So, did you survive Halloween? I personally really enjoyed the fact that it was on a Friday this year. 🙂 Now that Halloween is over, I’ve started thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the holidays in general. It’s always such an exciting time of year for the kiddos! Unfortunately, I think it’s all too easy for kids to become too focused on the “gifts” part of the holidays. The media and advertising play a big role in this. BUT I do think we, as teachers and parents, can definitely do something about it! I think it’s important to teach kids about all the ways that people can give to one another. Giving doesn’t have to involve gifts – giving can include helping people in intangible ways, using kind words with others, etc. I recently finished a mini-unit that focuses on just that – teaching kids the many ways that people can give to each other. Read on for some ideas and books about teaching kids how to give, and for more details on the unit! The unit starts by having kids discuss their prior knowledge about giving (which likely includes giving gifts). You’ll make a class chart and/or give students a drawing/writing task to see what students believe about what it means to give (at the end of the unit you’ll give the same assignment to see how the kids have grown!). Then, you’ll use readalouds and writing activities to open kids’ eyes to all of the ways that people give to each other. You definitely won’t need all of these books for the unit, but here are some of the options that you can choose from: Books About Giving Tangible Items: The Mitten Tree (Candace Christiansen) My Most Favorite Thing (Nicola Moon) The Elves and the Shoemaker (Jim Lamarche) Books About Giving Help: Frog and Toad All Year – “The Surprise” (Arnold Lobel) The Berenstain Bears Lend a Helping Hand (Stan Berenstain) My Friend is Sad (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (Mo Willems) When You Are Happy (Eileen Spinelli) The Lion & the Mouse (Jerry Pinkney) A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Philip C. Stead) Books About Giving Kind Words: One (Kathryn Otoshi) Chrysanthemum (Kevin Henkes) Ish (Creatrilogy) (Peter Reynolds) Books About Helping the Community: Boxes for Katje (Candace Fleming) Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen (DyAnne Disalvo-Ryan) City Green (DyAnne Disalvo-Ryan) A Castle on Viola Street (DyAnne Disalvo-Ryan) In addition to the reading and writing activities, the kids will practice giving to their friends and families through a few different activities. They’ll make a “helping chain” with ideas about how they can help others: They’ll also make a coupon book for their families (with ways that they can help out around the house): After these and a few other activities, they will (with your guidance!) plan and implement a very simple community service project. By the end of the unit, the kids should have a more complex and complete understanding of what it means to give to others. The lessons are great for teaching around Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter holidays, Valentine’s Day – or any time at all! The unit also includes supplementary literacy materials like a poem, student reader, and reading passage. Click on the image below to find out more: Happy teaching!
25 summer conversation questions for ESL and IELTS classes.
Hello Friends! Besides working on the set up in my classroom, I am also thinking about the first few weeks of school. My kiddos drop in before school starts and besides giving them a special gift from me, I also ask them to fill out an "All About Me" poster that they take home and fill out with their parents. There are several types that can be purchased and I HAVE purchased them. The problem I have with some of the purchased ones is that they are too large and have too much information on them for a kinder to fill out. I like to display these in the hallway for our Open House and the poster sized ones just take up too much room. So.... I created a one page 8 1/2" x 11" poster that is easy for little ones to do. I have a variety of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper available for them to choose from. I staple the poster to the scrapbook paper and send it home. Adding the poster to the scrapbook paper creates more space for those that want to do more such as adding photographs. To access this free poster, click the image above or below. This is a Google doc download. If your school does not allow downloads from outside your network, you will have to download at home. I also like to do an "All About Me" book with my kinders at the start of the year. But just as with the posters, I have found many "Me" books to be overwhelming to little ones just beginning school. So I have them do a simple "All About Me" book that is easy for them to finish and also continues the tradition of having a beginning of the year keepsake. Find this simple book by clicking the image above or below. Until next time! Blessings,
Unwrap the history behind a spooky Halloween favorite: mummies! With this reading worksheet, your child will learn all about mummies.
his worksheet helps kids practice their writing skills by jotting down fun facts about their friend.
This Frankenstein worksheet is great for teaching kids about classic literature near Halloween. Use this Frankenstein worksheet with your child this October.
Imagine you're sipping "agua dulce" and spending a lazy afternoon on a warm beach as you get to know the beautiful country of Costa Rica!
