Paint Chip on Speed Dial! What is it about paint chips? I am just drawn to them in the store like an ant to a picnic. I have posted about paint chips on my blog before, this is the link to the original post: Obsessed with Paint Chips – part 1.
However, there is always room for more ideas. Here are 6 MORE ideas, including 2 math ideas. (See, I’m not just about reading.) I keep a stack of paint chips in my office, not knowing when I’ll need a teaching tool, a colorful intervention, or a new idea for getting students excited.
Letter Fluency Drills
I used 6 different colored paint chips and a die. I made a corresponding die (it’s in the FREEBIE at the end of the post).
Dollar Tree also had dry erase programmable dice at the beginning of the summer. You can use markers to draw a circle on the die.
Give the paint chips and die to a pair of students and let them practice reading letter names as quickly as they can.
To add some giggles, have them read the letters down from the top, then up from the bottom.
Comprehension Signal Word Bookmarks
While doing a lesson about Cause and Effect with second graders, we made an anchor chart about signal words. Why not the students have their own anchor chart in the form of a paint chip?
These bookmarks can be kept in a writing folder or student desk for independent writing cues. As they find more signal words in lessons and stories, they can add words to empty spaces or the back. I made a few for a sample, but it can be used for any anchor chart your have on your wall.
Maybe the first part of the center is making the bookmark, then they have to use it to complete an activity. Time/Sequence Words can be on a bookmark: now, before, after, finally, at last, and so many more.
Cause and Effect can start with because, so, since, and which caused, but certainly that’s not the end.
Real or Fake
I LOVE this activity for students learning to blend onset and rime.
Students are given a short vowel word family paint chip and a die.
Once again, I made one with 6 different consonants or you can buy one that is programmable.
Students roll the dice and create 7 words…some real and some fake.
For example, if I rolled a “w” and had the short e paint chip, I would have to say, “wen, weg, wet, web, wem, well, and west.”
I would also have to say if the word was “real or fake.” I have included a recording sheet for this activity. When a student has a designated number of real words, the activity can be over.
High Five Writing
I blogged about High 5 Writing in a previous blog post.
It’s a great way to get students to write more complex sentences. (If you’d like the original blog post, click the link High Five Writing with Second Graders).
Students are walked through a sentence writing activity starting with the “who” and “did what” for a sentence.
They systematically add the “when,” “where,” and “why” parts to the sentence.
Making a bookmark with the paint chip can allow for self-directed writing.
Math Fact Flips
This seems to be an easy one.
Writing the equation on the paint chip and folding the answer, students can use the chips as a self-correcting center or independent activity.
We can also change the equation to fold the chip at the beginning. _ + 2 = 5 or _ x 4 = 32.
Counting by 5s
What a fun way to practice counting by 5s. Students can help write the numerals to 100 (or whatever number you choose).
They can write the numerals and practice ordering the chips for an individual activity. Students can also write numerals on a corresponding chart and color the chips by 5s.
I also have 3 sets in my store that mimic paint chips.
Hope this gives you some more ideas for using paint chips in your classroom. Here is my Paint Chip Pinterest Board.
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