Teaching About Tens Using Agility Exercises

We have been using our time sprinting, hopping, etc to teach about addition by tens. This lesson incorporates measurement, addition and agility. First we do our warm ups and stretches. These include multiplication jumping jacks including counting by tens. We then line up the students in lines that are ten feet apart. We point out that the measurement they are standing on is 0 feet. We put out visual cues that consist of cones with 10 to 50 feet signs on them. When we give instructions to run we include the measurement in feet. Running across the width of the field today is 50 feet. We then asked our kids to locate where the 10 foot marker using the strategy of some many steps equals 10 feet. We then give instructions to jog 10 feet and run the other ___ feet. The kids have to figure out the rest of the distance. We then ask the students to identify where the 20, 30 and 40 foot distance. The next instructions include commands such as run backward 20 feet and then run forward ____ feet. The kids have to figure out what the distance is. We then asked the kids to figure out how far to go with the instruction of the starting point is also the finish point. We give them directions such as 100 feet, 80, 60 and 40 feet. We found that the kids had a firm grasp of saying their 10 times tables but it was hard for them to put it to use in a real world setting. We hope this will improve their number sense.

Using Dots To Teach Multiplication and Division

We have dots on the ground on the blacktop so the students can do their exercise and guarantee they have personal space. The dots are in rows of ten and we have seven rows. The students are asked to count how many students and prove their answer. We discuss how to make math sentences. Examples of questions are "How many students are present?" "How many groups and how many students in each group?" "State it two different ways." We are also using the dots to teach about division. "We have 24 students. We want 4 groups. How many students in each group?"

Timing The 25 Yard Dash

This week we have been incorporating time and distance into our PE lessons. For our students in 2nd-5th grades we have been using stop watches to time their 25 yard dash. The students actually use the stopwatch to time their teammates. Each student runs 5 races. They record their time and distance in their journal. For the 4th and 5th graders they average out their times.
We are comparing times of the 25 yard sprint to the time that it takes to complete a lap around the field. This is giving the kids a concept of what a minute is compared to seconds. Their number sense is improving. We can tell by the accuracy of the predictions they are making.

Using Tennis Court To Teach About Coordinates and Graphing

Today we used the tennis courts to teach about graphing and coordinates. We used chalk to draw the x and y axis. We numbered both axis in meters. After a brief explanation about how this is just another way to organize things we had the students draw the court with the graph. We then plotted the students on their diagram. With 5th grade we talked about making lines. We had the kids make parallel and perpendicular lines with the other students. We used a tennis ball to show how we could plot the line that it rolled on. We showed the students the difference between a ray and a line segment.We talked about how when we serve the tennis ball we always serve to the opposite side quadrant.

Harvesting The Garden

Our students got their hands dirty. When we were caring for our plants the learning moments were multiplied. The questions the kids asked were focused and led to many discussions about the science. One 4th grade student asked me, "How does the water get into the plant?" I told her that to understand that she needed to learn about the cell." A couple of days later she brought in two pictures of cell diagrams that she had researched on her own.

Our School Garden

We started a school garden back in September. In conjunction with LSU Ag and 4H we planted a great garden. Kids need to realize that pushups are not the only way to get exercise and get healthy.

Collaborating With The Classroom Teachers

Each week we try to reinforce what the students are learning in the classroom. We communicate through email. For example this week the topics were as follows.

K- We are working on the letter Hh, sight word "are" and neighborhoods (community helpers).

1st Grade is focusing on 2 digit subtraction for the next two weeks... as well as continuing writing with details and sequencing

2^nd Next week we will read a story about animal baths and will be counting money in math. The following week is a story about a goose, then Planet Earth and then Super Storms

3rd grade is working on multiplication. last week we learned about arrays and repeated addition. This week we're learning the 0,1,2,5,9, and 10's. In Reading we are learning inference and context clues.Next week were going to be using multiplication in word problems.

4^th math conversions. Math-fractions and measurement.

 science, we've just finished up with animal life cycles. This week( Thurs-Wed.),  we'll be working on the respiratory system.
5th In math have been studying angles, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, symmetry, shape turns.   
      In science we have been studying the food web.

Most topics are easy to integrate into the pe lesson.

Writing with details and sequencing- At the end of the pe lesson we asked the kids to write a journal entry. We discussed the difference between the topic sentence and the details. If the journal entry has a correct topic sentence and supporting details the students will receive a half dollar coin stamp. We used this as a ticket to play the next day. This motivates the students to get the work done. We can also see who needs added instruction.

Counting money- We integrate money into all of our lessons with the use of the money stamp. Every couple of weeks we have the students count up their money and log it into their register located in the back of their journal.

Multiplication- We have dots on the ground on the blacktop so the students can do their exercise and guarantee they have personal space. The dots are in rows of ten and we have seven rows. Daily we count up the number of students counting by 2's, 3's, etc. We discuss how to make math sentences. Ex. Two times ten equals twenty or Ten times two equals twenty. We can extend the lesson by asking if we want to divide these twenty people onto two teams how many people would be on each team?

Measurement and geometry- We measured both the blacktop and the grass field. We talked about what tool would be appropriate to use to measure the field. We had the children diagram the blacktop and field. The also had the students label the ninety degree angles, parallel and perpendicular lines. We talked about whether the sides of the court are symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Food Web- We also integrate 4H into our pe program. We maintain a school garden. Exercise is not only jumping jacks but weeding, watering and planting. The kids get a hands on education about plants. The science that can be taught through the plants is amazing.