opportunity to discuss math vocabulary.

“Use your fingers to show us how many orange circles we have.” Using their fingers and arms (rather than raising their hands) requires all of the children to participate (rather than only the most confident ones).

“What do we do next?” The children show the equal sign with their arms.

“Boys and girls, show me how many circles we have circled altogether.” The children show the answer to the problem with their fingers.”

As the children indicate each number and symbol, I will write them on the template.

This activity provides a venue to explore addition, make connections to a visuals (the domino, written numerals, watching each other make symbols with their arms), and practice using math vocabulary. It incorporates visual, oral, auditory, and kinestetic senses. Maximum learning and maximum participation. This is good business and good education. Make math concepts comfortable, natural, and practice them frequently. Take the stress and drama out of addition, and replace it with efficiency and practicality.

Puppets

Lions and tigers and bears . . . oh, my! Puppets are fun for the brave and the shy!

I have developed a career around building literacy skills. Many children with special needs and English language learners are hesitant to express themselves. Making a puppet “talk” can be nonthreatening way to allow these children to try out their language skills.

Puppets are also a great way to focus students’ attention and encourage interest in a lesson or story. Children are fascinated by puppets. The positive emotions that these puppets elicit stimulate the brain and encourage retention.

Puppets can be bought from many sources. It is also fun to make your own. There are many types of puppets. Stick puppets can easily be made by upcycling small stuffed animals.

1. Choose a stuffed toy (garage sales, parent donations, and second-hand stores are a great source).
2. Use scissors or a utility knife to make a small cut in the bottom of the toy.


3. Insert a dowel or old wooden spoon (these work great - more surface area inside to stabilize the puppet) in the opening.
4. Use hot glue to seal the opening.
5. Have fun!

Make Your Own Pointers

Pointers have endless uses in the classroom. They channel student attention, allow teachers to emphasize key skills, promote left to right directionality, and more. Mundane skills like practicing word wall words, reading the room, and reading the morning message are a little more exciting when students have the opportunity to choose a pointer and be the “teacher.” Incorporating positive feelings and utilizing novelty stimulate the brain and serve as a catalyst for learning.

Pointers are available commercially through many educational companies and discount stores. They are also easy to make. Making a special pointer is a fun way to incorporate a theme or highlight a sight word or letter. Wooden dowels can be purchased from discount, craft, or hardware stores. Simply glue an object (such as a foam shape, letter cut-out, spider ring, so on) to the end fo the dowel, and you are ready to roll.

Getting More From Your Puzzles

Teachers invest in their classrooms. We invest our hearts, our time, our talent, and our money. Like any professional, we want those dollars to do as much good as possible.

One way to get more from our puzzles is to use both sides. The possiblities are endless. Matching puzzles (often these are available for letters and numbers) lend themselves to becoming manipulatives to practice math facts, compound words, numbers and symbols, and many other skills.

Other puzzles can be flipped over and used as a canvas for nearly any skill you want students to practice or review. Math properties can be written for students to put together, mitosis can be drawn out, vocabulary words and definitions can be listed . . . the possibilities are endless. These puzzles can be teacher created, or challenge students to upcycle by creating review puzzles for the class.

Puzzles are tactile, hands-on, and great for visual learners. Get more from your puzzles by using the flipside.

Sing for the Season

The holidays are a time for love, laughter, and an opportunity to enhance learning. Santa Claus elicits feelings of joy and excitement for young children. Research has taught us that the brain is stimulated when learning has an emotional connection. This song (sung to the tune of “Bingo”) uses this connection with Santa to teach letter recognition, beginning spelling, and descriptive language.

1. Challenge students to list things they associate with Santa Claus (long white beard, flying sleigh, comes on Christmas Eve, big black boots, soft white suit, bag of toys).
2. Write the letters S-A-N-T-A on a dry-erase board or chalkboard.
3. Sing the following song to the tune of bingo inserting the descriptive phrases provided by the children.

There was a man with a long white beard and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

S-A-N-T-A

S-A-N-T-A

S-A-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “S” and insert a line for a ‘blank.’ Explain to the children how to clap in place of singing the letter. There was a man with a bag of toys and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-A-N-T-A

_-A-N-T-A

_-A-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “A.”

There was a man with a cherry nose and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-_-N-T-A

_-_-N-T-A

_-_-N-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Erase the “N.”

There was a man with big, black boots and S-A-N-T-A was his name-o

_-_-_-T-A

_-_-_-T-A

_-_-_-T-A

And Santa was his name-o

Continue until each letter has been erased.

More ideas for Christmas in the Classroom: http://infinitecvideos.wikispaces.com/Literacy

Christmas in the Classroom

There is just something magic about Christmas. Christmas is about love, giving, searching for good, and miracles.

Children associate Christmas with positive memories and excitement. Positive memories and emotions create hooks in the brain. One of the joys of teaching is using these hooks to build new skills.

This simple activity with Christmas tree cut-outs and button manipulatives can be used to teach a variety of skills building on those positive dendrites.

1. Cut Christmas trees from green craft foam or felt. (Christmas tree template printable: http://familyfun.go.com/printables/christmas-tree-ornament-patterns-702979/)
2. Use buttons as manipulatives .
3. Choose a skill topractice!

• Orally state math story problems while students use the buttons to create the problems on the trees. Stress words that are synonyms: plus, and, add; minus, subtract, take away.
• Practice positional words, “Put the button at the TOPof the tree.” “Put two red buttons UNDER the yellow button.”
• Demonstrate the communtive property using the trees, buttons, and a dry erase board.
• Place the trees and buttons at the math center and challenge students to write math story problems.
• Practice one-to-one counting using the mats and buttons.
• Learn beginning addition and subtraction skills.