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!
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):
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!
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.
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.
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:
This idea was suggested to me by a 2nd grade teacher. She has her students glue handouts like into their literacy journals. This is my handout (2 per page, so cut in half before passing them out) for personal narratives. It will help your students get started and know some basic elements to include.
Click here for the free printable handout: Personal Narrative Notes for Literacy Journal
February 19 marks the anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japan, in World War 2 (in 1945). This is an important part of American World War 2 history, which many upper grade students learn about. Here’ s a page I put together to teach my students about this landmark battle. It provides basic information (text from ducksters.com) and asks students to write a 5-6 sentence summary using the information.
Click here for the free printable PDF: WW2 Iwo Jima article to summarize
Here are some additional interesting facts about the Battle of Iwo Jima:
A huge thank you to all the servicemen/women and their families who have and continue to fight for American freedom!
Here’s a timeline that gives the overview of the major events in World War II (text modified from ducksters.com). This is a great review activity for upper grades learning world or American history. It’s got 9 comprehension questions at the end.
Click here for the free printable PDF:World War II Timeline worksheet
Thank you to all the servicemen/women and their families for preserving American freedom!
Here are the answers:
Squarehead Teachers 