Teaching Strategies - Daily, Weekly, Month Calendar Observances

Have you heard the saying that 'everyday is a holiday'? Actually it is!!  A fun way to get your school day off and running is to take 5 to 10 minutes to feature the holiday of the day.  There are many things you can do - and activity sheet  - a web based scavenger hunt - a costume day - a video---featuring that particular holiday.

Here's an example! Today is George Washington's birthday. Start out with trivia based fun facts.
What did George Washington eat for breakfast? Did he really have wooden teeth? What was his favorite food?  Here'a  good source to find those answers:  http://www.thequestingfeast.com/articles/George_Washington_Food.html

The Men on the Mountain activity is a good follow up to this discussion.

Find the activity at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/US-Presidents-Day-Bundle-1702046

Another Teaching Tool - Fun With Acrostics

Acrostics are a great tool to use in broadening students thinking about a particular topic! Students write the letters of the assigned topic/word down the left side of a sheet of paper - one letter per line. Students then are asked to write about the topic incorporating the letters on each line in their description.

Let's take a look a specific example!

This activity focuses on pedestrian safety. The acrostic is in two formats - A 'complete the sentence' activity where students fill in the missing word and a blank sheet that allow students to be creative in writing their descriptions.

Find this activity at the KidZ Learning Connection Store:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kidz-Learning-Connections

Picture It! Write It! A Vocabulary Teaching Strategy

Most of us are visual learners. Most of us learn by doing something with the new topic - word - concept - idea. 

This tool is  great way for students to learn new vocabulary words. Here's how it works! Students draw a picture or write descriptive words about the topic. They then respond to the writing prompt using the picture or words to guide the writing. 

A simple, but effective visual learning tool!