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A RUNNING, READING & WRITING CLASSROOM
by Carol Goodrow
Running isn't only for the track, field, or trails. It's also a great classroom theme. Kids are natural runners and if running is presented properly, it spells F-U-N for kids. You're not a teacher? With a little imagination, you can find ideas here to use in your home or club. |
 Running, writing, reading, and healthy eating. |
There are infinite ways you can add running and writing to your classroom. But why stop with running and writing? Go further with reading, healthy eating, and work completion incentives - then look forward to going to school every day.
1. POST HUGE GROUP INCENTIVE CHARTS ON THE WALL. Kids color in little shapes on our Fast Guy and Running Chick wall charts each time they complete reading or writing assignment in the classroom.
2. REACH A GOAL. We make pasta studded medals and have a Pasta Classroom Fun Run when our incentive wall charts are complete.
3. TRAIN AND JOURNAL. Why wait for the fun run to exercise? We run every Friday and then come back to the room to journal write. And we journal write with standards - at least 2 full pages that must be edited and corrected for spelling and punctuation. 4. PERSONAL CHARTS ON DESKS. This month we have running, reading, and writing desk goal charts. Children fill in a pencil outline when they complete a writing assignment, a book outline when they read, and a footprint outline when they run. They do this every day and will receive a special prize at the end of the month.
5. HEALTHY EATING. Healthy appetites are encouraged in our classroom. We often bring trays of veggies for kids to munch on. Kids receive a ticket each time they bring their own fruit or veggie snack to the classroom. Each ticket is entered into a drawing on Friday. The winner receives a prize.
Ways to earn footprints for club ribbon
6. HAPPY FEET, HEALTHY FOOD KIDS' CLUB. Many of the children in my classroom attend our after-school Happy Feet RUNNING club which is infused with literacy. They play a running game and hike on the trails at each session, but that is not all. They learn about healthy habits through literacy. They read their Happy Feet, Healthy Food books at club and at home, listen to and read their The Treasure of Health and Happiness books at club and at home, and they write at home by journaling in their Happy Feet books and completing Treasure Literature Studies to work toward their club ribbons.
More ways to earn footprints for club ribbon
- Have you ever seen an animal when you were walking or running outdoors? Write a make-believe story and have that animal come along with you on your run.
- Fall is apple picking time and you're at the apple orchard. You are supposed to be picking apples for your grandmother's apple pie but you go running instead. What happens?
- It's a winter day and you've just had a snowstorm, but the snow is melting quickly. It's getting wetter and wetter. Write about your run in the sloshy mess.
Butterfly Training Game
- Spring has finally sprung but it's pouring during recess time, so your principal opens the doors and lets you run in the halls. Write all about it.
- Summertime is here and it is HOT. You're doing an ice cream RACE. You get an ice cream cone at the start. Your goal is to be the first to finish the cone AND cross the finish line. What happens?
OR try it this way.
-Summertime is here and it is HOT. You're doing an ice cream RACE. You start with an ice cream cone and the goal is to be the first to cross the finish line with the most ice cream left.
8. LITERACY FUN RUN. Have a Run, Spot, Run family fun run. Kids run the fun run and then write in their journals right at the fun run. 9. GETTING READY. Ask a race director if you can create signs for their fun run. My kids made signs for the BB5K Fun Run this year. We're named different points on the fun run route - kids' style. We made: Stinky Pigs Place, Peep Street and more. See BB5K Peep Street.
10. KIDS CREATIVITY. Let children help you with your fitness maps. My children helped me create the checkpoints for the original Log-a-Mile program. It was a first grader who came up with the great name "I See you Sea." (See link below to this program).
If you need ideas of how to build a Running, Reading, and Writing classroom, just send me a note. I'll brainstorm with you.
LINKS
Distance Charts Plan your daily run-walks, training runs, and fun runs.
Log-a-Mile Program Free and perfect for any classroom or home.
Writing Reading and writing at home improves skills
Kids Club Happy Feet Kids' Club
Book Happy Feet Journal A little reading, a little writing, and LOT of fitness and healthy eating fun.
Chapter Book The Treasure of Health and Happiness A lot of reading and if you use the Treasure Literature Studies, a lot of writing!
Kids' Marathon Pasta Marathon
Carol Goodrow: carolgoodrow@verizon.net
Photos by Carol Goodrow. Fast Guy and Running Chick are characters from Carol's 2008 book "KIDS RUNNING". The graphic Running Gives You Something to Write About also from Carol's upcoming KIDS RUNNING book.