Raceway in the Classroom: Connecting Mathematics, Science, and Literature
Published in the Spring 2007 issue of the ACEI Exchange, pp 162 I
This Idea-Sparker was submitted by Jason McKinney, a graduate student at Southern Mississippi University and a 1st-grade teacher at Pisgah Elementary in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Focus: K-2 sight words. This activity can help increase children's fluency and ability to identify numerous sight words.

Plan-Ahead Preparations: Depending on the frequency of this activity, I'll suggest two options. The first is to create a quick, temporary racetrack. Find a spot in the class that is 4 feet by 4 feet. If you have carpet, use chalk to draw a racetrack with one passing lane in the middle. If you have tile, paint the track and passing lane using washable paints. Option two involves purchasing a sheet of black felt, 4 feet by 4 feet, and a thin strip of yellow felt for the passing lane in the middle. Cut an oval shape in the middle of the felt to create the racetrack appearance and ask a parent to sew the yellow strips down the middle of the track.

Procedures: Line up two students, back to back, at the starting line. Place index cards with words on the track. Depending on the students' skills (emergent vs. fluent), you decide the amount of words to place. On your mark, get set, go! The first student who gets all his/her words correct is the winner. The winner continues for a maximum of three rounds or until he or she is defeated.

Options: Students can race the clock, trying to improve their times over three rounds (fluency rates will increase). Leave the track out for exploration and students can place word wall words and/or other words on the track and challenge their peers in racing contests.