Currently: January

I know I am a day early, but figured if Farley can post her January Currently on December 31....then so can I!  Check out Oh Boy 4th Grade to join in!  HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!  Hope you all have a great night saying goodbye to 2012 and ringing in 2013!

Books to Work on Emotions

Over the last couple days, I have shared a lot about my drama activities.  The main focus of drama in my room during my first year was emotions.  We continue to focus on this now, but are also trying to focus on more complex emotions, manners, and social skills (such as personal space, staying on topic, etc.).  Back when I was just starting out teaching my students about emotions, we spent a lot of time practicing/acting out a variety of emotions during drama.  Once my students were able to act out a variety of emotions, I wanted them to work on labeling them in the classroom as well so they could get daily practice.  I also wanted them to see their own faces and what they looked like when expressing different emotions.  I had each student make a book of their emotions.  We used them as a work task where the kids had to label their own emotions.  This was the cover.  Each kid got to label and draw themselves expressing an emotion of their choice.

And more drama games!

I didn't want to overwhelm you by sharing all my drama games in one day, so I have been trying to spread a couple across each day!  This should be the last of them for a little while.  If you want to read up more on set-up of drama time or other drama games, check out my posts from the last couple days.  Again, remember drama time takes place while all students are sitting on the floor in a circle.  

Hot Potato:  This game is a spin off of the traditional hot potato game.  There is no music though, and no one gets out of the game.  Instead, we choose an attribute for the potato (hot, slimy, stinky, tired, etc.).  Then, we pass the potato around the circle and pretend the potato has taken on that attribute.  So, if it is hot...we bounce him from one person to another so we don't have to touch him very long.  However, if he is sleepy....we cradle him and treat him very delicately.  The kids love this game...especially when we get to act like the potato is smelly or disgusting!  This is a great way to work on developing imagination as well as building vocabulary.

More Drama Games!

Check out yesterday's post about drama time set-up and beginning activities.  Today, I will explain 3 more drama games we play at our weekly drama time.  Remember, for all of these games, we are sitting in a circle on the floor (each kid on their own carpet square).  The first game is Magic Wand.   For awhile, we used this duster from the dollar tree as our magic wand. It worked perfectly for about 2 years, until it's feathers starting falling off.    

Drama Time Set-Up

So as I was getting ready to leave my classroom last Friday, I was thinking about some things I could share on my blog over winter break.  One of the first things that came to mind was Drama Time, our weekly drama activity where we work on addressing the social and emotional needs of our students.  I attended a training on this from the people at Red Kite (a play designed specifically for kids with autism) who had been doing drama with some students for several years and saw lots of great gains.  A lot of the ideas I will be sharing, came from them.  I have adapted them or added to them with some games of my own to meet my students' needs.

Merry Christmas and a FREEBIE!

Merry Christmas!  I am so excited for today!  I get to spend the morning with my family and the evening with my fiancé's family...a day full of good food and good company!  As I shared in my goals yesterday, I am gearing up to share more ideas and resources about my weekly drama time.  A couple of years ago, I went to a training on how to do drama with kids with autism.  I remember sitting there and thinking, "There is no way my kids can play these imaginative games (at least, not yet!)"  However, that didn't stop me from trying.  And let me tell you, drama time has been so successful with my kids...I have watched students of all levels develop so many new social/emotional skills after specifically targeting and working on them during drama time!  

Today in honor of Christmas, I want to give away this Freebie from my TPT store.  It will only be available today for free, so hurry on over and get your download.  This product has some basic visuals and comprehension activities about emotions.  Over the course of the next couple days, I will explain the structure/set-up of Drama time as well as highlight some of the drama games we do in my classroom which help work on emotions/social skills in an active way!  

Winter Break Goals

Merry Christmas Eve day!  Today, as I was looking through the blogs I follow, I noticed people linking up with What I Have Learned  to discuss your goals for winter break.  I have so many things on my to-do list over this break...and I have a feeling my week and a half off is going to go by much too quickly to get it all done!  So, here's the brief version of my list:

1.  Post more things to my TPT store.  I have quite a few ideas, just haven't had the time to sit down and get them done!

2.  Post more on my blog about my drama games/ideas for kids with autism (to work on emotions and social skills).

3. PLAN MY WEDDING!  I figure while I have all the family together, this would be a great time to get opinions and make some final decisions.

4.  Paper work for grad school.  I have loan papers to fill out and a thesis proposal to submit!

5.  And of course, find plenty of time to relax, spend time with family/friends, and work out!