Ideas and Tips for Teachers

Ideas and tips by teachers, for teachers Feeling Fit Mileage Club From Julie Dean, an ESE teacher K-5 at Citrus Elementary School in Indian River Co., Florida: “At our school, the PE teacher has developed a walking/running club for gr.2-5 in the mornings. She outlined a 1/5 of a mile course in our field. The students arrive, eat breakfast & are called out to the walking track. Second and 3rd graders go on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4th-5th graders go on Mon, Wed and Fridays. The students have cards that are hole-punched for each lap they complete. When the entire card is punched (20 laps), the student earn a plastic foot, which can get tied onto shoelaces or put onto a chain. “This reward has motivated a lot of students towards fitness. Several teachers help out with the punching of cards, and parents are joining their children to walk in the morning. The students are also able to complete laps during recess times. We are lucky enough to be in southeastern Florida and will be able to implement the program year round! The kids are having a blast and getting exercise at the same time!” Traffic Light Classroom Setup From Dawn Guerra, a high school teacher: “A classroom setup that works for me is what I call the Aisled Traffic Light. I setup students’ desks in two sections, right and left. Each side of the room is arranged with rows of desks, angled toward the front of the class. There are only three or four desks per row. I leave a wide space between each side of the classroom. With this aisle, all students are theoretically at the front of the room! With rows of just three or four deep, no child is at the back – the red light as opposed to the green light. “This set-up works for those students who feel compelled to sit at the back of the room! Even though they're at the ‘back’, it still feels like the front. I teach from all aspects of that aisle (pacing) and often stand at the back of the room while discussing the lessons. With a set-up such as this, video & whiteboard work is easier because every child has a clear, unobstructed view.” Outdoor Science Projects From The Worker Bees: “It’s fun to get outside and learn when the weather is warm and the birds are chirping. What science projects do you do outdoors with your students? Do you have a fun bubble blowing experiment? Do you explore school yard aerodynamics? What creative outdoor science activities can you share with your colleagues?” http://www.neaacademy.org/ Place to Start at NEA Academy http://www.nea.org/tools/31965.htm Works4Me E-Newsletter-Source-4-26-2011 Published by the National Education Association, 1201 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036.