Search results matching tags 'games' and 'music'

STRETCHY BAND - My New Favorite Manipulative!

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Parent/Child class enjoying the Stretchy Band!

Hi! Miss Carole from Macaroni Soup back with my new-found favorite prop – the Stretchy Band! Ok, it may have been around for a while, but I just picked one up this summer and started working with it in my classes – it’s a BIG HIT!!!

Disclaimer – I am not in any way connected to the manufacturer.

Here’s the scoop:

I bought my Medium-sized band (10’) from West Music at the ECMMA national conference in Wisconsin. It sat in the bag until September rolled around. To my dismay, it came with little in the way of suggestions for use with children from the manufacturer, Bear Paw Creek. Actually, they ask for activity suggestions from users – a good idea! You can purchase the Stretchy Band from either company at the same price - $56 for the Medium. It’s an investment, to be sure – but worth it to me!

Waa waa waah!

I have found I can put 18 children around my medium band – more than that is quite crowded. But even 8-10 kids is very fun, too!

I have had great success with children 2 - 6 years old - you can, too!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The Wheels on the Bus with a Stretchy Band

Put the Stretchy Band on the floor, loosely forming a circle. Children sit cross-legged around the band, about 12 – 18” outside the band. On your instruction, they reach forward with one hand and grasp the band in front of them and pull it back to where they are sitting. Grasp band with both hands. Now you’re ready to sing and move – and the fun begins!

windows - up and down!

Sing “The Wheels on the Bus” as you know it, but with the following movements with the Stretchy Band:

1. wheels go round and round – move band in circles away from body – a rowing motion.

2. windows go up and down – move band up’n’down on the words “up” and “down”

3. doors go open and shut – lay back, sit up (yup, it’s sit-ups!)

4. wipers go swish swish swish – move hands from side to side

5. people get bumped around – shake it, baby, up and down - quickly!

6. babies cry waa waa waah – knock fists together, then apart quickly, 3 times

7. parents say sh! sh! sh! – while grasping band, hold up pointer finger to lips on the sh’s!

8. repeat first verse!

Some notes from experience:

Keep the tempo reasonable, even slower than usual.
Most children don’t have well-developed abdominal muscles, so “doors” will be challenging! Also, demonstrate how to lean back without knocking your head on the floor too hard!
Stop between verses to demonstrate the next verse.
Bring the controlled chaos of the “people get bumped” down by singing the “babies” verse a little sadly, then the “parents” verse in a hushed voice.

doors - open and shut - whoa!

I have found this to have similar skills and feel to parachute activities. OT/PT folks tell me it’s great with their populations, too! In my classroom, not a single child declined to participate – everyone has a blast.

Other activities I have tried: Standing inside the band facing out, we take a giant step away from the center, then let the band gently push us back in while sliding our voices from high to low. Then increase to two steps, repeat. I am just starting to add the use of recorded music for activities. The Stretchy Band is great for ocean waves, wind, etc.

If you have suggestions, please comment! One of my friends is trying to make her own band – I’ll let you know how that comes out when she figures it out!

Yours for a Stretching Song!

Miss Carole

MacaroniSoup! Active Music for Kids!

Review for Tests

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Many of you are still in school and probably still have District tests to give even if the state tests are complete. How about some fun ideas to help review skills?

Buzz - This is a great game to practice multiples. Gather your students in a circle or you could even do it in line when waiting for lunch or to get into activity. Say the number you want to use is 3. The first child says 1, 2nd child says 2, but the third child says BUZZ! The 4th child then says 4, 5th child 5, 6th child says BUZZ, 7th child says 7, 8th child says 8, and 9th child BUZZ. You get the picture. Start off with a small number like 3 or 4 and then try higher numbers to challenge them. You could also start off in the middle and have the first child start off say with the number 9 and go from there.

