I am definitely a visual and kinesthetic learner- I need to experience what I’m learning about! So I always try to include some experiential activities in my first grade classroom, every day. Some days it’s planned out; sometimes its not. Either way, it makes such a difference with my students! Today we did an even and odd number review outside!
Last week I mentioned I introduced my class to Odd Todd and Even Steven, and we learned the difference between even and odd numbers. After we did our number sort, I could tell we needed some practice. So, today, we each did our part writing numbers 1-120 on pieces of paper. Then, we went outside, each with a piece of chalk in hand. On one side of the concrete, I wrote ODD and on the other side I wrote EVEN. Then, we each chose a number out of the box of pieces of paper, and tried to determine whether our numbers were even or odd. For the first round, I went around and made sure their number was on the right side, then they were able to write their number next to the label with chalk. Once they had finished one, they came and gave their number to me, and chose a new number. We did this for about a half an hour. And the majority of my students at the beginning were asking “Is this even or odd?” or guessing. By the end, they had each figured out their own strategies to help them decide if the numbers were even or odd, and most of the numbers were written on the correct sides!!
Tomorrow I plan to wrap up this lesson by making a list of strategies we can use to help us decide if a number is even or odd, maybe do a quick review, and then a short assessment to see where we are.
All of my students really enjoyed the running, writing, and active movements of this activity. How do you incorporate kinesthetic learning in your classroom?
Much Love, Allie
