Sometimes kids get a little mixed up when trying to understand the difference between fact and opinion. In their minds, their opinions make sense, and seem like fact to them. They often cannot grasp the idea that other people might think differently or have different preferences. A fun way to introduce the concept of opinion is by using “would you rather” or “this or that” type activities.
In order for students to understand that people can have differing opinions, they need to see and hear it. Students need to also be able to defend their opinion with more than just a “because I like it” as their reasoning. If given a choice between the ocean and the mountains, and the ocean is chosen, the student should be able to explain what it is about the ocean that they prefer.
To help you with this activity, I’ve created a worksheet for you download for free! I’ve made two different worksheets— one to be used as a writing assignment, and the other to be used as a math assignment.
On the writing worksheet, you will find several pairs of words. Have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words in the pair they prefer. Then, have them choose three (or more if you want) of their choices to defend. On the back of the worksheet, have them write a short paragraph about why they prefer the word they circled, giving concrete examples and solid details.
On the math worksheet, you will find the same pairs of words. Again, have students read through each pair and circle which of the two words they prefer. Next, students will ask each classmate what word they circled, then put a tally mark next to the corresponding word. Once they have asked all of their classmates, they will total the tallies for each word, then fill in the bar graph accordingly. Finally, students will write three questions that could be answered using the data displayed on the bar graph.
If neither the math or the writing worksheet fits your needs, you can always just use the “This or That” pairs as an ice breaker or conversation starter. It’s also an excellent self-starter for the beginning of class or a time filler when you have just a few extra minutes left in class.
However you use it, I hope you enjoy it! As always, my downloadable worksheets are strictly for classroom or personal use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own.
I typically only have one of my kids home with me each afternoon, but yesterday my kindergartner was home sick. My preschooler was excited to have a buddy at home with her, and insisted they play with our magnetic tiles. I got them out of the closet and expected them to start building and creating with them. Instead of doing that, I was surprised to see that they had begun to sort the tiles by size, shape, and color. My teacher heart leaped as I watched them unintentionally engage themselves in a pre-math activity. Learning without them knowing it’s learning? Yes, please!
These kinds of activities are a win-win for both kids and teachers (or parents). The kids are going about the task, having fun playing, all the while learning or practicing skills or knowledge they have learned. Oftentimes as teachers, we purposely set up these kinds of activities for our students. We try to plan and execute fun, engaging ways to teach our content. We intentionally create opportunities for fun in our classrooms— sometimes students can hardly believe that they are actually having a fun time at school!
Sometimes these kinds of activities and learning opportunities happen naturally, without us even trying, such as what happened with my kids and their magnetic tiles. These unintentional lessons can be a gateway to further learning as kids experiment with methods, concepts, and ideas. They can lead to increased problem solving, hypothesis forming, and further investigation.
If we can get students to become active participants in their learning, they are more likely to remember what is being taught. Connecting an experience to a concept allows for the brain to create a new synapse or neural pathway. It’s amazing! Allowing the brain to work cooperatively with the hands, eyes, ears, and other senses heightens the learning experience and makes it more memorable.
When we allow kids to push the limits of learning on their own, amazing things happen. If we let go of some of the control over an activity or task, oftentimes students will take control and learn more than we had planned for— which is never a bad thing! It’s hard sometimes to let go and allow students to explore, but the reward can be great if we do.
Giving students the opportunity to take initiative with what they are learning lends itself to students becoming more engaged and interested in the learning process. It’s especially amazing if they get to a point where they forget or don’t even realize that they are learning or doing school work. Having fun and learning? A golden combination, for sure!
Columbine High School. Robb Elementary School. Sandy Hook Elementary. Santa Fe High School. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school. Virginia Tech University.
Do any of these sound familiar? These schools are all tied together by one thing— one thing that no school should ever be marked by: senseless acts of violence in the form of mass shootings.
Today feels heavy. Another school experienced tragedy this morning as it was attacked with a senseless act of violence. More children, teachers, school staff, and families traumatized because of one person’s decision. Their lives will never be the same again, forever marked by this day and its events.
Hearing about these kinds of tragedies happening is hard, and it never gets easier. I think if it did easier to hear, that would mean we’ve become desensitized and numb to the issue, and I hope we never reach that point. I honestly hope there comes a day when we don’t even have to worry about this kind of stuff happening in our schools.
It’s horrific to think that our children have to practice shelter in place and active shooter drills at school. No child should ever have to worry about that. But the sad reality is that they do. I’m grateful for teachers who take these drills seriously and who would do anything to keep their students safe in the event of an emergency. It’s a heavy responsibility to place on our teachers’ shoulders, but it’s one that they take on when they choose to become a teacher.
