Four Corners

To make our classroom community strong and successful, it’s important that we focus our attention on the words that our classmates and our teachers say. Today, we are going to play a game where you will need to focus your attention. First, I will teach you a chant and hand motions to match. After we practice, you will have to focus your attention to match the words with the motions. Here’s a tip: Look to your classmates if you need help!

1. Teach students the following chant and hand motions: Chant: My desk has four corners, four corners has my desk. If it didn’t have four corners, it wouldn’t be my desk. Motions: point to yourself each time you say the word “my”, hold out both hands in a flat surface for the word “desk”, hold up four fingers for the word “four”, point to your bent elbow for the word “corner/s”, and shake a finger for the words “didn’t” and “wouldn’t”.
2. Do the chant multiple times. The first time, tell students to be silent every time they get to the word “my”, while continuing to do the correct hand motion.
3. The second time, tell students to be silent on the words “my” and “desk”, while continuing to do the correct motions at the correct times.
4. The third time, tell students to be silent on “my” “desk” and “four”; and so on.

• What about this game was easy or hard for you?
• What strategies did you use? What might you do differently next time?
• What strategies did you hear or see other people use that you want to try?
• When do you need to use focusing skills (in or out of school)?

For primary school students:

• Use a shorter chant or fewer motions.
• Encourage students to watch classmates to help them remember. Write the chant on chart paper, and draw accompanying pictures, if helpful. Then post it up in the room, so students can see it as you sing.
• Change the order of the words that students will skips to make the activity more challenging.

For students in grades 5-6:

• Invite students to create their own activity and lead the game in small groups.