Summer Resources

My district has another month of school.  Here's a fun way to think about Summer with these fun resources:

Summer Poetry Writing

This is a resource designed to assist students in writing their own Summer poems. You will find helpful vocabulary associated with summer terminology, templates for writing poetry, some samples to help students get started and task cards to add to your poetry station. Summer templates include the following poetry forms: ABC Poem, Acrostic, Cinquain, Concrete, Couplet, Diamante, Free Verse, Haiku and Quatrain Poetry. A student-friendly rubric is also included. 

Summer Themed Writing Paper

This package includes summer letter writing paper and lined paper for emergent and established writers. Art work created includes an ant, sun, ice cream cone, fish, kite, pail & shovel. Bonus gift tags included.

Summer Silly Sentences for Fluent Readers

Silly sentences have always been a fun way to explore sentence building and recognizing parts of speech. Students in grades 3 through 6 will have the opportunity to use subject, verb and complement cards to build and simplify silly sentences. Challenging verb cards are included with this unit as well as nouns associated with the Summer theme, a blank sentence building template, display and label cards and a synonym chart. This is a perfect activity to use in your Word Work Stations or as an extra project for early finishers. 

Summer Math Stations

This Math Stations pack includes 5 games with a summer theme. Students from grades 3 to 6 will practice their addition, multiplication and place value facts. A description of each game is listed below:

1) SUMS & DOUBLE SCOOPS: Students will generate sums and then double them. The student who covers three answers in a row is declared the winner.2) SUMS THEN DOUBLE + 1: Students will generate sums, double them and then add 1. This game is in a bump game format.3) RACE TO THE SUN: Numbers will be added and then multiplied by 10. The first person to reach the sun is declared the winner.4) RACE TO THE FISHBOWL: Using a game board format, students will generate products based on cubes or cards numbered 1 through 10. How a student moves on the board depends on his or her product.5) ODD & EVEN PLACE VALUE RACE: This game is played using place value from 0 to 99. Players move on the game board depending on whether or not the number generated is odd or even. A variation may be played by dividing the number by 2.

Summer Roll a Story

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with a summer theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (summer & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages. 

Father's Day Resource Round Up

Here are some fun ways to honor fathers on Father's Day.  Those who have worked tirelessly at fatherhood, created bonds or have been an influence on fathers in society can be celebrated with some fun quick writing activities:

Father's Day Quick Writes

Add a fun spin to a writing project for Father's Day with this specialty writing paper for emergent and established writers:

Father's Day Writing Paper

Here's a free printable for a Father's Day Card:

Father's Day Free Printable

Planning Ahead for a Full Year of Writing

As the school year winds down, many teachers are caught between thinking about finishing the year off and then planning ahead for the next school year.  If you've been placed in a variety of different grades in the same school, the thought of taking on a whole new grade can be overwhelming.  My last placement had me in grades 4/5, 5, 5/6, 6 and then 3/4 within a five year stretch.  I stopped questioning why but starting asking myself "What can I do to make this grade change easier for myself?"  I began creating my own units for writing.  I knew I had to teach writing genres in each of those grades but I wanted to be able to move into different grades and combined grades knowing my students could still use the resources I developed.

In some cases, I taught students for two years in a row.  The one thing I knew was they had to comprehend the writing form but I could differentiate for them by allowing them some choice in their writing.  Here's a fun "snippet" of what my writing for the year program looks like:

Writing for the Year Sampler

If you're planning to a full year writing program, this sampler contains some ideas to get you started. This resource includes: a writing organizer with sample ideas, sample narrative writing task cards, a descriptive warm-up, transitions word list, procedural writing sample anchor chart and specialty writing paper. 

The End of a School Year - Ideas to Keep Students Engaged

As the school year winds down, keeping students engaged can be a difficult task.  Here are some activities I have tried with students.  Some are cross-curricular while others involve gathering memories into a keepsake:

Think about all the Math strands you have taught.  If you live in a jurisdiction that has worked through standardized testing, you have most likely taught all the strands a lot sooner than year end.  This activity from grades 3 to 6 has worked.  Students love it, parents love it and I love it!

We often brainstorm how Math could be an person, place or thing.  Our title for our final display is "If Math Were.."  Most students like to keep the theme the same.  For example, we have written about Math being a sport, food, animal or person.

One year we did a range.  Students could choose whichever topic they wanted.  They were encouraged to think mathematically about their choice through three of the math strands.  Below is a sampling of "If Math were An Animal".

After writing about their topic mathematically, students were able to create a showcase of their topic. Many students chose to draw, sculpt, create dioramas or even act out their topics.  Creating a class book with the final products is a great way to keep students' work.  Taking a photo of the display and holding on to that will ensure students can take their artwork home.

