TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER Part 3

 It's about time, teachers, to teach smarter not harder.

When I was in Reading Recovery™ training, one concept that was ingrained in me was to teach with a sense of urgency.  That has carried over into all of my teaching and has prompted me to try to maximize both my teaching activities and the learning of my students.  In other words, I try to teach smarter, not harder.

To that end, I created One Dollar Words Challenges. Using these with my 3rd - 5th grade enrichment students proved to be smart teaching that incorporated computation with vocabulary development, grammar with research, and editing with Higher Order Thinking Skills.

The challenge is to find words that have a value of exactly $1 when the letters are added together using these values:

Just blindly striking out to discover a $1 Word couldn't be more frustrating to students.  So, I created clues to lead them.

Give each student a clue, a table of values, and a calculator.  Then send them off to find their words.  A thesaurus is an enormous aid to this pursuit and can be used in print or digital form.  [Be aware that digital thesauri can, on occasion, produce objectionable words for children.] 

Before long, students will discover the value of base words, prefixes, suffixes, plurals, participles, ... The skills honed include:

• addition computation
• vocabulary development
• parts of speech
• base words
• prefixes & suffixes
• participles
• singular & plural
• compound words
• spelling & proof-reading
• dictionary & thesaurus
• calculator
• internet research
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• cooperative learning

Teaching just can't get much smarter!

This file is FREE so you can try them before you buy them.

You can find 6 more units here. Additionally, they have been combined into several bundles which will save you money!

Come back soon for more ideas about WORKING SMARTER NOT HARDER.

It's about time, teachers, to TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER!

If you have not discovered SCRATTLE, you are certainly teaching harder, not smarter!  This FREE product line is differentiated, making it appropriate for 1st - 6th grades, ideal for centers (math, literacy, and/or critical thinking), open ended for greater flexibility and fluency, and super engaging for learners. SCRATTLE combines word work with computation, individual effort with competition.  As in Scrabble™, students will use a set of letters to create words.  After recording their terms, they calculate each word's worth using letters values.  They then engage a friend in a battle wherein the 2 compare their scores using >,<, and =. The player with the most >s wins the battle!

SCRAbble + baTTLE = SCRATTLE!

One of my favorite things about SCRATTLE is that children rapidly and readily learn that making short, easy words is a bad idea.  In order to conquer their opponent, they must seek to create longer, more complex words.  Moreover, this activity can be done over and over, allowing children to hone their skills (making words, computation, spelling, strategic thinking) while having fun.

There are 8 SCRATTLE files, each associated with a season or holiday.  ALL ARE FREE!  Each product provides 3 recording sheet options.  This accomodates the grade range and allows for really easy differentiation within a classroom.

Recently, at the request of some teachers, I have added an additional file of recording sheets.  They offer the opportunity for 3 warriors to battle each other.  This file is also FREE!

SCRATTLE is a terrific means for teaching smarter not harder!!! But you don't have to take my word for it.  Check out these comments from teachers who have used these units.

TEACH SMARTER NOT HARDER Part 1

It's about time, teachers, for more efficient teaching.

Do you love combining disciplines for more efficient teaching?  I sure do.  To that end, I have made a new product line that blends vocabulary, spelling, and fractions with critical thinking.  I call them VOCABULARY FRACTIONS.  Each product includes 20 task cards that ask students to combine fractional parts of words to create thematic terminology. 

Here's an example from the Sports Edition:

Altogether, there are 15 sets of VOCABULARY FRACTIONS and 3 bundles.  The 1st bundle includes 5 products.

The second bundle combines VOCABULARY FRACTIONS for 6 holidays.

The 3rd bundle is part of my FOREST FRIENDS CURRICULA.  This bundle offers 3 products and 1 free unit.

If you would like to try them before you buy them, download this FREE set:

To quote one student, "These made my brain hurt, but I love them!"  I think your learners will feel the same way.

Come back soon for more ideas about WORKING SMARTER NOT HARDER.

ACTIVITIES for THE MITTEN

 

Do you share any version of THE MITTEN with your students?  I like to share all the versions I can find; then compare them.  My students love to create a graph showing which book is their favorite.

Then we compare the animals:

• Are the same animals in each version?
• How many animals are in each story?
• Do the same animals look different in each book?
• etc.

Compare and contrast the mitten:

• What color and material is the mitten?
• How was the mitten lost?
• What happened to the mitten at the end of the story?
• etc.

Evaluate the illustrations, in general:

• Note the pattern of the colors in Tresselt's book.
• Explain personification as it applies to Tresselt's illustrations (clothing).
• Draw attention to the Brett illustrations that foreshadow the next animal to appear.
• Lead your students to understand that Aylesworth's animals all point to their toes and describe them as "cold as ice."
• etc.

Comparing the animals from each version readily leads to a Venn diagram:

Naturally, you could use pictures of the animals instead of the words, if you are working with pre-readers.

Teach your students to sing and act out THE MITTEN song.  I took the verbs from Jan Brett's book.  They are easy to act out.  However, you can certainly substitute the verbs with more familiar ones or verbs your students suggest.  For example, I love "The badger barged inside,"  because of the alliteration and the action absolutely describes the aggressive nature of a badger.

Naturally, you may amend the song to reflect the animals from the book you read or declared as the class favorite.

I like to immerse my class in all things mitten, so for the week we are studying this folktale, I provide a plethora of materials with the mitten theme.

This is a thematic unit with printables, literacy centers, and math centers.

This bulletin board display is awesome as a math center, anchor activity, sponge activity, enrichment, and/or fast finishers' challenge.

Math centers include:

 

Literacy Centers include:

This critical thinking product is a perennial favorite.

I've created a bundle of all of these products.  When you buy the bundle, you save 20%.  That's a lot of mitten learning for 1 great price.

I hope you enjoy your mitten time!