A teacher’s life is go-go-go, and rolling with the tried-and-true lesson planning is an easy trap to fall into. However, changing up lesson plans can go a long way toward re-energizing the classroom and locking in learning.
Short on time (teachers) and short on focus (kids)
Teaching little ones means dealing with different developmental levels and learning styles, managing behavior issues, and juggling multiple subjects. And kindergarten through third-grade students require constant supervision. That’s a lot. And by far and away, not even everything.
But the importance of keeping lesson plans fresh, engaging, and relevant for young learners in grades K-3 cannot be underestimated.
Gains and losses are often measured in minutes. MindChamp Allied Care reports that “According to child developmental experts, the average duration of a child’s attention varies from two to five minutes for each year of their age.” However, attention spans may be changing.
In an article for Philadelphia Integrative Psychiatry, John Guardiani notes, “One term that has gained attention recently is ‘TikTok Brain,’ which refers to the impact that constant exposure to rapid, short-form content can have on attention spans, particularly in young users.”
Of course, the phenomenon by no means is limited to TikTok; that’s simply an easy catch phrase. Repeatedly handing toddlers cellphones as soothing “pacifiers” contributes, as do many other factors. The result is that young learners crave lots of novelty and stimulation.
How to best mitigate the effects is up for debate and further research. In the meantime, creative classroom activities can help satisfy students craving with a relatively small investment of time.
Why revamping lesson plans matters
Fortunately, at any point in the school year, considering/reconsidering how to add fun learning activities to create an engaging K-3 curriculum can benefit teachers as well as students.
The benefits of updating lesson plans and trying new approaches include:
- Keeping content relevant for modern learners
- Encouraging creativity and collaboration
- Fostering student engagement
- Reducing teacher burnout by exploring new methods
While not full lesson plans, the Teaching Channel offers “4 Fresh Ideas to Start Your Lessons” with big kid appeal. The activities are the Emoji Summary; See, Think, Wonder; Retrieval (including a template for practice with retrieving prompts); and Graffiti Wall.
All activities are easy, fun, and suitable for a wide age range. The site states, “Hang a large sheet of paper on the wall or provide one to each group. Invite students to write, draw, and express their thoughts on a given topic or image.”
Of course, for today’s digital kids, online learning is part of the learning equation. The Learning Resources website points out that technology offers many benefits. For example, they say that using search engines helps kids develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, using a mouse and keyboard improves dexterity and fine motor skills, and “video games can enhance reaction time and visual skills.”
Explore creative digital classroom resources
Whether sharpening skills or proving a distraction (and maybe both), technology has changed our lives—and possibly the way our students and children process information. But it’s here to stay, so making optimal use of learning technology is our best strategy.
A LinkedIn advice post titled “How Do you Balance Technology in the Classroom?” concludes that, “Most importantly, the tool should support your learning objectives and outcomes while fostering higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and synthesis.” It adds, “Finally, it should respect the privacy and security of student data while promoting digital citizenship and ethical behavior online.”
An increasing number of powerful products on the market require admin-level approval, budget allocation, and implementation. However, there are also fun, easy-to-try options. Kodable Education, in a post by Harry Wahl, titled “11 Best Online Teaching Tools to Bring into Your Elementary Classroom,” presents some of both, along with lists of benefits and considerations. The latter include user-friendliness, customizability, affordability, and accessibility. Two of the teaching tools and resources on their list include:
- Kodable (their own offering) – it “helps teach Kindergarten through 5th graders the basics of computer programming in a fun and engaging way. It also makes a great classroom activity for individuals, groups, or an entire class.”
- Kahoot! – a game-based platform that makes learning fun and interactive. Teachers “can create quizzes, discussions, and surveys to assess student understanding and drive classroom participation.” Kodable also notes that Kahoot! encourages healthy competition.
Here are two other resources that are not part of Kodable’s post.
- School Zone’s Anywhere Teacher learning app for kids ages 2-8 offers guided learning paths for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, along with free play and self-paced learning options for the full age range. With 3,000+ activities that include games, digital storybooks with comprehension quizzes, non-fiction books, printable worksheets, interactive worksheets, videos, e-flash cards, science videos, and more, it offers lots and lots of options. Designed with teacher input, it supports the school curriculum and different learning styles and inspires imagination and creativity. An annual classroom account accommodates up to 25 students, and teachers can curate customized profiles to suit each child’s needs. Contact School Zone for more information.
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Though geared toward upper elementary vs. K-3, LINKtivity® offers “digital activities that allow students to explore standards-based topics using individual devices, gathered around a SMARTboard, or even together in small groups!”
As with so many learning concepts, we don’t always have to “go big.” Trying a few new tech activities here and there can add a sense of spontaneity and novelty for both teachers and students. Remember: you can customize most pre-made lesson plans to fit your unique classroom needs.
Balancing tech use in the classroom
When it comes to combining digital and non-digital, LINKtivity, in a page titled “How to Balance Digital and Printable Activities in the Elementary Classroom,” wisely notes that digital and printable activities “can live harmoniously…together in the same classroom…” re-emphasizing that “Technology and non-digital resources can coexist -and they should.”
One of the suggested methods is to complement digital learning with non-digital activities.
“While students work through the digital activity, they can write, draw, color, cut, and paste to demonstrate their learning on an activity sheet, collage, paper book, or other forms of hard-copy resources.” They note that these activities “can then be shared with classmates or displayed.”
Here are some other natural digital/non-digital pairings:
- Themed Learning Units – Events such as Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day can go in many directions. For example, kids can learn both fun and serious facts using the President Flash Cards on School Zone’s Anywhere Teacher app. Perhaps focus on a group. How is each different? Similar? They might also Google the time period and write a short story. Or making the connection between national parks and Teddy Roosevelt, which could lead to a report. National Geographic for Kids has excellent, age-appropriate background on MLK.
- Cross-Subject Activities – For example, try math games tied to a storybook. For younger kids, One Is a Snail, Ten is a Crab: A Counting by Feet Book gets them counting and thinking about critters. Rooster’s Off to See the World similarly combines counting, creatures, and lessons about hitting the road. For kids grappling with multiplication, Amanda Bean’s Amazing Dream: A Mathematical Story offers a fun perspective and a little empathy. Combine any of the books with counting and multiplication activities on Anywhere Teacher.
- Hands-On Activities – Kids love to make things, so why not incorporate arts and crafts projects into math, science, and language arts. It has the added advantage of appealing to multiple talents and learning styles. Take kids P-4 through Anywhere Teacher’s weather flash cards. Then check out the hands-on Weather Science Experiments on the Science Fun for Everyone website.
- Group Projects to Build Collaboration Skills – Collaboration helps develop communication, empathy, and teamwork skills. Assign different group members individual tasks or split them into “hands-on” and “digital,” then switch. Ask them to record what they did and reflect on what they learned.
- Outdoor and Experiential Learning – Combine outdoor lessons, field trips, and/or nature-inspired projects with digital resources or online learning to make learning memorable. As is well-documented, multi-sensory learning helps keep kids engaged and reinforces lessons. Getting outside and identifying an oak tree, learning in person and online that it supports mammals, birds, insects, and fungi, and then writing and illustrating a story about an oak tree imprints “oak tree” pretty profoundly.
Experimenting with revamping K-3 lesson plans with innovative teaching strategies and fun learning activities for kids in the classroom—both digital and non-digital— can inspire both teachers and students. Launching a few fresh ideas for teachers can be like spring arriving early.
School Zone offers the #1 Teacher vetted comprehensive educational support for young learners between kindergarten and third grade. Explore School Zone Publishing's products, resources, and blog posts to help transform your classroom today.
