Stacked: Learning with Styrofoam Cups

Check out my post at We Are Teachers: Ways to teach English Language Arts (featured above), Math, Social Studies, and Science using styrofoam cups!

Action Verbs

Objective: Students will silently act out action verbs and try to guess what verbs their peers act out.

Objective: Wearing special verb investigator glasses, children will observe their peers playing, spy an action that represents a verb, write it, and draw a picture of it. 
Objective: Students will publish their writing using Little Bird Tales with guidance from an adult.

Acting Out Action Verbs (whole group)
One at a time, each child goes up to the front of the classroom and draws a card from a paper lunch bag. Next, the child acts out the verb on the card without saying a word. They can only move their body. The rest of the children try to guess what he or she is acting out. (list of verbs)

Verb Investigators (small group)
For small group instruction, children are called over to the work table to become Verb Investigators! They put on special glasses (crazy sunglasses that have the lenses popped out of them) that will help them observe verbs in action around the classroom. Wearing their glasses, they look around the room and observe their peers playing at each center. Once they spy an action verb, they write a sentence, "I spy _____." Then, they draw a picture of the verb.

Digital Publishing
Children collaborate and create a video story using Little Bird Tales with the teacher's guidance to publish their writing to share with their families. Here is a link to the tale we created on action verbs.

Reinforcement

Verbs in Space game on the SMART Board: (http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/verbs.htm)

Differentiated Assessment - This activity can be differentiated based on each child’s developmental level. Higher-level thinkers can act out more complex verbs. Children with difficulty can be given a simple verb to act out. During the small group activity, the students are challenged to find a verb. They must use their problem solving skills. Advanced children might find a verb that is not extremely noticeable. While other children could point out a verb that is obvious. Teachers can use scaffolding to help them find a verb in the classroom if needed. For example, “What is Joe doing in the games and puzzle area?”

After the lesson, students assess themselves using a rating scale: GREEN = I got it!, YELLOW = I'm getting it!, RED = I need some help! (printable) Click here for a teacher checklist assessment.

Playground Prepositions

Take your students out on the playground to explore prepositions!

Sentence Scramble

This sentence collaboration game comes from ehow! 
materials: sentence strips and markers

Practice writing compound sentences and working with coordinating conjunctions by scrambling sentences! Kids are split up into teams (10 kids per team). They come up with a topic. Then, they each write one sentence that revolves around the topic they chose. 

Once they have their sentences complete, they use coordinating conjunctions to create compound sentences! Kids must problem solve and think how they can combine their sentences using the 7 coordinating conjunctions!

Examples:

I put my goggles on for swimming.

My swimsuit is striped and yellow.

I float on an inner tube, but I like to doggy paddle.

I blow bubbles or hold my breath underwater.

I dunk my brother in the pool, yet I like to get wet!

I like to dive off the diving board so I splash lots of water!

Neither my brother nor I like getting dunked!

P.O.S. Musical Plates

materials: paper plates (3 for each child)
Write a noun, verb, or adjective on each paper plate. Lay the plates out in an open space outside. Play music and kids dance from plate to plate. When the music stops, the child picks up the plate and keeps it. The goal is to collect one noun, verb, and adjective plate. If the child lands on a noun when the music stops, and he already has a noun, he doesn't keep the plate. Once everyone has each part of speech, they use their creativity and imagination to create a unique sentence using the words they collected on their plates!

SCOOT - IPN

Practice irregular plural nouns by playing Scoot! Kids scoot from one chair to the next and write down what they think the plural is for each noun card!

Scoot Directions (good explanation)

IPN Cards (only cut around the rectangle and the center lines - example above) - 32 cards

Time Warp!

Lay out the time warp mats, give kids a sentence, and have them run to the correct verb tense mat! Once on the mat, they identify the verb within the sentence.

Example:
He ate an orange! (Child runs to the "past" mat and calls out "ate") 
He eats an orange everyday!
He will eat an orange!

