Shoelace Showdown Activity Guide

Objective: Students will demonstrate the ability to tie their shoelaces independently by following a clear, sequenced process and offering peer support.

Materials Needed:

• Demonstration shoe with laces
• Individual shoelace practice boards or shoes for each student
• Step-by-step visual instruction cards (with pictures of each tying step)
• Dry-erase boards & markers (optional: for students to sketch the loop steps)

Setup (2 minutes):

1. Place the demonstration shoe and visual instruction cards on a table or document camera at the front.
2. Distribute a practice shoe/board and shoelaces to each student.
3. Pair students so that one can model while the other attempts, then switch roles.

Step-by-Step Instructions (10 minutes total):

1. Teacher Modeling (2 minutes):
   • Show Step 1: Cross the laces and pull tight.
   • Show Step 2: Make a loop (“bunny ear”) with one lace.
   • Show Step 3: Wrap the other lace around the loop.
   • Show Step 4: Pull through to form the second loop.
   • Emphasize pulling snugly for a secure knot.
2. Guided Practice (5 minutes):
   • Students follow each visual card in turn.
   • Teacher circulates, offering hand-over-hand support as needed.
   • Encourage students to verbalize each step: “Cross, loop, wrap, pull.”
3. Peer Coaching (3 minutes):
   • Partners take turns coaching each other through the steps.
   • Use sentence frames: “Next, we make the bunny ear by ___.”
   • Teacher provides corrective feedback and praise.

Tier 2 Differentiation:

• Provide extra-hand-over-hand guidance for students who struggle with fine motor skills.
• Use enlarged visual cards and slow down the pacing for learners needing more processing time.
• Pair students strategically so that emerging tyers work alongside more confident partners.

Success Criteria:

• Student can tie a basic bow knot with minimal prompting.
• Student names each step in order: cross, loop, wrap, pull.
• At least 80% of students complete the knot within the partner practice time.

Follow-Up Reflection (optional):

• Ask students to draw their favorite step on a dry-erase board and share one tip they’d give a friend.
• Use this to inform which step might need additional modeling in future sessions.

My Morning Checklist

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Instructions: Draw a ✔ in the box when you finish each task.

1. Make my bed
   
   
   
2. Brush my teeth
   
   
   
3. Wash my face
   
   
   
4. Eat breakfast
   
   
   
5. Pack my backpack
   
   
   
6. Tie my shoes
   
   
   

Draw your favorite morning step here:

Self-Check Reflection

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Instructions: Complete the sentences and draw a picture to show your learning.

1. Something I did well today was _____________________________________________________.
   
   
   
   

2. Next time, I want to improve on _________________________________________________ .
   
   
   
   

Draw a picture of yourself tying your shoes or packing your backpack neatly: