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Do
you want each of your students to have his/her own personal white board to use
in class? It sure saves on paper when doing group exercises! One of the cheapest
ways to obtain these handy items is to go to your local hardware store and buy
a sheet of white shower board. Then ask the attendant there who is in charge of
cutting materials to cut you approximately 12"X12" squares from the board. You
can get approximately 30 boards from just one sheet of shower board! It works
great!
This
great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber MY:
I keep a clipboard
at my desk that says, "Class Meeting Agenda." When there are any problems or concerns
during the week, instead of running to tell me about it, students write them on
our class agenda form.
Students also know that as their teacher, I have the
final say as to whether we discuss the issue in our class meeting or not. Sometimes
I like to address individual problems privately, rather than open them up for
discussion in our class meeting. But at least there is a system set up in our
room where my students know that their voice is heard.
This
great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber MY:
Make a class time-line!
At the end of each month, have your students list the 5 best events of the month.
have them share & discuss and then vote on what they think were the most memorable
learning experiences-a field trip, a guest speaker, an assembly, or a fun science
experiment. Then assign several of your students to draw a picture that depicts
that event. Line them up around the classroom to help your students remember the
great learning that has taken place during the year! And you'll have a great display
for Open House!
This great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber MF:
Offer extra credit
when you need papers back ASAP !
This great idea comes
from a teachingtips.com
subscriber MK:
I teach my primary students
to say:
Stop! I don't like that. Be a friend. It empowers them and I don't
have to get into disagreements. It is amazing how fast they learn to deal with
situations.
This great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber KS:
To teach even and odd
numbers: On even dates on the calendar the girls go first and on odd dates the
boys go first.
In order to keep students in straight lines teach them this
"secret." -To stay in straight lines just make sure both of your eyes can see
the back of the head of the person in front of you.
This
great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber BH:
Turn any old notebook
inside out, make a base out of cardboard to fit and attach it with duct tape.
Flip charts have a million uses. I use mine to tell who's turn it is to use the
computer, who gets to sit on the couch, who's turn it is for Show and Tell, etc.
I also use flip charts to keep a running list of story starters for those who
can't think of anything to write.
This great idea comes
from a teachingtips.com
subscriber WT:
I use this method for
Conuct and Completed Work:
Buy 2 yardsticks and paint them in graduated amounts
in these colors: green (about 12"), yellow (about 8"), red (about 4"), and black
(about 4"). Label one Conduct and the other Completed Work'.
Hang the yardsticks in your classroom where they are visible to students. The
colors represent grades for conduct and completing work. (Green=excellent, yellow=above
average, blue=satisfactory, red=needs improvement, black=unsatisfactory.)
Then buy a bag of clothespins and write each child's name on 2 clothespins with
a black marker. At the beginning of the week, each child's clothespin is clipped
to the green part of the yardstick.
If homework is not completed, the clothespin
on the 'Completed Work' yardstick is moved down one increment.
If a student
talks too much or disobeys a classroom rule, the clothespin on the 'Conduct' yardstick
is moved down.
When a clothespin reaches the red area, that student misses
recess for the remainder of the week. When a clothespin reaches the black area,
the student's parents are notified.
For rewards, each child has a 3"x4" card.
When a student is "caught being good," the edge of his or her card is punched
with a heart-shaped holepunch. Students use their cards to buy things from their
teacher. For example, lunch with the teacher might "cost" 30 punches, bringing
a boombox to recess is 25 punches, wearing a hat in class is 10 punches, and a
pencil or eraser costs 5 punches. The items are all free or inexpensive and the
kids love it when we have a "Punch Sale.
This
great idea comes from a teachingtips.com
subscriber:
1.When I need to get the
children's attention I ask them to "Stop and give me five."
2.This means
they have to do five things in order for me to give out my directions.
1.
