As you know...this was my first week back! :) I am totally in love with this bunch of firsties...just like last year's bunch! I don't know how I keep getting this lucky, but...I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed that it stays this good all year! ;) My first day back I chose this lovely orange ensemble with some flat 'romanesque' sandals, a scarf and a Vera Bradley purse and lunchbox. (not matching...cause I'm really not all that much of a fashionista...more of a 'whatever works-ista'. :) I have a little orange clip in my hair that I had when I was in college. My mom sent it to me in a care package. I've worn something that she sent me or gave me every day this week. Last year, she was here the week before school and it just didn't feel right to not have her with me this week at school...so...the first day was 'the clip'! :)
One of the first things we did this week was to set procedures. One thing that I really like doing is starting off with a lesson on 'Whole Body Listening'. The idea came from a speech pathologist in NY, but, I first found out about it on Erica Bohrer's blog. You can read more about it here. I read a book called Listen and Learn and then I explained the concept of whole body listening. The students drew pictures of themselves engaging in whole body listening situations and wrote about their picture. I am going to make a book out of the writings for the classroom library. 
We started working on stamina for our Daily 5 centers. The kids did great! :) I introduced them to our reading buddies--Mr. Frog and Benny Bear who can actually hear them if they read in their heads during read to self time! :) So...two students can read to them at once! Go figure! :)
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| To check out Leslie's I Mustache You a Question pack, click HERE. |
This week, I used Leslie Hamlin's Mustache Question Cards to get my kids comfortable with one another. We had a total blast with them! :) This is a total must have for back to school! :) So glad I was able to snag them! :)
Leslie's pack features four different mustache themed activites and a literature extension as well!
On our very first day of school, we used the first set of cards--'I Mustache You to Find A Partner'.
What a cute concept! :) It got me to thinking that I could use the cards to teach the kids their very first Kagan structure.
In my classroom, I use Kagan structures to work on my speaking and listening standards. One of my favorite activities or 'structures' is Quiz Quiz Trade. First, I teach them the 'Hand Up, Stand Up, Pair Up' structure. This will work with any activity where you want the kids to partner.
Once they've found a partner, they introduce themselves and get into the prescribed activity.
In the picture above, you can see that two students are in the process of looking for a new partner because their hands are up. The rest of the students are talking with the mustache cards.
Here's the process for Quiz, Quiz, Trade...
I love this activity because there is high student engagement. Notice that almost all of the students are talking to each other. They are on task and engaged in the activity. If I had done this activity in a whole group setting, I would be engaging one child at a time while the others are passively engaged. With this activity...all of the kids are busy and independent...which is AWESOME!! I always rotate the room while the students are doing this, to make sure that they are coninuing to circulate the room and find new partners. :) They did so well...that I was able to sneak off for the camera to get a few pictures of them! :)
We are having a blast with the question cards and learning Kagan structures all at the same time! :)
I hope you'll try Quiz, Quiz, Trade with your learners!
My kids LOVE it! :)
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