Hot Potatoe - After watching a video on a topic, reading a chapter, or even for a mixed review have the children pass a ball. Say Hot Potatoe and whoever has the ball has to answer a question on the topic. If they get it right they get some sort of reward. This particular school used links, which are like tickets and the kids could turn them in for rewards later. If the child gets the question wrote they start passing the ball around again until the teacher calls Hot Potatoe and then that child gets a shot at the question. Play resumes with the next question. Another variation I thought of is to play music and stop the music and whoever has the ball must answer the question.

What games do you play for review? Please post your game ideas in the comment section, but please no teaching products.

* I will try to get up some sort of picture for those that like to pin when I can, but I am having major computer issues.

Ten Ways to Motivate Students

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:54:00 GMT

This is the third installment of my 10 sets of ten. Today is all about motivating students. These are ten ways I motivate students:

1. Pride! Luckily, there are some students who take pride in themselves and just plain want to do well. They want to make the teacher happy. Don't you love these kids? Don't you wish there were more of these? Unfortunately, there are a lot of kids who don't have pride in themselves, or just don't have enough. Therefore, we need the other nine.

2. Stickers! Children love stickers. A hefty supply is necessary for most teachers of little ones. Personally, I usually only give out stickers for homework, but many teachers give out stickers for daily work. My students work pretty hard for one sticker for homework each day! On special occasions, I'll pull out the scented stickers!

3. Working with a partner! Kids are social, and the idea of working with another child is super motivating. Let them choose their own partner, and you'll be their hero! They can read with a partner, write a story with a partner, or practice math facts. There's a whole world of possibilities.

4. Let them earn an extra recess! I think this is a "win-win". We know that kids need to run and exercise and burn off steam. The promise of being able to do what they need to do is motivating for the kids to work!

5. Inspire them! I find if I say a few words about a book, the children all want to read that book. If I show them a sample of my writing, they want to try a similar piece of writing. If I make something look interesting or fun, they want to try it. I could never sell cars, but I sure can sell a book to a kid!

A couple of desk decorations from my classroom.

6. Let them put something cool on their desk for a while! Personally, I use a collection of beanie babies that I've saved since my daughter was little. They can keep it on their desk for the day. If they do something quite spectacular, I let them keep a little flag on their desk for a week. They are mighty proud of these, and they can tell you what each little trophy is for!

7. Play a game! There are so many possibilities for games. There are group games like Around the World, Scoot, and variations of Jeopardy, Hollywood Squares, and Family Feud. Then there are partner games, centers, and activities. Sometimes they have so much fun, they don't even realize they're learning!

8. Group Projects! When there is a product and a "performance" involved, the kids get moving! Most kids love working in small groups putting together some sort of project, then others are super motivated by the thought of standing in front of their class. They really remember these group projects for years to come.

9. Have a dance party! This works well for my group. You can work out the details, but if they reach a certain point, just stop for the moment, and turn on the music. My kids love this, as it happens to be a group that really responds to music and movement. It only takes a few minutes of the day, and they've had their exercise and burned off some steam. That makes a dance party another "win-win"! Other forms of this type of group reward can be a pizza party or a make your own ice cream party. (The dance party is cheaper, though!)

10. Special recognition! Single out a student for spectacular work. I often read examples of good work, or hold up examples of good effort on handwriting. We do Student of the Week. I have an Improvement Board, where they get stickers and work their way up the ladder when we notice they have improved at something - it can be anything from remembering to pass in homework, to improvement in behavior, to improvement in knowing math facts. One of my students said moving on the improvement board was even better than earning a flag for a week!

This is just a small sampling of the possibilities for motivating students. How do you motivate your students?
Sally

A Day In The Life: One Song, Countless Activities: Simple Past Cloze, Phrasal verbs, Vocabulary, etc.

