In Room 220 the students are working on the concept of time. We started off with a book entitled, Measuring: Seconds, Minutes, and Hours, by Dr. Holly Karapetkova. Describing how long a second is can be hard for students to understand. The author describes it as being as quick as an eye wink or the snap of your fingers. Students understood this approach quickly and they enjoyed winking at each other. The subject of telling time can be intimidating to students but the author makes it very comfortable and relatable for children. To better assist students in understanding how long a minute is they sat still with no noise for one minute. For the next activity, each child was timed for one minute while they assembled a task. They took a turn assembling a two-part hardware assembly job with couplings and tubes. Some assembled three to four pieces and some assembled up to 14 pieces in 60 seconds. Everyone agreed having an activity to do during the 60-second timeframe made the time go much faster. Another activity students enjoyed was a relay race. Each student ran a distance of 50 feet between two cones. Again, the students realized that the 60 seconds felt shorter when filled with an activity. Annie did four laps in her green machine and Astrid, Andrew and Maddie did between 9 and 10 laps. Connor and Gabby both finished with doing 7 laps.
Students also enjoyed listening to the stories, How Many Minutes, by Katherine Krieg and Clocks and More Clocks, by Pat Hutchinson which explore time. Having a variety of activities to learn how to tell time assists in keeping students engaged. The class enjoyed listening to songs about time and using the Smart Board. Students were recently introduced to a time game that they enjoyed playing. The link for the free website is: https://toytheater.com. The site has a time game with large, easy to read graphics and sound effects that the children like when answering questions correctly. The students also enjoyed Boom Cards and time games that are on www.Education.com
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