Dry Erase Boards

I just love dry erase boards in kindergarten!
It is not permanent so this is great for young learners.  They can erase and try again without tearing.

Here's a list of only some things I use them for:

 * Wake up their brains - every day as the students come in after checking in with attendance, helper jobs, and marking lunches, they get a dry erase board, marker and eraser and begin to "wake up their brains before the bell."  Practice varies as their abilities increase.  We start with writing their name, then write letter pairs, (alphabetical order), and numbers as far as they can write.

*Practice writing stokes.  Make straight lines top to bottom, long and short, across the board left to right, make them little lines and making continuous loops, making circles "o's" and starting at the top.  Make bumps (as for h, n) and 'cups' (as for u's).  Make zigzags left to right, top to bottom and even from center and continuing around getting bigger. 
*When introducing a new letter or number or shape, we practice on a dry erase board before writing on paper.  (We start with air writing.)  We chant "START AT THE TOP." It is easy to check and remind to work left to right and top to bottom.  
Remember not all strokes are practiced all at once.  Handwriting is a gradual practice. 

*Write sight words.
*Write number sentences, Story of addition 'facts'.
*Group practice to write dictated numbers, letters, shapes
*Group practice of story problems to listen, record and solve and show your work.
*Play a game "Show me"  

I say a letter pair, number, etc.  Students hold board in the crook of one arm and write.  I say "cap your markers and put them down next to your eraser."  Hold the board close but not touching you so others don't see.  Boards on top of your head (facing backwards) 

then I say "1,2,3 show me"  The students turn their boards around still on their heads.  
I can see at a glance those who get it and those who need help.

*Write the number that comes after ___?
*Write the number that comes before ___?
*Write the series of numbers beginning with ____. (counting on)
 *Write the series of letters beginning with _____. (alphabetical memory order)
*I say a series of random  numbers (4 or more) to write from auditory memory.
*Write the numbers ____, ___ ,__.  Practice putting a comma between the numbers.
*Write the numbers _____, ____.  Circle the number that is more/less.
*Write a dictated sentence using sight words.
*Write a question.  Trade board with someone and they have to write the answer (in a sentence).
*Say the sounds and students write the letters for the sounds.  Does it make a real or nonsense word."
*Circle the vowel in the word you wrote.
*Write word families lists.  
*Make a word ladder.  Change the "letter" to a "__" to make a new word.
*Practice making tally marks while listening and counting...
*Write a number line.
*Use the number line to add-on, take away, count backward.

*Students can take surveys in the class asking yes-no questions and tally responses. 
*The children love to play school during their free choice times.  They make up their own activities and always choose the dry erase boards.
*They love making lists of classmates names and writing words around the room. 
*They love to use the boards and markers when their parents visit to show them what they can do.
 
*Use the board to learn directionality and vocabulary of: tall, "long way up & down", vertical, horizontal, "long way sideways", short side, long side, front and back
*Practice positional words.  Put the eraser above your board.  Put your marker between your board and your eraser.  Put your marker to the right side/left side, below your board.
AND these boards are used on the backside as 'table tops' when we do use paper with our rug groups.


The children learn how to properly cap the markers until they click.  
We go through a lot of markers.  So far I still like the Nasco and The Markerboard People dry erase markers. We buy them in bulk sets of 30.  
They are cone tip and easy for the children to hold and use.  Since we do use them daily, these last a bit longer. It is December and we have gone through about 2 per student so far.  I rotate between the black and blue ink. 

The children want to use them all the time.  They are learning routines of putting them away and responsibility for the care of materials.
 
The more they practice right, the better they will get.