Look at me -( meaning turn around and face me if you are not)
2. Close your
mouth - no talking
3. Stop touching, writing or playing (whatever they are
doing)
4. Open your ears - Listen
5. Raise your hand showing five fingers
to show me you are doing what you are supposed to. When I have all hands up I
give out my directions.
3.It works really well. I usually make a sign with
pictures so I can point to it whenever I need to remind the children. After they
get used to it I just say "five" and they know what to do.
This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber FF
Helping Students to Remember
Sometimes it's hard for my students to remember what we learned in class so at
the beginning of each class I have them jot down four things that we discussed
in class from the previous day. This not only helps them to remember what we discussed,
but gives them an extra credit grade. At the end of the week, we take what we
learned all week, and turn it into a Bingo or Jeopardy game. The winning team
or student then receives a small award such as a free homework pass. This gives
each child the incentive to learn and increase their knowledge.
This
great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber LH
So You Want To Be A Millionaire
For a test review we play So You Want To Be A Millionaire. Instead of one person
answering all the questions, I pick students at random. No one knows who will
be picked until after the question is read. Points can be given to teams.
The life lines are:
(1) Ask someone else in class.
(2) Ask the entire
class – they have to write the answer.
(3) Ask the teacher.
(4) Ask me.
(5) Ask the principal.
(6) Ask for the question to be repeated.
Once a lifeline is used, it cannot be used by anyone else. We do the chant, 'Is
that your final answer?'
and anything else possible to make it realistic.
This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber JHinWA
Save your plastic
covers from items like coffee...they are great to use as a template for drawing
sircles. This great idea comes from
teachingtips.com
subscriber DR
To review vocabulary
in any subject, take strips of masking tape and tape them to a rectangular sponge.
Use a marker to write the vocabulary words on the tape.
Have the students
toss the sponge around the room to other students.
The words that get chosen
can depend on which finger is touching
a particular part of the sponge. For
example, if a student's left finger lands on a specific word that is the word
they must try to define. Students love this game. If there are more than six vocabulary
words, just tape over already defined words and write the new words on top.
This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber in WY
Fora break in the
classroom, I blow up 10 balloons and let the the students bat them around to each
other silently while sitting at their desks. This
great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber BZ
Aqua Net - a life saver!!!
Used a permanent marker by accident?? Spray with Aqua Net, let set, wipe off!! This
great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber UT
Individual White Boards
1 Do you want each of your students to have his/her own personal white board
to use in class? It sure saves on paper when doing group exercises! One of the
cheapest ways to obtain these handy items is to go to your local hardware store
and buy a sheet of white shower board. Then ask the attendant there who is in
charge of cutting materials to cut you approximately 12"X12" squares from the
board. You can get approximately 30 boards from just one
sheet of shower
board! It works great! This great idea
comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber RG
If you
write with washable/ nonpermanent overhead pens on transparencies- an easy way
to clean and dry them quickly is to rinse off the transparency and place it in
a phone book, you can put a different one every 20-25 pages - the transparency
dries in about 20 minutes and leaves no streaks and can be reused many times.
This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber B
Always keep a record of
all inservices you attend!! Have a notebook to keep these records. then when you
need to write a resume or show verification of attendance it will all be in one
place! This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber AS
Tricky Twelves
A
student taught me the 12's trick a few years ago when multiplying numbers two
through nine by twelve.
Here it is:
12 x 2 = 22 + 2 = 24
12 x 3 =
33 + 3 = 36
12 x 4 = 44 + 4 = 48
12 x 5 = 55 + 5 = 60
12 x 6 = 66
+ 6 = 72
12 x 7 = 77 + 7 = 84
12 x 8 = 88 + 8 = 96
12 x 9 = 99
+ 9 = 108 This great idea comes from
teachingtips.com
subscriber NJ
McDonald's
Division
"When teaching long division, I use the DMSCBS acronym.
The
sentence we use is:
Does McDonalds Sell Cheeseburgers & Shakes?
D-Decide
Where to Place (The first digit goes in the quotient and then divide.)
