BOOK SWAP - Have each child bring an old book from home that they've already read. Let them walk around the room and discuss their books and "swap" them with classmates. Hint! Have a few extras on hand for those who forget or might not have a book to swap.
BOOK DRAW - A very loving teacher in a low income area shared this idea. She explained that many children she taught didn't have any books they owned. So, she'd buy books at garage sales and dollar stores to give to the children. But rather than just passing them out, she pretended that they "won" something. During the week, she would let children put their names on a strip of paper and drop them in a special basket. Every Friday, she would pull a winner's name out of the basket. That child would "win" a book to take home. (She kept a list of who won each week to make sure every child received a book during the year.)
PARTS OF SPEECH - Believe it or not, 3-5th grade students enjoy doing the "Tooty Ta" and singing songs. One teacher explained she tied fun songs in with standards, by asking the children to identify parts of speech from the songs. They'd make a list of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so forth.
SPARKLE WORDS - To get children to extend their writing and add a little "fluff," one teacher shared this idea. She asked her class to brainstorm adjectives and adverbs that could add interest to writing. She wrote these on a poster board with glue and then sprinkled on glitter. She called them "sparkle words." After children wrote a story, they'd make it more interesting by adding "sparkle" words. (She said sometimes she even let the children write "sparkle" words with glitter crayons!)
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