Fair Play in Kindergarten

This month has been amazing learning about fair play and integrating it into our class.  I posted a video of the students playing some games in PE class.  Students had to catch and throw a ball to each other with a scoop catcher, play tic-tac-toe with buckets in hula hoops, scooter boards around the cones and roll a ball to knock down bowling pins.  They worked together in teams to complete the tasks.  The scoop and catch game was really hard.  I loved how creative they were figuring out rules for themselves that each person playing could agree to that made them be successful with the game.  The student that was using the ball to knock down pins was tricky as well.  There was a person behind the pins to stand them back up and get the ball after the ball was rolled.  This person could have knocked down the pins themselves, but had to not cheat for their friend and them them knock down the pins fairly.  Tic-tac-toe was also a game students had to concentrate on to play fairly.  They worked in pairs to put the bean bags in buckets to make three in a row.  I asked the students when they were done what they think would have happened if there were no rules to the games and students didn't play fair or share.  They all said it would be no fun at all and that the rules help make it fair for everyone.

We read a book called Let's Play Soccer.  Although the book is geared to the concepts of how to play soccer, it still shares why playing fair, sharing the ball among players and following the rules make the game more enjoyable.  We talked about how we could take these ideas and transfer to other games we play at school, such as tag.  Students recognized that this is a much better idea to play fair.

Weekend with Wendel is another great book about fair play, sharing and listening to what others preferences or interests are.  We discussed how fair play can be as simple as asking someone a friend, "What would you like to play?"  Kindergartners can often get caught up in themselves so this was a great lesson in finding out what others might enjoy to do.  This story is about a mouse that stays with a friend for the weekend and the visitor does everything they want, but doesn't ask his friend what she might want.  In the end, she does something back to him that could have turned out messy, but ended up making the two be friends and wanting to play more.   

Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I found some ideas that were very helpful in teaching fair play to my students.  I found the Fair Play Promise.  It is perfect for students to read and remember when playing a game outside, inside, toys, sharing books, or anything else that students have to work together to do.  It ends reminding students to say good game to your friend.

I found a song, although I don't sing, about fair play.  It talks about student situations of using fair play such as running outside to be first and how that might not be fair.  Dad reminds them to be fair is to share.  Sharing makes more friends and makes things happier.  

I have a poster called "Be a good sport".  It says be a good listener and follow directions, playing fair means everyone gets the same chance, be happy sharing, try hard every time, play safe and cheer for all.  It seems like a great, simple reference for students to remember what fair play looks like.  

I also have a power point about fairness.  It is an interactive activity with the class where students play a game in two teams and experience what it is like to have one team win unfairly, then experience an activity where it would be easy to cheat and how students have to play fairly to be successful for the benefit of the whole class.  I saw students really engaged in this and really understanding how fair play is important in so  many areas of their lives at school and home.  

I asked the students to look for examples of fair play at recess one specific day. They have been reporting fair play nearly every day since then, which I love hearing about.   Some things they shared are: sharing the recess equipment like the balls and jump ropes, taking turns on the slide, helping a student balance when their shoe fell off while another student went to retrieve the shoe, helping a friend when they fell down, listening to directions of a teacher and playing with new friends then the regular ones they play with.  I know there are more things students did, and continue to do.  I love seeing the students after the fair play lessons and how they begin to use the language with their friends and throughout the day.

The challenge Kerry shared with us was to role play acts of fair play.  I didn't video tape much, just one, which I will post.  The ideas students came up with was cute.  Some students demonstrated sharing in the play kitchen, sharing math tools, showing another student how to put a puzzle together, hugs and good friends, pretend hitting another student and solving that problem, and getting along with someone you don't normally play with.  This has been so great to see the students getting along with other students out of their preferred friendship circles.  

As usual, I love the changes in my classroom after teaching the fair play month lessons.  I am super happy to have this topic in October.  It was great to get the year going and then work on this.  I think it will be a better year having this as a early in the year topic to rely on all year.  It is a common language that all the students have now.  I look forward to seeing how we grow as a community throughout the year with fair play strong in the way we get along with others. 

Fair Play in Kindergarten

This month has been amazing learning about fair play and integrating it into our class.  I posted a video of the students playing some games in PE class.  Students had to catch and throw a ball to each other with a scoop catcher, play tic-tac-toe with buckets in hula hoops, scooter boards around the cones and roll a ball to knock down bowling pins.  They worked together in teams to complete the tasks.  The scoop and catch game was really hard.  I loved how creative they were figuring out rules for themselves that each person playing could agree to that made them be successful with the game.  The student that was using the ball to knock down pins was tricky as well.  There was a person behind the pins to stand them back up and get the ball after the ball was rolled.  This person could have knocked down the pins themselves, but had to not cheat for their friend and them them knock down the pins fairly.  Tic-tac-toe was also a game students had to concentrate on to play fairly.  They worked in pairs to put the bean bags in buckets to make three in a row.  I asked the students when they were done what they think would have happened if there were no rules to the games and students didn't play fair or share.  They all said it would be no fun at all and that the rules help make it fair for everyone.

