Rainbow Fish Activities (1)

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

The Children’s book, Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, has always had a special spot in my heart. From the time it was published in 1992, I have loved the illustrations, and especially the morals (sharing and humility brings happiness). The author has since published many more books that teach about character and social skills (click here for more information). I think these books are perfect for classrooms, especially since schools are being given more and more responsibility for teaching children basic character and social skills. So here are a few activities to do after reading the book. Use each activity as an opportunity to discuss these character traits and social skills with your class.

Trace hands and make fancy fish (source).

Create a class wall piece showing the qualities of a friend (source).

Paint bubble wrap and then press it onto paper like it’s a stamp (source).

Counting on Fingers (Number Sense Activity)

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I love this math activity. It’s genius on so many levels! This would help students with addition and subtraction, but also to teach “the 9’s trick” with multiplication! It would be a great introductory/review activity at the beginning of the year, especially to have each student trace their own hands and make one of these themselves. (source)

I know many parents (and some teachers) don’t like it when kids use their fingers to count or do math. Many see it as a sign of weakness of lack of understanding. However, each time you allow a child to use their fingers (or a hundreds chart or multiplication chart, for that matter) to get the right answer, you’re providing them an opportunity to discover and work for the CORRECT answer. Eventually kids will learn their facts from repetition or they’ll get tired of being the only one without them memorized and they’ll fix the problem. After all, speed isn’t what’s important in math. YES, it definitely helps and it has clear advantages, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. There, I’m done with my soap box; I’ll put it away now. 🙂

Inquiry Lesson: Sieve of Eratosthenes (Prime Numbers)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

A friend of mine uses this lesson to teach her students about prime numbers, and prime factorization. (Note the lesson plan’s author is also named Mindy!). I’ve tried it with 6th graders and it’s pretty clear cut. Each student gets to work with a different number, creating a good learning experience for all. Here’s the lesson: Math Inquiry Lesson

If you’re not familiar with the Sieve of Eratosthenes, here’s the Wikipedia article.

St. Patrick’s Day Story Starters (with planning sheet)

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I’ve found kids write better stories when they think about the parts of a story, plan them one at a time, and then put it together. This is exactly when my St Patrick’s Day story starters intended to go. I made two for my students to choose from. They use the picture as a spring board and then plan/write from there.

Click here for the free printable PDFs:
St Patrick’s Day Story Starter 1
St Patrick’s Day Story Starter 2

Want more story starters? Click here!

Free DVD for Teachers

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

The following was submitted by a fellow teacher: “Izzit.org is a website that gives teachers a free DVD once a year. You do have to log in and set up a free account. But free is free!”

This piqued my interest (I’m all about free stuff!), so I did some research.They have a free membership and a paid membership. Here’s what you get in the free membership (as quoted from their website):

A FREE video each year: Receive a FREE video, complete with Table of Contents, Teacher’s Guide, Discussion Questions, Quizzes, and more, each year for as long as you teach! Just provide feedback after using the video in your classroom.
Educational Standards Alignment: See how each video meets your state standards, or search for which of our videos meet a specific standard. Now includes Common Core Standards.
Current Events: Two daily lessons with news articles and stimulating discussion questions.
Student Zone: Allows your students to access Current Events, games, and other resources.

I couldn’t find details about exactly what free DVD you get every year, but it’s worth investigating! There are always resources seeking your money and there are plenty of awesome teacher resources out there for sale. But if you’re like me and don’t have the luxury of extra funds, this might be a cool option. Here’s a link to the FAQ if you want more information.

Have something you’d like to share on Squarehead Teachers! Let me know!

Poster Board Character Presentation

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I saw this cute idea at a charter school a while back. The students were assigned to research a famous person, prepare a report and then present their findings to the class. They each made a poster of the person and cut out a circle so they could stick their face through as if they were the character. For example, in the picture above, the student presented as if he was Abraham Lincoln. This works with a regular poster (if the student holds up the poster while they talk) or with a 3-fold presentation board (which stands up on its own).

I’ve also seen this kind of thing done as a “museum,” where all the students are in a large room and as guests walk by, they give their presentation or answer questions as if they were the famous person.

Free SeaWorld Ticket for Teachers (2014)

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

SeaWorld tickets sticker I recently heard about a cool promotion SeaWorld is doing for teachers. Here’s the explanation from the website:

“The education staff at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment invites you to visit your local SeaWorld park and let us help inspire you. For several years, SeaWorld has offered a complimentary teacher pass for some teachers located in Florida, Texas or Southern California where our parks are located. The pass provides you with complimentary admission to the park and access to our education team to help you incorporate our knowledge , passion and experience with marine animals into your classroom.

Each park has different eligibility requirements, so click on your local park to find out more. And when you visit our park, seek out our education staff located at many of the animal exhibits or ask to visit our education departments and we’ll be happy to share how we can help incorporate marine science education into your classroom.”

Tickets valid in 2014, but some parks do the program every year. Some parks require an earlier registration for the ticket, so check the website using the links above.

What Did You Learn Today Poster

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

This idea came from a first grade teacher. She’s got a laminated poster (with a bunch of blank space on it) on her wall. Everyday, the class reviews things they learned that day. She’s got the students in a rotation schedule so everyone gets to be the scribe. The students like writing on the poster and it’s a great end-of-the-day review. Here’s her poster: