The thing about teachers is they love to borrow ideas.
So, when I saw that Babbling Abby was having a whole Teacher Week with tons of ideas being shared?
I was so in.
Then, well, I went to Cape Cod for two glorious, computer-free days, and I missed the first two days of Teacher Week.
But! But, now I am back.
As you might know, I am going into my second year of teaching ELL first grade, which means my kiddos come from homes where English isn't the primary language. Although I sort of stumbled into working with this group, I am loving the challenge.
When I thought about what creative ideas I could share, a few came to mind right away:
1. Make a big deal about big words. My ELL kiddos absorb words like sponges, and I make a point to teach exciting new words, right along with our parts of speech and word family words. I pick a word a week and reward the students who use the word correctly in the room. It never fails to make me smile when a student tells another student, "You are doing a spectacular job!"
2. Let the students use clipboards and wipe-off boards. They make boring lessons more fun.
3. Incorporate food into the classroom. When my students made their end-of-the-year scrapbooks, the majority of their memories involved food. From our Thanksgiving dinner to our Pancake Party, we managed to use food to cover lots of different areas of the curriculum. My favorite was stringing 100 Froot Loops on a string to make necklaces on the 100th day of school. (This is, of course, easier if you have an extra adult in the room-- and no food allergies!)
4. Keep chocolate stashed in your desks. There will be days that you need it.
I've always heard that the best way to teach vocabulary and BIG words is to use them constantly when talking to your students. Thanks for reminding me! Sometimes, I forget. My students keep their white boards in their group bins. We use them ALLLL the time!
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