Primarily Speaking

Showing posts with label Monthly Round Up. Show all posts

May Round Up

No comments Directed Drawing, End of Year, Freebies, Monthly Round Up, Mother's Day

Who's ready for a new monthly round up? This teacher is! May is always a busy month. It's not only the last full month of school, but it's also when I start looking ahead to see how I can get a head start on the upcoming school year.

Directed drawings are awesome. They make the students really focus, listen, and to think before they do. Once the drawings are done, students can color them with crayon, oil pastels, or even paint them with watercolor paints.

We've done several directed drawings this year, and they have been a hit with the parents. This got me thinking, why not have the students make a special drawing for their mom (aunt, grandma, whoever) for Mother's Day?

To make this a little more gift worthy, we will frame the drawings using 8x10 frames from the dollar store. If you plan to frame your drawings, just be sure to trim the paper to match the size of the frames you purchase. I would recommend cutting your paper to size before the students do their drawing. To help cover the cost of the frames, I ask the students to send in one dollar. Even if some students don't contribute, it helps to cover the cost when you are buying so many frames.

I like to use card stock when we do our drawings, especially if they paint them afterward. It just holds up a lot better than regular construction paper (and it's usually cheaper than investing in watercolor paper).

To present the gifts, simply wrap the frame in colorful tissue paper and tie some yarn around it. You could also let your students make a card.

You can grab the free step by step directions for this drawing HERE.

May is research month in my classroom. More specifically, we research various American symbols and put together an impressive project. It gets sent home at the end of the month, and parents are always so impressed with the final product.

I love that this project keeps us busy, but with meaningful learning material, addresses several of our social studies standards, as well as a few writing standards. It's high interest and the kids take a lot of pride in their work.

You can read more about this project here. And, you can check out my Celebrating America unit here on TPT.

The end of the year is a crazy time. The students get super distracted, challenging behaviors might become even more challenging, you're trying to teach those last few standards, and you're also likely thinking of the next school year. Wait, that isn't just me, is it?

Ok, so let's talk next year, shall we? This time of year, my brain goes into serious "plan for next year" mode. I can't help it. I just always think if there is something I can do now to save myself some time when reporting back in late August, that I might as well do it.

For example:

Sharpen pencils for next year and store them in a zip top bag. I do this every year and it saves me a ton of time and hassle when I'm more worried about reconstructing my classroom that was dismantled when I checked out in June.

Copy any and everything you know you will use. For example, I know that I will set out my Meet the Teacher letter at Meet and Greet. I also know that there are specific back to school forms I want/need parents to fill out. If I copy them now, I don't need to worry about fighting my way to a copier at the last minute next year.

Laminate your nameplates and cut them out. This job is perfect for parent volunteers, and again, saves you precious time when you are worried about making your room presentable for meet and greet and attending various staff meetings at the same time. TIP: I laminate the nameplates now, and write the students' names on them with permanent marker in the fall. This has worked well for me over the years.

Each week, choose one thing in your classroom to "spring clean." Go through things, get rid of what you don't need, consolidate what you can, and label things for easy reference next year. For example, tackle those math manipulatives in your storage closet. When I did this recently, I noticed that I had a bucket of tangrams. They weren't sorted into individual sets. Why and how did this ever happen? Who knows, but I had a parent bag them up and I found out I had enough sets for two classes and ended up sharing half of mine with another teacher.

For even more end of year ideas and tips click here.

Also, check out my End of Year Pinterest board for some fun classroom ideas!

Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

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April Round Up

2 comments Freebies, Monthly Round Up, Social Studies

April is just around the corner. Can you believe it? How is time flying by so quickly?

Well, if you are in the market for some fun activities for the month of April, you've come to the right place!

When I think of April, I think of spring and all things earthy. Did you know that Arbor Day takes place in April? Celebrating the importance of trees ties in perfectly with Earth Day, which also takes place in April!

This quick and easy bulletin board idea would be a great extension activity when learning about Arbor Day (or Earth Day).

This craft can be assembled using only two pieces and the students write directly on the craft, talk about easy peasy! You could have your students write a cinquain, list poem (that's what the sample shows), or an acrostic poem. Don't forget, April is also poetry month!

You can grab the templates for this quick and easy craft HERE.

I love directed drawings. A lot. I try to do at least one or two a month. It's a great way to help students develop confidence in their drawing skills, and it's also a great way to work on those listening and reasoning skills. And even though everyone is following the same directions, the drawings always come out different and unique.

This month, we'll be drawing some butterflies. It just wouldn't be spring without butterflies! This drawing would be a great way to incorporate some art into a butterfly life cycle unit too.

When the drawing part is done, you can let your students dress up their drawings with watercolors, oil pastels, crayons, or whatever! The example shown above was done using watercolor. You could encourage your students to paint a scenic background, or let them choose one solid color. They are the artists, let them decide!

You can grab the directions for this drawing HERE.

I don't know that I could go through the month of April without covering Earth Day. It's a great way to remind the students of ways that they can help take care of our planet. I've used this mini book the past few years to introduce Earth Day. I love that it's interactive and tasks the students with responding in a variety of ways.

After reading various books about Earth Day and learning about ways to take care of our our planet, I love playing a game of I Spy where the students evaluate the sentences printed on each card. This version gives the students practice with critical thinking as they determine whether a sentence is fact or opinion. I love that I Spy engages students and gets them moving around while they learn. You can read more about I Spy here.

One of my favorite things to do with Earth Day is to take my students on a nature walk. What better way to gain an appreciation of nature than to spend some time out in nature. It's like a mini field trip. Hehe. Seriously though, the kids always love this. Any time they get to head outdoors, they are happy campers. This little journal is fun way to keep them focused as we explore the outdoors.

You can find these, and other activities in my Earth Day unit on TPT.

