Showing posts with label March. Show all posts
Showing posts with label March. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Top 5 Classroom Activities for the Madness of March Basketball!
It's that time of year when students, and teachers get excited for the college basketball tournament. We have our Top 5 ideas for you to incorporate basketball into your classroom.
1. Have a Shoot Out
Yes, that's right. Students will have a shoot out in the classroom! Have each student crumple a piece of paper into a ball. Then, have a garbage can placed about five feet away. Have students compete against each other. You could even make a bracket for this! Then when are down to the final four, make it a big deal and announce their names like an announcer would do at a game. When the winner is found, crown him/her the shoot out champ!
2. Cinderella Story
Every year in the tournament, there is a team that wasn't expected to make it. Or there are teams that beat a higher seed in the first few rounds. Have your students think of other Cinderella stories where people overcome obstacles. This may involve some research using trusted websites. When the students have gathered their information, have them write a "Cinderella Story" about overcoming the obstacle.
3. Geography
For a fun activity, you could give the students the lists of the teams in the tournament. Then, with a blank United States map, they would have to find the city and state of each team. You would need to use a website that would have this information such as: http://www.ncaa.com/ and search for the school in the search bar. This would be a great way for the students to practice their geography skills!
4. Buzzer Beaters
Students love to compete against the clock. Have a timer or some sort of buzzer in your classroom. Then come up with some fun activities to see if students can do them in the allotted time. An example could be, sharpen 5 pencils in a minute, or see how many times they can write "Buzzer Beater" on their papers in a minute. Fun, and exciting for the students.
5. Teamwork
Playing a team sport like basketball requires working together and complimenting each other's talents. Take some time during a day this week, and stop what you are teaching. Have a beach ball on hand that is full of air and ready to go. Divide your class into teams of 3-4. Then get a stopwatch and time how long each group can keep the ball up in the air without hitting the ground or any other object. Have a timer keep track on the board. Then do a second round to see if the team can improve their time. Your class will love it!
We hope you enjoyed our Top 5 list. For other printable activities that you could use that are classroom ready for a small fee, click here.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
March Madness
Hello, friends. I'm Monica from NC Teacher Chick. It's the first day of March! You know what that means... basketball, of course! I'm a huge basketball fan. To me, March = March Madness! I'm from North Carolina and my favorite team is NC State - the Wolfpack. If you love basketball as much as I do, then you see March as an opportunity to teach your standards through basketball. In today's post, I'm going to give you some ideas on how to incorporate basketball within your lessons. Even if you don't love basketball like I do, I can guarantee that many of your students do.
1. Research - It's important to teach students how to find and use information. March Madness presents a wonderful opportunity to do this. Your students can research their favorite players, coaches, and teams. They can research and learn about the history of basketball. There are great sites for students to do independent research. KidRex, Fact Monster, and National Geographic for Kids. You can grab my also grab my Basketball Research Template for only $1 in my store.
2. Statistics & Graphing - Sports is the perfect way to teach statistics! You can make this as simple or as complicated as you want to. Students can keep track of a team's scores for each game during a month. They can choose a favorite player and track their stats - points scored, assists made, number of rebounds, etc. Not only can students record this data, but they can also graph it. Kids' Zone has a free graphing tool. I always keep up with the top teams during March Madness. I keep a bracket on the wall outside my door so that students can see what teams are playing. When it gets down to the sweet sixteen, I will post team signs and ask students to tally their favorites. You can choose two teams that are playing and ask students to put a tally, smiley face, etc. under the team they want to win. You can grab a simple chart for free by clicking here. If you want to take the data further, the students can always graph it. It's fun for the kids, and they rarely realize they are doing math!
3. More Math -
4. Everything Else - You can make any topic that you teach into a basketball game. Here are just a few of my ideas:
- Split your classes into two teams and make a sign for each team. They can name their team after a real sports team or make up a name. Post them in the classroom. When students answer a question correctly, they can put a point on their team's sign.
- Do you have a small ball? Throw the ball to students when you are asking them questions. When they catch the ball, they must answer your question.
- Make student teams. (My students sit in groups, so this makes it easy to do this). Give each team points for behaviors and/or actions that you want to see. Give them 2 points each for completed homework assignments, good behavior in the cafeteria, etc. At the end of the week, the table with the most points can receive a small reward. You can use cute incentive charts to track this, or you can simply give them a sheet of paper to record their points.
- Take time-outs! Research proves that students need to get up and move! Take "Time-Outs" between lessons by doing some fun activities. My go-to site is Go Noodle. They have lots of fun, free activities to get students moving. Students choose an avatar and their character will transform each time they complete ten activities.
- Go to Education World for some additional ideas for teaching with March Madness. This site has fun ideas and lesson plans.
I hope I've given you some good ideas for embracing March Madness in your classroom. I would love to hear some things that work in your classroom! Please leave your comments below.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Does the Leprechaun Visit Your Classroom?
Top of the Morning! This is Sue Lynch@TpT and I
don’t know about where you live, but in the suburbs of Chicago we have endured
a LONG and CRAZY winter! March has
definitely come in like a LION and I am hoping the ‘lamb’ shows up soon!
I love St. Patrick's Day and all it's festivities! Every year, I gear up for a 'surprise' Leprechaun visit! Starting on the first day of March, I start integrating activities throughout the curriculum which always gets the kids excited. I know that sometimes I go overboard, but it's all for the kids! I just pulled out my 'stash' that was left over from last year. It's not much and it looks like I will be heading to the Dollar Store this weekend!