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:43:00 GMT

In We Are The Champions, I wrote about several ideas you could do with songs in the classroom, so if you'd missed it, you ought to take a look now. Warm-up Play the video, freeze it when Paul McCartney can be seen. Ask if anyone knows him, what they know: the group he belonged to, the instrument he plays, the period the song was written, etc. Gap-fill Play the video once, asking them to listen

Conditional Type 3 with Keith Whitley: Interactive Cloze Activity

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:39:00 GMT

Here's a simple fun activity for you to practise listening and conditionals. First, listen to the song, and you can follow the lyrics if you want (there are some minor errors).Then, click on the image below the lyrics, and this will direct you to an interactive cloze activity, prepared using Lucy Georges' Cloze Creator. Try to fill in the gap (with or without listening to the song again). Tip:

The World's Best Countries: Games and Activities

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:49:00 GMT

If you had a choice of a country to live in, where would you choose? What would your criteria be? Newsweek recently compiled a list of the best countries in the world based on health, economy, politics and the quality of life. The project took them several months to complete, but their results are now available. Click on the image below to browse the scores and rank of the country of your choice,

Musical Instruments Tagging Game (4 parts)

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:21:00 GMT

Here are some games to help you learn musical instruments. They are four categories: strings, brass & keyboard, percussion, and woodwind. Just click on the image to begin the game. If you want to see your name appear on the scoring sheet, you'll have to register before playing. Remember your nickname & password for all my other games which are hosted on Purposegames. Either way, please

Ideas for Halloween in the classroom

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:03:00 GMT

In two weeks, Halloween is with us again. What have you got lined up for this year? Here are just a few ideas to help you get going. To introduce/revise vocabulary related to Halloween, I've set up a PowerPoint presentation. Show the slide first, then elicit the word before revealing it. It's appropriate for basic level upwards. To display it properly, you'd need to download it. You may have to

Ideas for the First Lesson

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Soon, it’ll be the start of the new academic year; don’t wait until the very last minute to think about ideas for the first lesson. To help you, here are a few tried and tested activities. Some of your students are possibly known to you from previous years, so you’ll probably have an idea as to what will or won’t work with them. If you have a new class, you’ll have to be flexible. Be aware that their level may not be as high as you expect, so have a few plans ready in your mind.

A. Learning names

1. Ask them to imagine they are at a party. Play cheerful music, and while the music is playing, have them walk around the class, gesturing with their hands and body, miming some dialogue, etc. with another student. Make sure they change their partners every 5-10 seconds. When you stop the music, they introduce themselves to each other, e.g. “My name’s Lara, What’s yours?” When the music is resumed, they change partners again, and when it is stopped, they ask their new partner the same question.

At the end of the activity, ask them how many names they have remembered, pointing out the student as they mentioned their names, e.g. he’s Pablo, she’s Carolina.

If you like, you can have them extend the conversation to include things about themselves. Write key words/expressions on the board: family, hobbies, pets, favourite things (football team, food, music, etc.), dislikes, and so on. At the end of the activity, check what they remember.

2. Instead of freely moving around the class, you can arrange them in two concentric circles, or in two lines, facing each other (see Ideas for practising dialogue).

3. Test their memory: the first student says, ‘My name’s María.’ The next say, ‘Her name’s María and mine’s Pablo.’ The following student says, ‘Her name’s Maria, his is Pablo and my name’s Samuel.’ This carries on until the chain’s too long for them to remember!

4. If you see they enjoyed that, you can add another piece of information, e.g. ‘My name’s María and I have two sisters.’

In these activities, it’d be best if you include yourself. Apart from learning their names firsthand you’ll be demonstrating to them that you intend to create a communicative atmosphere in your classroom.

B. Chain Whisper

You can combine learning names with another activity, such as Chinese Whispers. Ask them to form a line, but with a particular criteria which you choose. For example, you can tell them you want them in alphabetical order of their first names. Explain how the conversation should go. Write them on the board, if necessary:

What’s your name?
María.
Erm..., I’m before you – my name’s Javier.

The Chinese Whispers activity can be used to incorporate English sounds into the first lesson, too. Use the line formed as above, or form a circle. Whisper either a phoneme or a word or phrase which include the sound you’d like to demonstrate, to one student. She or he whispers what you said to the next student, and so it carries on until the last student. The last student announces the sounds or words to the whole class. You correct, if necessary.

