Totally Random Proper Noun Activity

So have you guys ever just looked at your plans in the morning and said, "Man, that is just going to be boring." Sometimes I do that. Sometimes I'm so rushed to get plans made on the weekends that I don't plan the most spectacular activities ever. Just being transparent here folks! Luckily, I'm pretty good about going over my plans before I teach them and if something isn't sounding super awesome, I just change it up. Don't get me wrong: I love lesson plans. And I'm super organized. But when it comes to teaching, some of my best lessons have been lessons that I spontaneously came up with right before teaching them. Sometimes you just have to flexible, y'all!

Language can be boring. So I knew that I wanted to get my kids up and moving while still reviewing and discussing proper nouns. So on the fly, I threw together a little activity to get us moving and having fun! Some people call these little activities gallery walks. Mine tend to be a little upbeat and loud for a gallery. But there's nothing wrong with that!

I made a few simple posters like these on colored copy paper:

Super fancy....I know. But hey, when you're more worried about getting a fun activity together before your kids get back from P.E., fanciness is not a priority.

Next, I posted the signs around the room. I put some on tables. I also, taped some to the doors and walls. An activity is always more fun when stuff is hanging from the walls. Am I right?!

My next step: choosing sticky notes to use! Please tell me I'm not the only sticky note hoarder. I literally have them located in about 5 different places depending on what they are used for (my own personal sticky notes, small sticky notes, large sticky notes, fun shaped sticky notes, and sticky note overflow). Check out this collection:

Ha! On a side note that has nothing to do with this post, please look at these adorable pig sticky notes that I got from Wally.....

So stinking cute, right?! I bought two packs. I'm thinking a Charlotte's Web activity?? I need to make that happen.

Anyways, back to choosing sticky notes. I settled on the small ones. I think they're some random size....like 1 7/8 x 1 7/8? Or something like that. Perfect since we're just writing one word on them. And as you can see, these are Wally brand sticky notes. Ain't nobody wasting precious, brand-name Post-It notes on this sort of activity. Just sayin'.

I gave each student 5 sticky notes (even though I made ten posters, I wanted this to be a quick activity). You can make this activity as long or as short as you want! I turned on the Kids Bop Pandora station and the students rotated from poster to poster turning the common noun on the poster into a proper noun. Here are some fun examples:

Then we went through the results as a class. As you can see, some of us need reminding that proper nouns get capital letters. We'll work on that.

I also need to inform our social studies teacher that the kids definitely do not know the difference between a city and a state. Ha! See example below:

Gotta love 'em! Hey, look! I integrated a S.S. assessment in with my Language assessment! INTEGRATION, Y'ALL!!

This activity was fun and quick. It took very little prep. It was also a great assessment tool, as I could see if we needed more practice with proper nouns or not. I think we've got this one down (with the exception of a few reminders that proper nouns get capitals)!

Just a fun little activity that I'll definitely adjust for my needs and use again! The kids loved it. I loved it. It was fun!

You Oughta Know About...the Learning Scale!

Hey y'all! This month I'm linking up with Mrs. McClain over at Buzzing with Mrs. McClain for the monthly You Oughta Know blog hop! We'll be sharing tips, advice, websites, and products that teachers just oughta know about! Make sure that you check out the other blogs at the end of this post to discover more things that You Oughta Know!

My blog hop this month is going to be quick and to the point! School started back Thursday for me and I have been busy, busy, busy trying to make this the best year ever!! I have such a sweet group of kiddos! 3 sweet groups of kiddos actually!

I have an informal assessment strategy that you just oughta know about! It's called the Learning Scale and I'm just obsessed!!

Now, we as teachers need to constantly be assessing our kiddos. Are they getting the concept I'm teaching? Is anyone getting the concept I'm teaching? Do they already know all this stuff? The Learning Scale is one way to informally assess your kiddos over the concept being taught. The best thing about the scale: it's a quick and easy assessment strategy!

Now this is not an original idea obviously. There are variations of this scale everywhere! I just prettied it up and added clipart (thanks to Laura for the original version!). The great thing about the Learning Scale is that the kids are responsible for deciding where they are at on the scale! It's a great way for students to self-assess their learning. Self-assessment can be just as important as the assessments that we administer to our students! The learning scale asks the students to really think about how well they understand a concept. It starts at 0 with a poster that says 'I do not understand.'

The next level is a 1 with 'I understand when the teacher helps me.'

The next level is a 2 with 'I understand and can do it on my own.'

The final level is a 3 with 'I understand and can teach a friend.'

This is how the Learning Scale works in my room:

I usually have the kiddos at the carpet when I use the learning scale because it's easy for me to see all the kids quickly. I usually say something like, "Tell me how well you understand finding the main idea of a passage." Then the kids hold up their number from 0-3 (the sign language numbers on the poster are so children can be reminded of the number to hold up). Now this next part is VERY important to me. I have my kids close their eyes while we do this whole process. I don't want any kids to be embarrassed because they are a zero and their buddy is a 3. I also don't want Johnny putting up a three so he can be just like his friend Jesse. I want an accurate self-assessment and I think having their eyes closed is the best way to achieve this. I also give them a little while to think before they put their numbers up. I always tell them that they have to really look inside themselves to figure out which number they are. I also tell them that if they don't really look inside themselves and tell the truth about what number they are, I won't be able to help them when they need it.

Those are some of my kiddos up there doing the Learning Scale. Creepy happy faces, right?! They were telling me how well they understand our class rules. That's the reason why everyone is a 2 or a 3!

Now for the awesome part: I have my Chevron Learning Scale posted as a freebie in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! You can download it by clicking on the pic below!

I hope you'll use this Learning Scale as a quick and easy assessment strategy in your class!

Don't forget to check out the other blogs in the blog hop below!!

An InLinkz Link-up