Planning to incorporate the Chinese New Year into your January lesson plans? This graphic organizer offers a great way for your kiddos to document their learning about the traditions, food, and celebrations that are part of this traditional Chinese holiday! Additionally, here are some great reading selections that you might use to introduce the holiday to your kiddos; "Bringing In the New Year" by Grace Lin "Lucky New Year!" by Mary Man-Kong "Happy, Happy Chinese New Year!" by Hitz Demi "Celebrating Chinese New Year: Nick's New Year" by Rosa Drew "This Next New Year" by Janet S. Wong "D is for Dragon Dance" by Ying Chang Compestine "Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book" byJoan Holub "Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year" by Kate Waters "Lanterns and Firecrackers: A Chinese New Year Story" by Jonny Zucker
Ideas for teaching about the saints to kids. This is perfect for All Saints' Day and has lots of ideas for Catholic schools and homes.
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Tomorrow the United States will make one of the most important decisions in the life of our country. We will all gather together to vote for the office of President. This race has been difficult for many, but that doesn't mean we can't use it as a time to teach our children. At some point in their life, Lord willing, they will also vote for the office of President.
A sugar cookie variant that is great for a cold winter day
All the tips about Japanese money and the numbers you need to know for ordering all your fabric!
My students have been enjoying all of these candy cane goodies! Today's freebie is a reading passage about candy canes.
Celebrate Black History Month by learning about the birth of jazz music, and the history of African-Americans in pop music.
Sacred action is all about us learning how to align our outer lives with our inner core of nature spirituality and connectedness, and ultimately, help us live more regeneratively and with care. Sacred action is about doing small, slow things in our own lives to better align with our sacred nature-based spiritual practices and the
Kumon Blog is for parents looking for tips, news, and advice, that can help advance their children’s ability in math and reading.
In a perfect world, all first dates would be an exciting, romantic, and totally stress-free experience — but in reality, going on a first date usually feels far from easy-breezy. Meeting someone new, especially in a romantic context, is always…
An information poster which I put up in the corridor at my schools around Easter time, although it could easily be made into a worksheet if you created some question cards. - ESL worksheets
Have you ever heard kids complain that there isn't a holiday just for kids? Learn about koinobori with this fun holiday worksheet.
Today I'm sharing a list of 100, yes 100 frugal and fun Summer Activities with you which should be more than enough to see you through the Summer!
Learn Holidays and Special Events vocabulary in English.
Read our local's guide of top things to do in Nara. From temples, to deer park and amazing food we share the best tips to make the most of your trip to Nara
One of the most important things I always do following any break is review our classroom procedures and expectations. This is usually about the time of year when my kids start feeling VERY comfortable with me, and we all start getting a little lax on procedures and rules. Unfortunately, allowing one little thing to slide...
Take a fascinating journey to Ireland with this exciting Ireland Country Study and learn more about the people, food and culture along the way.
Want to help your kids learn about gratitude? Play the gratitude game with them. It's a fun game that the whole family will enjoy!
The Best Random Acts of Kindness Ideas, you'll find over 200 Acts of Kindness Ideas That Will Inspire You, Kindness printables, Simple Acts of Kindness, Kindness ideas for Kids, Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness, Plus, over 100 Examples of Random Acts of Kindness, Kindness Ideas
This All About Me resource is a teacher favorite. It's a great first week of school / back to school activity that is also useful at other times of the year—Back to School, Halloween, New Years, and End of the Year. All About Me "selfie" drawing and writing activity for classroom teachers and art teachers. This activity is a great way to start the year with an introduction and end the year with a reflection! This resource also includes Halloween and New Years selfie activities! My student selfie drawing/writing activity is going to have you on the "favorite trendy teacher" list with your students (and parents) for sure! The 21st-century teacher is hip and in with the times—this lesson will prove that to your students! The writing prompts have also been translated into FRENCH and SPANISH and are included in this product. Included in this resource are selfie drawing/writing activities for: Back-to-School Halloween New Year's Resolutions End of The Year Activities The classroom collection of these student selfies make for a great bulletin board display!! You may also like my All About Me Collaborative Tessellation Project. Using the templates I have created, students draw their selfies (self-portraits) onto a smartphone template handout. They then select from the variety of text messages (writing prompts) and answer questions for back to school, Halloween, New Year's, or End of the Year. This download