HOT WAD

Practice vocabulary with a twist on hot potato! On scraps of paper write down different objectives for kids to conquer! Then, wad up the scraps to make a ball. Have kids sit in a circle and turn some music on. Kids pass the ball clockwise until the music stops. The one holding the ball has to unwrap a piece of the scrap paper from the ball. The teacher gives the child a word and the player answers. For example, what part of speech is it?! If the player answers correctly he stays in the game.

For younger kids, you can write their sight words on the scrap paper. Kids have to say the word they unwrap!

For more vocab. fun, check out word wheel and roll and...

Note: This game could also be used to practice simple multiplication facts. Write down equations on scrap paper. Kids figure out the product to stay in the game!

Hello my name is...

This activity was inspired by Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten's Hello My Name is: letter / number / sight word recognition.

Kids go around the room, figuring out the standard form of each of their peers' numbers. They record their answers on paper next to their classmates' names. Once all numbers are figured out, have kids find the largest and smallest number. Can they identify which ones are even or odd?

You can practice any concept on a name tag: addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Have kids write a number sentence on their name tag. Then, they go around the room and solve each equation using a list of their classmates' names. 

Kids can also work on parts of speech. Each kid has a word on their name tag. Kids have to organize themselves in the correct group. Do they have a noun, verb, or adjective?

Synonyms / antonyms, compound words, or homophones: Have kids find their match!

Pimp My Ride

Economics, comparatives, superlatives: Kid industrial design project from Inspire your Learners! Check it out here!

Build a Story: Collaboration Game

Get kids out of their seats and inspired to write with a fun socialization game! Scatter random nouns, verbs, and adjectives around the room. Kids have to hunt for one of each. If you are doing the activity with younger kids, you can color coordinate the parts of speech. For example, nouns on blue paper, adjectives on red, and verbs on yellow. For older kids, use a single color to make the scavenger hunt more of a challenge! Once they've found each part of speech, tell kids that they can trade with their peers if they'd like to. Then, have them find a partner and collaborate on a story using their parts of speech. Tell students if they have a noun that is a person, try to find a partner who has a noun that represents a place.

When everyone has a partner, kids start collaborating on a unique story that uses both of their nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They must have a main character, setting, plot, and create a structure for their story. What happened first, next, last? What is the main event? Optional: After they organize their story, have them publish it online (ex: Smories, Little Bird Tales, click here for a full list of free web 2.0 publishing tools).

Twister Place Value and Learning Games

I was inspired by Raki's Rad Resources Number Creation, so I made Twister Place Value for a math station, so kids could play independently. You need at least three players (one person spins the spinner and calls out, while the other two play), the game Twister, and numbers to stick on the mat. Kids follow the spinner (example right hand red). They choose a number on red to place their hand. Just like original twister, if right hand red is called out again, they must choose a different red numeral to place their right hand on. Kids spin the spinner and choose a numeral four times to create their final number in the place value of 1,000. After they have four numbers, they write their numbers down and try to create the largest numeral. For example, if they have 5, 8, 0, 3, they would write down 8,530. After they write down their number, then they must write the number in expanded form (8,000 + 500 + 30 + 0). Then, they compare their number with their opponent's using greater than, less than, or equal to signs. Whoever has the greatest number wins!


More Math - Check out Raki's Number Creation, as well as Twister Addition (Subtraction, Multiplication, Division) and Twister Graphing. Visit Catherine Weiskopf for Twister Fractions.


Literacy - Check out Raki's Twister Spelling, Parts of Speech with Categories, Silly Sentences, and Create a Word. Visit Academic Vocabulary and 2nd Grade with Mrs. Wade to see Twister Vocab.


View traditional Twister Rules

Go Fish Parts of Speech

Write down different words for each part of speech on bright colored paper fish. Then, flip the fish over so the word isn't visible. Mix them up in a pile. Kids have to catch eight fish. They have to find words that represent each part of speech. For younger kids, you could simply do nouns, verbs, and adjectives. After they have found each part of speech, they use their words to write a sentence or two. 

