This was Homecoming week for us, and the best thing about that is wearing jeans every day! We will look for any excuse to pull out the blue jeans. Tuesday was crazy sock day and here I am with a few of my teaching buddies. Okay, maybe the socks aren't that crazy, but it's being able to wear jeans that matters most!
I started something new this year called Marshmallow Treats for Marshmallow Feet. I teach in a tri-level building, so wherever you go, you take stairs. Unfortunately for the classrooms nearest to those stairs, they are very noisy, especially with 30 sets of ten year old feet stampeding down them like a herd of elephants. One of my colleagues started telling her kids to walk on the stairs with "marshmallow feet", so I took that idea and ran with it! Whenever we go up or down the stairs, I take a handful of little blue slips of paper with me. I watch for students who are walking with "marshmallow feet", and when I find one, I hand him/her a slip of paper. They put their name on it, and put it in the bucket.
I attached a little baggie to the back to keep the little slips of paper in. On Fridays, I draw out two names to get a marshmallow treat! You should see (you can't hear!) my kids walk on the stairs now. They tiptoe!
This picture doesn't really show anything, it just made me laugh to take it! My kids are used to me taking random pictures by now, but I bet some of them were thinking, "What the heck is she taking a picture of this for?".
Another motivational bucket I use with my students is the Reading Area Bucket.
The idea behind this one is to get my students to choose to read whenever they finish other work. When I see students choosing to read, I give them a little purple slip of paper, which they drop in the bucket during a transition time later.
On Friday, I draw out six names from the bucket. Those lucky students get to sit in the reading area that day during reading workshop AND for all of the next week whenever they are finished with their work. I just love to see my reading area filled with readers!
We started our Reading With Power unit this week using the book Edward's Eyes. I created a packet for it this summer, so this was my first time using it with my students. They are definitely intrigued by all the questions the story is raising in their minds. Let's hope I can get through the book without crying. :(
If you'd like to check out the packet for yourself, you can find it at my TPT store. (There's even a link to free lesson plans!)
We played Swat the Vocab in Social Studies to review for the vocabulary quiz. I put each word on a card (with a picture of a fly) and put them all over the board. I divide the class into three groups, have one person from each group come up to the front, and give them a flyswatter. Then I read a definition aloud. The first person to SWAT! the right word earns a point for his/her team. The kids love to play it!
Be sure to link up with Doodle Bugs for Five For Friday!
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