I was a sophomore in high school when the Columbine High School Massacre happened. I remember being in complete shock and disbelief that something so evil and cruel could happen. It was such a foreign concept to me. I wish it was still a foreign concept.
While I wish I could say that this sort of thing will never happen again, history has proven to us that that is unfortunately not likely. Even though we cannot control what other people choose to do, we can control ourselves. As teachers, we can create a safe, loving environment in our classrooms. We can prioritize the safety of our students and make sure we have a plan of action that can be quickly implemented if ever the need arise.
And while I know that there isn’t a one-and-done, super easy solution to this epidemic, we can do our best to treat one another with kindness, respect, and love. We can teach our children to do the same. We can and must stand up against violent, senseless acts, because our children deserve that from us.
So today, take a minute to hold your loved ones a little closer and a little longer. Teach them to be kind. Teach them to respect others and to stand up for what is right, even if no one else does.
This world we live in today is anything but easy, but we can do our best to face it with courage and strength. And to those who have personally been affected by these terrible, senseless acts, I send my love and share your heartache. May you be lifted and carried as you grieve.
We’re just over a week into the new school year, and one of my kids has already pushed back over required reading time. For the past several years, his teachers have set a required time for reading every night, ranging from 20-30 minutes. As an avid reader and former teacher, I’ve obviously been on board with these daily reading requirements. It’s a no-brainer for me.
This year, however, his teacher won’t be assigning a specific amount of time or number of pages to read each night. Instead, students have a chart on their school computers where they can log any minutes they read, though it’s not a requirement or an assignment. Naturally, my son took that to mean, “I can read for even just one minute and put that in my log!” Fourth graders, right?! You can imagine his dismay when I told him that even though his teacher wasn’t going to assign reading time, my husband and I were. Despite his nightly protests, we have held strong to this boundary, and most nights, after his 30 minutes are up, he asks if he can read just a little bit more— and who am I to say no to that?!
You might wonder why I choose to pick this battle. After all, it would be much easier to give up the fight and not have to listen to the whining and protesting every night. I’d probably even gain “cool mom” status with my son if I didn’t have him read. But honestly, I am not out to win “cool mom” status, and pushing through the whining is 100% worth it to me.
You see, I’ve encountered so many teenagers who struggle to read. Kids who really are very smart and capable, but just are not where they “should” be in regards to reading. Kids who are terrified to read out loud in front of their peers because they are not confident in their reading abilities. One way to combat this is to have kids read regularly— even a short 15 minutes a day can make a world of a difference in reading ability.
Reading goes so far beyond opening a book and following along. It opens doorways to many other skills! Reading increases vocabulary, improves writing skills, boosts confidence, encourages imagination, and increases knowledge, among other benefits. Reading is a life long skill. I know not everyone will continue to pick up a novel and read as adults, but the foundational skills gained through reading in the younger years are vital. Even on days I don’t pick up a book to read for fun, I am still reading things all day long— a menu at a restaurant, a recipe as I cook dinner, the labels on food at the store, road signs, texts, social media posts, and so on. The ability to read is one that cannot be put on the back burner.
In order for young kids to become better readers, they must keep reading. If someone wanted to be a better football player, they would continue to play football. The same goes for reading. It is simply a skill that must not be ignored. I might even go as far as to say that reading is one of the most important skills that can be learned. It is, after all, something that is used in every other subject they will learn. It is a skill that they will use no matter what career path they use.
So the next time your child or one of your students complains about reading time, remind them that you are actually helping them— Helping them become better readers, writers, thinkers, and doers, because reading is the key to opening doors to the future.
3….2….1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on there. It’s August, not January.
You know the routine: a new year comes, and you excitedly set some goals or resolutions for yourself, only to have that excitement and motivation die out by February. I know I can’t be the only one who is guilty of this pattern.
Now, I know that it’s August, and most people aren’t even thinking about their goals for next year quite yet, but hear me out. What if, as teachers, we encouraged our students to set a goal for this new school year? A _______ Grade Resolution, if you will (you fill in the blank with whatever grade you teach). What if we take the time to teach our students how to set a goal, plan an appropriate attack strategy, and execute said plan so that they can see how powerful goal setting can be? What if our students gained more confidence in themselves and reached goals they didn’t think they could? What if?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see a lot to lose here. Even if the goal isn’t reached, think about all that would be gained by trying! Confidence? Determination? Planning skills? I know I wouldn’t be mad if I made improvements in all of those areas!
Before you go forward with this, let’s remind ourselves about effective goal setting. It isn’t super beneficial to simply say you want to achieve something; you need a plan of action on how you are going to achieve that something. The goal needs to be realistic, progress needs to be measurable, and there need to be some parameters established. Essentially, the intended end result should be planned out in SMART goal style, with the goal being specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. If students can plan a goal with these five areas in mind, their overall success will be much greater.
