Mind Soccer

Mind Soccer is a review game that kids love.  It is usually played on Friday afternoons as a reward for behavior, homework, or working hard in "Prove It", the WBT test prep game.  If you are not familiar with Mind Soccer, there is a great free download available at wholebrainteaching.com.  I can't wait until next year, when I will have the opportunity to play it for the first time.  The key to success in Mind Soccer is being prepared in advanced with a list of questions.  Since the game is so fast paced, it is important that the teacher is ready to rapidly fire out the questions.  There is no time to come up with them in the moment.  Therefore, I started a list this summer and have been adding to it as I think of questions.  I will continue to add to the list throughout the year, but these are the questions that I am starting with.  I hope that you find them helpful.

Mind Soccer Questions

1.  What is a noun?

2.  What is a verb?

3.  What is a sentence?

4.  Show me the gesture for main idea.

5.  Give me an example of a setting.

6.  Give me a synonym for happy.

7.  Give me a synonym for said.

8.  Give me an antonym for cold?

9.  Give me an antonym for tall.

10.  Give me a word with a long "a".

11.  Give me a word in the "all" family.

12.  Give me a word with a long "e".

13.  Give me a word with a long "i".

14.  Give me a word with a long "o".

15.  Give me a word with a long "u".

16.  How many syllables are in the word elephant?

17.  How many syllables are in the word pentagon?

18.  Give me an example of a fact.

19.  Give me an example of an opinion.

20.  If you had two quarters, how much money would you have?

21.  If you had a quarter and your friend had two dimes, how much would the two of you have altogether?

22.  How many sides does a hexagon have?

23.  How many sides does a pentagon have?

24.  How many angles does a triangle have?

25.  What do you call the bottom number of a fraction?

26.  What do you call the top number of a fraction?

27.  Give me an example of a math problem that is a double.

28.  Name an odd number greater than ten.

29.  Name an even number greater than ten.

30.  How many inches are in a foot?

31.  What is 7+5?

32.  What is 4+4?

33.  What is 10-2?

34.  What is 14-4?

35.  Which of the 5 W's refers to the characters in a story?

36.  Which two of the 5 W's refer to the setting of a story?

37.  Give me an example of a noun.

38.  Give me an example of a proper noun.

39.  Give me an example of a verb.

40.  Show me the gesture for sentence.

41.  Name a shape that is a quadrilateral.

42.  How many tens are in one hundred?

43.  How many hundreds are in one thousand?

44.  Name a number that is greater than 115.

45.  Name a number that is less than 200.

46.  Name a math problem that equals 9.

47.  Name a compound word.

48.  Make a compound word that contains the word man.

49.  What number can you double to make 4.

50.  What number can you double to make 14?

51.  What number can you double to make 18?

52.  What number can you double to make 10?

53.  What number can you double to make 100?

54.  What number can you double to make 20?

55.  What number can you double to make 16?

56.  Name an adjective to describe the noun dog.

57.  Use the adjective sneaky in a sentence.

58.  Name any non-fiction text feature.

59.  What do you call the writing under photographs in non-fiction informational text.

60.  Which non-fiction text feature would tell me the page number that a chapter starts on.

61.  What is the plural of the word child?

62.  What is the plural of the word goose?

63.  What is the plural of the word man?

64.  What is the plural of the word woman?

65.  What is the plural of the word tooth?

66.  What is the plural of the word fish?

67.  What is the plural of the word wife?

68.  What is the plural of the word shelf?

69.  What is the plural of the word calf?

70.  What is the plural of the word knife?

71.  Spell the word "boxes".

72.  Spell the word "munches".

73.  3+___=5

74.  4+___=7

75.  3+1=___+2

76.  Give me a number bond for 7.

77.  Give me a number bond for 10.

78.  Give me a number bond for 5.

79.  Counting by 2's, what comes after 18?

80.  Counting by 2's, what comes after 12?

81.  Counting by 5's, what comes after 25?

82.  Counting by 5's, what comes after 50?

83.  Counting by 5's, what comes after 95?

84.  Counting by 10's, what comes after 60?

85.  Counting by 10's, what comes after 30?

86.  Counting by 10's, what comes after 90?

87.  How much is 13 tens?

88.  How much is 9 tens?

89.  How much is 20 tens?

90.  How much is 25 tens?

91.  Give me a number sentence that is equal to 9+8.

92.  Give me a number sentence that is equal to 9+2

93.  Miss Ray picked 11 red roses and 8 pink roses.  How many roses did she pick altogether?

94.  What do 30 and 1 make?

95.  What do 10 and 5 make

96.  What is 26+4?

97.  What is the base word in the word reheated?

98.  What is the prefix in the word unwanted?

99.  What is the suffix in the word quickly?

100.  When talking about "Author's Purpose", what do the letters stand for in the word "PIE"?

101.  Show me the gesture for "Flip the Sound".

102.  Show me the gesture for noun.

103.  Show me the gesture for verb.

104.  Show me the gesture for adjective.

105.  Show me the gesture for preposition.

106.  Name an inside character trait.

107.  Name an outside character trait.

108.  What does the prefix "pre" mean?

109.  What does the prefix "re" mean?

110.  What does the prefix "un" mean?

111.  Which suffix means that something happened in the past?

112.  Name a word that rhymes with tickle.

113.  Name a word that rhymes with honey.

114.  What is the past tense of drive?

115.  What is the past tense of grow?

116.  What is the past tense of teach?

