Yesterday was my short day. I only had to teach two classes, which was pretty awesome. The two classes are the higher level classes and they are usually pretty well behaved. Yesterday all they had to do was read a story and then it was game time.
The first classes, which are the younger students, read the outstanding “What A Trip!” with only minor incident. The student known as James, was a buffoon as usually and got sent out of the room during game time (of which there will be more later).
The second class (the older and higher level of the two) came in next. The wrote in their daily journal and then they had to read some story about how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The thing is, instead of reading, they were all just talking to each other. After numerous warnings to be quiet while others were reading, I told them to put their books away. A cheer arose…until I told them to get out their pencils for an ultimate spelling test. They then had to spell some 60 random words. Afterwards I asked if they wanted to read or have another spelling test. They said they would read, so we read the story of a caterpillar who becomes a butterfly, and then it was game time.
Yesterday I tried out a new game. I purchased two fly swatters and made a bunch of flash cards of vocabulary words the students were supposed to know. I then divided to class into two teams giving each a fly swatter. I would then yell out something like “Hit ‘yellow!’” The team that hit the word first would score a point, and the team with the most points at the end was declared the winner.
The two classes I tested this game with both really enjoyed it, so it looks like “Fly Swatter Game” is a keeper. Today when the lower level classes come in I’ll have to test it out with them (probably using pictures instead of words which is not a problem).
