SIGN TO LEARN

I LOVE SIGN LANGUAGE!  I really do!  It's multi-sensory, engaging, and it keeps those little hands busy.  Sign language can also be a great tool if you have children with different language backgrounds, and it provides a new challenge for children who are very bright.   It's free, simple, and easy!  

My favorite website is aslpro.com.  If you go there you can download manual signs for the alphabet letters and use those to make games.  You can also use their video dictionary to learn how to sign different words.  Click on "dictionary" and then scroll down to the word you want to learn.

Sing and Signs –Teach children signs for letters as they are introduced. 

Use this song to the tuneof “Where Is Thumbkin?” to reinforce the concept.

                   Where is A?                     Whereis A?  (Children repeat each line.)

                        HereI am!                        (Holdup the manual sign for A.)

                        HereI am!                        (Children repeat and copysign.)

                        Whatdo you say A?         What do you sayA?

                        /a/ /a/ /a/                       /a//a/ /a/

 

Letter Box –Here’s another song you can use to teach children manual signs forletters.  It goes to the tune of “PollyWolly Doodle.”

I wish I had a letter box            

To put my A in.

I’d take it out and go             (Holdup sign for a.)

/a/ /a/ /a/

And put it back again.            (Pretendto put hand back in box.)

Continue singingother letters and making signs for other letters.

Sign and Spell –Use sign language to spell children’s names and other words.

Dismissal – Tell the children towatch your hand.  As you make thesign that their name begins with, they may be dismissed to line up, go tocenters, wash hands, etc.

Signing Game – Make different signsand see if the children can guess the letter you are making.  What’s a word that begins with thatsound?

*For older children finger spell words andsee who can decode it.

*Play “Simon Says” by signing motions forchildren to make.

Word Wall Words – Learn signs forhigh frequency words.  Visit

aslpro.com and click on “dictionary” to seesigns demonstrated.

Hint! Encourage the children to make “strong” letters.  As children tighten up muscles in theirhands, they will also be strengthening those small motor skills.

Come back tomorrow and I'll have more ideas for integrating sign language in  your classroom!

ALBUQUERQUE TURKEY

AlbuquerqueTurkey

(Tune:  "My Darlin’Clementine" - HAPPY EVERYTHING CD - Disk 1)

Albuquerque is aturkey                    (Puthands on hips like wings.)        

And he’s featheredand he’s fine.

And he wobbles andhe gobbles          (Strutand wiggle.)

And he’sabsolutely mine.

He’s the best petyou can get,          (Pretendto stroke a turkey’s head.)

Better than a dogor cat.

He’s myAlbuquerque turkey,

And I’m awfullyproud of that.

Albuquerque is aturkey,

And he’s happy inhis bed.                 (Layhands on palms as you smile.)

Cause for ourThanksgiving dinner,

We’ll have pizzapie instead!             (Putpalm up in the air like twirling a pizza.)

Martha Shehan made an adorable book to go with the song using D. J. Hook's illustrations.  Here is the link so you can run off a copy for your classroom:

drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/11_Nov/1booksNov/albuTurkey.pdf

Tie Turkey – Make your own Albuquerque turkey for your classroom.  Cut out the body, head, and feet of a turkey and staple to a bulletin board.  Have children bring in old ties from home and pin around the back of the body to resemble feathers.


Turkey Glyph - Give each childa cut out of a turkey body. Provide them with paper feathers in the following colors.  Children can add feathers to theirturkey according to the foods they plan to eat for their Thanksgiving Dinner:

         green– beans or peas

         yellow– corn

         white  - mashed potatoes

         orange– pumpkin pie

         red– cranberries

         purple– gravy

         blue– dressing

         brown– turkey

         black– roll

HOMEWORK SCHOMEWORK

I try not to usemy blog as a political platform, but today I must stand up and shout, “Homeworkschomework!”  Some of the storiesabout primary children and the amount of homework they have to do make meshiver and shake!

First of all, if ayoung child goes to school and sits and listens and works and learns for sixhours, they deserve to do what they want when they get home.  The need to play, move, laugh, yell,imagine, and be KIDS! 

