For most teachers, Halloween is the least favorite holiday— the crazy costumes, the excitement and anticipation for a night of trick or treating, and, of course, the never ending stream of candy. For one Utah school, however, Halloween is the most anticipated holiday. The administration, teachers, and staff come together to create a magical experience for students. Every year, they choose a theme to center the holiday around; it’s usually based on a well known animated movie. Beginning in January, they start planning and gathering ideas. As the year goes on, they hammer out all the final details, collect supplies and props, and plan out every detail. The days before Halloween are spent setting up what they can without giving away the theme. Then, the night before Halloween, it’s all hands on deck, and the entire staff (and usually some recruited family members) stay at the school late into the night setting up and decorating so the magic is ready when school starts the next morning.
It’s really quite a feat. Students make their guesses, but the teachers and staff stay tight-lipped. The magic that is created is palpable, and it’s always an unforgettable experience. Last year’s theme was Toy Story— you can read about it and see pictures here.
I didn’t think last year could be beat, but was equally amazed at this year’s theme: Cars. Every detail was included— even real cars (including a Mac semi truck and school bus) parked in front of the school, made to look like characters from the movie. Come along as I take you on a virtual tour of the magic that was created this year!
I think it’s safe to say that those teachers deserve a three day weekend to recover from all their work to pull that off! What an incredible job they did!
Have you ever sat down to write something, only to find that you just can’t think of any ideas? Or maybe you start off with lots of ideas, then hit a road block part way through your piece. Either way, it can be really frustrating when the ideas just aren’t flowing. Students can have this happen to them, too. Teaching our students to use the writing process can equip them with the tools they need to ensure their writing is the best that it can be, and can also provide them with the skills they need to keep their thoughts and writing organized.
The general structure of the writing process begins with brainstorming or prewriting, where ideas are written down, research is gathered and organized, and the overall plan for the piece of writing is laid out. Next comes drafting— putting the ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Editing and revising come next. Here, the piece is proofread for errors, flow, and consistency, then the necessary revisions and corrections are implemented. This step, along with drafting, may be done several times during the course of writing a piece. The last step is finalizing, polishing, and wrapping up any edits or changes and making the final draft ready for readers. While all the parts of the process are essential, today I will be focusing on brainstorming and prewriting.
The way a person brainstorms might differ depending on what kind of writing they are doing. If they are writing a fictional story, they might begin with outlining the characters, setting, and conflict. If they are doing a research paper, they might start by choosing their topic, then picking a few key points or areas to cover, followed by researching their chosen topics. If they are writing an argumentative or persuasive piece, they first would choose which side of the argument they are going to defend, then generate their supporting arguments. Regardless of the kind of writing being done, prewriting is an important step in the process of writing.
There are many ways to brainstorm ideas, and, as noted above, the method changes with each kind of writing. Below are some methods that can be effective as students begin to generate their ideas prior to writing.
Bubble/Spider/Cluster Map
With this method, students begin with writing their central idea in the middle of the page. Then, they draw lines connecting to other bubbles, which would contain the sub-topics they are going to cover, with additional lines and bubbles drawn to accommodate any other ideas. This method is particularly effective for research or argumentative papers.
If writing a fictional piece, a writer might begin with the story title or idea in the center, then devote individual bubbles to characters, setting, conflict, and plot.
Outlining
Here, students would begin with their main idea at the top of the page. Next, they would focus on one sub-topic or section at a time, writing down key elements, quotes, or facts that they are going to use. This is a great tool for research or argumentative papers as well. It can also be effective for narratives. Students would begin with their story topic/title, then outline the order of events, the conflict, characters, and so on. In the case of writing a story, sketching out ideas on a simple plot diagram would also be an effective way to outline.
Free writing
Free writing is the process of setting an amount of time, then writing about the chosen topic for the duration of that time. Writers can write down what they already know, what they want to know, questions they have, and so on. It is a great chance to just kind of brain dump onto a piece of paper (or computer screen). The free write can then be used to facilitate a more organized prewrite, such as an outline or cluster map.
