1-2-3 Teach Some Constitution Day Activities With Me
I'm back! I took the summer off for a much-deserved rest, but am now in the swing of things again and excited to share my latest creation.
I don't know about you, but when it came to being a fount of knowledge about our Constitution, I was sadly lacking expertise.
So, in 2004, when our government declared September 17th Constitution Day (also Citizenship Day), all public schools had to teach something about the Constitution.
I, along with many of my teacher friends thought, "Where will I find the time to squeeze that activity in with all of the other 'have-to-get-done' lessons?"
Don't get me wrong, I love being an American citizen and am extremely grateful for our country's freedoms, feeling blessed indeed; but as a teacher faced with yet another thing to add to an already full plate, one can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed, with the prospect of "What on earth am I going to find that my early elementary students will understand?" All while thinking, " and when will I get time to prep this?"
No worries. I put in the time so you don't have to!
"Find Me a Fact" is an easy-peasy, no prep, "print and go” activity you can simply run off and pass out.
If you don’t know much about the Constitution, no problem.
I’ve spent hours researching factual information about the Constitution, then compiled 8-pages of easy-to-understand background information, plus interesting and fun facts for you.
Students simply pick a “Topper”. I designed these semi-circular "glue ons" complete with Constitution-themed clip art.
There are 9 designs students can choose from, and are just the right size to top a full sheet of writing paper.
The graphics come in both black & white, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.
I've also included 4 kinds of writing paper templates.
Pick the one that best suits your students' writing abilities, or have them complete their assignment on a sheet of notebook paper.
You can use my background information to make your own example, or share it with your students as a non-fiction read.
I designed an Uncle Sam "I want you..." poster that can be used to introduce the lesson. (The poster lists what you want students to do.)
Afterwards, you can use Sam as the center for your bulletin board display, as completed projects make an awesome student-made bulletin board for Constitution Day, that's sure to get lots of compliments.
I've also included several posters to scatter around your display to add some extra pizzazz.
Simply run off the patterns.
Students choose a "topper" then they color, cut and glue this to their completed assignment, which is to find 3 facts about the Constitution.
You can use my list of educational and very helpful website LINKS about the Constitution, to steer your kiddos in the right direction.
This can be done as a homework assignment, or be part of your class computer lab.
There's also a worksheet that students fill out to help them navigate finding their 3 facts, as they provide URL links and explain how they know these facts to be true and the websites they used reliable.
There are also 7 “danglers”, which are a bunting-like decoration that's glued to the bottom of their paper.
You can skip this step, but I really think the borders add extra pizzazz and take just a few minutes more time.
To reinforce lessons learned about the Constitution, students share one of their facts with their classmates the next day.
As an extension to the lesson, after hearing everyone's answer, children can choose their favorite or most interesting fact that they learned, and jot it down on yet another worksheet.
Yippee! Fun, fast, educational, easy and a bulletin board to boot.
Woo Hoo and Happy Constitution Day to you!
Since we also study apples in September, the FREEBIE for today is called "You Can Count on Willie".
It's a sweet, little apple craft, which is a super-fun way to practice counting.
There are several options to help your students count from 1-10, as well as skip count by 2's,3's, 5's, or 10's.
Well that's it for today thanks for stopping by.
It's the perfect day to be putzing with crafty things, as the sky is electric with lightning, and a gentle rain whispers as the rivulets cascade down my windowpane.
Wishing you a wonderful week and a blessed Constitution Day.
"To teach is to learn twice." -Joseph Joubert
1 2 3 Come Do Some More "Oh, the Places You'll Go..." Suess Activities With Me!
Last week I posted a super-fun “Oh the Places I'll Go” flip-the-flap, writing prompt HAT craftivity.
While I was working on that packet, I also designed a craft featuring "little readers" as well as graphics depicting older students; however the packet was fast approaching 100 pages, so I decided to divide the crafts into 3 separate packets, which would then have less pages and a much lower price point.
This way, teachers could choose which writing prompt best suits their students and grade level.
Featured below, are the other two "Oh the Places" packets, which are not only perfect for March is Reading Month, Read Across America, or a Celebration of Seuss Week. but certainly appropriate at the end of the year, when students are "going places" by advancing into a new grade or graduating!
As with the HAT craft, these too, combine reading and writing with a bit of geography.
