This post may contain affiliate links. You pay the same and I get a small commission. Yay! (Please see my/our full disclosure for further information.) Looking for simple and fun music lessons? These movement activities for 2-3 grade elementary music class are just the ticket! These lessons are for second and third grade. They will… Continue reading The Best Movement Activities for 2-3 Grade Elementary Music Class
Do you have a favorite rhythm game or activity to use in your music lessons? Rhythm is something that always needs review, so you can never have too many
If you are looking for some fun ways to start the year with your upper elementary students, then consider adding in one of these 5 ideas!
10 Creative Art Activities for Kids, including free printable drawing prompts and art collages, plus many more creative art ideas!
Teamwork and collaboration! These are important parts of raising a 21st-century learner in the classroom, yet many students do not entirely understand what this it. I stress the importance of teamwork and collaboration throughout the year, but I take time in the beginning of the year to help students truly understand what it means. Throwing […]
Try these middle school drama lessons and ideas.
Don't let a short schedule keep you from providing engaging library programming. These 30-minute library lessons are perfect for librarians!
If Montezuma had an Instagram account, what would he say when Cortez arrived in 1519? My fourth graders have some ideas. We are finishing our study of the conquests of the Inca and Aztec empires and have been reading about … Continue reading →
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!
Our art and craft printables have moved and can now be found HERE>>>
Reading music is like reading a book in another language. It has its own characters and sounds. The following collection of music lesson plans for the elementary music classroom will help music tea…
Learn 5 engaging states of matter hands on experiments and activities to teach grade 4 5 6 students in your classroom.
Hello! Welcome to the Kindness Clubhouse Blog! A Kindness Club can transform your school. It encourages and inspires students to think beyond themselves and seek out opportunities to show compassio…
Need some guidance for teaching preschool Spanish? You’re in the right place! Young children are the perfect age to soak up a new language. I'm currently raising my own three kids bilingually, and have taught classes to this age group as well. It's never too late to start, and 3-5 year olds are really fun to teach! In this post I've compiled my favorited strategies for you. To get started in learning Spanish together, you Can Do three things: 1. Outline some beginning topics. You can create your own list, with common preschool topics (think numbers, colors, greetings, etc.)Take a
Teach children art history through a variety of fun art projects and lessons. We love using artists as inspiration for our own creations.
The Montessori First Great Lesson is a dynamic and engaging way to introduce young learners to the history of the universe. This foundational lesson sparks curiosity and sets the stage […]
Here’s 10 ways to use a parachute in the music classroom. Activities will help students learn and practice music concepts. Parachutes can be used for so many fun activities in the music room. I’ve discovered that they are especially helpful during the latter part of the school year when students are more “squiggly” than ever! […]
Looking for Constitution Day activities for your elementary classroom? These lesson ideas, read aloud and projects will engage your students
Starting the year off by focusing on these 5 science topics, will almost guarantee smoother labs and more engaged science learners.
It's hard to talk to students without making it a lecture. Empower students while you teach them about respect using hands on activities
Set a friendly tone in your classroom with these 30 "Get to Know You" games perfect for back to school or when welcoming a new student.
Choose from 58 fun STEAM art projects and activities for kids to explore art while learning science, technology, engineering, and math, too!
Engage your math students right from the start! In this post, I share five engaging lesson hooks for math, including resource links to get started.
If you're looking for beginning of the year science activities that will get your kids excited about science, you're in the right place.
Ready to build your STEM library with the best picture books? Start Here! Check out my Top 10 all time favorite read alouds for elementary STEM
10 engaging lesson plan ideas and classroom activities for Constitution
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.
Free printables and Montessori-inspired activities from 2020 along with more than 10 years' worth of free printables and activities!
Grab your FREE hair salon scissor skills printable to use with your preschool and kindergarten students! Use at home and at school!
Having a wide vocabulary is a huge part of what helps students to be successful in both reading comprehension and writing. This is why vocabulary is one of the National Reading Panel’s five core elements
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 d
Looking for a fun James Rizzi cityscape art project? Here's one that uses mixed media & a fun twist with markers. Did I mention there's a roll a dice game?
Teaching drama to kindergarten students can be challenging, especially if you don't have drama experience. These kindergarten drama activities are easy and fun.
Kick-start your leadership class or student council group with these must-do activities that will set your whole year up for success.
Bible Story Printables from Old Testament stories like the story of Creation, Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale & more!
Looking for an introductory First Grade Self Control Activity? Your students will love this fun story and craft for practice!
Easy art lesson for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade.
