| Name of Activity: Roll or Attendance | | | | Materials Needed: Stopwatch and place to record |
| Purpose of Activity: The purpose is to add a little | | | | fastest times. |
| more meaning to taking attendance. Traditionally, we | | | | Description of Idea |
| have children stand on numbers. I have simply added | | | | This idea works best at the beginning of the year |
| to this. | | | | when you are establishing your protocols for lining up |
| Prerequisites: At the beginning of the school year I | | | | to leave the class in a quiet manner. It is very |
| have the students stand on a number that | | | | important that you stress that safety is the number |
| corresponds to their last name (alphabetical order), | | | | one priority! They must line up being cordial and nice |
| and as we stretch, I ask where number 3 or number | | | | with each other and in the proper manner. Teachers |
| 30, etc., is if there is no student on those numbers. | | | | need to understand that this may not be something |
| Suggested Grade Level: 6-12 | | | | you do every day as situations in your activity area |
| Materials Needed: Asphalt paint. | | | | may not warrant using this every day. |
| Description of Idea | | | | Each time the classes line up, I time them with the |
| I have lots of blacktop that is not being used so I | | | | stopwatch. If anyone is pushed or hurt or if there is |
| decided to use different areas to add to my roll | | | | a lot of noise, the contest is invalid for that class that |
| taking variations. I have the numbers painted; then I | | | | day. To start have each class complete only against |
| painted the alphabet. Thereafter, I painted the | | | | each other in comparing their times. (After a while |
| periodic table of the elements and assigned each | | | | you may want to consider having each grade level |
| student in each period an element. (C, H, AU, etc.) | | | | compete against each other). |
| Then I painted out a keyboard and assigned each | | | | I post the quickest times, changing as necessary. If |
| student a letter, punctuation mark or symbol. (By this | | | | they beat the quickest score, they get a bonus point |
| time I have fairly good idea who would be an | | | | in P.E. The students really enjoy the competition and |
| asterisk, question mark or exclamation.) The numbers | | | | comparing the times with other classes and it has |
| and alphabet are three feet apart. The keyboard is | | | | really helped with lining up efficiency. |
| two-foot squares but the elements are four foot | | | | Teaching Suggestions: |
| blocks. | | | | You may want to give points for the quality of their |
| Assessment Ideas: | | | | lining up and give them feedback about how well |
| I am always surprised when I ask where "Hydrogen" | | | | they did with respecting each other, and note those |
| is and a little voice replies, "Oh, he's not here today!" | | | | who made good decisions when they lined up. |
| Although I have not actually done anything but take | | | | It is very important that the teacher stress that it is |
| roll, I can imagine getting into groups by forming | | | | the process that is most important and not the final |
| molecules. I have taught prime numbers with the roll | | | | product. There will be days when the fastest is not |
| numbers and vowels and consonents with the | | | | the best so there may be days that you do not |
| alpabet. I have had the "home keys" take off on a | | | | want to do this idea. |
| lap and had the rest of the class chase them. | | | | May be best to just two this for 2 months at the |
| Adaptations for Students with Disabilities: | | | | beginning of the year and then maybe revisit after |
| Though I have not had children with disablities since I | | | | major holiday breaks such as Christmas holiday. |
| repainted the blacktop, I can place students in | | | | Variations: |
| wheelchairs in the space bar of the keyboard and put | | | | You may think of graphing the results either using a |
| wheelchairs on the outside numbers or alpha spots. | | | | bar graph or line graph which graphically shares with |
| Name of Activity: Quickest Round-Up | | | | the students just how fast they are lining up. |
| Purpose of Activity: To improve on the efficiency of | | | | May want to have weekly challenges, by ABC order, |
| kids lining up to leave the activity area. | | | | Age order, Color of shoe, etc. It may add a minute |
| Suggested Grade Level: 2-5 | | | | or two but it could encourage other skills as well. |