We read a book called Let's Play Soccer.  Although the book is geared to the concepts of how to play soccer, it still shares why playing fair, sharing the ball among players and following the rules make the game more enjoyable.  We talked about how we could take these ideas and transfer to other games we play at school, such as tag.  Students recognized that this is a much better idea to play fair.

Weekend with Wendel is another great book about fair play, sharing and listening to what others preferences or interests are.  We discussed how fair play can be as simple as asking someone a friend, "What would you like to play?"  Kindergartners can often get caught up in themselves so this was a great lesson in finding out what others might enjoy to do.  This story is about a mouse that stays with a friend for the weekend and the visitor does everything they want, but doesn't ask his friend what she might want.  In the end, she does something back to him that could have turned out messy, but ended up making the two be friends and wanting to play more.   

Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I found some ideas that were very helpful in teaching fair play to my students.  I found the Fair Play Promise.  It is perfect for students to read and remember when playing a game outside, inside, toys, sharing books, or anything else that students have to work together to do.  It ends reminding students to say good game to your friend.

I found a song, although I don't sing, about fair play.  It talks about student situations of using fair play such as running outside to be first and how that might not be fair.  Dad reminds them to be fair is to share.  Sharing makes more friends and makes things happier.  

I have a poster called "Be a good sport".  It says be a good listener and follow directions, playing fair means everyone gets the same chance, be happy sharing, try hard every time, play safe and cheer for all.  It seems like a great, simple reference for students to remember what fair play looks like.  

I also have a power point about fairness.  It is an interactive activity with the class where students play a game in two teams and experience what it is like to have one team win unfairly, then experience an activity where it would be easy to cheat and how students have to play fairly to be successful for the benefit of the whole class.  I saw students really engaged in this and really understanding how fair play is important in so  many areas of their lives at school and home.  

I asked the students to look for examples of fair play at recess one specific day. They have been reporting fair play nearly every day since then, which I love hearing about.   Some things they shared are: sharing the recess equipment like the balls and jump ropes, taking turns on the slide, helping a student balance when their shoe fell off while another student went to retrieve the shoe, helping a friend when they fell down, listening to directions of a teacher and playing with new friends then the regular ones they play with.  I know there are more things students did, and continue to do.  I love seeing the students after the fair play lessons and how they begin to use the language with their friends and throughout the day.

The challenge Kerry shared with us was to role play acts of fair play.  I didn't video tape much, just one, which I will post.  The ideas students came up with was cute.  Some students demonstrated sharing in the play kitchen, sharing math tools, showing another student how to put a puzzle together, hugs and good friends, pretend hitting another student and solving that problem, and getting along with someone you don't normally play with.  This has been so great to see the students getting along with other students out of their preferred friendship circles.  

As usual, I love the changes in my classroom after teaching the fair play month lessons.  I am super happy to have this topic in October.  It was great to get the year going and then work on this.  I think it will be a better year having this as a early in the year topic to rely on all year.  It is a common language that all the students have now.  I look forward to seeing how we grow as a community throughout the year with fair play strong in the way we get along with others. 

Fair Play in Kindergarten

This month has been amazing learning about fair play and integrating it into our class.  I posted a video of the students playing some games in PE class.  Students had to catch and throw a ball to each other with a scoop catcher, play tic-tac-toe with buckets in hula hoops, scooter boards around the cones and roll a ball to knock down bowling pins.  They worked together in teams to complete the tasks.  The scoop and catch game was really hard.  I loved how creative they were figuring out rules for themselves that each person playing could agree to that made them be successful with the game.  The student that was using the ball to knock down pins was tricky as well.  There was a person behind the pins to stand them back up and get the ball after the ball was rolled.  This person could have knocked down the pins themselves, but had to not cheat for their friend and them them knock down the pins fairly.  Tic-tac-toe was also a game students had to concentrate on to play fairly.  They worked in pairs to put the bean bags in buckets to make three in a row.  I asked the students when they were done what they think would have happened if there were no rules to the games and students didn't play fair or share.  They all said it would be no fun at all and that the rules help make it fair for everyone.

We read a book called Let's Play Soccer.  Although the book is geared to the concepts of how to play soccer, it still shares why playing fair, sharing the ball among players and following the rules make the game more enjoyable.  We talked about how we could take these ideas and transfer to other games we play at school, such as tag.  Students recognized that this is a much better idea to play fair.

