Transition+Ideas

**Transition Football ** **On a big green poster board, draw a football field. (0 yards in the center and 50 yards at each end) In the beginning of the school year, introduce the football chart. Place a small football on the 0 year line. Tell them we are going to play a game for six weeks. You are one team and the students are another. Tell them that every time we have to change from one subject to another, they are going to be timed (1 min.) If everyone is ready within the time, they score 10 yards. If not, you score. The quarters are divided within weeks. At the end of the six weeks, if you win, they have to write a comprehensive reportor other more challenging work. If they win, they get a whole day of fun educational activities and snacks. This strategry is effective, fun, exciting, and motivating. ** **Silent Math ** **During times when the entire class must line up and wait, have one student use fingers and hand signals to give a math problem. For example hold up 2 fingers then make a plus sign by crossing your fingers then another 4 fingers and then make an equals sign with fingers or hands. Students that know the answer must raise their hands and give the answer using their fingers and hands. ** **Around the World ** **To transition from Calendar Math to Singapore Math you could play Around the World. If you are learning multiplication, use flashcards with multiplication problems on them and play the game Around the World. This is a way to allow the students to stand up and begin thinking critically while enjoying themselves before the lesson begins. ** **Countdown ** **A simple way to transition is to tell the children the materials they need on their desk by the time you say one and begin counting down from 10 to 1. ** **Sensation Signals ** **Use different signals to let the students know you are finished with one activity and are about to begin another. Use the same signal for each different transition so the students will eventually remember what they are transitioning to by the type of signal used. For example: flash the lights once, clam in a particular pattern, ring a bell, snap your fingers, play a certain song,etc. ** **Timer ** **Use a timer each time their is a transition and make getting prepared for the next activity a competition against the timer. ** **Exercise! ** **When transitioning after a long period of time sitting in their desks, choose one student to lead the class in stretches and physical movement. The student can lead the class in jumping jacks, dancing, standing on one foot, etc. ** **If you can hear me... ** **Say quietly "if you can hear me..." and think of random things for the children to do silently. This grabs the children's attention and gets them interested in something before moving on to another subject. ** **<span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Silent Copy Cat Game ** **<span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Stand at the front of the classroom and choose a student who knows you are playing a copy cat game. Do something like touch your knows and the student will copy. Then point to the rest of the class and have them copy also. ** **<span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1,2,3 look at me ** **<span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Holding hand in the air and counting to three to get students' attention. This is similar to the timer transition idea. **
 * <span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Musical Transitioning ** **<span style="color: #7831e2; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Musical Transitions: playing music during transitional times is a good way to smoothly get students from one activity to another. Playing upbeat fast paced songs can make a child move faster and also playing different tunes during different transitional times is a good way to get students used to their daily routine and they can get ready for the different activity without as many instructions from you. **