Tried it Tuesday- Triple Play!

It has been such a busy week!  Tuesday came and went, so today I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday!

Last summer, I visited a teacher store in Nebraska and found this neat card game.  It's called Triple Play, and my kids love it!  I have a few sets:  Homophones, Synonyms, Antonyms, and Math Vocabulary (not pictured).

The games offer three ways to play: Go Fish, Memory, and Match Maker.  I divided each set into 2 piles, because each set has 25 pairs.  Try playing memory with that!  The cards spread across the whole table!  So I divided them up to make matching more manageable.  Now kids can just grab a bundle and get to work.  My guided reading groups especially like using them as a warm-up activity.

I love that the cards have clear pictures and sentences.  Perfect for my ELL kiddos!

A match from the Synonyms set.

A match from the Homophones set.

Like I said before, I found these at a little teacher store in Nebraska.  I did look online and the ONLY place I could find them was on Amazon.  I actually found many other Triple Play games that I had not seen before!  Click the links below to check out the games.  :)

Antonyms           Homophones          Synonyms

Letter Recognition          Ending Sounds          Letter Sounds

Things We See          Primary Math- Subtraction          Primary Math- Vocabulary

What did you try this week?  I'd love to hear about it!

Until next time,

- Miss Woodward

Tried it Tuesday- Choosing Buddies for Reading

Hello everyone!  Today I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried it Tuesday!

Since I introduced Buddy Reading, Ms. Meredith and I have been choosing buddies for the students.  We decided to do it that way so we are setting them up for success with Buddy Reading.  Well, yesterday, we decided to let them try choosing their own.  However, it did require some set-up.

First, we talked about how disruptive it would be if we all got up at once and said, "I NEED A BUDDY!"  So we talked about a more calm way to signal that we needed a buddy.  As if it were rehearsed, one little guy said, "Well, we could raise our hands to signal..."  I said, "YES!  That's a great idea!"  So I wrote it on our chart.

How to Choose a Buddy

- Raise your hand to signal that you need a buddy

Then, I showed them how to make eye contact with someone in the circle.  They can only choose a buddy that they made eye contact with.  I added that to our chart.

How to Choose a Buddy

-Raise your hand to signal that you need a buddy

-Make eye contact

-Move across the circle and ask, "Do you want to be my buddy?"

We decided that we always answer, "Yes!", unless you already have a buddy.  Then you say, "No, thank you.  I already have a buddy."

It was also important for them to understand that their buddy might not always be their closest friend.  On our chart, we decided that a buddy should be someone we can be successful readers with.

So, after we discussed and modeled, we tried it!  

1) We signaled that we needed a buddy.

2) We made eye contact with someone and asked, "Will you be my buddy?"

3) We chose a way we would buddy read (Read 2 books, Check for Understanding, or I read, You read).

4) We chose a successful, comfortable spot.

5) We started right away, and read the whole time.

They actually did pretty well for choosing their buddy for the first time!  We Buddy Read for about five  minutes, and then I brought them back to check-in.  I asked them:

-Who felt like they chose a successful buddy?

-Who felt like they couldn't read successfully with their buddy, and are going to try a new buddy this time?

-Did someone choose a successful spot?  Where was it?

-Did someone choose a spot where they were not successful?  Where can you try next time?

We practiced three times, each time choosing a new partner.  

Choosing a buddy- Tried it... Success!

What did you try this week?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward

Tried it Tuesday- Dry-Erase Crayons and Take a Break!

Hello everyone!  Today I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper for their Linky, "Tried it Tuesday"!

Today, I tried two things-  My new dry-erase crayons (read about those here), and a new "Take a Break" area.

1.  The other day, I picked up these dry-erase crayons at Target.  They were on clearance, so I decided to try them out!

The pack came with eight crayons, a built-in sharpener in the box, and a cloth for erasing.

I used them to write my morning message today.  It was super different than using dry-erase markers, but not bad.  It just takes some getting used to.

The kids could still read it just fine, and they thought it was sooooo cool that I used crayons on the whiteboard!

So.... Dry-Erase Crayons: Tried them, Liked them!

2.  I tried implementing a Take a Break spot today.  If you haven't heard of Take a Break, it is a positive way for students to calm down before returning to the group.  It is part of the Responsive Classroom style of teaching.  Yes, I probably should have done this from the beginning of the year, but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted it to look like.  I have seen many classrooms use Take a Break as just a chair for students to calm down, and I have seen classrooms where students have to record what they did to need to Take a Break.

Here is my Take a Break area in the back of the room.  I used an extra desk and chair.  I hung up a Take a Break sign, and ways students can Take a Break.  I also set up some pencils, and a little stack of recording sheets.

When I ask them to Take a Break (for any type of inappropriate behavior), they simply go to the area, choose a way they want to take a break (count to ten, take deep breaths, etc.).

Here is the recording sheet that students need to fill out before returning to the group.  It says, "What happened?", "What can you do differently next time?", and "Are you ready to return to the group? (calm, focused, quiet voice, listening ears, ready to learn)".

This Take a Break Kit will be available in my TpT store soon!!

So.... TRIED Take a Break, but (luckily) nobody had to use it today!  I will let you know how it goes once somebody has to visit the area.

What did you try today?  How did it go?

Until next time,

-Miss Woodward