WONDERGROVE SOCIAL SKILLS BLOG
Extend Learning Using Sight Word Videos
Using the animated sight word videos through your subscription to WonderGrove Learn, you can extend that learning easily throughout your day by following these simple steps:
Multisensory Sight Words
Sight words are words that students should recognize and read immediately (without having to sound them out... and a lot of sight words are irregular words and CANNOT be sounded out!)
The Attention Grabber
In grad school, I remember that every lesson had to have an “attention grabber.” EVERY LESSON! This by far took the most time, because we had to come up with a game or find an animation clip from YouTube, write down the beginning and ending time, and have it cued up and ready to go by the beginning of our lessons.
Teaching Social Skills from a Computer or Classroom
You know who’s great at making kids do stuff and buy stuff? Cartoon characters. Kids will mimic what they see on that TV IMMEDIATELY and if there’s a choice between a cup with a pink monogram and a cup with a singing snow queen, it’s snow queen all the way.
Three Minutes a Day Keeps Class Going Your Way
Some things are easier to start than others, but as all new things… sometimes JUMPING IN is the best way to go! Using purposeful animations in your classroom is seriously SOOOOO easy and made lesson planning for the week and year a lot less stressful because I could plug in that piece of my lesson daily.
Phonemic Awareness at Home
I know first-hand how difficult it is to teach younger children from a distance. The bottom line is, it’s not ideal no matter how much technology you have, but you can be an enjoyable and valuable piece of a pretty bad situation for the kids!
Introducing Difficult Topics
As an Intervention Specialist, I quickly learned that 90% of my job was to control student behavior. I’m not sure if the chicken or the egg comes first (the behaviors or the learning difficulties), but for the most part, there are behaviors associated with difficulty learning.
Anger and Impulsivity
One of the most asked questions I have been getting from parents with kids at home right now is “how can I keep them from being so angry?” Well…maybe you can’t.
Transitions: Classroom and Home Tips
Transitioning to learning or a new activity is often the most difficult time of the school day. The challenge most of you are facing now- whether you are a teacher or a parent, or BOTH- is transitioning your student(s) to learning when they are at home.