Weekend with Wendel is another great book about fair play, sharing and listening to what others preferences or interests are.  We discussed how fair play can be as simple as asking someone a friend, "What would you like to play?"  Kindergartners can often get caught up in themselves so this was a great lesson in finding out what others might enjoy to do.  This story is about a mouse that stays with a friend for the weekend and the visitor does everything they want, but doesn't ask his friend what she might want.  In the end, she does something back to him that could have turned out messy, but ended up making the two be friends and wanting to play more.   

Thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I found some ideas that were very helpful in teaching fair play to my students.  I found the Fair Play Promise.  It is perfect for students to read and remember when playing a game outside, inside, toys, sharing books, or anything else that students have to work together to do.  It ends reminding students to say good game to your friend.

I found a song, although I don't sing, about fair play.  It talks about student situations of using fair play such as running outside to be first and how that might not be fair.  Dad reminds them to be fair is to share.  Sharing makes more friends and makes things happier.  

I have a poster called "Be a good sport".  It says be a good listener and follow directions, playing fair means everyone gets the same chance, be happy sharing, try hard every time, play safe and cheer for all.  It seems like a great, simple reference for students to remember what fair play looks like.  

I also have a power point about fairness.  It is an interactive activity with the class where students play a game in two teams and experience what it is like to have one team win unfairly, then experience an activity where it would be easy to cheat and how students have to play fairly to be successful for the benefit of the whole class.  I saw students really engaged in this and really understanding how fair play is important in so  many areas of their lives at school and home.  

I asked the students to look for examples of fair play at recess one specific day. They have been reporting fair play nearly every day since then, which I love hearing about.   Some things they shared are: sharing the recess equipment like the balls and jump ropes, taking turns on the slide, helping a student balance when their shoe fell off while another student went to retrieve the shoe, helping a friend when they fell down, listening to directions of a teacher and playing with new friends then the regular ones they play with.  I know there are more things students did, and continue to do.  I love seeing the students after the fair play lessons and how they begin to use the language with their friends and throughout the day.

The challenge Kerry shared with us was to role play acts of fair play.  I didn't video tape much, just one, which I will post.  The ideas students came up with was cute.  Some students demonstrated sharing in the play kitchen, sharing math tools, showing another student how to put a puzzle together, hugs and good friends, pretend hitting another student and solving that problem, and getting along with someone you don't normally play with.  This has been so great to see the students getting along with other students out of their preferred friendship circles.  

As usual, I love the changes in my classroom after teaching the fair play month lessons.  I am super happy to have this topic in October.  It was great to get the year going and then work on this.  I think it will be a better year having this as a early in the year topic to rely on all year.  It is a common language that all the students have now.  I look forward to seeing how we grow as a community throughout the year with fair play strong in the way we get along with others. 

October Update Jamestown 6th Grade

Jamestown students were very excited to get another video message from Clark. This time he challenged us to be on the lookout for Fair Play. We struggled a bit with this one, I'm not sure if it's because they're so involved with what they're doing that they forget to share the Fair Play they're seeing or there is no Fair Play to see, which would be very sad. 

I have enlisted all of our activity teachers to help with the Fair Play lessons. As we have learned, Fair Play is not just in sports. Our music, art, media, and P.E. teachers have agreed to help with finding Fair Play in all we do.

Fair Play

    My 2G champs had another exciting month with Arianne Jones, learning about the importance of Fair Play. Arianne’s video was an awesome introduction to the topic. Arianne broke fair play into three key components: Honesty, Respect and Team Spirit/Sportsmanship. Once the video was done, we looked at those three areas more closely as a class and brainstormed how those three things look in their everyday world. Students began to understand, more and more, how the idea of fair play does not just encompass sports or games on the playground and gym, but in everyday life when interacting with their peers in class, family, and within their communities.

    Throughout the rest of the month, we read books and stories that played on the key areas of fair play that Arianne discussed in her video. Such books, included the importance of leadership, following the rules, honesty and the importance of work together. These books were: Charlene’s Choice by Linda Sky Grossman, Following the Rules by Robin Nelson, Being a Leader by Robin Nelson and Brady Brady and the Most Important Game by Mary Shaw. These books allowed us to extend the student’s knowledge of the topic through literature. Students wrote responses about their favorite part of these books and why. With further knowledge in hand, my kiddos wanted to share what they learned with the school and did so by making posters and sharing them at assembly when sharing with the whole school who their mentor was this year. 

 

 Some of their posters up close....

