February 2018

ZAP literacy games in the classroom

lesson inspiration, literacy Sunday 25 February 2018

Are you looking for an engaging game that can easily be differentiated to meet all of your learners' needs? Well look no futher!

Zap games take a bit of prep to set up the first time, but after the initial set up it is super easy to swap out for new content.

Read on to find out the two main ways that I would recommend setting up the games:

When you purchase the product on TPT, you will get two different labels - the first has a set of three that you can cut out and glue onto your own decorative wrapping paper. The second label is already printed for you on decorative paper. You also get two sheets of game cards - this set is the alphabet version. :)

You can use whichever kind of container you would like for this game, but I prefer Pringles containers.

ASSEMBLY VERSION 1: If you want to use the decorative paper I have included in the file, simply print it out.

If you wrap it around the pringles container, you will notice it is just a smidge too small. You can either leave it like this, or first wrap a blank piece of white paper around the top of the container (see below) and then secure the decorative label on top. :)

ASSEMBLY VERSION 2: If you want to use your own wrapping paper, print out the page with the three labels and the blank background. Measure your wrap carefully, cut, and secure onto the can. Cut out the label and attach onto the wrapping paper. :)

Here is a side by side of each way to assemble. The first way is definitely easier, but I understand that teachers may have their own colour grouping/themes they may want to use, which is why I have included both versions.

Next, chop up all of the game cards! I would definitely recommend using a paper cutter to make it easier on you. Laminating them will make them last longer, but if you have gentle kiddos then cardstock will work fine too.

Fold them up, pop them into the container, and you are all set to play!

How to play ZAP games:

Kids can play independently, or in groups. I find 3-4 work best, but you can always have larger groups if you want.

Students will take turns drawing a card from the container. This is where you can differentiate as you see fit. For example, with the alphabet set, you can have the following levels of differentiation:
Level 1- identify the name of the letter
Level 2 - identify the sound of the letter
Level 3 - identify a word that starts with that letter

If the child gets the card correct, they can keep it in their pile. If they get it incorrect, they put it back.

If you draw a ZAP card, you put all of your cards back into the container!

Game play continues for a set amount of time (I usually say 10-15 minutes) and then the kids count up their cards. Whoever has the most is the winner!

I have individual sets avaliable on my TPT shop here, and I've just released a growing bundle option with massive savings:

ZAP growing bundle

Any questions? Please email me at aminimalistteacher@gmail.com or leave me a comment. :)

how to save your voice as an educator

classroom management Sunday 11 February 2018

In my first few years of teaching, I would lose my voice so frequently from raising my voice to get my students' attention. I wasn't even yelling, just trying to be heard over group work chatter or in the gym. This year, I was determined to keep my voice safe, so I found a few alternatives:

The whistles I purchased from a toy store (although I can't remember which!). The jingle bells were from the target dollar spot, and the other bell is from a local bookstore in Vancouver (Banyen Books, if you are interested), although it is also avaliable on amazon. The bird whistle is from a farmers market - it is locally made. You just need a few drops of water inside and it makes beautiful bird sounds.

The way I use these tools is different - I have my students trained to leave their work where it is and immediately come to the carpet when I tap the bell three times. This is super helpful when I need to have them regroup to review expectations or clarify instructions. For the other ones, they immediately freeze and put their hands on their head when I use them. I mix it up to keep it fresh with them. :) We make it into a game at the beginning of the year, and a few weeks in they are quite good at it.

Other things that I would like to get to try for next year (all are available on amazon):

These wooden frogs are percussion instruments, but they sound so neat! When you roll the stick up or down it's back it sounds just like a frog croaking.

When I was a practicum student, my cooperating teacher had chimes hanging from the ceiling in her room (at a height that only she could reach). I just love the sound of wooden wind chimes - I think this would be a super calming way to get kids' attention.

As a side note - once I get their attention, I never use a loud voice. I find they listen more the quieter my voice is - even when I start whispering, they are all curious to hear what it is I am trying to say. :)

What are your favourite ways to get students' attention?

making math FUN with take over games!

lesson inspiration, math

I don't know about you, but when I think about the math I did in elementary school it typically involved work books/text books and copying question after question. Needless to say, I didn't particularly love math growing up. Now that I'm a teacher, I try to make math as engaging and as fun as possible - and for my kiddos that means lots of GAMES! I've created these Take Over games and my students LOVE them.

These games all involve the same skill - adding and subtracting with dice. For my kids, I find they consistently need practice and repetition with this throughout the whole year, so I've created themed versions to take out throughout the year.

The materials you will need (besides the game!) are dice - you can use two dice or one double dice. My students find the double dice super exciting to use. You will also need some sort of counter in two colours (or more, if kids are playing in larger groups).

With Valentine's Day approching so soon, I thought I'd show you inside the Valentine's game.

Valentine's Day TAKE OVER - available here

10 game boards are included - 5 for addition and 5 for subtraction. They feature the numbers in different spots. The way the game works is:

Students take turns rolling two dice (or one double dice) and adding or subtracting the numbers.

They then cover the number on the board.

If another student rolls the same number, they can take over that spot with their own colour.

If a student rolls a number they already own, they can take over a picture.

The game can go on almost indefinitely, so I set a timer (usually 10-15 minutes) and when it goes off, they count how many spaces they own. Whoever has the most is the winner!