Second, mostparents have worked hard all day as well. When they get home they have to prepare food, wash clothes, clean thehouse, pay bills, etc.  They shouldnot have to sit at the kitchen table with their child crying over some stupidhomework for an hour. 

Third, how dogiving worksheets that are drill and kill really help children learn?  What’s the point?

So, what is thepoint of homework?  Homework shouldteach children responsibility. Homework should be a tool to help parents see what their child is doingat school.  Homework should extendlearning from the classroom to the home. Homework should be MEANINGFUL! 

If I were incharge of the world, primary grade children would NOT be allowed to spend morethan 30 minutes on homework each night. They might be asked to read 20+ minutes and then have ONE otherassignment.  I would try to makethe assignment engage with the parent and connect the real world with what’sgoing on in the classroom.  Forexample, the assignment might be to ask their parents what a veteran is and tofind out who the veterans in their family are.  The assignment might be to ask their parents how they usemath in their jobs.  The assignmentmight be to cut out a picture from the newspaper and write one or two sentencesabout it. Take a look at my monthly activities and use those as a springboardfor reinforcing skills at your particular grade level. 

Kids, I’m on yourside!  Parents, I’m on your side!  Teachers, I’m on your side as well, buttake a hard look at your homework assignments and see if they are reallyeducational, necessary, and reasonable!


NOTE!
I wrote the above blog last week before I met my daughter at the NAEYC Conference in Orlando.  Holly brought up the fact that many parents WANT homework and are impressed with lengthy assignments because they think it will make their children smarter.  You might be surprised at what Holly's research revealed!


 In the book Battle Over Homework:Common Ground for Administrators,

 Teachers, and Parents, HarrisCooper puts together a variety of

 research studies on homework. He findsthat in elementary school,

 homework has almost no impact onacademic achievement. In middle

 school, the results are mixed. In highschool, moderate levels of

 homework can help the learning process.But it needs to be meaningful

 and relevant and not just busy work. 

 Here’s another interesting editorial:

 http://www.chron.com/life/article/Doing-homework-on-doing-homework-  

 1822665.php

 And here's a good article that sums upsome homework facts:

 http://www.chron.com/opinion/editorials/article/Spare-the-child-

 Excessive-homework-assignments-1633056.php

 I also found an interesting interviewwith a Finnish education

 expert. In Finland, children spend fewerhours in school, do very

 little homework, and don't takestandardized tests. I'll have to

 watch the show about it with DanRather--it should be on next week.

 But here's an interesting quote thatsuggests drill and kill is a

 really outdated mode of education--herelates it to "the old

 industrial mindset":

 "There’s no evidence globally thatdoing more of the same

 [instructionally] will improve results.An equally relevant argument

 would be, let’s try to do less.Increasing time comes from the old

 industrial mindset. The important thingis ensuring school is a place

 where students can discover who they areand what they can do. It’s

 not about the amount of teaching and learning."

VOTING DAY

Tomorrow is thesecond Tuesday in November and the official “Voting Day.”  I know many schools will be closedtomorrow, so today is the perfect time to discuss what it means to be anAmerican and the privilege that we have to vote.  Here are some good questions:

         Howold must you be to vote?

         Canmen and women both vote?

         Doyou have to pay to vote?

         Whatdoes “secret ballot” mean?

         Howdo you determine who wins?

The “majorityrules” is a key concept to our democracy and something that you can practice inyour classroom on a daily basis. Let children vote on the game they want to play, the song they want tosing, or the story they want to hear. The teacher will still be in charge by selecting two or three options(the outcome of which will achieve her goals), but the children will buy intothe idea because they have some voice in the matter.  Voting can also contribute to the feeling of community andteam spirit in your classroom. 

In mykindergarten I set up a cardboard box on a table to be the voting booth.  Children took turns checking off aclass roster as their friends voted in the booth.  The ballot had two options for each of thesecategories:  game, story, song, andsnack.  There were picture cluesalong with the words so children could “read” and mark their choice.  A shoebox became the ballot box and theexcitement increased as we tallied results at morning meeting.