You will be amazed by all the little leprechaun hats! If you're lucky, you may even get a few sombreros! :) Each hat is unique and believe me your students will be amazed and just love them! Now, put each hat on your student's desks. I always put a little confetti and a gold coin (or two) with the hats. When the kids come in and see 'the mess that the leprechaun made' they won't believe their hats! How did the leprechaun do it? Magic! This will start a day of fun. I love hearing the excitement, the reasons, the explanations, etc. The writing center is always busy on St. Patrick's Day!
Here is a March Freebie that you can use on St. Patrick's Day! Included in the March Freebie are mini bookmarks you can leave from the leprechaun, 'Gold Coins' that you can use as incentives on St. Patrick's Day (handing out coins for good behavior, being respectful, etc.) and a few themed writing pages for your students to use to share about the fun day or write his/her own March story!
I love St. Patrick's Day and all it's festivities! Every year, I gear up for a 'surprise' Leprechaun visit! Starting on the first day of March, I start integrating activities throughout the curriculum which always gets the kids excited. I know that sometimes I go overboard, but it's all for the kids! I just pulled out my 'stash' that was left over from last year. It's not much and it looks like I will be heading to the Dollar Store this weekend!
How do I use these items and
what items are a must for a successful “leprechaun visit?” First of all, I love hats! I use hats throughout the year as not only a
learning tool, but also a management tool.
My kids can wear (earn) a hat for various reasons such as good behavior,
a wonderful idea, awesome work, etc. I
have a hat for almost every month! This month is
my “Lucky Leprechaun” hat! I also have a
shamrock headband that I let students wear (mostly girls choose it). Also pictured is confetti, glitter, gold
coins, mini pots, mini leprechaun hats, blowers and anything else I can
find! These items are scattered and slightly
hidden throughout the classroom (before the students arrive!) on St. Patrick’s Day. You can go all out or just make a 'little Leprechaun mess.' My favorite is the ‘glitter’ shoe prints that
I strategically place throughout the classroom. You can see an example in the picture above. To do this, make a template with construction
paper or cardboard. Place the template flat on the floor (works best on low
carpet, not tile) and shake glitter inside the template. The glitter is easily vacuumed up (by me) at
the end of the day. It’s amazing how the
students don’t step on the ‘magic shoes’ of the leprechaun. I only put a few in the room and not in high
traffic areas. The kids are amazed by the 'mess the leprechaun made' and
for each item they find and/or see, they discuss with their thoughts, ideas and even ask questions. It’s a wonderful beginning of our day as they
are engaged in sharing, writing, exploring and even answering questions that
their peers have (which gets me out of trouble!)
But--before the actual 'leprechaun visit,' I have my students participate in one fun activity to add to the excitement! The day before the event. I give my students a styrofoam cup. I tell them to color the cup because on St. Patrick's Day , I will fill their cup with coins for positive behavior. I don't give them any clue that the cup is a trap or hopes for a leprechaun visit as I have my own idea for a surprise! Your students think they are decorating for an incentive, but in reality their cup is going to become part of the 'leprechaun visit!' You are going to take the cups and turn them into mini leprechaun hats! Here's what you need to do:
Materials Needed: Styrofoam cups (one for each student) and permanent sharpie markers. Crayola markers do work, they just tend to smear a bit.
Hints for shrinking the cups: Once you have tested some cups and you feel the heat is appropriate, put about 6 cups on the tray. Put the tray of cups in the oven, turn on the light and shut the oven door. Do not open the door until the cups are ready! Allowing air to get in may change the shape of the cups. If the temperature is right, the cups will shrink quickly! This should only take 15-30 seconds when/if the oven's temperature is right!
Materials Needed: Styrofoam cups (one for each student) and permanent sharpie markers. Crayola markers do work, they just tend to smear a bit.
Directions: Have the students decorate a cup. Again, I tell them that the cup will be used as an incentive to earn 'gold coins' for good behavior, work, etc. Make sure that the students do NOT puncture holes in the cups. Don't forget to mark the cup with each child's name or initials. I usually do this right on the top.
After school, gather the cups. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Always TEST a few cups (not belonging to kids) to make sure that the oven is working it's magic. I have found that ovens heat differently. I know my home oven only needs to be set at 200 degrees in order for the cups to shrink properly. Again, testing cups before your student cups is worth it!
Hints for shrinking the cups: Once you have tested some cups and you feel the heat is appropriate, put about 6 cups on the tray. Put the tray of cups in the oven, turn on the light and shut the oven door. Do not open the door until the cups are ready! Allowing air to get in may change the shape of the cups. If the temperature is right, the cups will shrink quickly! This should only take 15-30 seconds when/if the oven's temperature is right!
You will be amazed by all the little leprechaun hats! If you're lucky, you may even get a few sombreros! :) Each hat is unique and believe me your students will be amazed and just love them! Now, put each hat on your student's desks. I always put a little confetti and a gold coin (or two) with the hats. When the kids come in and see 'the mess that the leprechaun made' they won't believe their hats! How did the leprechaun do it? Magic! This will start a day of fun. I love hearing the excitement, the reasons, the explanations, etc. The writing center is always busy on St. Patrick's Day!
Here is a March Freebie that you can use on St. Patrick's Day! Included in the March Freebie are mini bookmarks you can leave from the leprechaun, 'Gold Coins' that you can use as incentives on St. Patrick's Day (handing out coins for good behavior, being respectful, etc.) and a few themed writing pages for your students to use to share about the fun day or write his/her own March story!
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