Let’s celebrate the DAYS…

• March 1^st is Plan A Solo Vacation Day. Here’s $10,000.  Where are you going; what are you doing; how long are you going to be gone? Details please!
• March 3^rd is I Want You To Be Happy Day!   Write about several things that make you really happy and why.  Or… Write about who you want to make happy and how you go about doing that.
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• March 4^th is Courageous Follower Day.  They say that one should have the courage to die for the things they believe in.  Do you have strong convictions about something that you are willing to die for?  What are they?  Or… do you have a hero that you think is really courageous; a person that you look up to?  Why?
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• USA Memory Day is March 5^th.  What’s your favorite childhood memory?  You’re in a Time Machine and I’ve just warped you back to that year.  Tell me about it.
• Daughters’ and Sons’ Day is March 7^th.  Pretend you are a parent.  If you are a girl, you have a daughter.  If you are a boy, you have a son.  What have you named your child?  What do they look like?  Will you raise them like your parents are raising you or will you do things differently?  Why or why not?
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• It’s Mardi Gras the 8^th.  Check out the famous one in New Orleans, then picture this scenario: I’ve just given you $5,000.  You can fly there with 3 friends.  Who are you taking?  How long will you stay?  Where will you go? What will you do?  Where will you stay?  Details please-start to finish. Or… you have $2,000 and can have a Mardi Gras party here.  Tell me all about it from the invites to the decorations; from your guests to the food and entertainment and where it will be held.
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• It’s Get Over It Day! on the 9^th. Who would you like to “Get Over” What? It can be yourself, friends, parents or people in general.  Why so you want them to "Get over it"?
• March 9^th is also Panic Day! What types of things throw you in an utter panic?  What can you do to settle yourself down?  Who is best at calming you?
• It’s International Day of Awesomeness on March 10^th.  What would make a truly awesome day for you? Or…who is the most awesome person you know and why are they so awesome?
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• Donald Duck Day is March 13^th.  Out of all the cartoon characters past or present, which one are you most like and why?
• Daylight Saving Time begins on March 13^th.  Do you like Daylight Saving Time?  Why or why not? What do you plan to do with the extra hours of daylight?
• March 14^th is International Ask A Question Day.  You can ask anyone living or dead one question and they will give you a correct answer! Who and what will you ask and why?
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• It’s Brutus Day the 15^th. Have you ever been bullied?  Tell me about it.  Or… here’s the scenario:  You see 2 young children being bullied on the playground at recess.  Both of them are crying.  What do you do?
• Absolutely Incredible Kid Day is March 17^th. You’re in charge of giving this award away.  Who do you give it to and why?  Or… Incredible Kid is a super hero and it’s you!  What kinds of powers do you have and how do you make your school, family and the world a better place?
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• Happy St. Patrick’s Day March 17^th.  You catch a leprechaun and he has to grant you 3 wishes.  What are they and why are you wishing them? Or… you’ve followed the leprechaun to the end of the rainbow and he must give you his pot of gold.  How much is in it and what do you spend it on and why?
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• It’s Awkward Moments Day the 18^th.  What’s the most awkward moment you’ve ever had? If you could do it over what would you do differently?
• Forgive Mom and Dad Day is the 18^th. Do you have to forgive your mom and dad for anything? Why is forgiveness important?  Why is it hard sometimes?  Is there anyone in your life right now that you need to forgive? How do you go about doing that?
• March 22^nd is As Young As You Feel Day.  If you could go back to being a certain age again would you?  Why or why not.  If yes, what age would you like to be again and why?
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• It’s International Goof – Off Day the 22^nd.  Your teachers have said you can goof off all day at school!  Sounds fun, but this could be sort of boring.  All day is a long time, because you can’t leave school.  So what are your plans?
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• National Puppy Day is March 23^rd.  You can have any puppy you like.  What does he/she look like?  What do you name him/her?
• March 23^rd is Kick Butts Day. Have you ever been tempted to smoke a cigarette? Would you like to try it? Why or why not?  Do your parents/grandparents smoke?  How do you feel about this?  Or… Is your state a smoke free state?  How do you feel about that?
• Make Up Your Own Holiday Day is March 26^th.  Go for it! What’s the name of your holiday and what are you celebrating and why?

• March 31^st is Mule Day. Are you stubborn?  Do you think it’s important to be stubborn about some things? Why or why not?