C. Questions

From my experience, I have found that learners have tremendous problems constructing questions correctly. You could plan a questions activity to gauge their knowledge on this aspect and, if necessary, write down examples on the board for them to follow. You can always explain them in subsequent lessons.

1. Ask them to write between 3 to 5 questions on a piece of paper. While they are preparing their questions, monitor their mistakes, and help them if they have difficulties. Write examples on the board. Get them into one of the formations explained in the ‘ideas for practising dialogues’ post. They ask their partners the questions. At the end of the activity, they report their findings to the class. Example:

• Pedro, Tania, Sonia and Paula don’t like animals, but Carlota has a dog and two birds.
• Susanna has three sisters. Pablo has four brothers.
• Javier likes rock music, but Raquel can’t stand it.

2. Instead of asking the questions, they predict the answers first. Later, they report it to the class: I guessed that Paul likes salsa music, but he doesn’t. I thought that María has one sister, but she has none.

3. You could also have them asking you the questions instead of their classmates. Add some variance to this by telling them they can only ask questions which require a yes or no answer, or give them three different answers and they have to guess the right one. This may get rather noisy, so allow the questioner the first guess.

D Ask someone who

Write a few instructions on the board:

• Find someone who hates cats
• Find someone who lives near you
• Find someone who loves Japanese food
• Find someone who likes the same type of music as you

Make sure they know how to structure the questions. At the end of the activity, they tell the class what they have discovered.

E Vocabulary test

Choose a criterion and brainstorm all the words that fit it. If it’s a complete beginner’s class, ask for any English words they know. Examples of criteria you could use are words beginning with a certain alphabet, words of a certain length, or a combination of both, e.g. all 3-letter words beginning with K. The choice is limitless. Increase the challenge by further restricting the selection to nouns, proper nouns, adjectives, or verbs.

F End of Lesson

You may like to experiment this with your class – decide if there is enough rapport between the students and you for this to work. It is basically a relaxation exercise, an extension of meditation techniques, but is now gaining popularity in pedagogical circles under the guise of names such as stilling, visualization, scripted fantasy and guided imagery. Leave yourself about 10-15 minutes before the end of the lesson. The activity consists of first relaxing the students, then transporting their mind through a fantastical journey. For the latter, use your imagination, or an appropriate text from somewhere such as text books or stories.

Soft soothing music is optional.

Explain words they might have difficulty with before you start. You don't want any interruptions once you begin.

Speak to them in your most relaxed and calming voice, soft but loud enough for everyone to hear. It is best if they’re seated in a circle, but if this is not possible, decide if it is better for you to be seated somewhere in the middle or in the front (or at the back) of the classroom.

Close your eyes... Straighten your back... Sit deep in your chair, your back against the back of the chair...Put your hands on your lap...Both of your feet are flat on the floor.

Clench your fist... now relax them and feel them open.

Curl your toes...now relax them slowly.

Take a deep breath...let it out slowly...take another breath, slowly and deeply...feel your stomach expand outwards as you breathe in...breathe out slowly.

Do this a couple of times until you find them sufficiently relaxed.

Now, listen to the sounds in this room...listen to your own breath...feel it entering and leaving your body...feel your blood flowing from your heart down your left arm and up...down your left side of your body...down your left leg and up again...now it moves down your right leg...and up...down your right arm...and up...up your head...moves round, then down back to your heart.

Keep your eyes closed, but feel your third eye opening, this is your mind’s eye...look at the door...it opens...we’re leaving the classroom...we’re walking down the corridor...there isn’t anyone; they’re all in their classes...through the windows, you see that it’s a sunny day...we walk down the stairs...we walk through the door, into the open...

Feel the wind blowing into your face...feel the sun shining...feel its heat on your skin...hear the sounds of the cars...hear the birds singing...Breathe in the fresh air...

Ok, now we turn back...we walk back indoors...feel the sunlight behind you...we walk up the stairs...through the corridor....the classroom door opens...

Walk slowly to your chair...sit down gently...feel your breath...in...out...in...out...now, slowly open your eyes...move your fingers and your toes...look around you slowly...