Children think of a place they’d like to travel to. Money is no object, so the world is literally at their feet.
Older students can do a bit of research, to find out about a fascinating place they’d like to travel to. (Thus the geography connection, as well as great research & technology practice!)
In the "Little Readers" packet there are 4, black & white graphic options of children reading a book. They come with and without faces.
The Students choose one, which becomes the “base”. They color, then cut it out. The hat "booklet" is glued to the top of the graphic of the child's head.
So that teachers can quickly and easily make an example to share, I've also included full-color patterns.
The cover of the hat, comes with & without the question words: Who? What? Why? When? Where & How?
This flips up to reveal 3-pages of answers.
For one of my samples I used the same color scheme as the "Oh, the Places You'll Go" story.
To add a bit more interest, I also used those same colored markers to write in my answers.
I’ve also included a blank page template, so that students can consolidate their answers to one page, or write longer answers if they want.
For this sample I used red to color in alternating stripes, for a more traditional looking Seuss hat.
This is a great teachable moment to practice an ABAB color pattern as well.
Using white as my second color choice and not having to fill in those stripes also saved time.
The craftivity provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H” question words in a fun way.
I find this particularly helpful with my Y5s as they enjoy sharing, so when I ask if anyone has any questions they'll often say things like, "I want to make one" or "I have a hat like that" instead of asking a question.
In all three packets I’ve included a poster with the questions, which you can use to introduce your lesson.
Afterwards, hang it up, so that older students can refer to it, or you could also read each question, then allow time for students to write down their answers.
As always, patterns come in both black & white for students, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share
You can leave the “child reading craftivity” as is, or have students glue it to the pattern featuring a stack of 2 suitcases.
If you think this is too much coloring for your kiddos, simply snip off the bottom suitcase to give to another child.
A luggage tag for a student’s name, adds some 3D pizzazz.
Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or hallway display.
I’ve included a variety of posters in both packets, to enhance the display of your students' work.
The quote posters are in plural form, as if your students are saying these popular phrases from the story.
There are also letters for the caption: “Oh, the Places We’ll Go!” to add extra pizzazz, which are also included in all 3 packets.
Add a splash more geography and use the "globe" letters for the upper and lowercase O.
I also had a lot of fun designing my first "background papers", which I've included in both packets as well. I hope you find them useful.
The other "Oh, the Places I'll Go" packet, featuring graphics of older students, is similar to the "Little Readers" one; however, there are two writing prompt craftivities in this packet.
One is a file folder suitcase.
Students color and trim the suitcase, then glue it to the front of a file folder, which flips down to reveal their completed 3-page writing prompt.
The writing provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H”, which are also in the Hat and Little Readers packets: Where would you like to go? When would you like to go? Who do you want to go with? Why do you want to go? What do you want to see? and "How do you want to get there?
The 2nd choice is a “Travel Trunk.” This booklet has 6 pages to it, where students answer the same questions listed above.
I’ve also included a blank page template, so that students can consolidate their answers to one page, or write longer answers if they want.
The trunk booklet can be left as is, or topped with a "student reading” graphic. There are 4 options children can choose from.
Students color and trim, then glue to the top of their trunk booklet.
Another option, is to glue their trunk booklet to the base of a stack of suitcases.
This option can be left "as is" or can also be topped with one of the 4 ”students reading a book” graphics for a taller completed project.
You decide which version is appropriate for your students, or you could add extra variety to your display by giving students a choice.
There are two featured FREEBIES today.
Since spring brings a buzzing of bees, I thought you'd like to have a "Parts of a Honey Bee" anchor chart poster.
For the second FREEBIE, click on the link for some bee-themed math games.
Well that's it for today, thanks for stopping by.
Woo hoo! The sun is shining and temps are in the 50s.
Even though spring has sprung, it still remains rather chilly here in Michigan. Wishing you a warm and wonderful day.
"Reading is dreaming with open eyes!" -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Dr. Seuss Activities With Me
Do you read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss? It’s one of my all-time favorite Seuss stories.
“Oh the Places You’ll Go” is not only perfect for March is Reading Month, Read Across America, or a Celebration of Seuss Week. but the story is also appropriate at the end of the year, when students are advancing into a new grade or graduating!
With that in mind, I decided to combine reading and writing with a bit of geography, with this super-fun “Oh, the Places I’LL Go!” craftivity.