117.  What is the past tense of make?

118.  In the word bacon, which syllable is open?

119.  In the word tiger, which syllable is closed?

120.  Is "re" an open or closed syllable?

I am also providing you with a link which will allow you to watch a group of elementary students playing Mind Soccer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAD9pHMbvS8

The Universal Homework Model

For years I have searched for a way to make homework meaningful to my students and not a chore for their parents.  I've dreamed of a school year in which the students were excited about doing their homework and parents never shared with me that getting their children to do homework was a struggle.  I've tried assigning different types of homework and using different reward systems, but I have never found one that I thought really worked.  That is, until now.  When I read about the Universal Homework Model I was in love, and immediately knew that I had to give it a try.

Here is how it works.  Choose three tasks that you would like your students to do for homework each night, and assign each of these tasks a star value of one, two, or three stars.  Two star homework would also include the completion of one star homework, and three star homework would include the completion of one and two star homework.  Each night your students would choose how many stars that they would like to earn.  You would set a minimum number that is required for the week.

Then, at the beginning of each day, students would share how many stars they completed the previous night.  Students who chose two or three star homework would be given special recognition.  The total stars that the class earned for the previous night would be added up and recorded on a class homework thermometer.  At the end of the week, if the class met their goal in stars (TBD by the teacher and posted at the top of the thermometer) the class would earn a reward, like playing Mind Soccer. (A wonderful WBT review game that students will beg you to play.)

I have added my own little twist.  I am going create a display on the wall by the thermometer called "Star Homework".  Each student will have a blank hundred chart on the wall with his/her name on it.  At the end of every week I will record on the blank hundreds charts the total number of stars that each student has earned for the week.  When a student has earned 100 stars he/she will automatically move up one level on the Super Improvers Board and will earn a trip to the treasure chest.  The treasure chest is a big deal, because there are only two ways that you can earn it in my room, and this is one of them.  I will show you what the wall looks like when I have it done.

Below is a copy of my homework cover sheet for next year.  I have chosen to use nightly reading and the   Super Speed Math game for one star, math or phonics review pages for two stars, and writing about nightly reading for three stars.  What you choose is up to you.  WBT encourages reading, review games like Super Speed Math and Super Speed Reading, and writing.

Team Ray’s Star Homework

Name_________________________

Students are required to do one star homework each night.  Two and three star homework  is optional.  Students will keep track of the total stars they earn each week.  When 100 stars are earned, students will move up a level on the Super Improver Board, and a prize will be given.

Monday

One star homework:  Read for 15 minutes. Include attached phonic’s story.  Fill out log for credit.       

       Practice Super Speed Math facts. ______________________

                                                                          Parent  Signature

Two star homework:  Complete all one star homework and math or phonics practice page.

Three star homework:  Complete all one and two star homework and write three or more sentences about your nightly reading. To receive credit, writing must be your personal best.

                                                                     Tuesday

One star homework:  Read for 15 minutes. Include attached phonic’s story.  Fill out log for credit.       

       Practice Super Speed Math facts. ______________________

                                                                             Parent  Signature

Two star homework:  Complete all one star homework and math or phonics practice page.

Three star homework:  Complete all one and two star homework and write three or more sentences about your nightly reading. To receive credit, writing must be your personal best.

                                                                            Wednesday

One star homework:  Read for 15 minutes. Include attached phonic’s story.  Fill out log for credit.       

       Practice Super Speed Math facts. ______________________

                                                                            Parent  Signature

Two star homework:  Complete all one star homework and math or phonics practice page.

Three star homework:  Complete all one and two star homework and write three or more sentences about your nightly reading. To receive credit, writing must be your personal best.

                                                                           Thursday

One star homework:  Read for 15 minutes. Include attached phonic’s story.  Fill out log for credit.       

       Practice Super Speed Math facts. ______________________

                                                                          Parent  Signature

Two star homework:  Complete all one star homework and math or phonics practice page.

Three star homework:  Complete all one and two star homework and write three or more sentences about your nightly reading. To receive credit, writing must be your personal best.