Listing
Listing is a great way to generate ideas when doing a compare/contrast paper, research paper, or even an argument piece. It’s effective for listing pros and cons, story ideas, ideas for character names, potential settings or conflicts, or any other number of things that might need to be included in a piece.
Timelines
Timelines can be helpful when writing a research piece. It can be useful to map out events in chronological order so that when drafting the piece, the writer has a clear idea of when things happened so as to ensure that they get their facts right in their writing.
Researching
In addition to this type of prewriting being effective for research papers, this form of prewriting is also extremely helpful for argument pieces. Students can combine researching with outlining or cluster mapping to organize their findings as they search for information. One very important thing to note here is to make sure that students remember to record where they find their information and research so that they can properly cite their sources, and, in the event that they need to revisit the source, they will know right where to look.
The writing process isn’t something that only Language Arts teachers might use; it can (and should be) employed by any teacher who is having students write papers or pieces. It is a very effective way for students to get their ideas down, organize their writing, and prepare for the drafting stage of writing. Think of it as “preheating the oven” when you bake— you’re getting things ready for the final product. Check out the resources below if you need some ideas for getting your students started!
** Please note that these resources are for classroom or personal use only. They are not to be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own. **
It’s no secret how much I enjoy holiday-themed activities! They just bring such a fun element to a lesson and spark so much creativity. Even though we typically think of holiday themed activities as being targeted toward elementary aged kids, you can easily bring them into any content area and any grade level simply by modifying the difficulty of the activity.
Thought I can appreciate all content areas, English/Language Arts is my favorite, since that is what I spent many years teaching. And since we are nearing Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to share some fun Halloween themed Language Arts activities!
(Most of these will be geared more toward junior high aged kids, but can be modified for other grade levels as well.)
Read some “spooky” stories or poems. Edgar Allen Poe is always a good option for this time of year. In particular, “Tell Tale Heart” is a stellar choice for junior high students. Other options include “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Did you know Roald Dahl even has some spooky short stories?!
Ask students to write a descriptive paragraph or two giving detailed descriptions of a haunted house. Have them trade papers with a classmate and have them create a physical model (drawing, painting, cut and glue, etc.) of the haunted house using what is written.
Have students write a personal narrative about their favorite Halloween or a favorite family Halloween tradition.
Have students write and illustrate a simple Halloween children’s book.
Have students write a persuasive piece defending their right to still trick-or-treat.
Using the free “Roll A Story” printable below, have students write a short story using the elements their dice rolls choose for them.
Play some fun Halloween music while your students work on one or more of these delightful Halloween themed activities, and you’ve easily set up a fun work environment for your students to work in! Teenagers might put up a front that they are “too old” for things like this, but deep down, they love it and will eat it right up when given the chance!
** This printable is free, and is intended for home or classroom use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own. **
It’s officially Fall! The leaves are changing where I live, and the morning air is crisp. It’s a beautiful thing! New seasons bring all kinds of changes, and those changes create great opportunities for exciting learning opportunities as well as lots of fun, creative art activities. Below you will find a few suggestions and ideas for some Fall fun in your classroom! Feel free to modify any activity to fit your students’ needs.
Science:
Learn about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. Taste test different kinds of apples.
Learn about why the leaves change their colors. Talk a walk outside and see how many colors of leaves you can spot.
Investigate why the temperatures start to drop. Discuss the Earth’s rotation and position this time of year.
Art:
Go outside and gather some leaves from the ground. Use them to create leaf rubbings, stamps with paint, or press them and make a bookmark.
Draw a fall scene.
Gather small leaves from outside. Draw a tree trunk and branches on paper, then glue the leaves onto the tree.
Language Arts:
Read some books about Fall.
Write an acrostic poem using FALL or AUTUMN.
Write a descriptive paragraph describing a fall scene.
Math:
If available in your area, collect fallen acorns or pinecones. Sort and count in several different ways.
