Chinese New Year – Animal of the Year Graphic Organizer

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Squarehead Teachers

I like using projects year after year. It makes my life easier. This is especially true with holiday projects. There are so many other things to do and update each year, that it’s impossible to keep up. My friend, who teaches kindergarten, recently shared this idea:

In the spirit of working smarter (not harder), I created this graphic organizer to be used year after year, no matter what animal is the animal of the year for Chinese New Year! After talking about what Chinese New Year is, have the kids draw a picture of that year’s animal, and then write ideas about what that animal can do, has and is (see my friend’s example above).

Click here to download the free PDF: Chinese New Year – Animal of the Year

If I Were President (Writing Activity)

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

I’m one of those people who sees an idea, or a printable or a worksheet, and says “Shoot! I don’t have a dollar for that! I should just make one myself!” I know some of you may think I’m crazy for thinking this, but what can I say. I have a non-existent budget and a lot to get done. Today’s post comes from this kind of situation. I saw this idea and made my own version of it. And now you can enjoy it too… for free!

Anyway, since President’s Day is coming up, teachers have an opportunity to discuss the significance of it. (Click here to see my free “What You Need to Know About President’s Day” comprehension worksheet.) For younger kids, you can’t get into as much detail, but you can talk about the president and the importance of the office a little bit. Here’s a fun writing activity that asks students to finish the sentence “if I were President…” This is especially fun for teachers to read. Sometimes kids’ perceptions about what the President can and can’t do is pretty funny!

This page also goes really well with a social studies unit about American government.

So here you have it (two versions), the free printable PDFs:
If I Were President – lower grades (pictured above)
If I Were President – upper grades

Civil Rights Timeline Worksheet for Kids

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Squarehead Teachers

This month is Black History Month. I’ve put together a worksheet that goes over some of the main and significant events in American history relating to civil rights. It involves some reading comprehension and subtraction of dates to answer the 9 questions at the end. I recommend giving this to upper grades (5th or 6th grade).

Click here for the printable PDF: Civil Rights Movement Timeline Worksheet