M-Multiply
S-Subtract
C-Compare
B-Bring Down
S-Start Over Again
I make a chart showing a hamburger with all the fixings to represent the steps."
This great idea comes from teachingtips.com
subscriber, memawof 04@aol.com
This
tip works for all grade levels. I know we can all remember a teacher, from our
past, who always seemed to call on the same students to answer questions. As careful
as we may be, we may sometimes catch ourselves doing the same thing. This tip
will eliminate that problem.
* I start by buying three, different colored,
small, plastic, baby bottles.
* I remove the caps, stand them beside each
other in a circle, and hot glue them together.
* I label the bottles as follows:
"Names", "Go", and "Stop".
* I then take popsicle sticks and label one stick
for each student with their number. (I number my students each year 1, 2, 3, etc.)
I choose to write numbers, so I do not have to relabel more sticks the following
year. If you like, you may write the student's name on the stick.
* I then
place the sticks into the bottle labeled, "Names".
When I need my students
to answer questions about anything, I simply "Pick-A-Stick" from the "Names" bottle.
* If the student answers correctly, I place their stick into the "Go" bottle.
(The "Go" bottle means, "This student may keep going, because he/she understands".)
* If the student does not answer correctly, I place their stick into the "Stop"
bottle. (The "Stop" bottle means, "This student needs to stop and receive more
instruction on this concept".)
After the questioning session, I can tell
at a glance which students understand the concept and which students need more
instruction. The students love to have their stick picked. There is something
fun about having your number/name drawn. The students pay attention and stay on
their toes. If I start any type of questioning, and am not using the bottles,
the students start reminding me to get the "Pick-A-Stick" bottles. I have used
this idea for several years and it always works great!
I would LOVE to hear
from you. Please let me know how this idea works for you. If you have any questions,
or any suggestions on how to make this idea work even better, please email me.
My email address is: memawof 04@aol.com (There is NO space after the "f". It just
looked like a "t" so I moved over.) Hope to hear from you soon! Another
great idea from teachingtips.com
subscriber, memawof 04@aol.com
I teach
first grade and teaching the concept of "odd or even" was not easy for the children
to grasp. One day while working with a balance scale, an idea came to me. Why
not pretend the scale is a balanced seesaw? If zero children are on the seesaw,
it stays "even". If one child gets on the seesaw it will be uneven or "odd", because
one end would go up. If two children get on, it will be balanced, or "even" again.
If three get on, it will be uneven or "odd" again, and so on. Next, I had to think
of something I could use to be the "pretend" children on the seesaw. I looked
around the room to find things that were the same weight and small enough to fit
on the scale. I came up with pieces of "new" chalk. They were all the same weight
and were small enough to fit on the scale. I placed the scale where everyone could
observe what happened when I placed the chalk on each side. I told the children
to pretend the seesaw had springs underneath to keep it balanced or even. (I told
them this because most seesaws do not stay even, unless they have springs.) I
then asked them to tell me how many children were on the seesaw. They told me
"none". I asked them to tell me the number for "none". They said "zero". I said,
"OK, then zero must be even". Next, I placed one piece of chalk on one side of
the scale, and immediately that side went down. I told the children to tell me
if the seesaw was odd or even now. They said, "Odd". I asked them how many children
were on the seesaw, and they said "one". I asked them, "Well, what is number one,
odd or even?" They answered, "Odd". I then placed a second piece of chalk on the
opposite side of the scale, and once again the scale balanced and became even.
I repeated the same questions as before, and the children gave the correct answers.
I continued, alternately adding chalk, until I reached number nine. After that
we were back to a zero in the one's place, so nine pieces of chalk were all we
needed to discover if a number was odd or even. After we use the balance scale
for a while, I tell my students to make fists with their hands and pretend they
are the seesaw. If one person gets on, they put up one finger and that hand tilts
down. If another person gets on, they put up a finger on the other hand and the
seesaw evens out again. They can continue adding fingers on alternate hands until
they discover if the number in question is odd or even. The children catch on
very quickly. I have used this method of teaching "odd or even" for several years
now, and it works great! I would love for you to try this and see how easy it
is for students to grasp.
