Normal teacher tools: pencil top erasers, 3-hole punches, Ticonderoga pencils, and Excedrin migraine.
Innovative teacher tools: fly swatters!
Seriously. I use fly swatters in my class all the time. Not to swat at small bugs or small children, I use them for epic learning. I play a game that I like to call Matamoscas. I’m not entirely positive, but I think the word Matamoscas is actually Spanish for fly swatter. You may want to google that. My Spanish teacher in high school told me that like 15 years ago. We played Matamoscas in Spanish class as a vocabulary review game. I took that idea and ran with it right into my very own science classroom. Say goodbye to jeopardy review. Forget flashcards and around the world with practice questions. Say hello to the wonderful world of swatting words in a fierce, competitive, highly engaging game that kids will love!
Check out www.monicagenta.com/resources for the complete rules. Click “Game Changers” Innovative ideas for the free download.
Happy Swatting!
