Hello Teachers As I was working on my holiday units, I realized it was a great opportunity to study autobiography and biography at the same time. I designed these sheets to be used generically with any famous poet, author, sport star, politician, etc. Hope you find these useful! ...
September Activity Terry Fox Marathon of Hope Lesson & Activity is a great way to share the story of this courageous Canadian fight to find a cure for cancer. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. We loved to use t...
Need to know how to use Glyph? What are Glyph? Here is a free information to help you bring the world of Glyph to your classroom. We have a large collection of Glyph at Hoot Elementary! All kinds of themes and ready to go activities. ...
Queen's Birthday! Let's wish her all the Best! This booklet package is a great way to reinforce and support the previous listed lesson activity on the Queen's Birthday. This package includes quiz, report papers, and visual guides. This booklet once made, is a great support to guided reading and ...
A Glyph is a visual representation of data. Students are creating their own Birthday glyph to display. The visual image created for each student is used during numeracy time to interpret and graph. Can be used as an activating activity. ...
(Instruction Page Included) Can't leave your classroom for an outdoor adventure, this program allows you to bring the outdoors to your students. An amazing environment can be developed in your classroom to allow your students to become immersed in the wonders of Pond Life. This could be done in...
September Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur Lesson is a great way to teach the holiday to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and understanding of the people we share our planet with.
Seasons Change: A Unit Celebrating the Changing Seasons As the song goes, “To everything there is a season, Turn, Turn, Turn”, by the Byrds. The equinoxes and the solstices make a great opportunity to talk about the seasons and calendar. It is also a time that you could mark on a timeline in your classroom and integrate into your art program. There is set of four great season books, all written by Elaine W. Good. They are easily patterned as a writing activity, and the illustrations are a splatter paint technique. The title are: - Fall is Here! I LOVE IT! - White Wonderful Winter! - That’s What Happens When It’s Spring! - It’s Summer Time! Other books that can be used at this time are: - A Book of Season by: Alice & Martin Provensen (available as audio book online) - The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree By: Gail Gibbons (available as audio book online) - The Reasons for Seasons By: Gail Gibbons - A Busy Year By: Leo Lionni
Diwali Lesson is a great way to teach the East Indian New Year's (Festival of Lights) celebration to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. This kit includes an extension to grade 4 to 6. As part of diver...
(R) R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Seven Grandfather Teachings) Glyph Classroom behavior is very important. Using the seven teachings is a good way to understand the virtues needed to be good citizens. This is also an ideal way to integrate the First Nation perspectives into the classrooms. It is on-going and can be revised throughout the year. This glyph when is completed forms a flag. There are many flags that are traditional First Nation flags. A good activator is to use flags from various countries and people. Flags often tell a story, just as glyph tell a story. Prior knowledge is necessary. It is important that you class understands the medicine wheel and its relationship to the grandfather teachings. Briefly, First Nation use animals to reinforce behavior - Wolf – Humility - Sabe – Honesty - Buffalo – Respect - Bear – Courage - Beaver – Wisdom - Turtle – Truth - Eagle – Love Once again, make sure to check our free information about glyph, available on our Dashboard. Good books to read to the class for this glyph are: - The Seven Scared Teachings By: David Bouchard (Excellent Classroom Guest) - Dreamcatchers and the Seven Deceivers By: David Bouchard - Seven Teachings Puzzle Book By: Native Reflections - Seven Teachings – By: David Couchene Jr. - Seven Grandfather Teachings By: Native Reflections - Nanabosho Series By Joe McLellan (Excellent Classroom Guest) - Various posters, flags, resources, and puppets, manipulatives are available at www.nativereflections.com
Remembrance Day Lesson is a great way to teach the day of remembrance to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and understanding of the people we share our planet with. I did a month by month study into different cultures and events around the world. To help with this unit I used the following books: - A Poppy is to Remember By: Heather Patterson - Why We Remember By: Graysville School - The Upstair Cat By: Karla Kuskin - The Land of Many Colours By: Klamath County YMCA Family Preschool - In Flanders Field By: Linda Granfield - A Bear in War By:Stephain Innes & Harry Earclrulat - Faithful Elephants By: Yukies Tsuchuja - Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion By: Jane Barclay - The Unknown Soliders By: Linda Granfield - Bunny the Brave War Horse By: Elizabeth MacLeod - Truce By: Jim Murphy Each month on the day or as close as possible I would read the book or any other appropriate book and complete the follow up paper. We then would put the paper into our portfolio. Also I used these events as part of the timeline in my room in which any and all important events were added. At times even pictures where available were placed on the time line.
B.I.T for the Bird activity is a great way to develop knowledge and appreciation for our environment around us. The SEEDS foundation (www.seeds.ca) encourages students to escape outside with your classmates or parents and watch the birds. The activity that is enclosed in this package is an activat...