If there is time, you might like to ask them if they had enjoyed the experience. Make sure they get up slowly and not rush out of their seats like they usually do! The body (and the mind) needs to get back to the ‘normal’ world gradually: If they stand up abruptly they might feel dizzy.

And, now over to Google Translator!

不久，它就會開始新的學年，不要等到最後一分鐘的思考觀念的第一課。為了幫助你，這裡有一些久經考驗的活動。一些您學生可能已知您從往年，所以你可能有一個想法至於何種會或不能與其一起工作。如果你有一個新的類，你就必須是靈活的。要知道，他們的水平可能不會像您期望的那樣高，所以也有一些計劃，準備在你的腦海。

答：學習名稱

1。問問他們想像他們處於黨。播放開朗音樂，雖然音樂正在播放，讓他們走走類，打手勢用手和身體，增強雙邊一些對話等與另一學生。確保他們改變自己的合作夥伴每5-10秒。當您停止音樂，他們自我介紹彼此，例如“我姓的拉拉，什麼你？”當音樂是復會，他們改變夥伴再次，當它停止，他們要求其新夥伴同樣的問題。

在結束活動，問他們多少名字他們已經記起，指出學生作為他們提及姓名，例如他的車手，她的北卡羅來納州。

如果您願意，你可以讓他們擴大對話，包括對自己的事情。收件關鍵詞/詞句黑板上：家庭，愛好，寵物，喜愛東西（足球隊，食物，音樂等），好惡，等等。在活動結束時，檢查他們的記憶。

2。而是自由走動類，你可以他們在兩個同心圓，或兩行，面臨彼此（見思路執業對話）。

3。測試他們內存：第一學生說，'我叫瑪麗亞。'接下來說，'她的名字的瑪麗亞和礦井帕布羅。'下列學生說，'她的名字的瑪麗亞，他是Pablo和我名下的Samuel。'這進行關於直到鏈太長，他們要記住！

4。如果您看到他們享有，你可以添加另一個一塊信息，如'我叫瑪麗亞和我有兩個姐妹。

在這些活動中，這將會是你最好包括你自己。除了學習他們的名字第一手您將向他們證明您打算建立一家交際氛圍您教室。

乙鏈耳語

您可以結合學習名稱以另一個活動，如中文私語。問他們，形成一條線，而是與特定的標準，您選擇。例如，您可以告訴他們你想讓他們字母順序派首名字。解釋如何將談話應該走人。寫他們就董事會，如有必要：

你叫什麼名字？
瑪麗亞。
企業風險管理...，我在你-我的名字的哈維爾。

中方私語活動可用於納入英語聲音納入第一課，過於。使用Line形成為以上或圍成一圈。耳語要么1音素或單詞或短語其中包括聲音您想要示威，一個學生。她或他竊竊私語你所說下一學生，所以進行關於直到最後學生。最後學生宣布聲音或話全班。你正確的，如果必要的。

長問題

根據我的經驗，我發現，學習者建設重大問題的正確的問題。你可以計劃一發問活動衡量他們知識從這方面如有必要，寫下例子板上他們遵循。您可以隨時解釋它們在隨後教訓。

1。要求他們寫在3至5個問題上一紙空文。雖然他們正在準備他們的問題，監督他們的錯誤，並幫助他們，如果他們有困難。寫例子板上。讓他們到一個解釋的編隊在'思想執業對話'的職位。他們要求他們的合作夥伴的問題。在結束的活動，他們報告其調查結果類。例如：

•佩德羅，塔尼婭，索尼婭和保拉不喜歡動物，但卡洛塔布有一隻狗和2只。
•阿涅利有兩個姐妹。巴勃羅有四個兄弟。
•哈維爾喜歡搖滾音樂，但拉奎爾無法忍受。

2。政府不去詢問提問，他們預測答案第一。後來，他們就報告到類：我猜測，保羅喜歡拉丁音樂，但他沒有。我以為María有一個姐姐，但她卻沒有。

3。你也可能他們問你問題而非同學。添加一些方差這個告訴他們他們只可以提問需要yes或no答案或給予他們3不同答案和他們必須猜到正確之一。這可能會比較嘈雜，所以讓提問的第一個猜測。

