Cyber Monday Blog Hop Stop # 11

Hi everyone!! Thanks for popping in!
You've landed at stop 11 of our blog hop!
We have teamed up with GoNoodle to share some of the ways you can use GN in YOUR classroom! Of course, we have lots of things to giveaway too!!!!!


If you want to start at the beginning, head on over to sweet Molly's blog by clicking her button!

Lucky to Be in First

I use GoNoodle in MANY ways in my classroom,
but here is how I use it to promote physical activity and a happier and healthier lifestyle!

Let's be real for a minute... We now live in a world where computers, video games, and tablets take precedence over playing outside and exercising. Children of this generation are motivated by constant VISUAL change and stimulation. It is often difficult to motivate them to get up and move, despite the fact that they really NEED IT!

GoNoodle is such a great tool to use encourage students to be active. It is the right combination of technology and exercise that has EVERY child in my classroom excited about moving!


GoNoodle shares a multitude of exercise choices. You can get everything from Jumping Hurdles, to Dancing, to Regaining your Center with Yoga Poses.


The site is user friendly and organizes the videos in a way that makes it easy to find EXACTLY what your looking for in seconds!


You can choose from a variety of videos. My students love the dance breaks and they especially love to calm down and relax with yoga.


Sometimes we even aim for the gold with some sports videos.

The variety, the music, the characters, and the constant visual and audio gratification are the perfect combination for our kids today. It is exactly what they look for to stimulate them but instead of sitting in front of a computer, they actually get to MOVE! Can't get any better than that! 

All of these activities help students, and adults alike, become happier and healthier. The benefits of exercise are many, especially in the classroom. Students NEED to move. A short GoNoodle video can lead to an hour of great learning. As they say: A little goes a long way!

So HERE is what I do to teach my students about the importance of physical activity. 

When you create a class in GoNoodle you get to choose a Champ. The champ is a little monster and serves as a class mascot.


Let's face it... Just the Champs will have your kiddies hooked! 
It's totally geared towards this generations likes!

Each time you complete a Brain Break, you earn points. I call them exercise points to reinforce the importance of physical activity

When you reach a certain number of points, your Champ goes into a machine called a Transmogrifier and "transforms." It typically grows bigger muscles and gets taller. The kiddies LOVE this! While our Champ "transforms" we stand tall and flex OUR muscles to show how we've also changed a little! 



Your Champ will go through many stages of "transformation" and when it reaches it's final stage, you will be able to print a certificate and then choose another Champ! Oh, the fun! 

I also use this opportunity to promote the importance of exercising by displaying our certificates in class and congratulating my students on all the physical activity they have completed. 
We also talk about how great we feel during and after a "workout!"



So HERE are my Using GoNoodle to Motivate Students to Participate in Physical Activity in POINT FORM!

- Use the Brain Break Videos in your classroom.
- Congratulate your students after each "workout" and remind them that they are earning exercise points
- Celebrate with your Champ when it "transforms." Flex those muscles!
- Print the certificates and display them to encourage your students to keep exercising. 

And, NOW, for some more FUN!

Of course, GoNoodle has got you covered...

Starting on Cyber Monday, GoNoodle is also offering all Primary Powers readers 30% off purchases from the GoNoodle Shop all the way through to December 8! AMAZING, right?!?!
Use the code POWERS30 at checkout to receive the discount PLUS a special gift from GoNoodle and Primary Powers
In addition to new t-shirts, tumblers, and other goodies for GoNoodling teachers, you can purchase affordable, pre-wrapped gift packs for students to bring a little GoNoodle love to your classroom this holiday.

I am so excited to tell you that I get to give one lucky reader a classroom supply of GoNoodle pencils!
Yahooo! Can you tell I like pencils... Especially FREE pencils!!!

Please enter the giveaway below. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out the GoNoodle Facebook Fan Page

It's time to keep on hopping! All of my Primary Powers friends have great swag to give away AND amazing ideas to share. Be sure to stop by Primary Powers for a chance to win the grand prize! DRUM ROLL PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE... A FREE subscription to GoNoodle PLUS!

Click the picture below to head over to Sailing into Second!
You can read all about how Aris uses GoNoodle to motivate her students!


Until next time...
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Five for Friday

Hey Everyone,
I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for some Five for Friday Fun!


1. Christmas Spirit in the Classroom

I think I have mentioned this about a thousand times... but I LOVE Christmas! Christmas has finally made it's way to our school and we are going to have a BLAST! 
Here are some displays I put up yesterday!!! 



Di you SPOT the "This Classroom is Under Elf Surveillance" poster 

2. OCD is my Middle Name

Another tid bit about me. Also the thousandth time I've mentioned it... 
I'm freakishly organized and I LOVE it! Lately, it's most pertinent that I WRITE everything down AND FILE it in a cute binder. I have problems, I know. The first step is admitting it...


I love, love love, my Blog Organizer and Planner from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd. I also can' get enough of my Editable Calendar from Sarah Kirby!

3. TpT Site Wide SALE

Oh ya! Are you filling your shopping carts, because I sure am!!!! My entire store will be on sale and use the code TPTCYBER at checkout for even more savings!!!