That’s it for the DAYS…

Now for the WEEKLY celebrations…

• It’s National Write A Letter of Appreciation Week the 1-7^th. Who do you appreciate? Well what are you waiting for?  Write them a letter telling them how much you appreciate what they do!
• The 6-12^th is Celebrate Your Name Week.  Do a little research then write about it.  Ask your parents why they named you what they did.  Do you like your name?  Why or why not?  What does your name mean? What are a few famous people that have your name?  How popular is you’re name? Google names and you’ll find all sorts of cool sites and info.
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• National Words Matter Week is also the 6^th-12^th.  What are some words that really matter to you?  Do they need to be said to someone special?  How ‘bout saying them and writing down how that felt.  OR…writing them down and delivering an anonymous message.
• This is a busy week as it’s also Read an E-Book Week.  Read a short one and then compare that to a paper one you’ve read.  Write a 2-paragraph compare and contrast paper of which media you like better.  Or… do you think our society will ever become paperless?  Why or why not?  Share pro’s/con’s to that as well as your feelings.
• Moving on to the 7^th-13^th leads us to National Procrastination Week!  Are you a procrastinator? Would you like to change?
• It’s Wildlife Week the 13-20.  If you could be any animal in the wild what animal would you like to be and why? Or… out of all the animals running wild which one are you most like and why?
• Sherlock Holmes Weekend is the 18^th-20^th.  Snuggle up with your buds and rent a classic as well as read a short story about this great detective then compare the two.  Write about which you liked better.  Or… You’re the detective.  Someone’s been kidnapped from your school!  How do you go about solving the crime?

Celebrating all MONTH long:

• It’s Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month.  You HAVE to carry this little critter with you at ALL times.  What’s his name?  What does he look like?  How do you explain him to your family, teachers, and friends?  You write the story.
• It’s Deaf History Month. To experience how this might feel plug your ears with cotton or ear plugs.  Meditate for a while how awful it would be to have this disability and then write about it.  Or… if you had to give up one of your senses which one would it be and why did you choose that one.  Or… how can you as one person be kinder to the handicapped? Or… go online to one of the ASL sites and learn how to say at least 2 things in sign language and then write about which ones you chose and why.  Then communicate in sign with a friend.

• It’s International Ideas Month.  You’ve just received the green light for your patent.  What’s your idea and how will it help mankind?
• You’re in charge of Music in Our Schools Month.  Besides being allowed to play 10 minutes worth of music at the end of the day what else have you planned for students in your school and what music do you plan to play each day?
• National Athletic Training Month is going on.  You’ve been invited to join the team of your dreams! Which one is it and why is that the sport for you?
• It’s National Color Therapy Month. So if colors improve a person’s mood what color have you decided to wear all month and paint your room?  You’ve been given $2,000 for this makeover! Tell me about it!
• March is National Eye Donor Month.  Here’s the scenario.  You’ve been in an awful car accident where you lost your sight.  A young person was killed in the other vehicle and donated their eyes and they are now yours.  Tell me about this wonderful gift of sight and how you feel.
• It’s National Kite Month and you’re at the annual Kite Festival in Japan.  What does your kite look like.  Who’s with you and do you win?
• March is On-Hold Month.  Being put on-hold drives me crazy! What kinds of things really bug you and what can you do to keep them from driving you bananas?
• March is National Women’s History Month.  Pick a woman in history, do some research and write a 2-paragraph summary about them.
• It’s Optimism Month.  Do you see the glass as half full or half empty?  What are the advantages of being an optimist?
• It’s Poison Prevention Awareness Month. National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week is the 20-26^th.  Here’s the scenario:  You go over to your friend’s home and they are ill from sniffing glue.  What do you do?  Why is this wrong and a dangerous thing to do?  How can you help and advise your friend?
• The Ocean Festival Season begins March 5^th and runs through June 13^th.  If you could be any creature mythical or real under the sea what would you be and why?  Or… you’re the captain of a treasure hunting crew. You seek out sunken vessels.  You’ve just found one! Tell me about your adventure from start to exciting finish.

I hope some of these national day, week and month-long celebrations get your students enthused about writing.  I truly believe that if students are excited about a topic they will WANT to write.  The more they write the better they'll get.  The better they write, the more they'll want to write.  It's like the  proverbial snowball rolling down the hill. 

Since it's almost springtime, let's use the analogy of a pebble thrown into a thawing pond where the ripples continue to reverberate!  So, as always, by all means....

WRITE ON!