Classroom Debate!

Friends~I love debating in class with my first graders!  Nothing makes me prouder than to see these little guys share their opinions and back them up with facts!  

Each Friday, we have a classroom debate after morning meeting.  Since we just finished our unit on the Iditarod and sled dogs we debated about what was the best pet~Cat or Dog.  

It is so simple to do!  I just grab a sentence strip and write a question or statement on it.  I laminate it and add magnets to the back.  I place it on the board and my students chant THINK!  After they have thought a bit, I place 2 cards on either side of the question.  The cards are the choices for the debate.  

I then say HUDDLE and the kiddos split into 2 groups to discuss facts to support their thinking.  I then say DEBATE and they break into 2 groups.  

The students then stand so that they can begin to discuss their points on the topic.  I ask the students to agree with or disagree with a speaker.  They must have a fact to support their statements.  

As a class, we have been working on eye contact and poise as part of our speaking and listening goals. 

Give it a shot in your classroom!  It is such a confidence builder:)  

Check out more fun over on The Schroeder Page !

You can also check out my Discussion Towers to get your kiddos talking with each other!  

No Worksheet Wednesday #2!

We're back with our second No Worksheet Wednesday! 

Thank you to everyone who linked up last week! Your posts were AWESOME and super INSPIRING!! We can't wait to see what you had in store for your students this week for No Worksheet Wednesday!

If this is your first week joining us, make a vow not to use a single worksheet every Wednesday for the month of March.  (Remember, recording sheets that allow students to record their thinking are not worksheets. Writing paper and journals are a great way to embed authentic writing into your lessons without the need for a "worksheet.")

Each week, take pictures and blog about a couple activities you did for No Worksheet Wednesday. Share those pictures and activities on your blog and then link up with us on the Primary Chalkboard to share with others!  The linky party is below this post. 

Please be sure to grab the button at the top of this post and use it in your blog post. Link back to us in your post.  The linky button will be open from Wednesday morning at 6:00am EST to 11:00pm EST on Tuesday.  Then, the next week's "party" will begin! 

Next week's linky will be held on Wednesday, March 18th!

An InLinkz Link-up

How I Use Art in My Classroom

Hi friends! It's Haley from My Silly Firsties! I'm so excited to share how I use art in my class with you! I know that authentic learning is a huge "buzz word" in education, and it's one that's very close to my heart! One of the easiest ways I have found to promote engagement and learning in my class is to use art as much as possible! 

It's easy to think that art is "fluff" but I don't believe that's true! Of course, some art can be a bit "fluffy" but sometimes that's okay too! They're babies after all! :) 

I wanted to show you some examples of how we have used art in the past few weeks, and then I have a few tips for you! 

For this project, we were studying stars in the sky. We read this awesome nonfiction book, and then they drew the constellation they wanted to create. I helped with the glitter part, hahaha. Of course, we had someone just write Elsa for their constellation. Of course...I can't even remember what my teaching was like before Frozen! 

This amazing directed drawing is from Jennifer over at First Grade Blue Skies! They had SO much fun! I am a HUGE believer in Directed Drawings!! They teach listening, following directions, creativity, and so much more!  After our drawing, they trace in sharpie. They are getting SO good at that. After they trace, we painted. :) I love paint...and I have never had parents complain about a little paint on their clothes! :) 

Here's another idea I grabbed off of Pinterest at this link. This was a great discussion piece about why the trees look different in each season. There are lots of variations of this project, but we just used paint. :)  

 I LOVE the Green Giant for teaching visualization!! We had SO much fun reading this poem together and drawing the giant!! 

 We have just started our American symbols unit, and after a little video and discussion I let them make a mural with their table mates of the American symbols. We weren't quite ready for the group mural, hahahah...so we ended up cutting out each piece. :) 

Here are the tips I have! These are the things I keep in mind when I am lesson planning and thinking of how to integrate art into our week! :) 

Make sure the kiddos know WHY they are doing what they are doing!! Just like anything else, it's important they are able to identify why they are doing an activity. Occasionally, we will have free art as a reward but usually it's directly tied to what we are studying! 

Art is something that doesn't come easy to some of my sweeties. So it is the PERFECT time to talk about our brain's ability to grow! We talk ALL.THE.TIME about practicing! Art can lead to frustration, but it's those teachable moments that will stick with kiddos! 

"It's okay that this is hard for you! Just keep going! Think about how much you have grown as an artist this year!" 

In my room, I have a few "rushers." They are usually my super high babies who can fly through things! I'm okay with them flying through some things...because they get it, and their little brains process that fast! But art is something I can expect them to take their time and be NEAT. It takes a few times of giving them their work back and telling them you know it's not their best! But after that, they will get it. :) And they will start doing their best...most of the time! :) 

I know paint and sharpies are MESSY...clothes go home with spots on them, hands are filthy, and our tables are destroyed. But it is SO worth it. Don't be afraid! If it turns out badly, you can call me and I'll come clean it up! :) 

I hope this post helped you think of some ways to integrate art into your daily instruction! Thanks for reading!! 

No Worksheet Wednesday #1!

Welcome to our first official No Worksheet Wednesday!!

This linky will run every Wednesday throughout the month of March!

Why are we doing this?

*We are strong advocates for authentic learning experiences within the classroom.

*We know hands-on, active learning is critical to our students' development.

*We believe that learning activities that promote THINKING are the most powerful activities we can provide for our students.