Be sure to check out some of my Christmas Packs!

     

     


4. Oh, No! SNOW!!!!!

I live in Canada. THAT IS ALL. 


The kiddies had to tally the snowflake on our weather chart. They were ecstatic. I cried.

5. Goofing Around

What does one do with left over craft pieces. THIS of course!
My colleagues are the best! We have a blast EVERYDAY!


The uglier the facial expression, the better...

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

Until next time...
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Fluency Practice

Hey Everyone!
I hope you are all doing well! As I've mentioned, things are a little crazy this month, but also very productive. Upon completing some reading assessments, my team and I noticed that many of our students were struggling with fluency. I'm happy to report that reading comprehension is not a huge problem this year. YAY!

 But fluency sure is! 

Turns out though that practicing fluency is loads of fun! 
There are so many great tricks out there and the littles sure love to practice them all. 

The best trick I've come across so far is timing them.


At this age, students are happy to repeat the same exercise over and over again. Especially if it means trying to WIN or beat their old score. Basically, all we really do is read and reread short fluency passages over and over again, as we try to beat our time. 

Sometimes I read the passage and ask the student to beat my time (their favorite). Sometimes, I just ask the student to keep rereading until they have a good time. 

I also go over the importance of expression, intonation, and inflections during reading. 

We discuss what good reading sounds like. 

I read a passage in a robotic word by word voice and ask if they enjoy listening to that kind of reading. Then I read the same passage in my best road runner voice and ask if they understand or enjoy listening to that kind of reading. I explain that good fluency and good reading has a specific pace and I read the same passage at a good pace.

I do this each and every time we practice fluency to remind them that it is not a race!

Sometimes, I like to practice fluency with the whole group.  

These past couple of weeks we have been using Jennifer's over at First Grade Blue Skies 
Reader's Theater with Familiar Text package. Let me tell you it is a huuuuuuuge hit! 


First, I read the text to them. I model appropriate pace, fluency, intonation, pausing, and expression. 
Then, we read it together while I time our performance. 
We read it together a few times (each time, timing our progress).
Then I assign different groups of students a part in the Reader's Theater. 

This is my favorite part. It just sounds so great! 
This is also the part where we get to highlight our roles! 
Highlighting being a very exciting activity for the students! It's one of the "highlights!" 
4-5 students read a part as we go through the text again as a class. We do this a few times. 

Then I split the class up into groups (making sure that each group has a member for each part of the Reader's Theater) and the students practice together. 

Finally, I ask the groups to present in front of the class. THEY LOVE THIS! We start the timer again and try to see which group has the best time. They are all very positive and supportive of each other and even my struggling readers know their parts by the end of the process. 

It's great fun and it works! All my kiddies are reading and improving their fluency. 

What do you do to practice fluency in your class?

Until next time...
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Math Center Madness

Hey Sweet Friends, 
Just popping by to talk to you about some math fun we've been having. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. Math has never been my best subject but this year I've got it down to an art! And it's all because of the amazing program we're using AND my math centers (I'll take 1/3 of the credit). Hehe!
The kiddies love the centers and really understand the concepts after completing them. 









The students love using their dry erase markers on the center cards and this saves our school a lot of paper! I walk around and take notes on how students are doing. I also sit with them and help them out.
I choose 4 out of 8 centers to assess (I combine two packs at a time). I ask students to choose ONE card to record their answer on paper. This gives me concrete evaluations.

Midway through the completion of the centers, I assess their knowledge of math vocabulary. 


I use the math word wall to encourage students to answer some questions about the concepts we are covering. All the answers can be found on the word wall. This gives me a clear idea of who is getting it and who needs extra support. 

You can check out my Counting and Comparing Numbers Math Centers HERE!



You can check out my Numerical and Non-Numerical Patterns Math Centers right over HERE!



You can grab yourself a free copy of my word wall and math vocabulary activity right over HERE!
For the other half of this word wall & a math vocabulary activity to accompany it, please click HERE!

Click on the Math Madness label on the right side of my blog to get more free word walls and check out more of my math centers. 

Until next time...
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Monster Mail

Hello Friends,
I'm back with some news from the monster who lives under the bed! 
Yes, you read right! We received mail from a MONSTER! 

One of the components of our second grade program is letter writing. 
Well, in our class, we don't write just any old letter. We write MONTER MAIL!


We read a great message from a monster and decided that we could be monsters too! 
We wrote a class letter to our PRINCIPAL! Which the students insisted on "mailing" to her. 


I used the highlight feature on the Smartboard to highlight the important components of a letter. This helped my kiddies when writing their own monster mail. 

We decided to describe the monster, write about what he/she likes, 
and add a little silly sentence at the end. 

The students used these spelling helpers to help them with their writing. 


The letters turned out GREAT! We even MADE monsters!


They are "hanging" out with our friends Arnold and Toby!


It was such a great way to practice letter writing AND review descriptive writing. 
We had tons of fun!

You can check out my Monster Mail Craftivity pack right over HERE!



Until next time...

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