I would LOVE to hear what happens with your students.
Please let me hear from you. If you have any questions, or suggestions on how
to make this better, please email me at: memawof 04@aol.com (There is not supposed
to be a space after the "f" but it looked like a "t". I moved over so you could
read it. Do NOT put a space after the "f".) Hope to hear from you soon!
This great idea comes from
teachingtips.com
subscriber, Tonya: Starter for the Day
One
way that I like to begin the day is to have what is called the "bell-ringer
review." It is usually a brain-teaser, or sometimes something easy, a series
of questions that the students can do in less than 5 minutes while you take roll
or get yourself organized.
It is usually a brief review of what I went over
the day before. I had begun class before with tasteful jokes to make students
laugh and to build a warm atmosphere. This really worked well but sometimes the
kids just wanted to laugh all of the time. I stopped doing this and noticed that
I had lost some of my "joy." (I don't think this is a good thing.) So now we begin
with bell ringers.
How does one end class? Well, I usually give them time
to start on homework. I sometimes show a video. One thing that I read about on
this teaching tips website was to ask, "What did we do today? What did we learn?"
You could have the students write that in their notebooks before they leave! Another
great idea from PILAR/MEXICO: SONG SHARING
I give my students demos
of different activities with songs, then I ask them to design an activitiy with
their favorite song and bring it to present to the class. I select the best ones
and let them act as teacher for 15 minutes and give the rest of class the activity.
I give them a high to average grade. This saves me lots of time looking for music
they like, helps them feel as an important part of the class, andgives them work
with the language. The rest of the class benefits by developing listening skills. More
great ideas come from teachingtips.com
subscribers:
Subject:
Keep your frog on the log-dicipline idea
To keep the class quiet
I use the frog on the log method. One whole wall of the class room I decorated
to look like a swamp. I put a brown paper log and made die cuts of frogs, one
for each child with their name on it. At the beginning of the year, or week, everyone
started out on the log. If they were loud once, they were moved to the lily pad.
If reprimanded by me twice they were moved to the water, and so on. If a child
could keep his/her frog on the log for an entire week, then on Friday they could
eat lunch with me in the classroom and go first in line in the cafeteria. By the
time Christmas break rolled around every child wanted to eat with me and almost
all of them did. It works exceedingly well for me. AG in Texas
These great ideas come from teachingtips.com
subscriber: Jaclyn
1,2,3 Salute!
This math game uses 4 or 5 students and requires
only a deck of cards (with the joker, ace, and face cards removed).
One student
holds the deck, and hands each of the other students a card, face down.
The
student without a card says, "1,2,3 Salute!" and the other students pick
up their card and, making a motion like a salute, hold it next to their face (that
way, the students can't see the card they are holding but everyone else can).
The student without a card must mentally figure out the sum of everyone's cards,
and then announce it to the group.
The students with the cards then look
at everyone else's cards and, using mental addition and subtraction, try to figure
out what card they are holding.
Speedy
Cleanup
We had finished a science activity that involved cutting
some paper and cardboard. At the end, the floor was littered with tiny scraps
of paper, which would take forever for one person to clean up. So I announced
to the class, "Before we go on to the next lesson, I need everyone to get on the
floor and each pick up three scraps that are on the floor, and put them in the
waste basket." It worked very well - many students picked up much more than 3
pieces, in an effort to pick up more than everyone else. :)
This great idea comes from
teachingtips.com
subscriber: ML in NJ
To start the
year and have the students learn each others names last year I made a crossword
puzzle of the names in the class and made a large poster-sized puzzle for the
bulletin board. I also made a blank one with names so each student could fill
in their own on regular size paper.
See
the archives for more GREAT IDEAS
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