A master of the Northern Renaissance, Jan van Eyck painted some of the most famous pieces of his time. Learn about his life and works with hands-on activities!
A complete, Dinosaurs and Dragons Unit Study for the whole family, from preschool to high school with hands-on activities for children of all abilities. Just add daily math! .
Here at Hodgepodge we are passionate about reminding you that You ARE an Artist! And in doing so, Nana and Tricia have shared more than 100 Free Art Lessons for All Ages! Seasonal, fun, favorite characters, nature studies, astronomy and more. Just add chalk pastels and paper! You ARE an Artist!
Thematic unit lesson plans and printables for elementary, kindergarten and preschool, perfect as a screen-free homeschool curriculum too.
These life cycle of an ant printables and worksheets are perfect for an ant unit study when learning about ants and their life cycle!
A step-by-step approach on how to create a unit plan and its various components. Keeping things practical and manageable for busy teachers.
If you enjoy learning about different artists in your homeschool, you will love learning about 8 of our favorite artists!
Art history can seem daunting to teach, but with the right resources, it can become an engaging and enriching subject for your children. Here are two excellent resources that provide free art histo…
This free homeschool unit study on The Giver by Lois Lowery is perfect for your literature lovers! It includes free printables and other resources. This post contains affiliate links. If you haven't heard about or read this great piece of literature, The Giver, you are in for a treat. Some children are into fiction, some
Use this collection of Paul Klee teaching resources and complete Klee Famous Artist Unit lesson plans to teach elementary art class.
The Indian and the Cupboard Lesson and Activities. Comprehensive curriculum for The Indian and the Cuboard for third and fourth grade unit
My previous post gave you a preview of a project for my Studio students. Here I am going to share a bit more how I am going to work to inc...
Visually Scaffold Your Curriculum With Ease % %
Fables are an important part of English Language Arts instruction. The genre, which often includes animals that act like humans and moral lessons, is perfect for targeted lessons in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and analyzing. Classic and modern fables are both entertaining and approachable. Fables also shed light on other cultures, characterization, and moral lessons. Most importantly, they're just plain fun to teach! Here are 6 easy ways to teach fables in your classroom... I LOVE giving students a chance to write their very own fable. I recommend starting with mentor texts so that students can become experts on the genre. Then, through targeted writing instruction, students can write their own story that includes a moral, animal characters, story elements, and illustrations. As students develop their stories, you can even have them "pitch" their stories to their peers acting as storybook editors. Once students have written a strong fable, take these lessons to the next level and let students create a children's book filled with illustrations. You could even have them share their fables with younger students. Check out this ready-to-teach Fable Writing Unit! Don't you just love lessons that meet a ton of instructional standards at once? Well, this fable unit does just that! It’s a 7-day unit designed around Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” and in it students read three different versions of the fable. After building background on each form, they have the opportunity to critically read and respond to the fable in prose, verse, and drama form. Through small group work, independent studies, and class discussions students will not only understand and appreciate the elements of a fable and each form of literature, but they’ll also develop a deep understanding of each text. Learn more about this unit here. Of course, fables are wonderful to read in the classroom. But, why just read a fable when you can also connect, investigate, write, and draw? I created this Foldable Fables resource with Art with Jenny K. to combine reading, writing, and illustrating. This resource is super engaging because students create an accordion-style booklet filled with their learning and creativity. It's fun and educational! The seven learning activities help students connect deeply to their reading. Check out the super engaging Foldable Fable here! I've found that fables are wonderful to add to learning stations focused on reading comprehension skills. For instance, in this sequencing centers resource, students investigate "Fox and the Goat" at one of the learning stations. At the station, they're tasked to read the fable and then put the fable in the correct sequence with an interactive shape. Since fables are often short and focused they're the perfect addition to reading comprehension learning stations! Fables lend themselves perfectly to plays. I've found that students respond really well to opportunities to perform short skits and plays in the classroom. In this theme mini-unit, students get to act out "The Four Oxen and a Lion." As a small group, they practice reading out loud, acting, and investigating theme. It's fun for students to get into different characters as they act out a fable! I'm a big fan of reading out loud to students. Often, I would read stories to students as they completed their daily warm-ups. My read alouds included novels, poems, short stories, and of course, fables. You might mix-up your own read alouds with fables from around the world or modern fables. Here are a few collections of fables that you might want to add to your classroom library... --- Aesop's Fables: The Classic Edition --- Buddhist Stories for Kids --- Filipino Children's Favorite Stories ------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope you've found some simple ways to teach fables in your classroom! Fables really are wonderful literature treasures for teaching reading, writing, investigating, performing, and more! Thanks for stopping by! Mary Beth P.S. My friend, Art with Jenny K., has another idea for adding fables to the classroom. Check out her post here. *This post contains affiliate links.
Marc Chagall believed in painting from the heart and that's what he did! Learn more about this amazing artist with 10 Marc Chagall Art Projects for Kids.
Free Printables, Free Homeschool Printables
If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.
Nearly 100 easy drama lesson plans that require no preparation, and are perfect for substitute teachers. Elementary, middle school and high school.
O'Keeffe's paintings make great inspiration for kids' art projects, so let's check out 10 of the best Georgia O'Keeffe projects for kids!
Use stories and illustrations told by the Metis People to enhance your Indigenous art lessons with this ready to use activity.
Need Wonder activities for your classroom or home school Wonder teaching resources? We have Wonder lesson plans, Wonder worksheets, and more ideas for book projects, kindness activities for middle school, and diversity lessons to make a great study unit for students using both the novel by RJ Palacio and teaching with movies (including the popular precepts project!).
Learn about amazing trees with this fun, and free hands-on unit study. Free nature unit studies for homeschooling from The Crafty Classroom.
The Benefits of Using a Yearlong Theme-Based Curriculum Curriculum Design % %
Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour
This post contains the animated short film "Glued." Download the accompanying handout leveled for upper elementary students to teach theme.
7 Common Misconceptions When Approaching Your Art Curriculum This Year Curriculum Design % %
No matter what season you are currently experiencing, one thing is for sure, weather is all around us! Preschool is the perfect age to begin learning about weather, because it is a concept that kids experience first hand on a daily basis. If you’re planning a weather themed unit, or just looking for some engaging weather activities, you have come to the right place! We have compiled a list of our favorite art, math, literacy, STEM, sensory, and fine motor skill weather activities that are sure to be a hit with learners of all ages!
Students will use this graphic organizer to critique and evaluate others or their own art work. ...
Disney movies have some very deep lessons to teach kids. Zootopia lesson plans are perfect for teaching kids about bias vs. sterotypes.
Whether you're learning a new trade or just want some fun facts, our list of 150+ educational YouTube channels is what you need! There's something for all!
A fun and interactive way to learn about moon phases, using plastic cups! Turn the cup to see the moon change. Learn how to make one here.
Before most food companies began removing hydrogenated oils from foods, Dr. Katz (from the Yale University School of Medicine) taught our family it was something to avoid. His Nutrition Detectives …
Isaac and Rebekah preschool Bible lesson. Learn about choice and doing good. Games, Crafts, Activities, songs, lesson, worksheets and more.
Learn what is under your skin with a fun life-size human body project for kids. Download FREE skeletal system bones and organ printables!
You can find all of these resources to create your own Marco Polo Unit Study HERE.
When I think about student writing, one of the most difficult concepts to teach is sentence fluency. Much of excelling at fluent writing revolves around students’ background with literacy. Certainly,...
This preschool art and music curriculum for your homeschool has everything you need for an early love and appreciation of art and music.
If you are looking for some high-interest activities, try using animated shorts to teach inference. Free handouts focus on student learning.