*We want to showcase and promote these types of activities for our followers! :) 

*We understand there is a time and place for worksheets in the classroom. However, we know worksheets are just one part of our classrooms, so lets put a spotlight on the other parts of our rooms! :) :) :)

To join us, make a vow not to use a single worksheet every Wednesday for the month of March.  (Remember, recording sheets that allow students to record their thinking are not worksheets. Writing paper and journals are a great way to embed authentic writing into your lessons without the need for a "worksheet.")

Each week, take pictures and blog about a couple activities you did for No Worksheet Wednesday. Share those pictures and activities on your blog and then link up with us on the Primary Chalkboard to share with others!  The linky party is below this post. 

Please be sure to grab the button at the top of this post and use it in your blog post. Link back to us in your post.  The linky button will be open from Wednesday morning at 6:00am EST to 11:00pm EST on Tuesday.  Then, the next week's "party" will begin! :)

We can't WAIT to read all of the amazing hands-on learning activities you come up with! :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Classroom Management Ideas

Aloha friends!  Corinna here from Surfin' Through Second. I hope everyone is ready for a new month and Spring just around the corner!  Spring Break is in two weeks and before I relax and get some surf time in I will be setting up my class for the last quarter.

We all know the last part of school can get a little crazy.  The kids are getting anxious and so are you! Here are a few ideas for classroom management from some of our PC  authors to help keep your class running smooth.

Every year around this time I change up my classroom management.  The students all get a new job, and they get paid in Beach Bucks each week for doing not only their job, but classwork, homework and just being a good citizen.

Using Beach Bucks in my class the last quarter is always so helpful and the kids absolutely love it! Who doesn't love getting paid for their hard work?  To find out more details Click Here for my original post.

Here's a fun idea from My Silly Firsties for  getting your class a bit more quiet.

Check out these amazing activities from The Primary Techie.

This is a fun idea from Teaching and Tapas

Kindergarten Smorgasboard uses journaling to keep his kiddos on track

Do you have tattling troubles?  Vicky has this pack to help.

Susanna from Whimsy Workshop has some great ideas!

Leslie from First Grade and Flip Flops has a fun and simple idea using Hair Bands.

The Schroeder Page has a great post with lots of tips and freebies!

Here's a great idea from Miss DeCarbo.

Mrs. Rios Teaches has some great ideas over at her blog.

How About some Volume Level posters from Growing Firsties?

These Reward Coupons from Peace, Love and First Grade are great incentives!!

Created by Mr. Hughes has this fun Bingo Game for promoting good behavior.

And one last fun item from Chalk One Up For The Teacher.

Hopefully you will find a tip, trick or product to carry you through the end of the year with ease!

COMING SOON! No Worksheet Wednesday Linky Party for March!

We have an EXCITING new weekly linky that will take place throughout the month of March!

It's called No Worksheet Wednesday and we hope you will join us!

All of us at the Primary Chalkboard have vowed not to use a single worksheet or printable every Wednesday during the month of March.  We really, really hope you will join with us in this project!

Why are we doing this?

*We are strong advocates for authentic learning experiences within the classroom.

*We know hands-on, active learning is critical to our students' development.

*We believe that learning activities that promote THINKING are the most powerful activities 

        we can provide for our students.

*We want to showcase and promote these types of activities for our followers! :) 

*We understand there is a time and place for worksheets in the classroom. However, we know worksheets are just one part of our classrooms, so lets put a spotlight on the other parts of our rooms! :) :) :)

To join us, make a vow not to use a single worksheet every Wednesday for the month of March.  (Remember, recording sheets that allow students to record their thinking are not worksheets. Writing paper and journals are a great way to embed authentic writing into your lessons without the need for a "worksheet.")

Each week, take pictures and blog about a couple activities you did for No Worksheet Wednesday. Share those pictures and activities on your blog and then link up with us on the Primary Chalkboard to share with others!  

The first link-up will take place THIS Wednesday right here on the Primary Chalkboard blog!

When you post, please be sure to grab the button at the top of this post and use it in your blog post. Link back to us in your post.  The very first linky for No Worksheet Wednesdsay will open this Wednesday morning at 6:00am EST and will remain open until  11:00pm EST on Tuesday.  Then, the next week's "party" will begin! :)

The link-ups will be held on these dates:

March 4th

March 11th

March 18th

March 25th

We can't WAIT to read all of the amazing hands-on learning activities you come up with! :)

See you this Wednesday!!! In the meantime, get your photos and plans ready! :)

Quick & Easy Indoor Recess Ideas!

Hey y'all! Casey here, from The Original Math Maniac.

Not all of us are blessed with the often frustrating season we call WINTER.  However, here in NC, Elsa has paid us several visits and brought forth an unusual amount of ice and snow. This means an increase in cabin fever and, yes, the dreaded INDOOR RECESS.

 When the weather is rotten and my students are forced to stay inside, I often pull out the same ol' bag of tricks. However, after so many days of being trapped in our homes and with each other in our classroom, ordinarily peaceful students are starting to look more like Komodo Dragons. 

With that in mind, I searched Pinterest high and low for some new ideas to change up Indoor Recess. Please visit my Pinterest page to check out these fun ideas. I will be continously adding to this board to avoid stagnation.

Also, I whipped this fun little Charades dice game. You can download it for FREE from Google Docs by clicking HERE.    Instructions are included and I guarantee at LEAST 30 minutes of indoor fun. :) 

I am ALWAYS looking for new ways to entertain my little green beans during indoor recess, please help a fellow teacher and leave your suggestions in the comments!