Gingerbread House Descriptive Writing

With winter break is looming, the students' attention span is low but their energy level is high.  It's always a hard time to stay focused and not get distracted by the newly fallen snow and the holidays.   

The other night, I was watching a YouTube video with my daughter.  We were both intrigued by the person's drawing ability, and I really wanted to try it.  I didn't exactly know how I would find the time until it hit me on Friday morning after losing my PREP time to a meeting:  Take a vote on one of the drawing videos, and then write a descriptive paragraph about it.

I knew the idea would be a bit "risky" in my room; the students would love the drawing part, which had to happen first, but would they would through with the writing piece that followed?  I lifted up a few prayers, and they must have been answered because the activity was a HUGE success!

First, we took a vote: draw a Christmas tree or a gingerbread house.  The vote was nearly unanimous in favor of the gingerbread house.  (I silently cheered since the gingerbread video was the shorter one by far.)  I gave each student a piece of paper and a marker. (Many of the students in my room are perfectionists, so it was important that they did not get to use a pencil because the time spent correcting their pictures would have been insane!)  You can watch the video here:

I was so impressed with their drawings.  Even the students who have fine motor difficulty persevered!  Next, gave the students a set amount of time to add color to their pictures.  Then, it was time to hand out the graphic organizers.  

The students were given a list of four items we would be looking for in their brought draft.  We asked the students to brainstorm, and work through it the best they could.  (Writing is so, so challenging for the students, so we were very impressed when they gave it their all!)  After having a one-on-one conference with each student, we gave them a sheet for their final draft.

Finally, we shared them with the other students and hung them outside of our room.  I was so proud of the students for their perseverance with the activity. 

We'd love for you to share your holiday activities to keep students engaged before break!

Not Just Your Average School Supplies

It's August, and that can only mean one thing in MN when you work in a school...school supplies! We don't start until the day after Labor Day, but they're everywhere!  This year, my daughter starts kindergarten, and I start the year on maternity leave,  It's an odd way to start the school year, so I figured, why not post about "odd" school supplies.  It keeps life interesting...

SPROUT PENCILS

Available
at Amazon
and
Sprout
World

These plantable pencils were developed by three students from MIT to create more sustainable office products.  The pencils are made out of sustainable wood with a dissolvable end capsule containing seeds for vegetables, herbs, or flowers.  I'm totally ordering these, and in all honesty, I'm not sure if I'm ordering them!  Check out this video about Sprout Pencils!




DRAW IT YOURSELF CALCULATOR
Start with a blank, writeable surface, and turn your calculator into your own, personal creation!

Available at Amazon and 2Shopper

BENDABLE PENCILS
I can't think of a cooler and more functional fidget for students!

Available at Amazon and Oriental Trading

NOSE PENCIL SHARPENER
I think this is so gross, but I know it would probably be a hit with my friends if I was 30 years younger!  Imagine what your friends would say when they see you start to sharpen your pencil and then leave the shavings behind...

Available at Amazon and Oriental Trading

PENCIL FIDGETS
More pencils, but they are so fun and functional!  Check out these pencil fidgets.  I think I may benefit from using these pencils, too.  I hope that the students will be able to keep better track of their pencils when using these.  They could be a great motivator, too!

Available at Amazon and Therapy Shoppe

ZIPPER and LUCKY SPROUT BOOKSMARKS
These super fun bookmarks would also be great motivators for students-a nice addition to the coveted "prize" box.  They are a tad expensive for a set of three, but they may be that extra little motivator your students need.  A nice (and cheaper) alternative are Lucky Sprout Bookmarks.  I love the hint of luck that goes with them!

Available at Amazon and Peleg Design

Available at Amazon and Fred and Friends

LEGO® BACKPACK
All students need backpacks and most kids love those little square building thingies, so why not go for the backpack, too?

Available at Amazon and thefamilybrick.com

RAINBOW HIGHLIGHTERS

These red, yellow, green and blue highlighters are not only colorful, but they are entertaining as well.  Highlighters and a brain break all in one!

Available at Amazon

Our Favorite Calming Apps

Testing, testing, testing.  It's such an anxiety-ridden time for students, and our testing window starts this week and continues through mid-May.  We've been trying to equip the students with a bag of tricks to help ease some of the anxiety.  A weeks ago, the students downloaded several calming apps on their iPads, and they've proven to be very popular!  I wanted to share the list with you in case you want to add a few tricks to your bag, too.  All of these apps are FREE, and who doesn't love that?
Settle Your Glitter

This app helps students practice mindful breathing.  Students select an emotion that they are feeling: mad, sad, silly, or worried.  They pick the level of emotion that they are feeling.  The students shake their iPads to stir up the glitter.  The little fish on the right-hand side increases and decreases in size to help students manage their breathing until the glitter is settled.

Falling Stars

This app is one of the students' favorites!  Students place plants by drawing lines.  They touch the stars which fall on the plants, creating songs.  Students can choose from a small selection of sounds and determine how fast the stars fall, creating an even more intriguing experience.

Sand Slides

This app is another of my students' favorites, in fact, it is the app of choice when they have earned choice time.  Students draw slides and buckets with their fingers to guide the sand into the correct colored chutes.  The challenge happens as the pace of the game continues to build.

