Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites {Chapter 6}

I'm doing my best to catch up, so here is my reflection on Chapter Six of Worksheets Without Dendrites!

Seriously, though. It really is. I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh. I don't really think of myself as a funny person, but sometimes I say or do silly things that make my kids laugh. I love to see them having a good time. Sometimes we all just have to take a little break and laugh, or else we'll go crazy!

Some students think school is boring and dread coming. Therefore, it's important that we, as teachers, add fun throughout the day. What's a good way to do that? HUMOR! 

If you're worried about adding a little humor to your class, just remember this: "Having laughter breaks in class increases the flow of positive neurotransmitters, which are necessary for alertness and memory (Jensen, 2007)". You can have fun and build skills at the same time! 

Also, the book mentions laughing clubs. I want to join one/be in one. They sound awesome! 

We always break for laughter, unless it gets too excessive! Laughter relieves stress and sometimes my kiddos get really stressed when the work is challenging for them. We play lots of games (you can read about them here). I also try to find silly stories and books for us to read. 

I would love to give my students more opportunities to use humor in their work. I really liked the suggestion of students writing comics or jokes based on what they're learning. 

Also, I really, really want to start using Go Noodle as a way to reward good behavior in my classroom. I'm having some technology difficulties in my room, so once these are fixed, I plan to become a Go-Noodler! 

Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites {Chapter 5}

It's time to discuss chapter 5 of Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites. I know I'm so late in posting this, but life has been so crazy! I was sick last weekend and the season of paperwork is in full swing. I'm up to my eyeballs in IEPs and referrals...and grad school work. I'm going to try to make some time this week to catch up on here.

Alright, so the topic of chapter 5 is graphic organizers. 

Confession: I don't use them as much as I should, especially with my younger students. I used them with my 3-5 students, but my K-2 instruction is mostly phonics based. Since I only see kids for 30-45 minutes, it's hard to fit it all in!

After reading this chapter, I am reminded of the importance of graphic organizers. My students need ways to visually organize information because they struggle so much with comprehension. I want to continue to use graphic organizers in the classroom, but I want to start using them with my younger students. 

I am also interesting in trying to have my students create their own graphic organizers. Since my students really struggle to think independently, I'm a little nervous about this one. I know they can do it, but getting them to believe they can and actually do it might take some work! Anyone who has done this, I'd love to hear how it went for you!

Earlier this year, I made a non-fiction graphic organizer that I absolutely love! We use it with Time for Kids articles mostly, but you could use it with any non-fiction text. 

You can grab it for free right here.

Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites {Chapter 4}

This week I'm linking up with Katie at Queen of the First Grade Jungle for Chapter 4. 

Chapter 4 is about one of my favorite things to do in the classroom. PLAY GAMES! 

I love games and my students do too. They are a great way for them to show their learning while having fun!

Did you know that playing games can help you live longer??

The book tells us, "While prekindergarten children love to play games, it is also one of the 10 activities that keep people living beyond the age of 80". They also improve your memory and decrease stress. For our stressed out, test focused kiddos, playing games is so beneficial. 

Sometimes finding/making and preparing games is so much more time consuming than just printing a worksheet, but it is so worth it! They are learning more, are more engaged, and learn valuable social skills. Many of my kids really struggle with taking turns, good sportsmanship, and following directions, so games provide a fun way for them to practice these skills. It's all about educating the whole child! 

My students get so excited about BINGO. We have been playing it to review CVC words after we learn a new vowel sound. They ask to play it all the time. 

One way I give the students more ownership is by allowing the winner to call the next game. They get to sit in my chair and pull out the next words. They love this and it makes them feel so important! 

These BINGO boards are part of my CVC word pack which you can find here.

They also love playing Sight Word Slap. You set up the sight word flashcards, call out a word, and the first one to slap the card gets to keep it. It's a quick and fun way to review sight words and it's No Prep! I got these flashcards from the Target Dollar Spot, but Dollar Tree also keeps them in stock!

