No Worksheet Wednesdays

I’m so excited to be linking up with my friends over at the Primary Chalkboard to bring you No Worksheet Wednesdays.  First of all I am always thinking about how I’m using my class time…is it useful, am I reaching every student?  etc….worksheets are easy for the teacher yes, but are they what’s best for kids?  That is something for all of us to think about that’s why I’m so glad that we have decided to get you thinking about it too.  So link on up each Wednesday in March and we can all share our ideas.  Every Wednesday for the month of March, I am promising trying really hard not to use a SINGLE PRINTABLE or WORKSHEET in my classroom.  I actually don’t use them very much anyways because of the way I run my morning rotations but this is a win win.  Less paper….less killing trees, saving the district money on copies and having kids do more hands on activities.

Here are some things I did today instead:

Around the World has been around for years I’m sure.  I used addition and subtraction facts in first grade and now I use multiplication and division facts.  They love trying to beat out their friend.  Trash Can Spelling is a big hit too – you can read more about it in a previous post { here }

I have several power points that I make interactive.  We might read a passage and pull out the main idea and details…throughout there are questions A, B, C, D and they will answer on their white boards…then one lucky kid each time gets to come  up and click on the answer.  Of course a fun display/cartoon comes up if it’s correct.  Another thing I’m able to do is have a computer center rotation during reading groups.

It may seem like cheating a little but white boards still AREN’T pencil and paper right?!!?!  It still counts…kids love to write on their white boards and it makes math more motivating!

I do reading groups faithfully every day except Friday, that counts too.  See how easy it is? 

This is an OLD picture from when I taught first grade but you can have them interact with the text during reading groups – which makes learning engaging and fun as well.

My reading rotation wheel looks like this although I have made it smaller this year….as you can see we write in our journals, have quiet reading in the library, Grab a spot read a lot which is DEAR time any comfy place they find in the room, a skill ( sometimes a worksheet ) , reading groups and computers. 

 Link up and share you no worksheet ideas with us over at The Primary Chalkboard by clicking { HERE }.  Each week’s linky party is open all week. We hope you join us !!  I can’t wait to see what you have going on in your classroom!