Need a break from curriculum? Why not try some unit studies? We've complied over 170 unit study ideas to inspire the next adventure in your homeschool or classroom.
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Everything you need to start homeschooling history with your elementary kiddos--without a formal history curriculum!
Throughout the school year, I know I would often find myself scrambling for ways to keep my students engaged in their learning and jazz up our classroom routine. As the sun starts shining brighter and summer is in the air, students are restless, and so are we... but the show must go on! Learning must continue, but can be done in an engaging and fresh way with hands on, creative project based learning resources! Grab a few of these PBL project ideas to finish out the year and enjoy watching your students engage in their learning and demonstrate their hard earned skills!
Homeschool resource or school teacher printable. Lined handwriting paper with picture window for a student to draw artwork.
Teach children art history through a variety of fun art projects and lessons. We love using artists as inspiration for our own creations.
If you're looking for P.E. activities to do at home, this list of 100 homeschool P.E. ideas is sure to serve you well.
Grammar and Writing are daunting subjects for many homeschoolers to teach. Most of us want a guide, an expert, someone to help us. I’m definitely a fan of literature-based homeschooling, but …
These homeschool co-op class ideas will help get you started on choosing the best classes for your group. My hope is that you will tailor these co-op class ideas into an educational experience that is perfect for your students.
Have fun with this FREE Nature Study with Trees and Leaves that lets upper elementary and middle school students draw, label, color, and more!
This FREE literature-based unit study introduces students to 16 different countries and cultures around the world.
For four years now, I’ve relied on the same Montessori albums from Cultivating Dharma. They were generously provided free of charge on the website, www.freemontessori.org for years, but curre…
The first day of school is usually met with mixed emotions for all, even homeschoolers. Summer can be hard to leave in the rearview mirror with all the adventures and fun it holds. Some might feel apprehension about the coming school year, while others meet it with open arms, ready to get back into a … 20 Memorable First Day of Homeschool Traditions Read More »
Grab your FREE hair salon scissor skills printable to use with your preschool and kindergarten students! Use at home and at school!
Analyzing writing curriculums, planning writing workshop and teaching writing lessons can be overwhelming. You might think, how am I going to fit everything in and produce successful writers? Where do I start? What skills do they need? This post will share the 7 BASIC WRITING LESSONS that every teacher should teach! With this basic knowledge, students will be able to perform other writing assignments more effectively. The following skills are not only effective in upper elementary, they are often needed at the middle school level for review or the primary level for differentiation. So yes, every teacher should teach them! If you start with these 7 fundamental skills, it will set the expectations for your writing lessons and assignments throughout the year! Frequently Asked Questions What are the basic skills and what order should I teach them? Sentence Structure 1. Complete Sentences Lesson for complete sentences 2. Fragments Lesson for fragments 3. Run-ons Lesson for run-ons Paragraph Writing 4. Topic Sentences Lesson for topic sentences 5. Relevant Details Lesson for relevant details 6. Transition Words Lesson for transition words 7. Closing Sentences Lesson for closing sentences How much time should I dedicate to teaching these fundamental skills? I recommend one day for each skill. If you spend a whole writing block for each skill, students will benefit from the practice. How do I teach each skill? First: Start with an anchor chart explaining the skill. (See each lesson link above for effective anchor charts.) Second: Provide examples. Students can share examples too! Next: Students should take notes. I love using Interactive Writing Notebooks to take notes. Research supports the use of interactive notebooks through studies on multiple intelligences, the brain and note taking. Here are a few videos to Set Up Interactive Writing Notebooks. Click photo for the Upper Elementary Version. A Primary Version is also available. Then: Identify the skill. Provide practice sheets and task cards for students to practice identifying the skill in sentences and paragraphs. Last: Apply the skill. Students should have the opportunity to write their own sentence or paragraph to apply the particular skill. What if I can't fit the lesson in one writing block? If you can't extend the days to complete them, there are other ways to get the whole lesson in. You can put practice sheets or task cards in a center, or you can have students apply the skill for homework or morning work the next day. What if my students, some of my students, or absent students can't do interactive notebooks? Make a small anchor chart to put in their notebooks with the same information! If you don't have a printable poster, take a picture of the anchor chart you used in class and print them off! I hope you found this post helpful and your students become successful writers this year! Connect With Me! TPT Store Facebook Pinterest My Blog
Hands-on learning is incredibly important for kids. There are a million reasons why! Today I am highlighting more than 60 elementary hands-on math teaching ideas that I have featured over the years on my site.