We also love matching games in my classroom. We match sight words, numbers & ten frames, and anything else we can match! Matching games are a great hands-on way to gauge a student's understanding of a skill. 

Pictured above is a first sound matching game from my new First Sound Fluency Pack found here. 

One of my goals in this area is implement more games in the classroom, especially for my students in the upper grades. It's much easier for me to find and prepare games for my kids in the lower grades. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts and I'm sure I'll find some wonderful ideas I can use in my own classroom! 

See you soon for chapter 5!

Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dentrites {Chapter 3}

It's time to discuss Chapter 3 of Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites! It's all about Field Trips.

The first sentence of the chapter really spoke to me, especially since we're in the beginning of test prep season. 

"The purpose of the brain is not to make good grades or to score high on standardized tests". 

This is so, so true to me. Learning should real, hands-on, and engaging. Preparing to fill in bubbles on a standardized test is not real learning. 

Although the text offers a lot of theoretical framework supporting field trips, I felt that one was particularly convincing:

"Enhancing higher-order thinking skills, refining observation and questioning skills, and increasing the confidence and attitude of students are all benefits of field trips" (Davis, 2002)

What more convincing do you need? Take your kids out of the classroom and give them real-world learning experiences. We are responsible for educating the whole child and field trips are a great way for us to do that!

Now that I teach in a resource/inclusion setting, I don't have the opportunity to take my students on off-campus field trips. Our school allows each homeroom class two field trips a year, which is is wonderful because some districts don't allow any! 

I love to take my students outside. We have a wonderful courtyard at school and I plan to utilize it more as the weather gets warmer. I've heard that kids are really lacking Vitamin D these days, so I'm trying to do my part to reverse that! Having class in nature is also very calming for kids! 

I could really do a lot more in this area. I want to find more ways to utilize the courtyard space. The chapter suggests finding ways to incorporate nature into lessons and activities, especially through nature walks. My kinders are working on addition, so I want to create some activities using natural objects to help them with this skill. 

Now that the weather is warming up, I am super excited to get outside with my students and enhance their learning! 

To check out other blog posts on chapter 3, visit Mrs. Will's Kindergarten. If you blog and are reading the book too, make sure you link up on her page. 

Next time our blog posts will focus on Games! Stay tuned. :) 

Thanks for reading!

Book Study: Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites {Chapters 1 & 2}

I am teaming up with a bunch of amazing bloggers for a book study on a (so far) equally amazing book, Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites. This book has been on my reading wishlist for a while, so I am excited to get started! 

Each chapter offers lots of real, easy to implement strategies. If they don't work as is in your classroom, they can be easily tweaked for your subject, grade level, etc. Since I teach in a resource and inclusion settings, many of the strategies would need to be tweaked for my use. 

This chapter really validated a lot of things I'm doing in my classroom, which is always great! I have always loved think-pair-share activities, ever since I first learned about them in college. One way I tweak this activity is that I have students write their answers during the think step. Too many kids forget their thinking or decide to change it based on what others think. By having them write, you are eliminating these problems and also ensuring that each student is thinking about the question and has an initial answer. 

One thing mentioned that I really struggle with is "wait time". Sometimes waiting 5-7 seconds for someone to respond feels like eternity and can create an awkward quiet. The book does suggest having this wait time in order to allow students to think and really prepare their answers. This is one thing that I really plan to work on in the upcoming weeks!

I've found that integrating art is very difficult for me. Don't get me wrong--I love art, art projects, and facilitating creativity, but the focus on core academic skills and test prep makes integrating art on a regular basis much more difficult. This chapter made me feel more comfortable with integrating art in the classroom. 

The book shares all the different ways that art improves the whole child. For example, it builds comprehension, self-esteem, sensory awareness, and dexterity. Many of these are special areas where my students need extra practice. More reasons for me to begin integrating it more! 

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts! Click on the graphic at the top of the page to visit Kickin' it in Kindergarten's original blog post and link up your own! Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section so we can get the conversation started!