Does anyone use silent signals in their classroom? I was watching a video on The Teaching Channel, in which the third grade teacher demonstrates her use of "silent signals." This video got me to thinking about what types of silent signals I have used in the past with my younger students.
One that we used very often was the "silent celebration" - if we were excited about something, instead of cheering and yelling, and disrupting the class next door, we pumped out arms up and down in the air, opened out mouths wide like we were yelling and in some cases, we jumped up and down while doing it. I would preface any big announcement with "Are you ready for a silent celebration?" which told the kids what type of response I was expecting. They all understood, even at their young ages, the importance of not disrupting the class next door. (We had a shared kitchen area so we could always hear back and forth between the classrooms.)
My school taught sign language in a few of the classrooms. It started out with colors, added in the alphabet, and kept going to add other signs down to the toddler level. Silent responses seemed a natural progression.
This short two-minute video shows some easy signs that even our young students can remember:
Silent Signals in the Math Classroom
Other signals I would use are: "thumbs up if you agree" "thumbs down if you have a different answer." I'd have a student come to the white board and solve a problem. If you think they are right or wrong, then you give me the appropriate thumb signal. Sometime I'd break the students into small groups of 2 or 3 students, and work together to sort or pattern on the board. The remaining groups would have to decide all together if the group was right or wrong, and the group would have to give me the thumb symbol.
Another silent signal I'd use is "put your hand on your head when you are done" so I could quietly walk over to the student and check their work. To see if they were paying attention, with my older students (Kindergarten) I'd mix it up and give them a different action. If I didn't mind some disruptions, or to keep things light, I'd make the signal really silly.
Anyone care to share some signals you use?
Kathy
Showing posts with label assessments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assessments. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Pre-K Assessment
I have put together an assessment to be used for pre-kindergarten students. I know most of my followers are Kindergarten aged teachers, but this could be helpful for the beginning of the year to see what skills your students are coming in with. It's very basic, and I created it with the Kindergarten Common Core Standards in mind.
You can find it at my TpT store: Pre Kindergarten Math Assessment
And yes, I finally got borders to work! This was one document that I wanted them for. I ended up only using on on the cover page. The assessment includes a set of number cards at the end. My plan was to put a border on each card, then I realized if I am designing these for the students to cut out, single basic lines are best. After all, this is designed for 4 year olds!
When going back and looking at the assessment, it makes me realize what these students are capable of at such a young age. The school I worked at the last seven years was considered an "academic" preschool; each year was going a grade level above what would normally be expected of them. I had a conversation one day with a Facebook friend; she was so proud of her son, who was just turning 5, that he had written his name "almost legibly" (her words) for the first time! It brought me back to reality, as I was used to my students. My incoming pre-kindergarten students were writing their names legibly on a daily basis. Part of our three-year old program included writing first names, in pre-K they learned to write their last name. So back to my friend; she posted pictures on Facebook, so very proud; and it really made me think about the difference in a school like mine, the 3 hour twice a week preschool her son went to, and even the kids who do not have any previous schooling prior to entering Kindergarten. These students are all over the place, and you wonderful ladies deal with it every school start. So kudos to you!!! Having a differentiated program in each and every classroom is so important. I don't see as much of that; if you can afford to send your child to where I taught, then your child (unless there was a learning disability) was prepared for what we expected.
I hope my assessment is found to be helpful; I designed it to be used three times, so growth of knowledge can be documented. It is multiple pages, so you can do as much or as little as time allows. When a student has "mastered" that page, it does not need to be repeated.
Well, off to errands, in the rain. Sigh. But I guess it's not 100 degrees again, so should be thankful for that.
Have a great weekend everyone! Kathy
You can find it at my TpT store: Pre Kindergarten Math Assessment
And yes, I finally got borders to work! This was one document that I wanted them for. I ended up only using on on the cover page. The assessment includes a set of number cards at the end. My plan was to put a border on each card, then I realized if I am designing these for the students to cut out, single basic lines are best. After all, this is designed for 4 year olds!
When going back and looking at the assessment, it makes me realize what these students are capable of at such a young age. The school I worked at the last seven years was considered an "academic" preschool; each year was going a grade level above what would normally be expected of them. I had a conversation one day with a Facebook friend; she was so proud of her son, who was just turning 5, that he had written his name "almost legibly" (her words) for the first time! It brought me back to reality, as I was used to my students. My incoming pre-kindergarten students were writing their names legibly on a daily basis. Part of our three-year old program included writing first names, in pre-K they learned to write their last name. So back to my friend; she posted pictures on Facebook, so very proud; and it really made me think about the difference in a school like mine, the 3 hour twice a week preschool her son went to, and even the kids who do not have any previous schooling prior to entering Kindergarten. These students are all over the place, and you wonderful ladies deal with it every school start. So kudos to you!!! Having a differentiated program in each and every classroom is so important. I don't see as much of that; if you can afford to send your child to where I taught, then your child (unless there was a learning disability) was prepared for what we expected.
I hope my assessment is found to be helpful; I designed it to be used three times, so growth of knowledge can be documented. It is multiple pages, so you can do as much or as little as time allows. When a student has "mastered" that page, it does not need to be repeated.
Well, off to errands, in the rain. Sigh. But I guess it's not 100 degrees again, so should be thankful for that.
Have a great weekend everyone! Kathy
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