Conduct a class-wide survey about favorite Fall activities. Create a bar graph with the results.
Use fall themed candy as math manipulatives.
Print out and have students complete the Fall Find and Count printable at the end of this post.
Students learn best when a learning experience is engaging. And honestly, from a teacher’s perspective, teaching is much more enjoyable when the material you are teaching is fun and engaging. Play into the seasons, holidays, and other special occasions— I bet you’ll have as much fun as the students do!
** Feel free to download the free Fall Find and Count worksheet— it is only for personal and classroom use. Please do not distribute, sell, or use as your own.**
In my last post, I shared a couple of printable worksheets/activities that you could use to teach your kids or students about Independence Day. Since not all kiddos are interested in worksheet-style learning, I’m back with a few more ideas! Teaching kids about the history of our nation is so important. It’s important for them to understand how our country was founded and to know about the incredibly brave men and women who fought (and still do fight) and worked so hard to establish America.
Teaching kids about history doesn’t have to be boring. It’s easy to incorporate play and games into their learning. Below are a few ideas you can try!
Patriotic Sensory Bin
Using any sensory bin base you’d like (my favorites are rice or beans), you can add small patriotic themed items. Ideas include small flags, red, white, and blue gems/stars/pom-poms, small pictures of national monuments or presidents, and so forth. Bury the items in the sensory base, and let your kids get to work exploring and finding fun treasures!
Patriotic Matching
Print off two copies of several pictures of our national symbols, monuments, presidents, Founding Fathers, etc. Glue them on to paper squares and play memory. Whenever a match is made, take a minute to talk about why the object or person in the picture is important to America’s history.
If memory style matching isn’t something your child likes, you can place one set of pictures on the table or wall, then hide the other set of pictures around the house or room. Again, as matches are found, talk about each picture.
Independence Day Trivia
This is a great activity for older kids. Write down several questions (and answers) about the history, places, and people of our nation. Divide kids into teams and have an Independence Day Trivia Face-Off. If the person whose turn it is can answer the question without their team’s help, two points are awarded to that team. If they need the team’s help, one point is awarded for a correct answer. If the first team is unable to answer correctly, the second team gets a chance, earning one point for a correct answer. You could place a small flag in the center of the table, and the first person to grab it gets the first chance to answer the question.
Tally the points as you go, and the winners get a red, white, and blue rocket popsicle!
Historical Story-Telling
Assign each child a story from our nation’s history. Give them a few minutes to prepare, then have them re-tell the story in their own words. Another version of this would be to have them write and illustrate a children’s book telling the story they have been assigned.
American Role Play
Rather than having them verbally re-tell a story or event, have children reenact an important event. Provide props and costumes if available!
A Star-Spangled Sing-A-Long
Teach kids the words to our national anthem and have them sing along. Be sure to explain what all the words mean, the history behind why the song was written, how it became our national anthem, and even a little bit about the man who wrote it!
Patriotic Crafting
There are endless options here— have kids create a flag out of various materials, use different methods to paint “fireworks”, or create a mosaic of the flag, a monument, or person. Never underestimate the power of construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick!
Whatever you decide to do, remember to keep it age appropriate, make it fun and engaging, and let kids use their imaginations! The material and skills learned are the most important part of activities like these, so there isn’t one “perfect” way to get things done. Relax, have fun, and remember that messes can be cleaned up!
Mother’s Day is just a few days away! I love it when my kids come home from school with handmade little gifts that I can hold on to and cherish. If you need an idea or two for your students to do, I’ve got you covered! I’ve also included a few free printable files at the end of this post to make it even easier for you!
Shrink art- You can purchase this at any craft store, at Walmart, or on Amazon. Have your students write a little note or draw a picture for their mother or mother figure. Punch a hole at the top, bake to shrink, then make it into a keychain.
“All About My Mom” survey- these are especially fun with younger kids. Ask them the questions and write their answers.
