Last week, the 5th graders were losing steam as they tried to write blog posts. Student J put it this way, "I can't possibly think about writing. My teacher worked my brain too hard today."
Great. Now what?
Then I remembered FreeRice.com. Aha! Vocabulary development in disguise! (Mwah-haa-haa!)
Student K jumped on the site, and two others looked over her shoulder. We soon learned that she is a vocabulary whiz. The other two had trouble reading some words, but when they heard the word, they knew the meaning.
Fast forward to yesterday... the computer cart is in my room. J is the first one at the door. "You'll let us on FreeRice, right?"
"Of course," I answered.
The students spent over 30 minutes sharpening their vocabulary skills. Their goal was 1,000 grains of rice (100 correct answers). They achieved it!!! Now, Student A is still randomly clicking on answers before J can help, but J was adamant that A should "slow down, or people will starve!" (He does crack me up!)
On their way out of class, J asked A for her phone number. My ears perked up at this request.
"I'll call you later so we can log in to FreeRice and donate more grains of rice!" stated J.
It's a full-out, FreeRice frenzy!
I love free rice! Students love to "play" it. It's a good cause. And they are learning and don't know it!
ReplyDeleteYou really did a great job giving us a glimpse into your classroom. Love the line, "My teacher worked my brain too hard." Kids are so funny--although I sometimes feel that way after professional development, so I totally understand!
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to reading more in March!
This totally made me smile....I can see the crazy learning fun!!! I agree that we need a break in the monotony of intervention. Today I read Me Jane and almost worried when I told everyone in the lounge what a terrific new little book it is!
ReplyDeleteLove how you told this story . . . one grain at a time! The line that had me snickering: "slow down or people will starve." The voices speak loud and clear!
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