Ten Activities to Battle Short Attention Spans of Students

Do you find yourself battling short attention spans of students in your classroom?  I've always been a fan of what I like to refer to as the "Sesame Street" method of learning.  Have you ever really thought about why this iconic television show has lasted for 50+ years and is loved by generations?  

My theory is that the entire show is made up of bits and pieces of many topics, different characters, quick tidbits, and more.  All of these things added together keep those short attention spans of children enthralled and engaged.  If something isn't their thing, they just have to wait 2-3 minutes, and the topic changes from counting with the Count to listening to grumpy and grouchy Oscar.

In my classroom (and homeschooling), I have always embraced this method as much as possible.  Children are used to a fast-paced world. Short segments of learning is what keeps their attention.

Whether you call it early finishers, bell work, time fillers, etc., you are probably using some of your own strategies to battle short attention spans of your students in your own classroom.  Here are some of my favorite ways to use short activities (15-20 minutes or less), to keep students on task, engaged, and learning.

1)  Brain Breaks 

When you literally can see the blank stares coming over students' faces and the focus completely leaving, it's time for a quick brain break!  Use movement to stimulate the brain and switch gears.  It can be as easy as having students stand up and giving them directions.  Use active directions, such as doing 10 jumping jacks, running in place for 30 seconds, hopping on your left foot, spinning around three times, touching your toes, or pretending to climb a tree.  All of these are short, sweet, and oh, so very effective!

2)  Early Finishers 

Usually, those students who have finished the assignment quickly get it.  They really do.  Don't punish them by handing them another worksheet.  Instead, put that brain to work by giving them task cards to stretch their brains!  Let them draw, write, create, color, solve, list, and more!  Click here to try a month for FREE!

3) Sing a Song 

With younger students, sing a catchy learning song or do a fingerplay.  With older students, play a favorite song and encourage them to sing along.  (Bonus points if you put a lyric video from YouTube on so that students are reading while singing!!)

4) Arrival Time 

Don't waste a second of your day!  This is a great time to get students involved and jump-start their brains.  You can simply put out your math manipulatives and let students explore with them.  (After all, how often do they get to use them without an assigned activity?)  

Read more about how to jump start your day and set the tone of the day using Morning Tubs in this blog post.  I like to use my monthly units of morning tubs for ELA, math, fine motor skills, and critical thinking.  You can see these for each grade (2nd, 3rd, or 4th) in my store.   

(Click on the picture to see the unit in my TpT store.)

Want to try activities for FREE?  Click here to sign up for my newsletters and get a FREE exclusive unit of Morning Tubs!

5) Move the Work Area 

It seems like everyone is a fan of moving the work outside on a beautiful spring day, but what about during the winter months?  You can move your learning to the lunchroom, hallway, stage, a side hallway, or an empty room.  An easy activity is to have your students stand, gather all of their work, and tell them to find a different place in the room to work by the time you count to 20.  (You'll want to give some boundaries, or you'll find them at your desk!)

6) Dance 

Find a dance video for kids on YouTube.  Show it on your projector, and get your groove on with the students.  You all will get exercise and fun, which is a great combination!  (Make a playlist in advance, and you'll always be ready to go.)

7) Draw a Picture 

Have your students follow your oral directions to complete a picture.  There will be lots of laughter with this one when you compare pictures.  Come up with your own, and draw yours as you go to share later.  (Draw a large oval.  Add two arms to the oval.  Color them green, etc.)  Or, you can copy these and have them at your fingertips to pull out when needed.

8)  Play a Game 

See how well students are learning with an impromptu game!  I like to post the letters "A", "B", "C", and "D" in areas of my classroom that have space.  Keep these letters up all year just for this purpose.  You can easily play this game with four options or just two.  If playing with two, use A and B, or call them yes and no or true and false.  To play, have your students stand.  Call out a question, and have them move to the answer they think is correct.  Even playing for just five questions gives that "Sesame Street" effect and gets your kiddos back on track for more learning.