I'm a huge fan of class books. We make them all.the.time. in my classroom. My class recently made a class book with a twist. What's that you ask? It's a super cute class coloring book!

Each student created a page to be included.

I made each student a copy of the coloring book and sent it home for them to color over Spring Break (but, you could send it home any time you want, of course).

We made these back in November too and they were a hit! You can read all about it HERE.

You can grab the templates to make your very own class coloring book HERE (you can also use these templates to make a traditional class book).

I truly hope you were able to use an idea or two today. Thanks for stopping by!

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March Round Up

2 comments Freebies, Monthly Round Up

Can you believe that it's time for another monthly round up? March is only a few days away!

Ideas for Teaching in the Month of March

If you're looking for some fun activities and ideas to use in your classroom, then keep on reading, and be sure to grab the freebies along the way.

Need a bulletin board idea for this month? Then, you'll love this one. Peeps poems!

I do this every year with my students. I let each student sample a Peep (it doesn't matter if you use the bunnies or the chicks) and then they write an adjective poem about them. Even when the kids don't like the candy, they still love the activity.

The craft is super simple, and can be used in a number of ways. Let your students color or paint the Peeps. Or, have them cover it with tissue paper for a textured look. Or, simply copy it on colored paper and have them cut it out. You can keep it as simple as you want, or add a bit of flair using the suggestions above.

For complete details on how I carry out this lesson with my second graders, click here.

To grab this freebie from my TPT store, click here.

I don't usually do a whole lot with St. Patrick's Day. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of leprechauns, but I do love rainbows and green stuff.

Speaking of green stuff, why not host a Green Tasting Party?

A Green Tasting Party is a fun classroom experience where you serve a variety of green foods. It is a unique experience, and you can connect it to the standards. Wondering how? Turn it into a writing activity!

For more detailed ideas (and suggestions) for hosting a Green Tasting Party, plus a writing freebie to tie your Green Tasting Party to the standards, click here.

Here's another fun (and easy) activity for St. Patrick's Day.

It's perfect for a Fun Friday activity!

Directions:

Give each student a piece of white card stock cut to 8.5 x 8.5 inches.
Task students with painting rainbow stripes on the card stock (I used watercolors).
Let dry.
Cut out a shamrock pattern (you can copy it on green paper ahead of time, or let students paint it too).
Glue the shamrock to the rainbow background.

Easy peasy! And, you just scored yourself some festive decor for your classroom. Click here to grab the directions and shamrock pattern all in one free download.

Don't forget, NEA's Read Across America Week takes place this month.

I love Reading Week. We always have so much fun. Our school has a committee that organizes various school wide events, but we also have lots of fun in the classroom.

One of my favorite things to do in the classroom is to have themed DEAR times each day. I send this note home the Friday before the big week so that the students can prepare in advance.

The kids look forward to the different themes each day. You can grab this handout here.

For more more great Reading Week ideas, be sure to visit my Reading Week board on Pinterest.

DON'T FORGET IT: PIN IT!

Thanks for stopping by today everyone! I hope you were able to use an idea or two. :)

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February Round Up

2 comments Freebies, Monthly Round Up

Can you believe that February is (almost) here? Hopefully, you'll find a few of the ideas, activities, and freebies in this post helpful as you plan for the upcoming month!

Feel free to pin the ideas you love most!

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a sucker for cute crafts? ;) Crafts are perfect for developing fine motor skills, encouraging problem solving, and following directions. They are also a great way to show kids that they too can add beauty to their surroundings. #jumpingoffmysoapboxnow

So, by now, you know that I like to display crafts on my monthly bulletin board. My Love Bots always make an appearance in February. Always.

BUT, this year, this little bee is going up too! It makes me smile. #cuteness

When Valentine's Day rolls around, I like to focus on friendship. It's also that time of year when students need to be reminded about how to treat their friends/be a friend. So, this little guy will come in handy as we talk about how to "bee" a good friend.

You can grab the {free} craft here and the {free} writing prompt here. :)

Click here for even more Valentine's Day ideas. :)

Hearts and cute crafts aside, Presidents' Day is another big deal in the month of February. I usually spend a few weeks on this topic.

We read about each president individually. Sometimes I read aloud to the students using various picture books, and sometimes they read independently using passages like these (and/or Scholastic News).

We often do different things with the information that we've read. We might make a book.

Or, we might show what we know while testing others knowledge at the same time. Three truths and a Lie is always a hit, and it's a great way to get students thinking critically. My students love showing what they know and seeing if they can create a sly lie that might trick their partner.

Directed drawings are a must during this unit! They always look so great hanging up. To make the drawing process and coloring time more manageable for the students, I usually give them a piece of card stock that's been cut in half (I turn it to landscape orientation when cutting it in half). The final size is 8.5 in by 5.5 in. This is also a great size if you have a miniature sized classroom with little wall space, like I do.

Once we have learned about each president, it's time to really show what we know about them. I like to throw in a little compare and contrast. The students get to show what they know while using important critical thinking skills. And, that is a great combination!

Another way I like to "test" their knowledge of the presidents is with this Who Am I? (Around the Room) activity. It keeps the students engaged as they identify the president associated with each clue on the cards. Sorry about that glare below.

All of these activities, and more, can be found in my Two Great Presidents unit on TPT.

Did you know that February is also when the official RAK week takes place? This year, the dates are Feb. 14-20. Perfect timing, right?

Last year, my class had fun spreading a little RAK around our school. They were like super secret agents of kindness. Hehe.

You can read all about these ideas and grab a few related freebies by clicking here.

Another fun and easy way to focus on kindness at school is with this class book. What I love about class books is that the kids read them over and over. So, in this case, when they reread the book, they are always being reminded of how they can be kind. It's a win-win!