hands+on+lessons

Hands on Lessons I would like to use more hands on lessons is my class. Please post any ideas for lessons across the curriculum you may have.

One of my favorite lessons that I have done with my class is to make a grid using ropes and have letters and numbers printed out. I would actually allow my students to navigate across the grid to find the point (A,1). They loved this. We actually took the lesson outside and enjoyed the nice outdoors for most of the lesson. (cmckenzie)

That sounds like an excellent idea. I really love the chance to take students outside. When I get a teaching position, I'm really going to encourage the other teachers and parents to build an outside classroom.

A lesson I used for a kindergarten class I was in, was to build a large, 4 X 6 grid of sight words on a shower curtain. I used both sides, so I had 48 words. I then used bean bags for the students to throw onto the grid. Whatever word the bag landed on, they had to say the word immediately. This got them saying and recognizing their words in a fun way. Even the students who were still struggling with words wanted their turn. (lmuth)

I love the idea for the sight words; sounds like fun! I am a firm believer of teaching math hands on in every way. With most of my lessons, I would teach the concept for the first 30 minutes of the lesson and then we would break into small groups and use manipulatives to continue the lesson. I would group the children with those that understood the concept by my instruction for the beginning part with those that were a little confused about what was going on with the lesson. By the time we finished this process, the majority of the class understood the objective that was being taught for that day. I know that this doesn't give a specific hands on, but it will give you some ideas for integrating hands on into the day. (cmckenzie)

I believe on hands on for math also. For younger grades when they are learning shapes, I have given them a baggie with a bunch of different shapes in them. Then I lead them through making an object with the shapes. (This is also a great tool for teaching students to listen and follow directions carefully). One of the shapes they love ending up with is a geometric shaped butterfly. With that, I have used circles, rectangles and ovals. Also small and large. I usually do this with construction paper so they can glue it to a large piece of paper and take it home for the home connection. With older students, you can of course bring in the more complicated shapes. Students can also be broken up into smaller groups and build a shape together, then explain what shapes they used, or allow students to instruct the class in building a shape. They learn a lot of shapes this way. (lmuth) A good hands-on math site is []

This is a great way to incorporate character education along with hands on... You give each child a cut out of a heart and then you explain things that can hurt them. You bend the heart everytime someone says something that would hurt. The point is to show that the heart doesn't break, but the "scars" cannot be taken away. The heart has creases from the different times that something was said that hurt. (cmckenzie)

I like to take books, especially ones about whales, dolphins, dinosaurs (any animal will do), go outside with the class and have them measure out the height or length and mark it on the sidewalk. This is a great visual for the students, and when we do them side by side, great comparisons. If there is a big difference between 2 animals they measured, they then measure out to see if one animal is twice as big as the other. So many times they don't really have an idea about the size of the object we are talking about. This makes them understand the reading or science book, and integrates math as well. Another good way to learn hands on math and science is to take AMSTI training. Every class I have been in where the teacher was trained and used the lessons, the students were much more attentive, enjoyed the lesson more, and could apply the concepts much better when they were assessed.(lmuth)