World War 2 confuses me. There are so many players, and so many battles and strategic moves, that it’s easy to get them all jumbled up. I’m trying new things to help keep all the facts straight. Have your kids fill out this social studies graphic organizer and draw each country’s flag in the box. This might help them visualize the “teams” involved.
Click here for the free printable PDF: Countries Involved in World War 2 graphic organizer
It’s official. I love using graphic organizers for teaching social studies. This time, I’m having my students teach each other about the causes of World War 2. Each kid will teach 3 other students. They can use their entire sheet for the first person they teach. When they teach the second person, they have to fold the paper so they can’t see the words, but they can use their drawings. For the final person, they can’t use their paper at all.
Click here for the free printable PDF: Causes of World War 2 graphic organizer
My *awesomely clever* friend pulled this prank on her class yesterday: Her class has attendance clothes pins (that each student moves first thing in the morning to show they’re present). Well yesterday, they shrunk! She went to Walmart and bought the tiny clothes pins and then wrote each student’s name on one. Then she clipped them where the regular sized ones always are. The kids “kind of freaked out!” Love it!!!
I’m lame. I’ll just admit it. I usually forget to plan something cool for April Fool’s. I’m the one looking for a last-minute joke to play so I don’t expose myself as a lame-wad. So here are some of my favorite last minute April Fool’s Day pranks for teachers to play on their students:
Last Minute Pranks (No prep required)
Some prep required
More prep required
Click here for more April Fool’s Day ideas.
The California science standards for 1st grade require students to:
1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that the sun and moon appear to rise in one part of the sky, move across the sky, and set; and stars other than our sun are visible at night but not during the day.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of star patterns is limited to stars being seen at night and not during the day.]
1-ESS1-2. Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on relative comparisons of the amount of daylight in the winter to the amount in the spring or fall.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to relative amounts of daylight, not quantifying the hours or time of daylight.]
This graphic organizer is one way to start teaching these concepts. Click here to get the free printable PDF: Earth’s Place in the Universe graphic organizer
The California Science Standard for 1st grade (1-LS3-1) says “Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents. [Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include features plants or animals share. Examples of observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are the same shape but can differ in size; and, a particular breed of dog looks like its parents but is not exactly the same.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include inheritance or animals that undergo metamorphosis or hybrids.]”
This seemed like a perfect concept to make a graphic organizer for! I’ve also uploaded the pictures you can use to help your students think of examples.
Click here for the free printable PDF: How are Babies Different From Adults Graphic Organizer
Click here for the example pictures: Plants and Animals – baby and adult pictures
Yay for graphic organizers! I’m getting good at them. I’m finding that the key is to make them simple so that the format doesn’t distract kids. Anyway, here’s my newest social studies graphic organizer. It’s about the causes of World War 1. It’s similar to the other social studies graphic organizers I’ve made.
Click here for the free printable PDF: Causes of World War 1 graphic organizer
I’ve got another graphic organizer for you! This is my second graphic organizer on states of matter. It would be effective to teach students with one graphic organizer and then test them with another (since they cover the same content). Using a second graphic organizer could be a good review right before an exam/state test also.
Click here for the free printable PDF: States of Matter graphic organizer
Don’t forget that today’s the last day of my first giveaway!
Squarehead Teachers 