Booger Pickers, Booger Pickers, Please No More!

I don’t know if I have ever gone a year without having “gold miners” in my classroom. I have the full spectrum of booger pickers in my room. If you are a teacher or a parent I am sure you know what I mean.  If I forget a kind let me know and I will make sure I add it to my list.

Sneaky Picker- This is the kid who has their back to you, so they think you don’t know what they are doing.

Nose-Cover Picker- This is the kid that remains great eye contact with you, but will ever so slowly use one hand to cover the nose and use the other finger to go for it.

Head In Their Lap Picker- This is the kid who puts their face in their laps and then proceeds to pick it.

Backpack Picker- This is the kid who pretends to go their backpacks to get something out, but really just trying to hide the fact they are picking their nose.

I am not ashamed picker- This is the kid who isn’t afraid to pick it, look at it and then eat in front of you.

I am sure there are more, but in my classroom these are the most common of them all. What do you do when you got so much picking going on?

At the beginning of the year we talk about germs a lot! From hand washing to covering your sneeze to blowing your nose, we try to cover all of our bases.

I make my kids sign a no picking booger contract and I hang it in my room all year long. The contract says, “I promise I will never pick my nose!” Then I make all my students sign it. So when my class becomes forgetful (especially in the winter) I revisit the contract and review.

Am I the only one with this problem?

Inferencing!?!? What is that? (!)

Grades: K-3

Day 1

Length: 10-15 minutes

No materials needed!

Directions:

Good readers can make inferences. As readers, we need to make inferences because the author does not always tells us how someone is feeling or thinking. It is our job as the reader to make inferences.

To make an inference we use someone’s facial expression, body language, and tone of voice to help us know how they are feeling or what they are thinking.

Today, we are going to practice using our facial expression and our body language to show different emotions.

First I am going to be acting out different emotions and I want you guys to make an INFERENCE of how I might be feeling. Feelings to act out; happy, sad, surprised, embarrassed, mad, etc. (This is a great way to introduce “fancier words” or words that are synonyms to the above emotions.

After students make several inferences, allow students to partner up and have them do different emotions and the other student should make an “inference” about how their partner is feeling.

Day 2

Length: 20 minutes

Materials:

            No, David! By David Shannon (I love my big book that I have of this story)

Directions:

·      Today while we read No, David! By David Shannon we are going to make inferences about how David or his mom might be feeling based on the words and the illustrations.

·      Begin by looking at the title page. (You might want to act out this picture for your students). Ask what do you think this person is thinking or feeling? I think she is thinking “you are in big trouble mister!”  I made an inference using this illustration.

·      As you read each page, challenge your students to look at each illustration and try to figure out what David is feeling or thinking. Reinforce the word “inference” every time your student successfully makes an inference.

·      Inferencing questions: What do you think he is thinking? What do you think he is feeling? What do you think is going to happen to them?

·      After reading, reinforce that the students made some great inferences and review some of the inferences that they made.

** This book is also good to make Text to Self Connections, but keep your students focused on inferencing. My students loved when I read this book, we could of read this book close to 15 times through out the school year all for different purposes.

***Make a reader’s theater script with this book!

Day 3

Length: 20 Minutes

Materials:

      David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon

Directions:

·      Remind students about inferencing. Inferencing is when we use facial expression, body language and tone of voice to figure out how someone might be feeling or thinking.

·      Have students make an inference about the front cover.

·      Before reading, have students choose a neighbor that they are going to share their inferences with as we read the story today.

·      Pause on pages and ask one of the following prompting questions. What do you think happened? How do you think ____ is feeling? What do you think _______ is saying/thinking?

·      After reading, review some inferences that you listened to and praise students for making good inferences.

Day 4

Length: 20 minutes

Materials:

      David Goes to School by David Shannon

Directions:

Like the previous two stories, the illustrations by David Shannon makes inferencing easy! While you read encourage students to share their inferences either with a buddy or with the whole group. Feel free to redirect if need be. Some of my students liked to get carried away and I reminded them that they have to use the illustrations that are there and cannot make up any inference they wanted. To redirect give another example from you, tell them what you are looking at to make your inference and then share it.

Day 5

Length: 25-30 Minutes

Materials:

      No, David! By David Shannon

      Type up phrases that you hear around your school to make a class book!  (See a list at the end of this lesson)

            No, ____________! (I always made a No, First Graders book)

Directions:

·      Today we are going to be making a classroom book that is similar to No, David! By David Shannon. We are going to be the illustrators and just like David Shannon we are going to make sure our pictures are large and shows how someone is feeling, thinking or doing because of the words that are on the page. For example, If you heard me say, “Sit Down!” what would you be doing? What would your face look like?

·      Reread No, David! Don’t feel like you have to stop every page for students to make an inference. The purpose to reread this story is to get students and idea of what kind of illustrations and what they could draw for their page that they are going to be responsible for in the class book.

·      After reading, show students what they will be doing by completing the title page with a picture of you and your body language. Remind students to draw big and to use details.

·      Give each student a page of your pre-made book.

·      Collect drawings and place in a book called “No, ______________!”

*When the book is finished use it as a read aloud and have students make inferences! One rule is that if it is there drawing they cannot be the ones who make the inference.

Phrases you might hear in an elementary school:

Slow down!

Be quiet!

Put that down!

Sit down!

Come back here!

Really?!

Again!?

Put the toy away!

Not right now!

Don’t do that!

Who put this here?

Why?