Ḏ問問人誰

寫幾條指令在黑板上：

•找一個誰討厭貓
•查找某人誰生命您附近
•找一個誰愛日本料理
•查找某人誰喜歡相同類型音樂正如你

確保他們知道如何結構的問題。在活動結束時，他們告訴階層他們的發現。

首頁詞彙測試

選擇一個標準和靈機一動所有字眼適合它。如果它是一個完整的初級班，要求任何英文單詞他們知道。示例標準您可以使用句話開始與某個字母表，文字某長度或組合兩者，例如所有3個字母開頭的詞光的選擇是無限的。增加的挑戰，進一步限制了選擇的名詞，專有名詞，形容詞或動詞。

F完課

你可能喜歡嘗試這個您的類-決定是否有足夠融洽學生與您為此工作。它基本上放鬆鍛煉，一延長禪修技術，但現在日益普及在教學界下幌子地名如消，可視，腳本幻想和指導圖像。給自己約10-15分鐘年底前教訓。該活動包括第一放寬學生，然後運送他們心目中透過幻想旅程。對於後者，使用您想像力，或適當文本從某處如文本書籍或故事。

軟撫慰音樂是可選。

解釋的話，他們可能難以與之前開始。你不想任何干擾一旦您開始。

發言他們您最輕鬆和平靜語音，軟但響亮足夠大家聽到。最好如果他們坐在一個圓圈，但若這不可能，決定是否倒不如你坐在某處中間或在前面（或在背面）的教室。

閉上你的眼睛...伸直回...坐在深在您椅子，你的背部反對椅背...放低手放在你的腿上...雙方您雙腳平放在地板。

握緊您拳頭...現在放鬆他們和感覺他們開放。

捲曲你的腳趾頭...現在他們慢慢放鬆。

深呼吸...讓它慢慢...採取另一呼氣，慢慢深深...感受到你腹部向外擴張當作你的呼吸英寸..呼吸慢慢。

這樣做的時候一對夫婦，直到找到他們充分放鬆。

現在，聽聲音在這個會議室...傾聽你們自己呼吸...覺得它進入和離開您身體...覺得您血液流動從您心臟放低左臂和UP ...放低左側你身體...放低左腿和再次...現在它向下移動您右腿...和UP ...放低右臂...和UP ...您的頭部...移動圓形，然後回到了你的心。

保持您閉上眼睛，但覺得你第三開眼界，這是你頭腦的眼睛...看看門口...它打開...我們離開課堂...我們走下走廊.. 。沒有任何人;他們都在他們類...通過Windows，你看到它晴天...我們走下樓梯...我們走過大門，進入公開.. 。

感覺到風吹到您臉...覺得太陽光輝...感覺到其熱處理對你的皮膚...聽到聲音的汽車...聽到鳥兒歌唱...呼吸在新鮮空氣...

OK，現在我們回頭...我們步行回室內...感受陽光你身後...我們走過台階...透過走廊....教室門打開...

徐步到您椅子...坐下輕輕...覺得您呼氣...英寸..出...英寸..出...現在，慢慢打開您眼睛...動議你手指和您腳趾...看看你的周圍慢慢...

如果有時間，你可能要問他們是否已獲取了經驗。確保他們起床緩慢，並不急於出自己的座位上，他們通常都喜歡！身體（和頭腦）需要獲取回到'正常'世界逐漸：如果他們站起突然他們可能覺得暈眩。

Games for Education: Classify their musical instruments! (Part 2)

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:05:00 GMT

This one is especially for Betty. ;-P If you haven't played Part One yet, you'd be well advised to do so before attempting this one. It's a little different: this time, the clues are names of famous people. First, you'd have to guess the instrument which is associated with them, then you classify it in the relevant bin. You've got to be quick to get a low score! Don't you just learn to have fun!

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