Most of us teachers know what a SMART goal might look like in relation to our jobs, but what might a SMART goal look like for a fourth grader? Let’s look at an example and see what each step might involve.
SMART Goal: I will improve my reading level by two levels by the end of the school year.
Now, let’s break this goal apart by looking at each of the five areas:
S: Specific. This means that the goal is detailed, the parameters are clear, and there isn’t any confusion about what is to be achieved. In this example, this student wants to improve their reading level by a certain amount by a specific date.
M: Measurable. A solid goal is one that can be tracked or measured. You can create data of some kind to see where you started and where you end up. In this case, the goal is to increase reading level by two levels. This is an easily measured goal, as progress can be monitored, recorded, and charted.
A: Attainable. When setting a goal, you need to be realistic. It would not be beneficial to set a goal that is so far out of reach, there is no possible way it can be achieved within the time frame you set. Using our example, if this student had said that they wanted to be reading on a college level by the end of fourth grade, it might not be super attainable. However, setting a goal to improve by two reading levels is going to be reached much easier.
R: Relevant. A goal needs to be relevant to the person or situation. If setting a goal to exercise more, you wouldn’t want to include anything about increasing your reading level. The goal needs to make sense for the time, place, and person. In our example, it makes sense that fourth grade student would be setting a reading goal to improve their reading skills, because that is something that would be worked on in that area and at that time.
T: Time-bound. Good goals need to have time limits. Obviously, it behooves all people to continually improve, but if a goal is to be measured and tracked, setting time limitations is helpful. In the example above, the student sets a time by which they want to have their goal achieved— the end of the school year. Having a clear end date can help the goal setter to plan accordingly. If they achieve the goal before the end date, great! If they need the full time they have decided upon, great! Setting a schedule can help motivate the person to continue working toward their goal, and to take steps along the way to push them toward their end goal.
Having students create and plan their own SMART goals is a great way to start the new school year. It will give the students something to work toward and look forward to. Goals give a sense of purpose and direction. You might consider creating an outline of some kind for students to follow as they create their goals. Have them do regular check-ins regarding the progress they are making. Track that progress so that they can see that their work is paying off and really is moving them toward their desired end result.
When they reach the end of their set time frame, have them evaluate themselves— did they achieve their goal? What kind of, if any, set backs did they encounter? If they didn’t make it to their goal, why? What kind of progress did they make? What did they learn along the way?
Celebrate their efforts, and encourage them to continue setting and working toward goals. Perhaps you might even consider setting a class-wide SMART goal that you can all work toward together, fostering class unity and purpose. However you do it, consider incorporating SMART goal setting in your curriculum! Goal setting is a great life skill to have, and knowing how to properly set and achieve a goal will give students an advantage as they get older.
My last post was full of ice breaker and getting to know you ideas that involved the entire class. Today I wanted to share another idea for getting to know your students, but this one is done individually, and as a homework assignment.
Because I was an English teacher, this assignment worked particularly well for my class, but it can work just as well for any other content area. The assignment was called “Dear Teacher” and was a chance for students to write a letter to me. I gave them suggestions about what they could tell me, but also left it open for them to choose the content of their letter.
Some of the suggested topics included:
Favorite food
Favorite subject
Favorite music, movie, book, actor/actress, show
Family— how many siblings, things they like to do, etc.
Friends— who their friends are, what they like to do together, etc.
Favorite vacations they’ve been on
Things they did over the summer
What they’re looking forward to about this new school year
Goals they may have
Their feelings about reading & writing (or whatever your content area may be)
Anything else they felt like telling me
I also required the assignment to be hand written (this gave me a glimpse into their grammar and spelling skills since they weren’t using a computer with spell/grammar check), and required the length to be about 1- 1.5 pages long. I wanted it long enough for them to tell me about themselves, but not so long that I was reading these letters for the rest of my days!
This assignment was always so fun to get back from students. I loved learning about them! Beyond the “getting to know you” objective of the assignment, these letters also gave me insight into their writing style, grammar/spelling skills, handwriting, and personalities. Another thing I really liked about this assignment was that, because I had assured them I wasn’t going to be sharing their letters with other students, it allowed students to be completely honest and open. I had students open up and tell me about difficulties at home, friend struggles, learning struggles, and so on. It let them know right off the bat that I was a safe person who had their best interests in mind.
The “Dear Teacher” letter was always just a participation grade, which was a great way to start off the year. It was a low-stakes, no pressure assignment to ease them into graded writing that would come later.
So while this assignment was really quite simple, it accomplished much more than surface level formalities.
What kind of assignments do you give your students to start the year?