I remember in myhistory of education class that the purpose of schools in the United States wasto “educate to perpetuate a democratic citizenry.”  You can plant the seeds in your classroom today and everyday by providing children with the opportunity to vote!

VETERAN'S DAY

VETERAN'S DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, THIS YEAR.

Veteran’s Day

(Tune:  “Danny Boy” - HAPPY EVERYTHING CD Disk 1))

Today’s the day wecelebrate our veterans,

The men and womenwho fought for our great land.

We’ll raise ourflags and hold a moment of silence

And we will carrypoppies in our hands.

Because we want tothank you for your service;

You traveled farto keep us safe at home.

You fought withpride and honor for our country.

Our veterans, ohhow we love you so.

Here’s the link todownload this book:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/11_Nov/1booksNov/veteransDay2007.pdf

Our daughter Holly wrote this song and I can hardly sing it without getting goose bumps!

Vocabulary– What is a veteran?  For homework,have children interview their parents to find out about veterans in theirfamily.

Poppies –Take three 7” circles cut out of red tissue paper and fold them like a fan.  Twist a green pipe cleaner around the middle.  Open layers to resemble a poppy.  Do a search on the internet to discoverwhy the poppy is symbol for Veteran’s Day.

Guest Speaker– Call a local military recruiting office and invite a guest speaker to sharewith the children what it’s like to have a job in the armed forces.

NAEYC UPDATE

If you ever getthe chance to go to a conference in Orlando – GO!!!  It’s the best place for a conference in the world.  I just returned from the NAEYCConference and it was awesome. Attendance was down, which is not surprising, but the enthusiasm of theteachers was up.  Loved, loved,loved meeting all the teachers from across the United States and othercountries.  That’s why I do what Ido!  And I would do anything tohelp you enjoy your job and help give children a smile and a happychildhood!!!  And that’s the truthfrom the bottom of my heart!

We were blessedwith great weather, and I was blessed to get to present with my daughterHolly.  Of course, Kalina and K.J.came along and got a taste of “Disney Magic.”  My husband had a special day at Universal Studios with K.J.and now my husband can’t stop talking about the Harry Potter ride.  It must be out of this world! 

 Kalina in herMinnie Mouse dress and K.J. in his Thing Two shirt.

We stayed at the HiltonConvention Center and it was incredible! The facilities, pools, views, and food were outstanding.  But, it was the friendly staff thatmade our trip so wonderful.  Fromthe parking attendant to the housekeeper to the front desk…everybody had a smileand acted like they were happy to be working there and making our visit amemorable one.  Those peopleprobably all have problems like the rest of us, but they put a smile on theirfaces and did their jobs.  Everyday when you go in the classroom you have to be part actor or actress.  Leave your worries outside, put a smileon your face, and act like you are luckiest teacher in the world!  Pretend like it’s going to be the bestday ever and your feelings will follow!!!

MONTHLY MUSIC MIX

Did you know that each month I offered a “monthly music mix” with a wide variety of songs that you can introduce to your class?  There’s always a song for gathering the children, transitions, phonics, math, movement/fun, and special holiday and seasonal picks.  Here’s where you’ll find some tunes for this month:

www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2009/06_Jun/pg07.html

Here are two examples of simple tunes that teach.

Pencil Grip

(Tune:  “Where Is Thumbkin?”)

Where is Pointer? 

On the top. 

Ready to write.  

Start at the top.

Where is Thumbkin? 

On the side. 

Ready to help

Your pencil glide.

Where is Tallman? 

On the bottom. 

Keeps the letters

Where you want ‘em.

Five Little Letters

(Tune:  “Five Little Ducks”)

Place five magnetic letters on the board before you begin singing.

Seven little letters went out one day

Over the hills and far away.

When the teacher called /m/, /m/, /m/, /m/,

Only the letter “M” came back.

Continue with other letters.

*Hint!  Those "letter pops" that I wrote about several days ago would be great to use with this song.