Suspension

This app mimics particles floating in water.  Students are able to move the particles around with their fingers.  They can change the color of the particles and draw walls and propellers.  Students can be creative, drawing pictures using the draw walls, creating a barrier for the particles to travel around and disperse color.
Deep Relax

This app is perfect for stress relief or to use if your students do any type of yoga.  Students can create their own relaxing melodies from a selection of 12 free choices, ranging from beach to birds, and cavern to city.  (If you chose to purchase the app, your choices multiply.)  Students can select more than one sound at a time for the perfect mix of relaxation.
Dropophone

Dropophone is a simple app for students to use.  Students make songs by tapping on raindrops that play sound, looping every six seconds.  The drops sound like an orchestra of instruments, creating endless possibilities.  A metronome button is available to start a beat to help keep time.  Want to see how this can work?  Check out the video below. Colorfy

This app is perfect for students who love to draw and color and find relaxation by doing it!  Students simply need to chose a picture and tap to paint!
If you have any favorite calming apps to share, we would love to hear about them!

Kindness Cash

It has been weeks of overcast and gloom both inside and outside, and it's starting to take a toll on the attitudes in our classroom.  We recently started working on kindness, which I initially thought would be an easier skill to work on, but it's so general and abstract that is has proved to be somewhat challenging.  I started by introducing and reviewing the concept for several days.  

Intermixed with a few introductory activities, I decided to use Kindness Cash.  Sounds silly, I know, but it's working!  

Students can earn Kindness Cash by following through with being friendly, considerate, and being generous.  They are working to earn as much cash as they can until the day before spring break when they can use it to buy a breakfast provided by myself and the paras.  (We won't tell them that making breakfast isn't our forte.  I think the mention of just eating is enough to hook them!)  The amount of cash they earn will determine what they can choose for breakfast.  Wish us luck!

You can find Kindness Cash here at our TPT store.  Please let us know how you plan to use it!

Tackling Growth Mindset: Let's Not Even Go There Yet!

This fall, I introduced Growth Mindset to the School Success class that I teach every-other day.  I wasn't quite sure how to go about it since it is such a big idea, so I broke it down into multiple steps for the students.  In fact, I didn't even start talking about the words "growth" or "mindset" for the first  few weeks.  Instead, I started with introducing three concepts, one at a time, the first of which was perseverance.

We used (and still use) this word.  A lot.  We started with two popsicles with the following laminated signs attached to them:

I read a series of social scenarios to the students, and they needed to determine if perseverance was shown or not.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly they seemed to catch on to the concept.

Next, we read two different books with a theme (among many) that included perseverance: The Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan and Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen  The students surpassed my expectations and began to make personal connections with the books and shared examples of how the characters showed perseverance.  

The students shared a personal experience that they felt showed perseverance and shared it with the class.  Next, they talked about something they have not yet accomplished but would like to, why they will need to persevere, and the steps that it will take for them to reach their goals.

Finally, we ended with a few hands-on activities to demonstrate perseverance.  The first activity was a "marshmallow lick" in which students licked marshmallows (obviously), and stuck them to their foreheads.  They needed to cross a line and tag their teammates to continue until the teams finished.  They LOVED this activity.  It went quicker than I anticipated, which was fine because then we had more time for learning!  The second activity was something I did when I was younger: making butter.  Again, we divided the students in to groups, placed heavy whipping cream in seal-proof containers, and told them to shake it.  They were clueless, never having made butter the old fashion way.  They were surprised to find the end result, and even more surprised to find that they were able to spread it on fresh bakery bread!  Finally, the students did a ball bounce activity.  Each member of the team needed to bounce the small rubber ball into a cup several feet away.  This one was tough, but they rocked it, and EVERY student completed the goal.  Incidentally, it turned out to be a good lesson in teamwork and cheering each other on.

Next week, I'll share about our second concept: making mistakes.

Following Directions with Music

The end of the year is winding down, and the students' attention to typical academic learning is dwindling...fast. In actuality, ours is too, so who are we kidding?  We're trying every trick in our book, and we have finally found success: following directions with music!  The students are really enjoying this.  In a time when they are easily distracted by thoughts of summer fun and a break from homework, we are finding that this holds their attention.  The best part?  They don't even realize that it's a goal-driven activity.  They think we are just the "fun" people!

Here are a list of a few of our favorites:

The Cha-Cha Slide by Mr. C The Slide Man


If You're A Kid (Dance Around!)


The Sid-Shuffle - Ice Age: Continental Drift


Following Directions with Exercise


Hand Clapping Game "Bim Bum"
This one is TOUGH but the students love it!


Follow Me (Children's Song) by Patty Shukla


Twist-Learn Right and Left by Patty Shukla
Patty has a lot of videos that teach children concepts while following directions.  Check them out on YouTube!


Just Dance Kids 2 - Hokey Pokey


Just Dance Kids If You're Happy And You Know It


These are just a few of the many songs out there.  Please share your favorites with us!

It's Our First Blogiversary!

Its hard to believe, but we have been doing this for a year…..

In that year we have learned to step out of our comfort zone…..

We posted on the blog 173 times…..

Published 92 products on TPT…..

Met a bunch of inspirational and collaborative teacher bloggers and TPT authors…..

Created a space that gives us an outlet for speech/language and beyond…..

We hope you have enjoyed sharing in this journey, Here is to many more years of fun!