Oh my Stars, they are creative!

    It's been a fantastic week of learning and moving at Linn Elementary!  We are still working on throwing/catching/hand eye coordination.  We started the week by doing a simple toss/catch sequence that I found on.....wait for it.....TWITTER!  One of the amazing PE teachers I follow on there posted a link to a video showing 20 (20!!!!) different tossing/catching sequences for students to use.  In addition to the awesome hand/eye coordination, the students also had to memorize the sequence that was given.  Example: Toss/clap front/Catch.  All grade levels seemed to enjoy it.  This also gave my co-worker and I the opportunity to assess the students hand/eye coordination.  Here is the link to the awesome video! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PAD0Gb7ojds&feature=youtu.be
    A few years ago I taught with a girl who was fresh out of college.  She had an activity called Quarter Stations that she had done while student teaching!  Talk about collaboration with "regular" classrooms, this activity has it!  There are nine stations set up around the gym.   Since it's called quarter stations, the students must do each exercise/activity 25 times (or for 25 seconds).  After they complete each station, they come and get their "quarter."  (I use tokens that I have a bunch of).  The challenge for the students is to see how money they can earn in the given time.  With about five minutes left in class, I have them return to their homebase and count their money!  I love doing this activity, and use it several times a year!

    As you all know, I am a techny nerd.  A week wouldn't be complete without the use of technology/ipads.  Still working on our PBL project, we focused on sugar content.  The students were told to find five foods they would like to eat.  Then, they used Educreations to write down the name of the food, and how much sugar was in it.  After they finished, they took a screen shot to use as their research.  After everyone finished this task, I had them scan a QR code I had created.  This lead them to a PADLET (very cool computer too to use for collaboration).  I had the padlet prepared with their first question- How much sugar did you eat?   After I saw the answers appearing on my screen (it's cool like that), I was able to continue questioning those who were ahead.  I told them that they were suppose to have near 32grams of sugar in a day.  They had to figure out their difference (if they went over, which most did).  They took this difference and multiplied it by two, giving them the number of pushups or setups (their choice) to do. 
   I selected a 5th grade class earlier this week to do a special project.  Why not have students plan what they learn?!?  We discussed what the SHAPE national standards were, and what each of them meant.  I then divided the students into groups and assigned them a standard to research.  After using their ipads to research, they were asked to create an instructional video teaching their standards.  I reminded them to be creative.....they blew me away!  They are still working on them, but I will definitely post them later!  I really feel the other students are going to be thrilled to learn from kids in their school!  Exciting!

     This was one of those weeks where I was reminded that I am doing what I love.  Seeing those 5th graders get excited over knowing the standards was awesome.  Watching them use technology as a vehicle makes me giddy inside!  Technology doesn't have to be something that makes us lazy, it can also be something that makes us move, makes us think, and makes us create!
    
If you are not connected, you are disconnected!!!!  It's doesn't have to run your life, you don't have to spend hours on twitter to benefit.  Honestly, 10 minutes each night will suffice!

Rock Chalk!

 

(even after the meltdown on Tuesday),
AB