Hi teacher friends, Are your elementary students studying Earth Science this year? I’ve always dreaded trying to hunt down lab supplies and equipment for science activities, but during the last few years I’ve been able to come up with little-to-no prep activities to teach Earth Science! These hands-on activities allow students to experiment and learn
Looking for some fun ideas to do with your kiddos?! Take a look at these ten fantastic STEM activities with straws that kids will love.
Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.
If I Were a Superhero Identify a few well-known superheroes with your students and brainstorm adjectives that describe these superheroes and their actions. After reviewing the list, ask students to identify people in their real lives that possess these characteristics. Ask students to complete this thinksheet and describe what kind…
Vocabulary for high school students had better not be boring! Teaching vocabulary is easy with these teaching ideas and activities.
My Mouth is a Volcano is one my favorite books to read at the beginning of the year to help curb the interrupting and blurting out! This year I made a cute little craftivity to extend our learning after this read-aloud. We always talk about why it is important not to interrupt others and […]
This quick and easy way to teach positional words is super engaging to students! All you need is a solo cup, a bear manipulative, and a permanent marker! To prep this activity, you will need to draw a “door” on the solo cups. We call the cup “Mr. Bear’s House,” so it has a playful ... Read More about Positional Words
by Jarrett Lerner I’ve been wanting to make an activity book for years now. Something that could help kids – and kids-at-heart! – explore and develop their creativity, and turn to as a source for r…
Hi Teacher Friends, Do you love teaching Ancient Civilizations as much as I do? I often feel overwhelmed looking on Pinterest or Instagram with how many great ideas and activities there are out there for Ancient Civs. I could probably spend the whole year in the classroom just focusing on Ancient Egypt alone, with its
I am so excited to share that first grade no prep packs are here! This resource makes it so easy to teach the first grade standards for math, reading, phonics and writing. No more searching for high quality, engaging worksheets and activities.. they are all here. Plus I am sharing thr
Tips for Primary Teachers.
Practicing conscious breathing helps when you feel anxious and overwhelmed. A mindful breathing stick can help guide young kids develop breathing techniques.
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Weathering vs Erosion STEM activity is a super easy and fun Science experiment that will teach your kids how the earth works.
Teamwork in the classroom is essential in order to have a high functioning and welcoming environment for students. Check out three easy ways to build teamwork with your students.
We are a Leader In Me School and talk a lot about using the 7 Habits of Happy Kids in our everyday lives. I love the idea of encouraging kids to act as leaders in the classroom and beyond. What I have noticed, however, is that sometimes "leadership" comes off as "bossypants" and that is not the route we want to take! I know you've probably heard of Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook fame) and her campaign to end the word "bossy" (read or listen to an NPR story HERE), but I was hesitant to come straight out and use that word in our class. Instead, I wanted them to think on terms of "boss" and "leader" to recognize the differences between the two and to think about their own language choices in the classroom, in small groups, on their sports teams, and more. We first looked at this picture and talked about what we noticed: (source) This led to some discussion about leadership versus boss behavior. While the kids were discussing, I was passing out example cards to their table spots. Before I dismissed them, I shared this leadership quote from John Quincy Adams: They were then given instructions about our activity. I had printed example cards on two colors: blue for boss and green for leader (although they didn't know that yet) and they needed to read their card and find someone with an opposite color card and opposite example (good time to incorporate the word antonym, too!). I dismissed them to their tables and first had them converse with students in their table group to ensure they understood the word or phrase on their card. When they gave me the thumbs up, I told them to find their match and them meet to discuss why they went together and be able to give examples. We then began assembling our Anchor Chart. Each pair would come to the front of the class and would explain which card was descriptive of a "boss" and which was descriptive of a "leader" and why. They gave examples and I elicited a lot of help from the classroom for additional examples and language that both a boss and leader may use during that example. I would tape the cards to the Anchor Chart and we continued through each pair. There were two groups of three (with two leaders to one boss) and that worked out perfectly with my class (definitely feel free to adjust if you have lower numbers). Our completed anchor chart looked like: It was so powerful to see how often kids may think they are helping, but instead find themselves on the "boss" side of the chart instead of the "leader." I know several of the examples are repetitive, but we really talked through these and used examples from our own lives to recount when using "leader" words and language set us up for success. I also explained the "me vs. you" mentality of bosses versus the "we and us" mentality of leaders. Overall, it was a very powerful lesson and I look forward to referring back to this Anchor Chart this year, especially when "bossypants" behavior leads to conflict. I think these concrete examples can help guide the naturally strong leaders in my class to make better language decisions that can help grow them as leaders and really inspire others, just like the Adams quote! If you'd like a copy of these cards and quote, you can download this as a *freebie* HERE. How do you address bossy vs. leader behavior in your class? Share in the comments, I would love to build on this lesson!