Are you wondering how to homeschool 4th grade? Get ideas for fourth grade homeschool curriculum, resources, and routines from a relaxed, minimalist homeschool perspective.
When I was creating our kindergarten homeschool schedule and gathering ideas for curriculum, many moms said, "Don't fret. Work on reading and math and let them play!" While that's great advice, I wanted some specifics, which is what I'm going to share with you. You probably have questions like what a typical day might look
Don’t get me wrong — I love candy. And, a jolly rancher, a tootsie roll, or a starburst can work wonders in the classroom for student motivation and enthusiasm. So can pizza parties, and cupcake days, and brunch, and…I’ve had so many types of food parties I can’t even keep track! Recently, however, I’ve been […]
Want some great homeschool co-op class ideas? Here is a huge list of different classes that we have done at ours to inspire you!
When sharing about our homeschool rhythm a few weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to write a post about how I plan our year without a curriculum and I
Need a fun idea to launch the homeschool year with smiles all around? Look no further! Here's a big fat list of first day traditions.
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Inside: Are you going to homeschool second grade this year? Get ideas for second grade homeschool curriculum from our second grade homeschool plans (with a kindergartener along for the ride!). It’s almost time for another
Learn about the science of beaches, plus get fun math, language, and geography practice, in this printable beach unit study!
Learn about stars for kids with this handy, free printable Constellations Booklet to learn about star patterns in the night sky.
Do you want to create a preschool portfolio for the students in your classroom? Portfolios are a great way to demonstrate student progress over time. Here are some of my best tips to help you set up and organize preschool portfolios in your classroom.
There are quite a few free (or almost free) resources and games to help you teach Spanish to your children or yourself! We hope you enjoy these!
Use this collection of Paul Klee teaching resources and complete Klee Famous Artist Unit lesson plans to teach elementary art class.
Take a trip with your homeschool students grades 3-8, and notebook across the USA with these states unit studies. There's a FREE unit study for all 50 states.
Welcome to the How-To Guide for First Year Art Teachers where I give you my 10 Steps for Success! Congratulations! You got your own classroom. OH MY GOSH, you have your own classroom. Your mind and stomach start racing, both with extreme excitement and panic because now, it all just got real. You will have a lot of students, a lot of planning, and a lot of classroom to keep organized. Figuring out where to even start is a huge stress and will require a tea (or a beer) and a nap (probably some Netflix too).
A list of homeschool regrets and solutions to inspire homeschooling Moms and help you avoid the same frustrating mistakes.
This is the last post in our FREE Math Printables Series!My daughters were both struggling with learning their math facts, and flash cards were too "booooriiing", so I decided to make it fun and do speed drills with them. I wasn't sure how this would go over, but when I showed them what we were doing and told them that they would get a prize for completing a series of them, they were ecstatic. Now they are asking me to do math drills every day and they are improving their speed and memorization faster than I ever expected! When I went on the search for some good math drills I found some great printables to share with you!
Use this collection of Paul Klee teaching resources and complete Klee Famous Artist Unit lesson plans to teach elementary art class.
Learn about Early Explorers for Kids with this fun, 5-week history lesson unit for elementary age kids to learn about the Vikings, Columbus, Magellan, and more!
Could you use short and meaningful Bible studies that you could print out? Explore these free printable Bible lessons for children.
Try these fun brain break ideas to help active kids stay focused and learn at their best like yoga, Go Noodle, and printable cards.
Engaging vocabulary review Ideas & activities that can be used with K-5 students! Five fun & collaborative vocabulary instruction ideas.
