Cooking? Child's Play!

Hello!

Cooking can be a child's play as well as their learning! Let's see how...

I am going to talk about using Time Words for writing instruction texts like - recipes, making a craft, giving directions, etc.
They help students write the events/instructions in a sequential manner. To explain further, I will take up a very simple example of making a lemonade. 

The recipe is super simple and Parents could also try it with their kids during their summer break for a refreshing twist!

Before starting the lemonade-making activity, discuss the time words - first, next, then, after that, later, finally and their usage in sentences and texts. 

The following is just an idea which you could use to do that:

Ask a child to use time words to tell you the steps for brushing teeth or what the child did after waking up in the morning. Encourage them to use time words while narrating the order of events.

Let's begin!

You will need:

• a sliced lemon
• a glass of water
• some black salt
• two teaspoons of sugar
• an empty jar

Keep the ingredients ready on a table and gather your class around. Ask them if they have made lemonade before. If so, then incorporate their recipe or else show them how its made. While making the lemonade, say the steps aloud using the time words.

For example:

First, pour a glass of water in an empty jar.

Next, add two teaspoons of sugar and a pinch of black salt to the water.

Then, squeeze a lemon into the mixture.

After that, give it a nice stir.

Finally, pour the lemonade in the glass and enjoy your drink!

Remember: Children should ask an adult to slice the lemon into two, using a knife.

Once the activity is over, you can ask the students to go back to their places and write the instructions in their notebooks. To make it more engaging, you could ask them to follow the instructions they have written and make a glass of lemonade for themselves.

Overall, making of the lemonade turned out to be an interesting lesson for my class. We even enjoyed having the lemonade made by us. :)

Keep Cooking! Keep Learning!

EggSperiment!

Hello!

Some of you must have conducted this experiment in your Science class while teaching about Teeth. It's an interesting experiment and gives a chance to the kids to put on their THINKING CAPS!. Also, what is relaxing is, it requires simple preparation.

You will need:

• a hard-boiled egg
• some cola
• a glass jar
• a worksheet with 3 main columns -  observation, hypothesis and conclusion. You may add extra columns for them to draw  as well. 

Tell your class that you will be conducting an experiment for them and they have to observe it very carefully. Discuss the keys words like -  observation, hypothesis and conclusion. After watching the experiment ask them to record their observation and write their hypothesis. They can hold on to writing the conclusion for the time.

Display all the materials needed for the experiment on a table. Ask your students to gather around it and observe the materials carefully. Help them build a connect between the egg and their teeth. Tell them that the outer shell of an egg is similar to our enamel. Also, discuss the ingredients used in a cola. This will help them come up with well-reasoned hypothesis. 

Alright, it's time to EggSperiment!

• Take the glass jar and place it in front of the class.
• Pour the cola in the jar.
• Dip the egg in cola.

                                                     Now, time to make the little ones wonder! 

Ask them, 'What will happen to the egg if it stays in cola for one day?' (Remind them to make their connections between the egg and their teeth and also keep in mind the ingredients that make cola). Their answers will take you by surprise!

The egg turns BROWN!!

The next day, bring the glass jar in front of the class and show it to them. The result may take a few by surprise and most of them won't like the look of the egg.
I got reactions like, 'Yuck!', 'Ew', 'Gross' and so on. 

Encourage them to write the conclusion and complete the recording. As an extension, you could also take a toothbrush and some paste and brush the egg shell. It starts decolouring and the importance of brushing everyday is visibly clear. 

Keep experimenting!

Am I Growing?

Am I Growing?

Hello!

Little ones are ever excited to find out if they are growing tall. It makes it even more fun for them if their teachers become a part of their journey!

I did the 'Am I Growing?' activity with my students as an integration of their Science and Math topics.

As young scientists, the activity helps them predict reasonably and as budding mathematicians it allows them to understand the concept of inch as a standard unit of measurement.

Before you start the activity you will have to keep the following resources ready:

1. A height chart which could be hung anywhere in the classroom (available on Amazon).
2. A worksheet with 3 main columns - date, time and prediction for the students to record their data.

Let's begin!

Gather your students around and ask them if they know their height. Believe me, you will be amazed to hear their responses! Make a note of how many used a standard unit of measurement while sharing the information with you. Once the discussion is over, show them the height chart and ask them if they know the reason for having it in the classroom? Their views will vary and they will have ideas of their own!

Speak to them about the activity and tell them that they will be recording their height (in inches) every month for the next one year. Every time they check their height they will have to go back to their place and record the data in the worksheet provided. You must ensure that they write the date, height and their prediction for next time. For the prediction, you could get responses like; 'I will not grow even a little by next month', 'I will grow by an inch', I will become shorter', 'I will grow 10 inches', etc. It will be a delight to watch them compare their prediction to the actual data. Some may show disappointment, a few will be happy, a group of them may even be startled. So, be prepared!

To be certain that they do not misplace their recording sheet you could stick it in their Science notebooks. It should stay safe unless, their dog eats their Science notebook!!

To add to the learning, you could ask the students to pair up and measure the height for each other. This will help them become better team players.

I hope you enjoy doing the activity and it is effective in your classrooms too!

Building Sentences

 

Hello!

Writing is a skill which a child can acquire well when it's developed at early stages. 

As part of my class schedule I would dedicate 10-15 minutes on encouraging the students to write simple yet meaningful sentences. The age group of students that I am referring to is between 7-8 years. However, I think, the same strategy can be applied across all elementary levels. 

To begin with, we can talk about the 5W questions (who, what, when, where and why). This will ensure that the sentences are meaningful and detailed. Have the 5Ws written on the board one below the other. Their arrangement can be flexible; however, I prefer starting with who or when. Always start by constructing a class sentence before each one does their own. Students can take turns to add words to 5W questions making sure that they are well connected. 

The following example shall be helpful:

who - Ramesh

what - was studying

when - last night

where - in his room

why - because he had to prepare for his exam.

After the mind map, ask the students to write it like a sentence. Make sure they capitalise and punctuate.

Ramesh was studying last night in his room because he had to prepare for his exam.

Students can also begin with the when question. Then the sentence would look like this:

Last night, Ramesh was studying in his room because he had to prepare for his exam. 

Grammar concepts can also be reinforced with the activity. For example - 'who' can be a proper noun or a common noun, 'what' is the verb, 'when' can be referred to as time words and 'where' is the preposition. 

Once the kids are comfortable with building a mind map they can be encouraged to write sentences directly.

For older kids, the same activity can be done by making it more challenging and asking the students to add adjectives before nouns in the sentence and also adding a 'how' question if possible.

I hope the activity is useful and it helps students write meaningful sentences and well-thought passages. 

Making Connections!

Hello!

If you are an elementary school teacher, then I must tell you that you are an explorer! For every class, you dig up new ideas, strategies, methods and techniques to ensure that your lessons are successful. When I say successful I mean that, through your efforts, the children can make connections and apply their learning to real-life situations. Simple yet engaging strategies makes a lesson not just fulfilling but also interactive.

I welcome you all to my blog where I would share some of my ideas and strategies that I have applied in my classroom teaching or have come across otherwise. 

I hope we connect!!