Note: Mix up the colors. For example, don't write all the verbs on green. Otherwise, the game will be too simple and kids will look for colors instead of recognizing the parts of speech. 

How to: Cover your paper fish in contact paper. You can find the above fish template here. Next, attach a magnet to the fish on the same side as the word. You can buy magnet strip rolls at Staples. Find a stick outside, attach a long piece of string, and add a round magnet around the end of the string. Now, go fish!

French Fry P.O.S.

Educational french fry games are all the rage! You can make word or fact family fries, as well as simple 123 counting fries. You could also do synonym fries. I made up french fry p.o.s. to help kids work on parts of speech, as well as to encourage creative writing. Label three french fry cartons: noun, verb, adjective. Write various words on yellow painted popsicle sticks that have to do with fast food (nouns, verbs, and adjectives). Then, mix the "fries" up on the table. Kids sort the fries into the correct boxes. After they sort them, they choose one noun, verb, and adjective to write a silly fast food sentence. Get creative with your word choice and encourage kids to create the silliest sentence they can think of.

Word Wheel

Get kids interacting and improving their language skills with this fun game! For the activity, I tossed vocabulary words in a lunch bag. Kids flicked the game spinner, then pulled out a word. Once they had their word, the fun began! 

Students act, draw, rhyme, or define their word. They might also have to put it in a sentence, name what part of speech it is, or give a synonym or antonym for it. It's a game of chance! Below is a tally sheet I made for kids to keep score.

To make a spinner, you simply print design on card stock and laminate. Then, you add a paper clip, click here to find out how to insert it in your spinner.

I SPY Action Verbs

Action verbs are in play all around us! Put kids names, as well as your own, in a bag. Then, have them pull two names out. The names they pull will be part of their action verb spy project! For one day, have kids write down five action verbs that they catch their two peers (or teacher) doing.

Adjectives: Lost / Found Brigade

Practice adjectives by transforming your class into a Lost / Found Brigade! Choose ten objects, take a photo of each one, and keep them a secret from the kids. In your free time, hide the objects around the playground (when no kids are around to see). Next, pin lost and found headers on the wall (image above). Then, split kids up into teams of three. Give each team a post it note and a picture of the object. Make sure the teams are spread far apart and tell them to keep their object a secret. On their post it note, they write down five adjectives that describe their "lost" object. After they have decided on their adjectives, they slyly give you back the photo and post their list under the Lost header.


Once all teams are finished, call on a team to choose one of the post it notes of clues off the wall (not their own!!!). When each team has a set of clues head outside and try to find the object, using the set of clues. After they find their object, give them the photo of their object. When all ten objects are found head back to the room. The kids hang their clues back under Lost and the photo under Found. Ask them how they found their object. Which adjectives described their object the best?


Finally, have each child write a story about how the object they found got lost. They can make up a character, setting, and event for their story. Encourage them to use the adjectives from their clue list. For example: Timmy was late for class. He ran off the bus. His squishy, yellow banana slipped out of his backpack. 

Parts of Speech Secret Agent

Kids transform into top secret agents and find parts of speech around the classroom! First, the little agents write their name in the top box. Then, the hunt begins! After they've found five nouns, verbs, and adjectives, they choose one of each. They write a sentence using one noun, verb, and adjective that they found. After they write their sentence, they draw a picture to represent their sentence.

Word Up!

Encourage kids to increase their vocabulary with Word Up! Have kids pull a word out of a bag. Then, have them write a word report! Have students draw a picture to represent their word. Research their word and write the definition. Then, find synonyms and antonyms of their word. Define what part of speech their word is. Finally, count the consonants and vowels in their word. Then, they write a fraction for the consonants and vowels. For example: Ecstatic - 5 consonants in an 8 letter word. The consonant fraction would be 5/8. 

Using their word report, they write a sentence on a separate sheet of paper, incorporating their word. After they've completed Word Up, have students teach their word to the rest of the class. This activity will get kids to use different words in their writing. Plus, kids love playing the role of the teacher!