Kids Code

Yes, even very your students can learn to code. Check out scratch. This is a free program that was created by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT. It allows children to code by dragging and dropping blocks. It's a great introduction to programming for younger students.

Hour of Code

This week students K-12 are encouraged to participate in an Hour of Code. This will be an hour in which students throughout the United States engage in programming.

Why should we do this? The obvious answer is that coding is a 21st Century skill. It is certain that there will be a wide variety of jobs that require computer coding skills in the future. There is a more important reason for this. Computer coding is a new way of thinking about and understanding our world. Teachers find that student's math and reading comprehension skills improve because coding gives students a deep sense of the logic that underlies communication. It is a great creative outlet. It also builds confidence. Coding is not that hard, but because of its "brainiac" aura, students take great pride in being able to actually write a line of code. Parents also enjoy having bragging rights.

Instruction in computer coding can begin as early as kindergarten. You do not have to be a computer whiz yourself in order to teach elementary programming lessons. You don't even have to have access to computers. There are a wide variety of free and easy materials to help you teach programming to your students.

More Than One Right Answer

On conventional multiple choice tests, there is only one right answer for students to choose. Typical test skills instruction focuses on helping students to eliminate incorrect answers and select the one correct answer. These strategies can be helpful.

However, the new Common Core aligned tests will contain some questions that have two or more correct answers for the students to select. To do well on these tests, your students will need to read the questions carefully. They may be explicitly asked to select two or three answers, or they may be told to select all of the correct answers. Make sure that your students practice multiple choice tests that have a mixture of one answer and multiple answer questions so that they don't fall into the habit of expecting each question to have only one right answer.

The World's Hardest Multiplication Fact

According to researchers in Great Britain, the most difficult basic multiplication fact for students to learn is
8 x 6. It's tempting to haul out the flash cards and have the kids go over their facts again and again until you have the facts drilled into their brains. But the reality is that 8 x 6 isn't hard at all if you let go of rote memorization and teach for understanding.

A good place to start is with The Best of Times by Greg Tang. He presents the times 8 facts as doubling three times. So I begin by reading the book to the class. Now as much as I love Greg Tang's work, the illustrations in his books can be a little confusing. I like to show the math problems in a more straight forward way because it makes the underlying concept more clear. I will show various multiplication problems as a table.

Here is the table for 8 x 6:

This makes the concept of doubling three times more clear. So 8 x 6 is 8 groups of 6.

6 + 6 = 12, 12 + 12 = 24, and 24 + 24 = 48.

Greg Tang also has a web site for students to practice math. There are many online sites for practicing math facts. I prefer Tang's site because he focuses on the underlying concepts rather than just rote memorization.

Care Packages for Vets

A special way to remember our veterans is to have your class send a care package. I especially like Books for Soldiers because it highlights the idea that books are important. If you have some reluctant readers who think that books aren't for "tough guys", here is a great way to do some good and dispel a stereotype. You can go to the site to look up specific requests. Be sure to include a letter of thanks from your class. 

Building Vocabulary Is More Than Just Words

We often hear about the word gap in which children from disadvantaged households come to school knowing many fewer words than do middle class children. It is tempting to react to this by creating a list of words for students to memorize, but learning vocabulary is about more than just words. It is about communication skills and building knowledge about the world.

This clip gives better insight in how to help children build their vocabulary.

Connecting to Vets

While there are a number of fun activities that you can share with your class this Veteran's Day, I believe that the best way to honor our veterans is by helping your students make a personal connection. Have your students write to a service man or woman. Bring a veteran in to speak to your class.

I remember many years ago when I invited a World War II veteran to speak to my sixth grade class. It was the most inspiring speech I have ever heard. He had been captured by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Japan where he experienced terrible hardships. He spoke of the day when the prisoners woke up and the guards were gone; The allies had won the war. They managed to signal some American planes, and supplies were dropped to the camp. Among the supplies was an American flag.  He explained that they valued the flag even more than the food. "The food meant that we would stay alive. But so many of us had died. The flag meant that the country would live, and our sacrifice had meaning." He ended his talk by telling us that he had no anger or bitterness against his captors.

Actually meeting a soldier can bring the meaning of Veteran's Day alive for your students.