With all the fun and excitement of Halloween lingering just around the corner, it is easy for teachers and parents to get caught up in the spirit of the holiday and let the educational lessons lapse. Poetry is a great tool to keep kids motivated in reading and writing, and is very easily linked t...
Celebrating Halloween provides an enjoyable and creative focus for both reading and writing activities, assignments, and projects. From review activities, to cross-curricular projects, the autumn holiday provides opportunities for pupils to utilize and demonstrate their learning. The following ar...
Establishing an environment that is both equal and safe for all learners is the responsibility of all professional educators. This means creating a place where each learner is given a voice and all students are encouraged and supported in risk taking. Accomplishing this scenario requires a carefu...
On October 8, 2012, our country will celebrate Columbus Day to acknowledge when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas in 1492. With controversy continuously looming over the holiday, we, as teachers, can capitalize on the opportunity by holding a class debate over who really disc...
If you ask someone what Labor Day is, what kind of answer do you get? Some might shrug and respond, “I don’t know,” but many will tell you it’s a holiday that they have free from school or work to give workers a day off. Labor Day is also a day for barbeques and an indicat...
July is National Blueberry Month! The tribute dates back to May 1999 when the United States Department of Agriculture decided to recognize the states that produce blueberries. Currently, thirty-eight states are producing blueberries, which in turn are producing 90% of the berries world-wide. The ...
The 4th of July is a time of celebration. As a nation, we take the day to shout, in our own ways, "I love being an American!" Whether it be a family get together, neighborhood barbeque, or fireworks display, our nation still celebrates its birth in style. It is a perfect holiday to encourage our ...
Summer months are a wonderful time to grab a tote bag full of good books and set off for sunny adventures. Young readers will love local library summer reading incentive programs and story hours. While the library is sure to have plenty of title suggestions, here are some of my students' favorite...
Observed each May, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is an initiative to encourage and inspire people of all ages to pursue physical fitness as one component of a healthy lifestyle. The 2012 theme is “Let’s Move in School”, which is focused on raising the awareness of students’ physical ...
Picture the pioneers, crossing America with blistering sun exposure. We don’t often think of how they coped with the issues of skin cancer. Although some Native American tribes did use the white powder of aspen bark to protect their skin, sunscreen, as we know it, wasn’t mass-produced until the l...
If I had a dollar for every student who told me they hated reading, I could retire right now. As a teacher of remedial reading in East Nashville, most of my pupils come to me with exclusively bad experiences with reading. To them, reading is not an activity in itself, but rather a dull, frustrati...
Mother’s Day, celebrated the second Sunday of May, is a wonderful time to honor another special educator in a child’s life, his mother. If you are looking for some history behind this important day, as well as some engaging and eco-friendly Mother’s Day activities to try with your class, then rea...
Each day, teachers make a difference in their communities and the lives of their students. That impact is far reaching; the result of tremendously talented individuals who go above and beyond their job descriptions. During the week of May 7-11, take time to recognize and celebrate educators in ...
As the school year wanes and standardized testing comes to a close, students are itching to be out of the classroom. Elementary school teachers often scramble during this time to keep them engaged, while simultaneously reviewing and preparing them for the next grade level. This can be particularl...
Long before e-mails zipped across the oceans in seconds, there were more traditional forms of written communication. One favorite that remains is writing postcards. With thousands of designs conveying the beauties and wonders of places near and far, postcards are excellent mediums for encouraging...