Children think of a place they’d like to travel to. Money is no object, so the world is literally at their feet.
Older students can do a bit of research to find out about a fascinating place they’d like to travel to. (Thus the geography connection, as well as great research & technology practice!)
The cover of this “flip-the-flap” hat, comes with the question words: Who? What? Why? When? Where & How? written on the stripes, which when flipped over, reveal the student’s answers.
For example, “Where would you like to travel to?”, "When would you like to go?", "Why do you want to go there?", "Who do you want to go with?", "What do you want to see?" and "How do you want to get there?"
The craftivity provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H” question words in a fun way.
I’ve included a poster, with the entire questions that you can use to introduce your lesson.
As always, patterns come in both black & white for students, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.
There are also blank patterns, so that older students can write in their own words and title.
Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or hallway display.
I’ve included a variety of posters that you can sprinkle among your students creations.
I rewrote a few of the story's most popular quotations in first person to match the "Oh,the Places I'LL Go!" writing prompt title, and put them inside speech bubbles, as if your students are saying them.
Besides the quote posters, there are two others featuring students reading their way to wonderful places.
I had a lot of fun designing background papers using the color scheme from the cover of the "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" book.
I thought maybe teachers would like to use them for their own personal creations, so I've included those as well.
I also designed a set of letters which spell out the caption: “Oh, the Places We’ll Go!” to add some extra pizzazz.
Simply print, laminate & trim; then hang above your display.
To add a bit of a "geography look", I created several globes, which can be substituted for the capital and lowercase letter O.
You can leave the hat “as is” or have students glue their completed craftivity to the suitcase pattern.
A luggage tag for a student’s name, adds some 3D pop, when the top portion is glued to the handle of the suitcase, then bent up.
Today's featured FREEBIE also has a Seuss theme featuring the Grinch.
Celebrate Seuss with these two rhyming & writing, Grinch-themed "craftivities". One features two writing prompts.
Students think of things that make them grin like the Grinch, jotting these down on the left side. On the right side, they list things that make them "grinchly and grumpy".
The other craft is a "doorknobber". On the front, students glue their photo face over the Grinch's, after they color it. On the back, they list all of the words that they can think of that rhyme with whatever word you assign. I chose Grinch and Seuss.
Samples of both are included, so you can easily show examples to your students to help explain what you want them to do.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
The sun is shining, which makes the cold and windy weather almost bearable.
Wishing you a wonderful week.
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford
1-2-3 Come Do Some Green Eggs And Ham Activities With Me
Do you read “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss? It’s one of my students’ favorites.
Besides reading the story to my kiddos I sometimes like to show them a video.
The one to the left is an 8-minute, animated version that aired on TV. (Click the picture to take a look.)
The other video is the story being read.
You could turn the sound off and have the children read along; however, the pages turn rather quickly.
As a transitional activity, to be done after students read the story, I designed a cute "Green Eggs and Ham" writing prompt.
Introduce the lesson with the graphing extension, which you can laminate and hang on the board.
Students write their name on the graph as to whether they like or don't like green eggs and ham, then complete their writing prompt activity.
Keep things simple for younger students, who simply fill in the blanks on their worksheet, then draw pictures of foods that they like and dislike.
I've included my full-color samples, so that you can quickly print off an example to share.
Older students can expand their writing on one of the two, blank worksheet options.
For that finishing touch, students can glue their school photo to the top of the page.
To add a bit of pizzazz and craftiness to their writing, students can also make the paper plate craft.
Half of a plate, pops out and appears to balance on their traced hand print, much like Sam balances a tray of green eggs and ham throughout the story.
Students draw the foods that they like and don't like on their plate, differentiating the two, by dividing the plate in half.
They can label their plate or glue on the "thumbs up/thumbs down" icons, or "yum/yuk" emojis, which are included.
After they complete their plate, students pick a partner and take turns tracing each other's hand or hand with a bit of arm.
The plate, hand print and worksheet are then glued on a bright colored sheet of construction paper.
Completed projects make an interesting 3D-bulletin board.
I’ve included lime green, polka dot letters, which spell “Hungry For A Good Book?”
Simply print, laminate and trim, then hang the caption above your bulletin board or hallway display.
Today's featured FREEBIE is another Seuss-themed activity.
This craft goes along with "The Cat in the Hat".