comes with a PDF slideshow presentation with "famous selfies" examples using artists like Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. Through this fun slide show, students will get to see a modern twist on self-portraits, as they commonly call selfies. This lesson is so much fun, and your kids will love it! This file includes a PowerPoint file with editable slides so you can adjust the product perfectly for any language or interests. Please have a working knowledge of PowerPoint if you intend to edit these slides by inserting text boxes. Editable slides included: Art history slides of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Andy Warhol. Blank art history slides so you can add in an artist from your local area or any artist of your choice. Blank instructions (with images only) so you can translate my English directions to any language you would like. Blank text messaging pages to write any writing prompt that you want and in any language. Use this lesson to assess your students' fine motor skills, drawing skills, creativity, and overall willingness to put effort into their work. You can tell a lot about a child by their artwork—especially their self-portraits (err, I mean selfies). Most of all, have some fun and let your students show off their creativity to you! This lesson is not a formal drawing lesson. However, it could easily be combined with one. If you like this selfie lesson, you'll LOVE my iDesign an App lesson as well. Your kids will amaze you at what they do with this project! Other categories you might be interested in: Back to School Themed Resources HERE Halloween Themed Resources HERE End of the Year Resources HERE Please note that this is a zipped file. If you have any trouble unzipping this resource after purchase, please start by looking HERE for help from TPT, you can also submit a ticket to TPT, and they can help you open this file. I create my products on a mac, and now and then, there is an extra step involved in unzipping the file. sources HERE Please click the "Follow Me" button on this page to keep updated on all my new offerings! Thank you for supporting my work and infusing your classroom with art! Jenny K. Let's Connect My BLOG Pinterest Instagram Facebook Twitter FREE eBOOK: The Benefits of Directed Drawing for Kids Sign up HERE to join my email list, and I'll send you a copy of my free eBook, The Benefits of Directed Drawing. Not to mention, after you join, you'll be invited to enjoy my "Subscribers Library" of freebies. TERMS OF USE: The purchase of this product is for one license and is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. ©Copyright 2014 Art with Jenny K.® ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission is granted to copy pages specifically designed for student or teacher use by the original purchaser or licensee. The reproduction of any part of this product is strictly prohibited. Copying any part of this product and/or placing it on the internet in any form (even a personal/classroom website) is strictly forbidden. Doing so is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you like my work, please help me keep the price low by purchasing additional licenses for any teacher with whom you would like to share this lesson. Extra licenses are discounted.
After my tween grew out of some of the activities in our old bored jar, I made her a bored jar fit for a tween! It's filled with ideas to keep her occupied.
Get to know John Coltrane, a jazz legend, with this music history worksheet! Read his mini-biography and answer some trivia.
Hosting a baby shower or gender reveal? The "Guess Who: Mom or Dad Game" is a great way to break the ice and get guests laughing! DIRECTIONS: Prior to the party, the parents-to-be must answer the questions. Together, they will circle a pink heart if they think Mom is the best answer, a blue heart if they think Dad is the best answer, or both hearts if they think it will be a tie. At the party, each player receives a game sheet. Guests then have to determine what they think the parents-to-be circled. Whoever gets the most questions correct wins! -- Game is available for instant download. Customers will receive a PDF document; No physical document is mailed. A white background version and a kraft brown background version of the game are included in your purchase. All two versions feature the same game. Once purchased, PDF will be available for instant download. Game is intended to be printed on 8 1/2x11 inch paper. Note: Depending on your printer and printer settings, you may need to select "fit to page" when printing to ensure graphics print correctly. Should you have any issues, please do not hesitate to contact me! :) -- FREE COLOR CUSTOMIZATION: Want this game in a different color? Simply message me with your ideas! -- Wood/kraft paper credit: pointandpoem
Learn all about China and lots of intesting facts About Chinese culture with these coloring pages! Simply print worksheets!
He's is not showing up every day. Here's the truth about viewing Mt. Fuji and the best way to see Mt. Fuji's top on some awesome viewing spots.
Use this activity for your students to reflect on their own family holiday traditions. This is a great springboard into writing and comparing with other holidays and traditions. This would be a perfect activity to send home and have your students complete with their family. They could then bring it back to school […]
An attractive one-page fact file all about Spain. Print, distribute and discuss!
