4 Square Brain Bender

Here are two HAL students trying to figure out this Brain Bender. Toothpicks are used to create 2 squares on top and 3 squares on the bottom. Next, moving only two toothpicks, students try to make the original 5 squares into 4 squares. Can you do it?

Journey North for Kids

Seasonal change is all around us. Children see it in the length of a day, in the appearance of a flower, in the flight of a butterfly. Journey North is a free internet-based program that explores the interrelated aspects of seasonal change. Classes can participate in projects, and by visiting the kids page, students can find engaging stories, photos, videos, and slide shows from the natural world. This great resource will build observation skills, inspire scientific thinking, and create fertile ground for discussions and new questions!

Spelling Songs

One of my favorite ways to differentiate spelling is by having students sing their spelling words.  Three, four, five, six, and seven letter words can easily be sung to well-known songs.   Here are some students spelling the word cool to the tune of  "10 Little Piggies."



The classic "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" can be used to practice a five letter word like world.


Here are the songs I have used:

3 letters:  Three Blind Mice
4 letters:  10 Little Piggies
5 letters:  Row, Row, Row Your Boat
6 letters:  Happy Birthday to You
7 letters:  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

This activity gets students up and out of their seats and gets their brains working!  It is especially successful with your students who are music smart.

Book in an Hour

It's spring cleaning time, and I've been busy organizing, filing, and recycling all kinds of papers.  The best part of this horrible chore is discovering a lesson or idea that you once loved but had forgotten.

Buried in a pile of papers, I found a packet from a conference titled, "Intriguing, Inspiring, and Innovative Ideas to Make a Difference in Your Reading Classroom by Dr. Deb Wellman and Dr. Madeline Kovarik. As I flicked through the pages, the words "Book in an Hour" jumped out at me.  When I was still in fourth grade, I remember trying this strategy with the book Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman. 

Book in an Hour goes something like this:   Pairs of students choose or are assigned a chapter from the book.  No one gets to read the first chapter or last chapter.  When they are finished reading, partners write down the "gist" of the chapter.  They also write down questions they have about previous chapters and questions they have about future chapers. 

When students are finished reading and writing, the class comes back together.  The first chaper is read aloud by the teacher.  The students then take turns sharing the information and questions from their chapters.  As their peers are sharing,  students have most of their questions answered.   The last chapter is then read aloud.  Any remaining questions or thoughts are discussed. 

Like I said, it had been awhile since I used Book in an Hour, but I thought it might be a good differentiated activity to suggest to teachers.   I was excited to be invited into a fourth grade room to "try it out." 

Unfortunately, it didn't go so well.  The lesson wasn't a total flop, but it was close.   After debriefing with the teacher and reflecting on my own, I madesome changes (more modeling, more practice, shorter book) then tried it again in another fourth grade classroom using the book Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner.   I'm happy to report that this time it went much better.   I was pleased with the inferences and questions that the students generated.   Best of all, students were engaged in an authentic task that resulted in meaningful discussion and a wonderful shared reading experience.  

So, "Book in an Hour" turned into "Book in a Couple of Days", but it was time well spent.  Wish spring cleaning was half as fun.

Making a Difference

A group of sixth grade students at Adams Middle School are discovering that they can make a difference in the world.  Their HAL coach, Lori Brouillette, used KIVA as inspiration.  Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe.  Click here to watch their story.

Teaching Content is Teaching Reading

"You're My Yoda"

During a recent Blackberry conversation, I received a text from a colleague that read, "You are my Yoda." Not knowing what she meant, I quickly typed back, "?????" I didn't get a text back, but later on that morning I had the chance to ask her what she meant. She explained, "You know, like in Star Wars? You are my Yoda. You're the person I go to when I need to know something."

I must admit I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it makes me feel REALLY old. Not so long ago, I used to be Luke. Young, enthusiastic, fearless, and ready to take on the galaxy (Or at least a group of fourth graders!) Now, suddenly, I'm an ancient, wrinkled, big-eared advice-giver?

On the other hand, it's kind of nice to know that I've helped someone. I've chosen to work mainly as a coach this year, and I have wondered many times whether or not it was a good decision. Being called a YODA makes me feel like maybe it was.

So, I'm a Yoda? Yeah, I can live with that.