The packet includes pocket chart cards for the story elements, as well as a hat craft, which helps students practice sequencing and retelling "The Cat in the Hat" story.
Older students can make their own hat, while younger kiddos can help you make one hat together.
Completed projects look great on hallway lockers.
Clip art was purchased & photographs are Public Domain.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
As I look out my snowy window and listen to the forecast of more to come, I am longing for spring.
"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss
1-2-3 Come Do Some Activities For "Sneezy the Snowman" With Me
Do you read the story “Sneezy the Snowman” by Maureen Wright?
It’s one of my students’ favorite winter books, and perfect for practicing the “sequencing and retelling a story” standards.
With that in mind, I designed three, quick, easy and fun activities that you can make.
I love that YouTube often has children's books being read. It helps me decide if I want to purchase it.
These short clips are also fun to play for my students as a review, after I have read the story. Here's a link featuring a family of voices reading "Sneezy" (4:35 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J6uZLX9tqg
First up is a "Sneezy the Snowman" flip booklet. There are two options to choose from.
Since Sneezy ultimately solves his “too cold-too hot” problem, by eating ice cream, one of the options is an ice cream cone topped with a “scoop” of snowman. Sneezy’s “head” flips up to reveal pages that have been sequenced from the story.
The other option, is a full-bodied snowman, where a big snowball at the base of Sneezy is the cover, which also flips up.
As always, all of my patterns come in black & white for students, as well as full color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make a sample to share.
So that you can diversify your lessons, there are also two page options available.
Choose the set of 6 pages, which have 2 graphics on a page, for younger students, while older students can opt to sequence and assemble 12 pages featuring a single graphic.
Besides sequencing and retelling, students can also get in some writing practice, as there is room to write a sentence at the bottom of the single-graphic pages, and if you need more room, students can finish on the back of the page. If you're using the double-graphic pages, students can write at the top of the flipped-up page.
When everyone is done, “read” the booklet as a whole group, calling on a student to explain what’s happening on that page; they choose another classmate to continue.
Afterwards, for more reinforcement, students can partner up and take turns retelling the story.
Next up is a "Sneezy the Snowman" storytelling wheel.
There are three wheel “cover” options to choose from.
One features Sneezy, another shows children building the snowman, and the 3rd is a full-bodied snowman, where the wheel is the big “snowball” base.
The snowman’s “head” is easily trimmed and glued to the top.
Choose your favorite, or give students a choice. Obviously the "head topper" takes a bit longer, but is my personal favorite.
For more reinforcement, as well as another way to assess comprehension, I’ve also included “color, cut & glue” puzzle worksheets.
Use the full-color versions for an independent center, and print the black and white pattern, so children can arrange their own puzzle.
Another super-fun thing for students to do is to play “Speed”. They pick a partner and race to see who can sequence their puzzle first.
Finally, a storytelling "slider" is another super-fun way to practice these standards. I named this craftivity a slider because students slide a strip filled with graphics through a "window" to retell the story.
Like the wheel craft, there are 3 “outside” slider options available: Sneezy sneezing, a snowman, and one with children building a snowman.
Pick your favorite or give children a choice.
All of them are easy-peasy to cut, as they are in a rectangular shape; however, you can also choose to cut around the snowman. The “slider strip” fits all of the patterns.
Children color, cut & glue their slider strips together, then insert it into the “slits” of their cover.
As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story with a classmate.
I’ve included full-color patterns for you, as well as a black & white templates for students.
As an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension, I’ve also included a “Let’s sequence the story” worksheet, where students color and trim the picture tiles then glue them in the correct order.
The slider, as well as the wheel and booklet packets, also include a “Here’s What Happened” worksheet to help check comprehension. They are different in each one.
The black & white versions can be completed by older students. Use the colorful pattern as a whole group activity, to review the story before little ones begin making their craftivity.
Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet "I love you" ABC activity, which can be a card, magnet, bookmark or writing prompt.
If you've already got Valentine's Day covered, you can use this for Mother's, Father's, or Grandparents Day.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
I'm literally chilling out here in Michigan, as the "Polar Vortex" continues to put us at minus degrees one day, then in the 40s with everything melting on another.
Today everything is beautifully wrapped in dripping ice, as Mother Nature continues to drive us bonkers. Wishing you a warm and wonderful week.
"She's fire and ice. You'll fear the cold and crave the burn." - JM Storm