If "Math Were a Sport" is a great one to use especially when the Olympics are taking place.  I love how students write very "visually" about their choices.  The geometry of a hockey rink, the dimensions of a basketball court or the 3-dimensional figures of a gymnastics studio.  Students become very creative and confident about writing when they are writing about something they are passionate about. 

"If Math were Food" was one of the first topics I explored with students.  These students were in Third Grade.  Their choices included pizza, lasagna, waffles and a myriad of desserts.  They wrote about sharing, fractions, cooking time, shape and size.  When students have real world connections, it is easier to write about them.

A fun way to create a memory book is to create an accordian booklet.  

Creating some "High 5" memories include making lists, writing about their year in review.  A fun autograph page is included plus covers for grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.  This little booklet has been a great way to create memories for combined grades.

Mother's Day Resource Round Up

Here are some fun ways to honor mothers on Mother's Day.  Those who have worked tirelessly at motherhood, created maternal bonds or have been an influence on mothers in society can be celebrated with some fun quick writing activities:

Mother's Day Quick Writes

Students will have an opportunity to choose from 5 quick writing tasks.  They can be compiled into a fun booklet or be turned into cards or scrolls.  These include:

- Mother’s Day Similes

- Mother’s Day Rhyming Couplets
- A Mother’s Point of View Letter
- Writing about Then & Now
- Helping Hands Checklist

For those students wishing to create their own written masterpieces, they may appreciate some themed writing paper:

Mother's Day Writing Paper

Here's a fun free download. Have students create their own pop up card:

Mother's Day Pop Up Card Free Printable

So You Have to Teach Stem and Leaf Plots

I remember changing grades one year and reading over the curriculum.  I envisioned a plant when I saw the words "stem and leaf plots".  I quickly ran to my same grade partner and asked her "What on earth are stem and leaf plots?"  She laughed out loud because I drew one on the board thinking the "stem" was the "stem" and the "leaf" was the "leaf" of a plot.

This concept is a tricky one but can be explained easily if students see it as a bar graph turned on its side.  A good stem and leaf plot shows the first digits of the number (thousands, hundreds or tens) as the stem and the last digit (ones) as the leaf.

Always using topics students are familiar with helps.  I've often turned to things students like:  bus trips, ice cream, bowling scores.  Ending the unit with a game also keeps students aware of place value when it comes to teaching stem and leaf plots. 

For extension activities, think of ways to incorporate the measures of central tendency into stem and leaf plot practice.  Why not take the data and determine the mean, median, mode and range?  Below is a sample of the unit I developed to assist my students in comprehending stem and leaf plots. 

Stem and Leaf Plots - Guided and Independent Practice

Everything Earth Day

April 22nd marks the anniversary of a modern environmental movement.  Explore Earth Day and what students can do to help our environment.  Here are a few activities to prepare for this.  You will find Media Literacy, Language Arts, Math and Science activities to keep your students engaged.

Here are some great Earth Day activities to keep your students engaged in Language Arts, Science, Media Literacy and Math curriculums. There are several ideas for large group, small group and individual activities. These include: sorting parts of speech, letter and poetry writing, oral communication activities, Science experiments, tips for Media Literacy and managing data from everyday garbage/compost/recycling materials. A vocabulary list is also included.

Earth Day Math games are a fun way to celebrate April 22nd. This package includes 3 games. The first game involves adding two numbers to generate a sum and then multiplying the sum by 3 (representing the 3 R's of recycling) . The second game involves using 3 numbers to generate an answer as close to 22 as possible (representing the 22nd). Students have the opportunity to use any of the basic operations to produce an answer. The final game involves place value. Students use 4 or 3 digits in the 1000,100,10 or 1's place to represent the number 2204 (for 22 April) or 224 (differentiated). Full instructions, game cards and playing boards are included.

This package of writing paper contains friendly letter writing paper, emergent journal paper for half pages and full pages, as well as established journal paper for half pages and full pages with an Earth day Theme . Images include a recycling bin, a garbage can, planet earth, bear holding an earth balloon, earth day pencil, bear holding a recycling box and bear holding the earth. 

Celebrate Earth Day with 5 quick writing activities. You will find an Earth Day vocabulary list, specialty writing paper and templates for each of the following tasks: 

- Earth Day “To Do” List
- Earth Day Slogans
- Earth Day Guess the Word
- If Earth Could Speak Letter Writing
- Earth Day Rhyming Couplets

These may be used for writing stations or as part of a choice activity.

Students will be prompted to tell or write story with an Earth Day theme. This unit includes a story prompt sheet, graphic organizers, word lists (Earth Day & transition words), rubric and specialty writing paper with full and half lined pages.


Earth Day Free Craft Instructions


Here's a fun way to get your students involved in ways to make earth friendly choices. This freebie gives you directions on how to design your own light switch covers for your classroom or for the entire school. This is a great activity for your earth friendly school clubs or even a classroom project for Earth Day. Step by step instructions are included.