Do your students suffer from a lack of motivation? In the midst of spring break and standardized testing, students may find it difficult to focus on their schoolwork.
One of the best ways to motivate students is to get them invested in their own learning. Because once students can see their progress, they are more likely to want to progress. Take a look at these tried-and-true ideas teachers across the country are using to motivate their students.
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There’s an old adage: practice makes perfect. And as spring has officially sprung in most areas, it’s a time for new beginnings and fresh starts—as well as the perfect time to try something new. In this short, lighthearted video clip, Matt Cutts, engineer at Google, offers a great way to set and achieve goals. Read more »
Last week we hosted a St. Patrick’s Day limerick contest. To help aspiring poets, we shared a fun song explaining the rules for writing a limerick. And we received some fun responses—thank you!
Our judges have weighed in, and voted overwhelmingly in favor of our first place winner, Christi Weinzierl! Here is her winning submission:
It”s time for state testing, I fear.
What a nerve-wracking time of the year!
Although I”ve been prudent,
It”s all up to the students!
When the last question”s answered, I”ll cheer!
Christie wins a free DVD set of the Imagine Island television series! Congratulations, Christie.
Second place went to Ashley Cahill:
A first grade teacher I am.
A better job, there never has been!
We learn all day,
August till May,
Then let the summer begin!
Ashley wins a talking Mike the Microphone plush toy!
And third place goes to Sarah via Chrisx:
“I used to be good at a rhyme,
But now I just do not have time!
Wiping food off one face
And cleaning up this whole place…
A mom”s job does not even pay a dime!”
Sarah wins a Booster bobblehead doll!
To our winners, please send an email to blog@imaginelearning.com with your shipping address and we’ll get your prizes sent out to you right away. Thanks again everyone for the great limericks!
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! To get your students in the Irish spirit, here’s a fun little song about writing limericks featuring Nick from the Imagine Learning software. Nick’s song makes a perfect lesson plan to teach your students about writing limericks (the lyrics are below for your reference).
OR watch the video on YouTube here.
And to get you in the Irish spirit, we’d like to have you participate in our annual limerick contest! Write your own limerick in the comments section below. Prizes will be awarded by our judges to the top three limericks:
1st prize: a complete DVD set of the Imagine Island TV show
2nd prize: a talking Mike the Microphone plush toy
3rd prize: a Booster bobblehead
We’ll accept submissions through end-of-day Sunday, March 18th. Special consideration will be given to limericks with an educational flavor, and also to student submissions. Check back next Monday to see the winners!
Good luck (o’ the Irish) to everyone!
Need inspiration? Check out last year’s entries.
LIMERICK SONG LYRICS
Hello! How are you? I’m Nick.
Here to teach you a fun little trick.
To have a good time
when writing a rhyme
try writing your own limerick!
There are limericks of all different kinds.
So how do you write one that shines?
You’ll see that it’s cool
if you follow the rule:
a limerick is made of five lines.
So listen close to this song.
Lines one, two and five are all long.
And in poems of this sort
make lines three and four short
and I promise you’ll never go wrong.
You need to be sure and contrive
to rhyme lines one, two, and five
Then do it once more
with lines three and four
and your limerick surely will thrive!
So let these pointers take hold
And if you’ll write as you were told
at the rainbow’s end
you’ll find there my friend
your own limerick pot o’ gold!
If you feel like more of your time is spent controlling your class than teaching them, it might be time for a new strategy. In Managing Classroom Behaviors, a recent article from Autism Society’s magazine, the Autism Advocate, education and children’s specialists Leah Gongola and Jennifer Sweeney shared two reinforcement strategies that teachers can use to reduce the time spent reprimanding student behaviors.