9)  Clap a Rhythm 

A quick clap will wake up your students.  Clap a rhythm, and have them clap it back to you.  Add slaps on your legs and snaps of your fingers to make the pattern more difficult.

10) Simon Says 

This is an oldie but a goodie.  Have your students stand and play this classic game of Simon Says.  Students who do the command without Simon saying to do it are out.

Try using these ten activities to battle short attention spans of students in your own classroom.  Breaking up the mundane helps you, as well as the students.  Keeping students on their toes and never knowing what trick you might just pull out of the bag will have them excited to come to your classroom each and every day!

That's just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Four Ways to Use Google Classroom in Your Classroom TODAY!

Let's talk about Google Classroom.

Have you tried it?

Do you use it?

Do you LOOOOOVE it??

If you answered no to any of these questions, maybe it's time to learn more about it.

My school became a 1:1 school about four years ago. However, if you don't have technology for every student in your class, it doesn't mean that you can't use GC. It still works great for center time, even if you only have four or five computers, and it immediately fills one of your weekly center slots for any subject.

I'm going to give just an extremely brief overview for those of you who may be unfamiliar with GC. In a nutshell:

• You make an assignment for your entire class, small groups, individuals, etc.
• The students complete the assignment and turn it in to you digitally.
• You can check the assignment from anywhere you are connected (including watching Netflix in your pjs with your feet up).
• You can respond and leave feedback to the students digitally.
• You can share the finished activity with the students' parents via e-mail.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED using GC in my room. However, there was one problem... It could take much longer to grade than paper assignments with some of the activities! I found that the ones that were most beneficial to both my students and myself were when I assigned the following types of assignments.

1) Writing Assignments:

I loved these because the students' standardized testing in the spring was all digital. They needed to practice learning to type and using the tools. I especially loved that I really could grade them from home in the evenings without taking stacks of papers home. I could be present with my husband, watch TV, and still take time to read and leave feedback to my students. This allowed my students to continue with their writing the next day with feedback from me.

2) Remedial or Enrichment Assignments:

I could assign links to my students for a teaching video to watch and then links to online games to play to practice a particular skill. If you haven't tried this, it is AWESOME, and the students love it. You can assign individually or in small needs-based groups.   http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/  is a great one for games!

3) Digital Task Cards

I started making digital task cards to assign during centers. The only extra prep on my part was the response sheet. I found that this was much faster than having to open up each assignment and go through individual slides for drop and drag answers. The students loved the colorful digital task cards. You can see all of my digital task cards here. The best part is that they are only $2 each!!

4) Google Forms

Using digital tests meant no more paper grading, and students received their grades immediately upon completion. Our team started making these for everything! It really made looking at the data so easy. Instead of using valuable time grading, we were able to use that time to assess which students needed more instruction. You can easily make your own tests. Give it a try!

If you haven't tried Google Classroom, I strongly suggest you give it a try. Seriously, your students will treat you like a ROCK STAR!

I have a Halloween digital task card item in my store that is FREE for you to try out. It is differentiated with three levels to get an idea of how digital task cards work. Click here to see it.

I love making digital task cards, so there are new ones uploaded to my store often for each 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. If you don't see what you need, please send me an email, and I will be happy to make what you need.

You can find all of my digital products by clicking here.

That's just...

My Kind of Teaching

Take the DREAD out of Missing a Day of Teaching!

Being out of school... 

It's one of teachers' worst nightmares.  Teachers will drag themselves out of bed and force one foot in front of the other just to go to work.  Why?  It's because being out of work causes so MUCH work and preparation that it's just easier to go, fever and all.

What if being out of work could become so easy that it would literally take you just a few minutes to prep for an entire day (or two or three)?  I can help make that happen for you!

These sub plans are so fun and engaging that your students will continue practicing important grade-level skills without sacrificing learning.

The best part for you?  They are NO PREP!  Just have a class set prepared in an "Emergency Sub Plan" folder, and you're ready to go.  There's nothing for you to do on the day when an emergency happens and you just can't put one foot in front of the other to make it in.

