BJU Press Blog

Puppet Games and a Writing Project

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The first big writing project in English has the children writing a paragraph that gives directions for a game. Each student chooses a game and then writes simple directions on how to play it.

I get descriptions of all kinds of games from tic-tac-toe to soccer to four square. The main thing is that the children pick a game they know well. It also needs to be a game that can be explained in four or five steps. Any board game that comes with a multipage rule book is not a good choice. This year in addition to publishing our games in writing, we also published them using the Sock Puppets app.

Sock Puppets allows you to choose from six different puppet characters and seven different backgrounds. You can also design your own background or add props to the existing ones. Then you simply record what you would like each puppet to say. The best part is that it changes your voice into a silly puppet voice! Our puppets gave our game directions. The app is free, but if you would like to save your creations to your camera roll, there’s a $0.99 fee. You can also upgrade your recording time for an additional $0.99.

The kids had a fun time using Sock Puppets. And I had a great time watching their performances.

What other ways have you published your students’ writing projects?

Field Trip Fun!

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We took our annual third-grade field trip to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, and as usual, the kids had a blast.

In preparation for the field trip, our lead teacher made a great PowerPoint presentation, introducing the children to the zoo and showing them what to expect when we arrived. She also included what we expected from them during their visit. It was a really great way to prepare the students to have a good learning experience while at the zoo.

Since many of our students have already been to our local zoo, the lead teacher also designed a scavenger hunt to direct their focus throughout the day. I just love this since it gives the students a real purpose while walking through the zoo and enjoying the animals.

How does the scavenger hunt work? As the students find the various animals in the zoo, they mark on the scavenger hunt handout whether the animal is a bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal. If it’s a mammal, they answer the additional question of hoofed, marine, flying, climbing, hunting, pouched, or gnawing.

There are also a few questions based on the zoo’s information boards. You know, the ones that kids wind up running past—but not if they are looking for something for the scavenger hunt! (To be fair, this is sometimes accomplished with help from our parent chaperones whom we greatly appreciate!)

You can download and make your own version of the zoo scavenger hunt by selecting the image below.

WP-scavenger-hunt-zoo-10-2013We also spend time in the zoo classroom to participate in the zoo program that allows the students to see and touch animals up close. No matter how many times the kids have been to the zoo, this is usually a new experience for all.

We always have a picnic lunch and top off the day with some playtime at the wonderful playground next to the zoo. When we return to school, we do a field trip follow-up by reviewing the scavenger hunt together. They did a wonderful job this year. We only misplaced one camera and one sack lunch, but those items turned up shortly after they went missing. I was so proud of the kids and the parents who came along to help me!

Over the weekend I copied a few of the pictures I took into animoto and shared them with the parents. This way they could enjoy a bit of our day. (Watch the video of our trip to the zoo.)

Where does your class go on field trips? What do you do to enhance your field trip experience? Most kids think any place is fun; most chaperones are ready for a nap when it’s all over!

Welcome to October!

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Welcome to October! A wonderful month characterized by cooler weather, remembering important discoveries, and (for me) family celebrations. This tenth month of the year brings joy and happiness in so many little ways. But I have to admit there’s also something about this month that I always found puzzling—its name.

Have you ever wondered what the word October means?

Curiosity finally got the better of me, so I looked up the meaning. Names are important because they can describe a person, give insight into the meaning behind a concept, and provide understanding of a place or thing. The word October is no exception. The etymology of the word is Latin.

Its prefix, octo, means eight.

Other words that use the prefix octo are octopus (eight tentacles), octagon (eight sides), and octave (eight notes). But remember, October is the tenth month of the year. So where’s the connection with the number eight?

image of a desk calendar opened to October 1

The meaning of October relates to the Roman calendar.

The ancient Roman calendar, a lunar calendar, only has ten months in a year. As its name suggests, October was the eighth month in that calendar. However, over time the Roman calendar was replaced by the Julian calendar; and then later the Gregorian calendar—which is what we still use today. The current system is a solar calendar of twelve months. That’s right—October now finds its place as the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar despite the meaning of its name.

Curious about the third syllable in the word Oc•to•ber?

According to Dictionary.com, the ending “is probably from -bris, an adjectival suffix.” This explanation also ties back to the Roman calendar. It’s believed that the first several months of the calendar were named according to the agricultural seasons, but the rest of the months were simply named according to their corresponding number placement in the Roman calendar.¹ So October is not the only month whose name reveals its placement in the Roman calendar—September (seventh month), November (ninth month) and December (tenth month) do too. Now isn’t that neat!

What do you enjoy most about the month of October?

¹ december. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/december (accessed: September 28, 2013).

The Negative Side of Positive Reinforcement

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Back in the day, positive reinforcement was quite the buzzword. Although I do agree with the use of positive reinforcement in the classroom, I have recently seen another side to it.

To encourage good group behavior, I use the ice-cream scoop system. The students have four chances to earn a small scoop each day. When fifteen small scoops are earned, one large scoop goes up. When six large scoops are earned, we have a classroom reward. The first reward is usually an ice-cream party.

As we were returning from lunch one day, I overheard two boys talking. The class had just failed to earn the ice-cream scoop for lunchroom behavior, and one boy commented that he didn’t care because he didn’t like ice cream. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I spoke with him and asked him if the ice-cream reward was the only reason he was obeying in the lunchroom? Why should we obey school rules? We obey because it’s the right thing to do and it’s pleasing to the Lord.

Kids get so wrapped up in the “what’s in it for me” syndrome that they don’t see the bigger picture. Ice cream and other rewards are nice, but the real reason we obey is to please God. That’s more important than any reward someone could give you.

Do you use positive reinforcement in your classroom? How have you been able to help your students see beyond the reward?

Bushels of Hard Work

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Because fall has arrived, I use leaves to motivate good behavior. On our “Bushels of Hard Work” board, each student has a bushel.

bulletin board with bushels of fall leaves

Every day students are each given three small leaves. They can keep their leaves by making good behavior choices and following classroom procedures. For every five small leaves earned, a student gets a big leaf in his bushel on our board. At the end of the month, the leaves become the “currency” to go shopping in our classroom store. Items range in price from one big leaf to eight. The items are as simple as an eraser or a piece of candy up to items from the dollar store.

collage of children's toys

The students have a great time “shopping” at our classroom store.

How do you motivate your class to work hard throughout the fall?