Are We Doing Anything Fun Today?

Are We Doing Anything Fun Today?

  

Image Source: Generation Genuis

Do you remember when you were in school, and you constantly would ask the teacher if we could do something fun today? Or you might be a teacher, and you have your students constantly asking to do something fun. I know that I have had this happen to be several times in my seven years of teaching. We as teachers need to change that. We need to teach our students in an engaging way that they want to come to school and that they understand what they are learning. No more standing in the front of the room and reading the material without any time for the students to apply what they have learned. This can change with the idea of using active learning in the classroom. 

What is Active Learning? 

Active learning is an approach to teaching that allows students to actively engage with the material that they are learning. It is not just about what they are learning but it is about how they are learning the material.  This process has students learn through student led discussions, projects, open-ended questions, technology, hands-on learning opportunities and so much more. There are many benefits to having students actively engage in the learning. It gives the students time to have a deeper understanding of what they are learning, creates positive connections with the material and their peers, allows students to increase cooperation and communication skills through group projects, and gives time to let the students create a higher level of thinking by having them do the learning. Active learning is not just about getting the students up and moving, it's about having their brain be actively engaged in school. Below is a video of the process to start using active learning in your classroom. 

Video Source: Challenge Innovate Growth

Beach Ball Bingo:

Beach Ball Bingo is an actively learning activity that can be used for any topic and any grade level. In this activity, teachers will need to get a beach ball. With a sharpie teachers will write different questions or problems that goes along with the learned material on each part of the ball.  A lesson that I would use this for in my first-grade classroom is reading comprehension. The students and I would read a story together, then I would write on the beach ball open ended comprehension questions for the students to answer. Open ended questions are questions that do not have the students answer with yes or no but rather have to explain their answers. If we were reading Jack and The Beanstalk, some questions would be "Why did Jack have to sell the cow?", "How do you think his mom felt after Jack came home with the Beans?", "Why do you think she felt this way?" etc.  The students would then get into a circle and safely throw the ball to each other. Whatever question the students thumb lands on is the question that they are answering. 

How is this Actively Learning? 

By having the students participate in Beach Ball Bingo, students are having to have a deeper understanding of the story. They will not only use their own words to answer the questions, but they will be engaged with the story and each other. Students will have to actively use their brain in this activity by connecting what they heard in the story with what they know. Beach Ball Bingo creates a memorable activity that will create deeper connections with the story allowing students to be ready for any comprehension assessment. With this activity, students need to make sure that the person they are passing to knows that they are the next to receive the ball by looking at them or calling their name. This is working on communication skills. Students also need to remember to pass to everyone in the classroom, so they all get a turn. It also 

How have I used this in the past? 

I always start the school year off with a beach ball activity. I write get to know you questions on the beach ball for students to answer. This is a great way to get to know students and for students to get to know their classmates. Students are listening to each other and have a better chance of remembering information about their peers because they are actively engaging in the process.  By starting the school year with this activity, students will have an understanding with the activity to use it throughout the school year. 

Image Source: We Are Teachers

Other Ways I would use Beach Ball Bingo:

-Math problems (addition/subtraction, word problems, place value etc.)

-Word Families for rhyming or reading 

-Sight words 

-Science questions to go along with the topic

-Vocabulary words

-Simple sentence reading and writing

References: 

Challenge Innovate Grow: Teacher &  Learner Centre. (2023, May 2). What is Active Learning? [Video].

Jack and the Beanstalk questions. (2021). BLS School.

Lynch, M. (2023, October 11). 13 fun beach ball games and activities to pep up your classroom. The Tech Edvocate.

Richland, K. (2024, March 22). Multisensory reading activity: beach ball toss. Structured Literacy | Pride Reading

What is Active Learning: Benefits and How to Apply It. (2024, June 26). SC Training