What comes in each set of sub plans?

I love making these sub plans that are high interest to students so that they really enjoy these activities and are not just completing "busy work".  Each thematic sub plan includes two paired passages written by me.  One is fiction, and the other is nonfiction.  These can be used over multiple days, or you can just use one and let the students anticipate the other on another sub day!

Each sub plan also includes language arts activities to keep students practicing important grammar skills when you are absent.

In addition, there are at least two writing activities for students to use.  Each set of plans has different types of writing opportunities.

There are five math activities that are specific to the grade level and include a variety of math concepts.  Answer guides are included for the sub to check the students' work.

Here is a closer look of some of the third grade math concepts.

I've also included a few fun activities to use if there is some extra time that needs filled during the day or if you need activities for early finishers.

To make it even easier on you, there are four pages of editable instruction pages in each sub unit.  Simply type in your instructions and have them ready to go, or send it in an email to your teacher bestie in an emergency!

One of my favorite things about these sub plans is that they are built around highly engaging themes that students might not have been exposed to previously.  For third grade, students can learn how to make homemade ice cream and learn about Komodo dragons, real pirates, and the groovy sixties!  Fourth graders can learn about construction, the history of kites and movies, and weird weather.

I admit; I didn't wait until a day I was absent to use these.  I used all of these with my fourth grade students as fun thematic themes when we needed a couple of days of something different.  They were all a huge hit!

You can see all of the sub units by clicking here.

While I hope you don't have any major reasons to be absent this school year, we all know that it happens.  At least I can make it as painless as possible so that you don't have to worry about your classroom and can focus on yourself instead. 

Taking care of yourself is important.  Making your life a little easier is just...

My Kind of Teaching

Ten Easy Centers with Items that Are Already in Your Classroom

I used to struggle to plan activities for one day or one week at a time.  One day, I had an epiphany to plan for a month at a time, and I couldn’t believe how “extra” time for my life after school suddenly opened up! 

Choose one day to stay late at school (or spread it out over two days so that you aren’t so late).  That’s only TEN days per YEAR compared to almost daily before I started this plan.  Look ahead at your curriculum map, and note the concepts and skills you will be covering.  The first thing I did each month was to get my centers for literacy, math, and extension classes ready.

Wait a minute…  Did I just say centers??  (I know you are thinking that those take a LONG time to prepare.)  Yes, you are correct.  They USED to take a long time to prep until I realized I could make them mostly NO prep or extremely little prep with the help of a couple of my most helpful students.

In my classroom, my students rotated to 1 center each day for 20-30 minutes per center.  I needed five centers for each week for four weeks.  That meant that I needed at least twenty centers for literacy, twenty centers for math, and twenty centers for my extension classes.  That was SIXTY centers.  That would have taken a LONG time to prepare.  Well, it would have with my old way of thinking. Let me show you how it works.

In my NO PREP monthly series, there are 10 centers each month with 2-3 bonus activities. (Read a blog post about them, and grab a freebie for your own classroom HERE.)  Using these, I would need about ten additional centers for my classroom.  The good thing was that some things in the classroom never changed, which made it so much easier to plan.  Look at your own classroom, and decide what you can use almost all year without changing.  Not only does this help with your planning, but it is great for your students because they know exactly what to do at these centers.  

Here’s a list to choose from:

   1) Technology – Some options here are Google Classroom, online games, website research, BrainPop, YouTube videos with comprehension questions, etc.  I like to use these digital task cards for students to review and practice.  With this endless bundle, you'll always have a NO PREP set ready to go at your fingertips!

    2) Books – Give your students time to read books…free choice books, assigned reading, math books, science books, social studies books, etc.  Just get them reading. Don't forget to add books for your students that love geography such as an atlas.

    3) Games – This is an absolute favorite!  Keep out that game of Trouble or Sorry in both literacy and math centers.  Students are using reasoning, logic, reading, math, and so much more when playing a board game.