Get ready! This cute craft is perfect for kids; DIY easy cute origami cats that anyone can make, whatever their age, and decorate as well.
As this the end of the school year is getting closer and closer my kids are still having trouble with writing complete sentences. My group last year really enjoyed writing...this group not so much. They think it's boring and I'm lucky to get a sentence or two out of them. Today I tried to take it back to the basics of expanding sentences and encouraged them to use adjectives and adverbs. I gave them a piece of paper and had them fold back and forth until they had 4 rectangles on their page. I gave them a short sentence and they wrote it on the outside of their foldable. When we were expanding our sentences I only gave them clues such as lets add an adjective to describe the dog. Lets write an adverb to show how the dog ran, etc.... This was their end result. I will definitely take it! We did one of these every day for a week and they can use them as examples when working on writing independently. How do you encourage your kids writing? Looking for other writing ideas? Check out my Reading and Writing Pinterest board!
Story retelling is an ongoing core kindergarten skill and takes place when a student is able to comprehend a story and retell it in their own words. A retell should include key details like characters, the setting, the problem, main events (BME) and solution of the story. Kindergarten students do most story retells from listening to a story read aloud. Because of this, I feel it’s super important to select high quality and engaging texts to help develop a real love for reading. For me, I’m drawn to a silly or feel good story that opens up the floor for a great conversation. I want it to be a memorable and lovable story that they'll want to tell and retell! My Master's is actually in Library Science, so I'm extremely passionate about book selection AND story retelling for littles. So much that... I've married them into a series of monthly retelling activities, using high quality picture books, that work perfect in a kindergarten and first grade classroom. Pre, During and After Reading: Set your students up for success! Book talk the text prior to reading. When reading, an interactive read aloud goes along way with comprehension, I love to occasionally stop and really dig into an illustration or get student input when reading aloud. Whether you retell on day one or later, your kiddos will need to recall key details, and I love doing it with multiple and varied exposure using a single story. Retelling Hand: I like to start and review with a retelling visual like the retelling hand! You can grab a free retelling hand by clicking here. Review the parts of a story retell and then give the kiddos time to "turn and talk" to recall information in the story together. Retell Games: I love board games and just games in general. They're engaging, casual and get you TALKING and moving a little bit! After the kiddos have spent time with a partner, I like to take it up a notch and retell it in a gaming setting. My retelling activities generally include a low-prep game to help the kiddos start chatting alongside some visual support. Anchor Chart: Shared Writing and Sequence: After double exposure with a buddy, it's time to come together and discuss the retell. Review and record the characters and setting. For the sequence portion, students will help you order the events. Once the events have been sequenced, students will help come up with the beginning, middle and end to wrap up the retell (great shared writing practice). If you're looking for interactive writing opportunities, scripting the BME sentences would also be a great way for students to come up and assist with writing. The picture card activity works great on chart paper, a pocket chart or even repurposed later on using a pocket chart in a literacy center. *all corresponding activities can be found here. The Retelling CRAFT or Printable Option: To offer a chance for independent practice, the story craft or cut & paste printable will allow the individual student to practice sequence and retelling the story at their own pace and sharpen fine motor skills. I've always told my students a retell activity is a keepsake... because it's almost like you're taking the book home to read it to a loved one. This retell activity supports the mentor text Florette by Anna Walker. *all corresponding activities can be found here. Written Expression: The written and illustrated graphic organizer is another way for students to show their comprehension of the story after reading and practice writing. If you're making a follow-up literacy center with the picture cards in a pocket chart, this printable (or any of the others within the kit) would be a great add-on. For more retell activities, click here!
How to bring STEM to your English Lesson in the Early Years - introduce coding in kindergarten during play. FREE printable coding cards to download | you clever monkey
In the past, autism was wildly misunderstood.Thankfully, a lot has changed and we now have a better understanding of what autism truly is.
I had sooooooo much fun doing this monster art project in my son Elliot's kindergarten class recently! I chose to do this project because Elliot LOVES monsters and he LOVES using his imagination to make characters come to life. We have enjoyed using popsicle stick puppets for many many years and he always enjoys both creating
