October activities: from our readers - creative ideas to make learning fun

Mathball Game

As a second-grade teacher, I often see students getting frustrated and giving up on math. For a welcome change from math drills at their desks, I invite my class to play a game of Mathball. This activity has led to an increase in students' willingness to learn math--and in their basic computational skills--since they learn best when they are doing an activity that is fun. Before beginning, acquire two small inflatable or sponge balls. Create the game board out of a large cardboard box with ready-made dividers, or make your own dividers by taping poster board pieces to the inside of the box in a grid pattern. Label each section with a single-digit number, in any order. To play, divide the class into two teams. Have the first student throw the balls into the box. He or she must add, subtract, multiply, or divide the two digits where the balls land, depending on the skill and level you desire. If the student answers correctly, the team gets a point. For more advanced students, require players to correctly complete all four computations in order to earn points for each of their teams.

--Shawn Stillway, Bridgeport, CT

Poetry Break!

In my third-grade classroom, I created a stop sign out of red construction paper taped to a ruler, with the words "Poetry Break" on it. During our poetry unit, students can sign up for a turn to "stop" the class, and then share a poem that they have been practicing reading aloud with expression. This idea has worked wonderfully. My students love stopping the class by holding up the sign and calling out "Stop! Poetry Break!" whenever they are ready. I have found that enthusiasm for sharing poetry increases even with the most reluctant readers in my class.

--Kara Baker, Airdrie, Alberta, Canada

Science Carnival

In my second-grade classroom, our class holds a Science Carnival before we begin each unit. I set up discovery stations around the room for student groups to rotate among and experience. I usually introduce each station by acting like a ringmaster, and saying (in a loud, deep voice) "And in this corner...." Students munch on popcorn as we read aloud about the upcoming unit. This really adds to the carnival atmosphere, and gets the children ready and excited to proceed.

--Leanne Phelps, Broken Arrow, OK

Classroom Continents

When teaching land forms to my third graders, I arranged their desks into seven groups, each labeled as a different continent. I also put masking tape through the center of our "desk map" to symbolize the equator. They learned first-hand which countries were to the north and south of the equator, concepts that are sometimes difficult for children to grasp from a flat map. We also discussed the varying climates of different countries due to their proximities to the equator. To teach longitude, I later changed our tape line to the prime meridian.

--Kim Land, Muskogee, OK

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