    4) Writing – Whether you assign a topic or let students complete free choice writing activities, writing is so important.  Each student can keep a spiral ring notebook for the entire year to write in.  Don’t be afraid to use writing in math also! 

    5) Puzzles – Keep a 1,000-piece puzzle set up in the corner of your room for the entire month.  Students love working on puzzles, and they are a great critical thinking activity for the mind.

    6) Teacher Center – Make yourself a center each week.  Use this time to work with small groups.

     7) Reader’s Theater or Book Club – Have a small group of students work on fluency, oral reading, comprehension skills, and more as they read together.

     8) Partner Activity – There are so many things you have in your classroom when you look around that will make perfect activities for two students to complete together.  What about something you love but that is not large enough for more than a couple of students to use?  This is a perfect time to put two or three of those out for the month.

    9) STEM – Prepare some STEM containers with tasks that students can work on either individually, with partners, or in small groups.  They can be as simple as ice pop sticks in a pencil box with instructions like “Build a bridge.” written on an index card.

    10) Task Cards – Use task cards spread throughout your classroom for a fun scavenger hunt.

I hope this list has inspired you to look in your classroom at what you already have on hand in your cabinets and shelves to help you think about how you can implement those items into your classroom immediately for month-long centers to help make lesson planning easier.

Working smarter, not harder, that’s just…

My Kind of Teaching

Addition and Subtraction Fact Fluency Games

I always love and look forward to the beginning of fall, especially when the new school year is all settled in.

Rules and procedures are implemented, and the days are going smoothly.  Cool crisp mornings, thoughts of apples, pumpkins, falling leaves, bonfires, and hayrides are the excitement in the air.  It’s one of my favorite times of the year in and out of the classroom.

The “testing season” isn’t upon us yet, and we can really dig our feet in to learning.  I especially love using games in the classroom.  As students practice fluency facts for addition and subtraction or multiplication and division, the more ways I can make it fun, the more my students love it.  I’ve always been of the philosophy that if it’s called a “game”, students are suddenly all about it!

First, second, and third graders all need practice with addition and subtraction fluency.  These games will help boost those skills.

I’ve made these games with both Halloween and autumn themes.  The games are exactly the same.  The only things that change are the clip art.  I have a set of these same games for five games of addition and five games of subtraction for students working on fluency facts to twenty.  I also have the same games for multiplication and division facts 0-12.  Laminate all of the games for durability before using.

Four different boards can be used to play tic-tac-toe.  Students can use dry-erase markers or small manipulatives to cover the squares.

My students love this game!  This games can be played with 2-4 players.  The object of the game is to be the first to build a complete scarecrow by adding two numbers correctly and then spinning for a piece of the scarecrow.

Students will move around the game board as they answer subtraction problems.

For this game, each student will use a different color of marker.  As the students answer the subtraction problems, they will then cover the leaves with the same number.  The student with the most leaves covered is the winner.

Who doesn't love a simple game of memory?  Students will play a memory game to find the matching equations and differences.

Two game boards are included for two players to play against each other, or this game can be played to see which dice wins.  Roll, solve, and cover.

 My students love playing BUMP all year long!!

 Students will race to solve the addition problems and escape from the spider's web.

The student will spin the two spinners, solve the addition problem, and make a line between two dots.  When a square has been made, the student will add his or her initials. The winner is the person with the most boxes at the end of the game.

Students will take turns drawing addition problems and solving them.  If a "Rotten Apple" card is drawn, the student must return his or her apples.  The person with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Add games to your classroom for centers, early finishers, indoor recess (I hope you don’t have too many of those in the fall), remediation, enrichment, and more.  Your students will be engaged and love learning.

Click on the pictures below to see these games in my TpT store.

Fall Addition and Subtraction

Halloween Multiplication and Division

Fall Multiplication and Division

Fun and games, that’s just…

My Kind of Teaching.