 

  

 Moreover, Arianne challenged us to write stories or perform skits to show what fair play is. My kids took to writing in pairs and some did so alone. Some wrote stories, while others wrote about what fair play meant to them. This exercise was awesome! All my students were excited to write and it was another way they demonstrated their strong knowledge on the topic.

    Lastly, one key and pivotal “aha” moment was when our class went skating at the local arena. In my class, my students come from various skill levels of skating from figure skaters and hockey players, students who go once in awhile with their families on the weekend, to students who had never put skates on their feet before. It was truly amazing and heartwarming to see these little champions look out for one another on the ice. Friends who play hockey and figure skate, were helping their classmates who struggled to stand up. When discussing the field trip at the end of the day and commenting how proud I was of them, they said they were just showing fair play!

 

 

It was such an awesome month! We can't wait to start Community next!

Curriculum Outcomes Addressed:

• I communicate my understanding of new ideas and information by making connections to what I know.
• I choose from a variety of texts to develop new understanding of various topics.

• I consider the ideas of others to enhance my understanding.
• I choose, retell and connect important details from what I read, see and hear.
• I use a variety of strategies and processes to create my own writing.
• I engage in physical activity to acquire skills, gain health benefits, interact positively with others and take responsibility for an active lifestyle.

Fair Play and the Creative Process

October 3-7

We started our first lesson on fair play with a Shout it out! session, where the students type what they know about fair play on their iPads and send it to the Smartboard screen for display.  This was a great way to begin the conversation about what fair play means to them.

We accessed prior knowledge by using the strategy Think of a Time 1, 2, 3… to connect their own experiences with fair play with new learning about the topic.

Once we had shared our experiences, students were inspired by +JesseCockney’s Video Challenge to reflect on fair play in gym class and act on it.  It has been a great segue to talking about how following the rules, encouraging others, and acting with integrity can make gym class better for everyone.

We finished the lesson using a Frayer Model to define Fair Play.

  

October 11-21

In our second lesson, we watched Monique Sullivan’s video on fair play to gain another perspective on the topic.  Students used the International Fair Play Organization – Values of Fair Play website to learn more about the values of Fair Play.

They chose three of these values to include in their Fair Play group projects to teach Fair Play to younger students.  Each group were allowed to decide on the format of their project.   Choices included comic strips, posters, videos, stop motion animation,  and ebooks.  Students created a Google Document and shared it with the other people in their group so that they could work collaboratively on their plan.  Once they had a plan, they started to work on their project.  We are hoping to finish these projects this week so that we can share them with the rest of the school.

 

•    Integrity
•    Honesty
•    Follow the Rules
•    Equal Opportunity
•    Including Others
•    Helping Others
•    Respect
•    Good Attitude
•    Encourage Others

October 24-28

We were fortunate to have a week with +RikLeaf as he guided us through the songwriting process, incorporating some ideas about fair play.  Here is the song that they wrote in collaboration with Rik.  Students were excited to practice and perform the song at an assembly on Friday afternoon.

Chorus:

Growing, Achieving Together we’re believing

When we all get together

We’re better than we’ve ever been alone

Listen to our song and you can sing along.

No one has fun without fair play

If you don’t what it is

We got something to say

Just the other day on the playground

In a race, someone hit the ground

So I stopped, picked them up,

and said “Turn that frown upside down.”

There was a time in a basketball game

Fouled someone, I was to blame

Could have got away with it, but I didn’t

Put my hand up and said, “Oh ya, I did it!”

October 31-November 4

This week we will reflect on our own demonstration of fair play in gym, the playground, and outside of school by completing a Fair Play Self-Assessment.

Miss Hackett's Class Learns About Fair Play

October Fair Play
What an incredible month! Before we even had a chance to do the lesson for this month we had an amazing visit from our mentor Lex Gilette and Classroom Champions CEO Steve Mesler. They talked with the students about goal setting and fair play and answered their many questions. The students even got to accompany Lex through a relay around the library. This is an experience that the students will never forget. These are pictures of Lex with all of his menses and Steve sharing his gold medal with another one of Lex's menses. Classroom Champions also gave all 3 Classroom Champions teachers brand new laptops at the end of the visit.

The students were even more excited to dive into this month's theme after meeting Lex and Steve. Whenever I tell them that we are going to watch a video of Lex they all cheer! They are so excited to learn from him. We watched his video on fair play and discussed what fair play looks like at our school. Then, each of the students drew an example of themselves participating in fair play. Here are some examples of them showing off their work.

                   
The last thing we did was accept Lex's challenge to make a video of fair play. The students tossed around a few ideas until we settled on the plan to make a movie of two friends having a race, then one friend falls over. When the other person sees their friend has fallen down they stop to help them up and then finish the race holding hands. You will need to use your imagination to picture my classroom as a racetrack :)