Print, color and cut out a Mother’s Day bookmark. Laminate it to make it last. (See the printable at the bottom)
If you teach older kids who aren’t super into making cute little crafts or pictures, have them write a letter or note to their mother or to a mother figure in their life. A note from a teenager is truly a cherished gift!
Print off (onto cardstock) the blank puzzle templates at the bottom of this page and have your students draw a picture of them and their mom doing their favorite activity. Have them cut the puzzle into pieces, then mom can put it together!
Pressed flowers- Use the free jar printable at the bottom of this page for this activity. Have your students collect and press wild flowers (if allowed and you have some near you), or make small paper flowers. Glue the flowers onto to jar, then use clear contact paper or laminator to seal them onto the paper.
Book about Mom- Have students draw a picture for a few prompts about their moms (favorite food, favorite color, favorite thing to do, etc.), then put the pictures together into a book.
I recognize that not all students will have a mother present in their home, so you could encourage them to create something for a friend, neighbor, teacher, or other family member that is a mother figure in their life.
Today my kids’ school held their annual kindergarten “Humpty-Dumpty Egg Drop”. Students were given homework to boil an egg, then create some sort of protective cradle for it. On the day of the egg drop, students bring their creation with them, ready to test out their engineering skills. The custodian takes all the creations with him to the school’s roof, then one by one, hurls them off the roof, where they then land on the blacktop. The kids all cheer and laugh as they watch as each other’s eggs are thrown off the roof. The goal is to have an unbroken egg by the end of the event. Some contraptions are wildly successful, while others are, well, not. Regardless of the outcome, they all have a great time.
One of my kids is in kindergarten this year, so I got the chance to go watch the egg drop today. Due to inclement weather, they moved it indoors, and the custodian dropped the eggs from the second level of the school down to the first— which offered the advantages of a softer landing spot as well as a shorter distance for the egg to fall. Even with these changes, the kids still cheered and laughed as they watched their eggs and their classmates’ eggs fall to the ground. After all the eggs had been dropped, the kids excitedly found theirs, and opened their creations to see whether or not their egg survived the fall. There were lots of squeals of excitement, mixed in with a handful of disappointed sighs.
While this seems like just a fun activity to do with kids, it goes beyond that. At the very least, it’s a great opportunity for students to cheer each other on and celebrate together. One of the biggest benefits of this assignment is the exposure to STEM related thinking. The students were asked to come up with their own ideas of how they wanted to protect their egg. I asked my son to think about how he wanted to do that, and gave him some time to consider some ideas. A while later, I asked if he had thought of anything. Immediately, he began to tell me his ideas, what supplies he would need, and how he wanted to execute his idea.
It was a brilliant way to get him to figure out a solution to a problem. When it came time to build his egg cradle, he gathered supplies and asked for help gathering what he couldn’t find. We gently guided him along the way, and performed tasks that weren’t safe for a kindergartner to do (like pushing holes through the plastic tub he wanted to use). As he worked, he made adjustments when he saw that something wasn’t going to work as well as he wanted it to. He was essentially testing out his plan and correcting mistakes as he worked.
As a parent, I appreciated this activity for a few reasons. First, it gave my son a chance to get creative. He was able to come up with his own solution and create a model based on his ideas. Second, the ideas that he came up with were his own. Not mom and dad’s. Not his big brothers who had previously done this activity. They were his. He took great pride in his idea and worked hard to see it come to fruition. Third, he persevered as he worked. Not everything worked how he wanted it to, and he found he had to pivot along the way to make things work. Lastly, he was able to practice dealing with disappointment when he opened his egg container to find that it had not survived the fall and was cracked and smashed on one side of it.
Any activity that gets kids to think critically is a-ok with me! I want my kids to be able to think through possible solutions and be able to be flexible when things don’t go how they want them to. I want them to be able to make adjustments to their solutions and plans as they go. These kinds of skills are not only useful in school, specifically in STEM related classes, but in life in general.
So while the egg drop was a fun activity that got everyone involved, it was much, much more than that. Kudos to the teachers who facilitate such engaging, learning enriched activities!
