Helpful Teaching Websites

I Heart Teaching - An amazing blog that offers endless ideas for teaching Language Arts.

Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog - Another amazing classroom blog that even shows children's work samples!

Learning is Messy - An experienced teacher sharing ideas for implementing technology with daily lesson.

Lesson Plan SOS - We all need refreshing ideas for creating meaningful lessons some time or another.

Teaching Blog Addict - Teachers, parents, mentors, and students come together to share what works in the classroom.

Decade Parade

                Have you ever heard the saying, “Remember the good old days?”  Often times, this phrase is meant to remind others of a past time associated with good memories.  Whether you appreciate the current decade you’re living in or you favor an earlier time, we can all think of at least one day, month, year, or decade that was particularly remarkable for us.  But what exactly makes these ‘good times’ good?  Think about what characteristics define a decade: a period of time lasting 10 years.  Features such as technology, medicine, fashion, music, automobiles, food, etc. truly symbolize the ‘sign of the times’.  Regardless of what age you may be, it can be fascinating to compare our current lives with ways people lived in the past. 

                Start by picking a decade you would like to discovery more about.  Using the internet or books available at the library, research the characteristics that represent a decade.  For example, consider the following questions:

• What technology was invented during these 10 years?
• What kinds of cars were popular?
• What music genres, bands, or artists were popular?
• Were there any medical breakthroughs?
• What food was creator during this time?
• What books were written?
• What movies were released?
• How did people spend their free time?
• What fashion trends were popular?

Using the information you found online, create a PowerPoint presentation or design a poster board to show off your fabulous decade!  What better way to represent a past decade than to truly model what life was like?  With a quick visit to your local library or thrift store you may find elements that represent your unique decade, such as 'retro' clothing, board games, and music albums.

                Now that you’ve discovered a past decade, think about what life was truly like years ago.  Would you like to have lived back then?  Why or why not?  How is this decade similar/different from our current decade?  What do you think our future decade will hold for us?

Trade Fair Share

                Have you ever entered a store and saw a new toy or computer game that you absolutely had to have?  After looking at the price tag, you realize that you haven’t saved enough money from doing chores or working at a job.  What do you do?  What if you could trade an item that you no longer play with for this new toy or computer game that you want?  

©Google Images

Believe it or not, trading items within families and communities was a common way to acquire new supplies necessary for survival.  During the early 1500’s, individuals living in North America, Canada, and Europe found trading to be an easier way to obtain new or gently used objects that they were in need of.  Items such as animal furs, spices, meat, and hunting supplies were commonly traded for other items equal in value.

Think about what might happen if you were to trade an item that you already own.  Who would decide what the worth of your computer game or toy is?  Although your toy may represent a positive memory for you, does that mean another person should value your item as much? How do you think the people living hundreds of years ago determined the worth of an object to ensure a fair trade?

5 Things – Shoebox Activity

With the spring and summer months approaching, it won’t be too long before tornado, flood, and hurricane warnings plaster our worldwide newspapers and televisions.  Living in the Midwest, I have always been somewhat concerned with the risk of a natural disaster damaging my home and surrounding community.  Although the chance of a disaster such as a hurricane directly hitting Northwest Indiana is slim-to-none compared with the risk for those living in the South-Southeastern United States, I often ask myself,

“What would I do if a disaster was to strike my community?  Where would my family vacate to?  What would I take with me?  What would I leave behind?”

Given the scenario, ask yourself what you might take with you knowing that whatever is left behind may be permanently damaged; if were asked to only take 5 items with you that could be stored in a standard-sized shoebox, what would you take? 

•  What items did you choose to take with you? 
• Why did you choose these items?
• What items did you choose to leave behind?   
• How were you able to choose what to take and what to leave behind?

  For many individuals, items that represent positive memories are the first to be chosen, such as photos, home videos, and knickknacks.  The idea of gathering a few of your most beloved items and vacating to a new destination was an experience also felt by individuals emigrating to new countries, hundreds of years ago.  Think about what items may have been taken with these people and what items were left behind.  How do you think they made the choice of what to leave behind?

Play-Doh Maps

Pick one country- from anywhere in the world (besides the country you currently live in).  

• What do you already know about this country? 
• How was it named?  What does its name represent?
• What is the population?
• How is this country’s culture unique?
• What does this country’s flag look like?  What do the colors and shapes on the flag symbolize?
• What popular landmarks are there?

 

         After researching the characteristics of their diverse country, students could create a topographical map of their country using different colored Play-Doh or from painting dried salt dough.

         Unlike maps you may find in an atlas, topographical maps show the terrain or physical landscapes of a location.  These physical features on a map include mountain ranges, volcanoes, oceans, and rivers.   Using Play-Doh, students could also recreate their countries flag using the same colors and shapes displayed.

                Once the Play-Doh maps and flags have been assembled, host a friendly show-and-tell where students can explain why they chose their country, what they found interesting about this location, and what their flag symbolizes.

If you were asked to complete this project, what country would you choose?

All About Me

©ltvmom.com

                 The beginning of a new school year always means the introduction of new subjects, teachers, and peers in my classroom.  Although this experience certainly brings a refreshing change to my own education, it can also bring about worry because of not knowing what to expect.  As a teacher and a student, I have found that one of the most beneficial ways to ease this transition from feeling like a visitor in the classroom to an actual member of the learning community is to present ‘All About Me’ projects.

                If you’re a student in a classroom full of peers you don’t know very well or you’re an educator wanting to know more about the young minds you’ll be teaching, ‘All About Me’ projects are a great way to share information about ourselves.  By using an iMovie, PowerPoint presentation, or simply giving students a questionnaire to share with their classmates, students and teachers alike can learn more about the personalities and interests that are held in their community of learning. 

Consider the following questions when composing your own ‘All About Me’ project to share:

•   What is your full name?  How did your parents choose that name?  What are your nicknames?
•   How would you describe your family?  Do you have any siblings?  Pets?
•   What is one tradition your family celebrates?  Describe.
•   What is one very special person you have in your life?  Why are they an important part of your life?
•   What are your hobbies?
•   What are your hopes and dreams?  What do you want to be when you grow up?
•   What are 3 interesting facts about you?
•   Do you have a favorite quote?

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