See you soon,

Morning Tubs for 2nd and 3rd Grades for September

Morning tubs in second and third grades can be such a fun and stress-free start to your morning routine.  If you missed out on using them in August, that's okay.  September is a great time to get started using them in your classroom!  Your students will be excited and engaged with learning each and every morning.

Can you believe that the month of August is almost over and that September is looming on the horizon?  Whether you have been back in school for a couple of weeks or you are getting ready to return, August always seems to be a stressful month.  Using morning tubs in the classroom helps to begin each morning with a positive vibe in the classroom, which also helps with that stress.  

When I first started developing these morning tubs, I knew they needed to be easy to implement, use things already found in the classroom, and be super easy and fast to prep.  Each activity involves only printing and laminating, as well as simple lines for cutting.  They can easily be prepped with your feet propped up as you watch your favorite Netflix show!

Nine Tubs for ELA

There is very little difference in the morning tubs for 2nd and 3rd grades for ELA.  

Tub #1 - Antonyms and Synonyms  

Just add clothespins!

 Tub #2 - Noun, Adjective, or Verb?  

Students love poke cards!

Tub #3 - Digraphs  

Just add clothespins!

Tub #4 - Narrative Writing  

Eight interesting pictures will get your students writing.

Tub #5 - Compound Words  

This is a memory game. 

Tub #6 - Sight Word Game

The words are different for the two grades.  The second grade tub has sight words for second grade, and the third grade tub has sight words for third grade.

Tub #7 - Plural Nouns Sort  

Tub #8 - Sentence Punctuation

Students love having a reason to use play dough!

Tub #9 - Make a List

This is a fun form of writing!  Students are offered many ideas for making lists.

Nine Tubs for Math

The differences in the two units are evident in the math activities.

 Tub #1 - Make a Pattern (same for 2nd and 3rd)

There is no specification for plastic cubes, so you can add anything you have in your classroom with the colors for students to use to make patterns.

Tub #2 - Build the Shape (same for 2nd and 3rd)

Magnets can be added to the backs of the popsicle sticks and used on a magnetic surface.

Tub #3 - Roll a Number 

Second graders will roll three-digit numbers and represent them with manipulatives.

Third graders will roll numbers to the thousands place and show the numbers in different ways.

Tub #4 - Number Puzzles

Students will put the puzzles together by skip counting with different number patterns.  Second graders use three-digit numbers.

Third graders will form puzzles using counting patterns within 10,000.  Adding magnets to the backs of the puzzle strips and providing a cookie sheet makes for a more engaging activity.

Tub #5 - Missing Numbers 

Students will identify the hidden numbers from a hundreds chart (second grade).

Third graders will also identify the hidden numbers for numbers in the thousands.

Tub #6 - Time

Second graders will complete the triangle puzzles for time showing the hour or half hour.

Third graders will complete the time puzzles for time to five minutes.

 Tub #7 - Inverse Operations

Second graders will play a memory matching game for the inverse operation of addition and subtraction.

Third graders will complete the same activity with the inverse operations of multiplication and division.

Tub #8 - Complete a Calendar (same for 2nd and 3rd)

Students will complete a calendar for the current month and answer the questions.

Tub #9 - Domino Fun

Second graders will play a game to practice doubles facts using dominoes.

Third graders will play a game to practice multiplication facts of a number multiplied by itself.

Four Tubs for Fine Motor

Even second and third graders need fine motor practice to hone those skills.  These activities will help.

Three Tubs for Critical Thinking

Students will complete the activity by matching the pictures on all sides.

Second graders will complete the place value logic activities with numbers in the hundreds. 

For third graders, the numbers are in the thousands.

Students will solve the riddles using the key cards.

I hope these pictures show you that there can be a place for these in both second and third grades.  Morning tubs are certainly not only for the smallest learners.

These tubs can be found by the month or in a bundle in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Click on the picture below if you are interested.

Would you love even more tubs?  You can get a set free when you sign up for my emails.  Click on the picture below.

I hope you enjoyed this look into my September morning tubs.  Fun and learning go hand in hand in my book.  That's just...

My Kind of Teaching!