How Do I Love Thee: Playing
For my playful introduction of the topic, I designed an activity that encourages letter formation and kinesthetic movement (embodied thinking), abstracting, and perceiving.
The activity requires few materials, as participants will be using their bodies (backs and fingers) to create the letters needed. Each participant will have a partner. One partner will use their finger to spell out their answer, while the other partner interprets the letters that are being spelled out on their back.
The leader of the activity can choose if they would like participants to answer questions a certain topic or concept, or allow more open-ended and free form responses. The leader will prompt participants to answer a question, whether it is open-ended such as “What is your favorite color?,” or the answer to a vocabulary or curriculum oriented question like, “What is the first letter in the word “Horse”?
The first partner will answer the question using their finger to create the shape of the letter on their partners back. (For differentiation instruction, the partner can call out the letter that the feel and their partner can give a “Yes” or “No” and try again as needed. The partner can call out each letter in the word and combine them to figure out the answer at the end.)
Partners will then trade places and reverse rolls, with both partners getting a chance to create the shape of the letter on their partners back, as well as answer the question out loud to the activity leader.
A tallied score can also be kept if it is academically focused, with the first team to correctly answer the question receiving a “point.” Or, the game can be played just for fun!
The activity requires few materials, as participants will be using their bodies (backs and fingers) to create the letters needed. Each participant will have a partner. One partner will use their finger to spell out their answer, while the other partner interprets the letters that are being spelled out on their back.
The leader of the activity can choose if they would like participants to answer questions a certain topic or concept, or allow more open-ended and free form responses. The leader will prompt participants to answer a question, whether it is open-ended such as “What is your favorite color?,” or the answer to a vocabulary or curriculum oriented question like, “What is the first letter in the word “Horse”?
The first partner will answer the question using their finger to create the shape of the letter on their partners back. (For differentiation instruction, the partner can call out the letter that the feel and their partner can give a “Yes” or “No” and try again as needed. The partner can call out each letter in the word and combine them to figure out the answer at the end.)
Partners will then trade places and reverse rolls, with both partners getting a chance to create the shape of the letter on their partners back, as well as answer the question out loud to the activity leader.
A tallied score can also be kept if it is academically focused, with the first team to correctly answer the question receiving a “point.” Or, the game can be played just for fun!
Play allows individuals to forget about traditional rules and structure, and freely explore a topic or item of their choice. Play allows users to create their own representation and characters (dramatic play) and improvise as needed. I believe play is an underestimated facet of learning and current educational practices. Incorporating the cognitive tools of embodied thinking, abstracting, and perceiving allows participants to activate their creative thinking and processing skills in a meaningful way. This activity allows students to break free from the standard structural social norms, and allows them to touch and interact with their partner in a constructive way. Participants are required to truly focus on the movement, internalize the fluency of the finger strokes as the shape of the letter is formed, and commit the movements to memory to decode the letter shape. Appealing to students interests and peeking their engagement is key to creating a successful, meaningful experience for students. Incorporating more elements of play into daily instruction breaks up the “mundane” tasks of the traditional educational system.
I created this activity with the aim of incorporating as many of the cognitive tools that we’ve learned explored as I could. Designing an activity that incorporates movement (which I am constantly trying to do as a Kindergarten teacher), as well as incorporating a way of non-traditional letter writing fits with my content area, the shapes of the alphabet. Partners must focus not only on the movement that they feel as their partner creates the letter on their back, but also remembering the distinct elements of each letter. What combination of big lines, little lines, big curves, or little curves did the letter have? This activity allows participants to actually “feel” the letters in a way that they may not have experienced before.
Suggestions were added in on how to differentiate the activity to meet learners where they are. With my school being a “focus” school in the state of Michigan, we are constantly looking at ways to appeal to students varying abilities and talents. Partner groupings can also be selected that integrate the various academic levels found within the class. This way, students are able to become “teachers” and help out their partner with repeated tracings of the letter, verifying whether the student guessed the correct letter, and emphasizing each of the elements of the letter.
I also attempted to make the activity academically driven. With today's Common Core standards, the educators at my school spend a great deal of time trying to incorporate educational activities into the student’s play. The game also offers a competitive edge, which often internally motivates my Kindergarten students. Another aim of the introductory activity was to make it suitable for multiple grade levels. While the concept of play is a well-recognized trait of Kindergarten and lower grade level elementary students, I do not always recognize it as being a part of secondary education. Just because students grow older does not mean they lose their sense of adventure. Taking the time each day to create, enjoy, and interact with each other should be a main focus in every classroom.
I created this activity with the aim of incorporating as many of the cognitive tools that we’ve learned explored as I could. Designing an activity that incorporates movement (which I am constantly trying to do as a Kindergarten teacher), as well as incorporating a way of non-traditional letter writing fits with my content area, the shapes of the alphabet. Partners must focus not only on the movement that they feel as their partner creates the letter on their back, but also remembering the distinct elements of each letter. What combination of big lines, little lines, big curves, or little curves did the letter have? This activity allows participants to actually “feel” the letters in a way that they may not have experienced before.
Suggestions were added in on how to differentiate the activity to meet learners where they are. With my school being a “focus” school in the state of Michigan, we are constantly looking at ways to appeal to students varying abilities and talents. Partner groupings can also be selected that integrate the various academic levels found within the class. This way, students are able to become “teachers” and help out their partner with repeated tracings of the letter, verifying whether the student guessed the correct letter, and emphasizing each of the elements of the letter.
I also attempted to make the activity academically driven. With today's Common Core standards, the educators at my school spend a great deal of time trying to incorporate educational activities into the student’s play. The game also offers a competitive edge, which often internally motivates my Kindergarten students. Another aim of the introductory activity was to make it suitable for multiple grade levels. While the concept of play is a well-recognized trait of Kindergarten and lower grade level elementary students, I do not always recognize it as being a part of secondary education. Just because students grow older does not mean they lose their sense of adventure. Taking the time each day to create, enjoy, and interact with each other should be a main focus in every classroom.