First day of school nerves are real for teachers and students alike. I used to tell my students that it was ok to feel nervous— everyone else felt the same way, even if they wouldn’t admit it. I would venture to guess that even most teachers feel some degree of first day of school jitters.
One way to combat these jitters is through ice-breaker and getting to know you activities. Most people don’t love them, but they are effective for getting people moving around and interacting with one another. And if there’s one thing you need on the first day of school, it’s to get people interacting and getting to know each other!
Perhaps you have a tried and true ice breaker that you’ve used every year for the last 25 years. If it works, it works— no need to fix what isn’t broken, right? If, however, you’re searching for something new to try, I’ve got you covered! I’ve compiled a list of fun ideas to break the ice and get to know your students, and to have them get to know each other!
Roll & Tell
Divide students into groups of 3-4. Give each group a die and a set of instructions. Each number on the die is attached to a getting to know you question. If a student rolls a 4, they would answer the prompt assigned to number 4, and so on. Once all students in the group have answered all the questions, you can come back together as a class. Call on students randomly to have them share something they learned about someone in their group.
Possible Questions:
What is your favorite subject in school?
What is your favorite restaurant?
When you have free time, what do you like to do?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
What is your family like? Do you have siblings?
Tell about the craziest thing that has ever happened to you.
What was the highlight of your summer?
If you could invent any holiday, what would it be and why?
What goals do you have for this school year?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What is your least favorite chore to do?
What is your favorite book?
What skill would you most like to learn?
Do you collect anything?
What is one cool fact about you that not many people know?
If you could choose a super power, what would you want to be able to do?
If you could go to lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Would you rather be able to visit the past or the future?
One Word
Group students into small groups— 4-5 students per group is perfect. Give each group a starting word. Groups must then create a sentence, one word at a time, by going around the circle with each student adding on a word to the sentence when it is their turn. It must make sense, must be a real word, and must be a word that is well known. You can extend this activity by having groups pass around a paper to write on. They can create a whole story, one word at a time, as a group.
This encourages groups to work together, students to listen carefully, and students to be patient with one another. Hilarity is sure to ensue as groups come up with some silly sentences and stories!
Beach Ball Toss
Inflate a plastic beach ball, then use a permanent marker to write several getting to know you questions all over the ball. Have students form a circle and toss the ball around. When the ball is caught, the catcher answers the question that their right thumb is on, then throws the ball to someone else, and so on. Continue until everyone has had a chance to answer at least one question.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
This game is just as it sounds! Divide the class into two groups, and have students line up in two lines, facing each other. Partners will play three rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and the best of three wins. One line will stay stationary, and the other line will move to the right or left (you choose!), and play continues.
Random Objects
This is a fun one to assign on the first day of school, especially for older grades. For their first assignment, have students bring a random object from home— the more random, the better. They must keep the object hidden until it is their turn to share. Put a table in the center of the room and have students form a circle around the table. One by one, each student comes forward and places their object on the table. The fun part of this is that they cannot talk— no explaining what the object is or why they chose it. Laughter is definitely okay, because there are sure to be some hilarious objects brought.
Be sure to set guidelines of what is and is not okay to bring to school.
Four Corners
Before class starts, take four pieces of paper and write the numbers 1-4 separately on a paper. Place each paper in a different corner of the room. Prepare a list of questions with four possible answers each. After each question and its answers are read, students must pick which answer they like the most then move to that corner of the room. Continue until all questions have been read.
Ex: What is your favorite subject?
1- Math 2- English/Writing/Reading 3- PE 4- Science
Students who enjoy math the most would move to the corner that has the “1” sign, and so on.
Would you Rather
This is a classic game that everyone can participate in. Prepare a list of “would you rather” questions that are appropriate for the age of your students. The questions can be about anything; it’s fun to mix up the type of questions to include some funny, some serious, some gross (kids love these ones!), and some ridiculous. Have students show their answers by holding up a green paper for answer A, and a blue paper for answer B. If you can’t think of any questions on your own, the Internet is full of lists upon lists of great questions for all ages, occasions, and topics.
This or That Circle Game
You may need a larger space for this game. Create two large intersecting circles on the floor— tape works really well for this. Make a list of several “this or that” questions. Read each question, then have students pick circle A or B according to which option they like best. If they like both options equally, they can stand in the intersecting portion of the circles. You’re essentially making a large Venn diagram! Continue until all questions have been read. The questions don’t have to be super deep— simple works best here. Things like “chocolate or vanilla” or “Summer or Winter” work really well for this game. Again, if you need some help coming up with questions to use, a quick Google or Pinterest search will provide you with plenty of options!
These are just a few ideas of the many that are out there. Activities like these are a great way to ease back to school jitters and bring your class together. Happy Back to School, friends!
