ANDREA RUNNELS
Are you pulling your hair out trying to come up with something for morning work every day? Are you out of options for keeping your sanity? I know if it’s testing season for you, your kids are getting antsy. I can help you with this problem. Are you a homeschooling parent?? Guess what? These ideas will work for you as well!
HEY YOU! Are you still doing Daily Oral Language or drill and kill first thing in the a.m.? Don’t raise your hand. Answer to yourself so nobody has to know your shameful secret. I can also help you with this one, too.
Are your kiddos wiggly and have a hard time focusing? There are countless studies that show kids with attention issues perform better with regular exercise. I know from my own experiences I am more productive when I exercise regularly.
HMMM…what about any kids who are half-awake when you begin instruction? Do you get “crickets” for answers when you ask a question early in the day? Ugh, dreaded tumble weeds when you ask a question like a ghost town in an old western. Been there!
What if I told you I have a solution that might help combat both of these problems?? For real! Several years ago when I worked at another school, my 5th grade team and I came up with a creative idea for daily morning work and I put my own spin on it and also added a fitness component. I am a sucker for good alliteration! Stay tuned because I suggest an alternative if you only teach SS and need “bell-ringers.”
Monday Math Move to Learn Madness
Math Madness Mondays would be a great time for basic independent math fact practice or weekly math sheets/”spiral”-type review. What if you only teach SS? Well, make it MAP skills! I love this site from an initiative called Move to Learn which started in Mississippi.
Their 5 minute fitness clips are even aligned to academic content! Here’s a video explaining more about their philosophy. Guess what? It’s free! WIN-WIN!!
Tuesday Twist and Tell-All
On Tuesdays, try “telling-all” about non-fiction articles or close reading passages related to your Social Studies content! Time for Kidswww.timeforkids.com is a great place to get articles about current events! I had kids read, annotate, and respond with a quick 2-3 sentence reflection. I encouraged them to come up with questions and connections.
The Twist part is for ZUMBA on Go Noodle! www.gonoodle.org Surely you have heard of this teacher lifesaver???
Wednesday Word Work it Out
On Wednesdays, give your students the opportunity to build academic language. I have done Word Ladders, analogies, or practice with Greek and Latin Roots. Just teach SS? Well, do an activity with your content vocabulary or word wall words!
The Work it Out??? Check out Fresh Start Fitness on Go Noodle. No dancing and shaking here! These clips are hardcore squats, lunges, jogging, etc.!
Thursday Thinking and Tranquility
Thursday Thinking has many applications. Give your students an integrated math problem solving practice activity themed around your SS content. What about a logic puzzle, mind bender type game, or Soduko? Don’t teach Math? Offer a scenario related to your content that includes a “What would you do?” question for students to respond to.
Ahhhhhh……tranquility. One of my favorite words. How does this relate to movement? Yoga, of course! There are lots of Yoga for Kids clips on YouTube, but even better let Maximo on Go Noodle help you out! There are also some new “thinking” clips about things like letting things go to help kids (and teachers) de-stress.
Friday Free Write and Freestyle
Friday Free Write could be exactly that. Let kiddos write about whatever they would like. One prompt I gave my students last year that was really meaningful is the “I wish my teacher knew.” This was their opportunity to tell me anything they need to, ask for help, etc. It is so important to build community and foster connections with your students. Modify to suit your learning environment if you aren’t a traditional public school teacher.
Another option of course would be to have them summarize what they have learned for the week or to give a guided prompt related to your content.
Fri-YAY for Friday! Let your kids dance it out to some great tunes or check out Koo Koo Kangaroo on Go Noodle! My students always requested “I Get Loose” or “Pop See Ko” over and over!!
Click this link for a freebie sample Weekly Morning Work Schedule and get your kids moving!!