(Y) Yee-Haw, Farms are Fun! Country life compared to city life is a recurring theme. Children even if they live on the farm, love to study the agricultural community. Barns, machinery, crops, and animals provide a rich variety to the farm unit. At this time, a comparison of country life vs city life is a good extension comparing farms during the day and at night also extends student learning. Field trips and visitors are a rich resources, to use prior to completing this glyph. Studying the farm animals is also a good link to the science curriculum. Free information found on our website the amazing benefits of using glyph to intellectually engage and build your students’ knowledge. Good books to read while studying farms are: Farming By: Ann Love Farming Counting Book: By: Jane Miller Over on the Farm – Accounting Picture Rhyme By: Christopher Gunson Color Farm By: Lois Ehlert Splitting the Herd – A Corral of Odds and Even By: Trudy Harris Sitting on the Farm By: Bob King Midnight Farm By: Reese Lindbergh Benjamin Barn By: Reese Lindbergh Wheels that Work in the Country By: Don Kelly On Uncle Johns Farm By: Sally Fetq - Gibbon What a Wonderful Day to be A Cow By: Carolyn Lesser Charlie the Ranch Dog By: Ree Drummond
Happy Ukrainian Christmas Lesson is a great way to teach the holiday to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and understanding of the people we share our planet with. I did a month by month study into different cultures around the world. Also the following books are a great read too: - Ae Cahta – A Bilingual Ukrainian English Picture Book By: Sujatha Lalgridi - The Spider’s Gift – A Urkrainian Christmas Story By Eric A. Kimmel & Katya Krenina - Baba’s Babushka By: Marian Mutala (A Magical Ukrainian Christmas) - Each month on the day or as close as possible I would read the book or any other appropriate book and complete the follow up paper. We then would put the paper into our portfolio. Also I used these events as part of the timeline in my room in which any and all important events were added. At times even pictures where available were placed on the time line.
(U) Under the Sea! Ocean and sea life fascinate children. This glyph creates an underwater screen while sharing each students feeling of summer. This glyph works well with an ocean theme or water theme. It is also a good glyph to do with the glyph (F) Frogs in the Pond, it is an opportunity to study sea creatures such as sharks, octopus, starfish, turtles, etc. Comparing salt water to fresh water could also be a part of this theme: Don’t forget to check out our free information about glyph. Good books to read and have available for this glyph are: - A House for Hermet Crab – By: Eric Carle - Gentle Giant Octopus – By: Karen Wallace - My Little Books of Ocean Life By: Carmilla de la Bedoyiere - Under the Sea By: Usborne Lift the Flap - Miss Smith Under the Ocean By: Michael Garland - Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef By: Marianne Berkes - Riptide By: Frances Ward Weller - A Swim Through the Sea By: Kristen Joy Pratt - The Sea Mammal Alphabet Book By: Jerry Pallotta - The Underwater Alphabet Book By: Jerry Pallotta
The most exciting holiday for the children in October is Halloween. The lesson provided is a great way to have the children learn about this holiday. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and unders...
November 1st is significant this year because of the Time Change. Going from daylight saving time and back and forth is an event to add to calendar discussion. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and understanding of the people we share our planet with. I did a month by month study into different cultures around the world. To help with this unit I used the following books: Imagine a Day by: Sarah L. Thomson Imagine a Night by: Sarah L. Thomson What the Sun See’s / What the Moon See’s By: Nancy Tafuri Or any such books dealing with time. Each month on the day or as close as possible I would read the book or any other appropriate book and complete the follow up paper. We then would put the paper into our portfolio. Also I used these events as part of the timeline in my room in which any and all important events were added. At times even pictures where available were placed on the time line.
October ends and November ends with a celebration in Mexico with the Day of the Dead! - Dia de los Muertos! The lesson provided is a great way to have the children learn about this holiday. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your stud...
Easter is the time to get "cracken". Easter eggs leads into a study of Easter and eggs used in food products. It is a time you could do the life cycle of a chick or birds in general. Also it is a great opportunity to have a classroom visitor make psanky eggs with your students. It is a time to study country of Ukraine also! As part of the science design process a basket to support an egg drops would be such fun. Good Books to read to activate this activity: - Chick Life Cycle - Elizabeth Bennett - The Egg Tree - Katherine Milhouse - There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick - Lucille Colandro - Easter - Gail Gibbons - 10 Easter Egg Hunters - Janet Schulmann - Chesters Colorful Easter Eggs - Theresa Smythe - Care Bears - Easter Egg Hunt - Scholastic - The Best Easter Egg Ever - Jenny Snath
Dinosaurs have always been interesting to students of all ages. This glyph is great for introducing new vocabulary such as extinctions, paleontologists, archeologist, reptiles, etc. It is a great opportunity to talk about extinction and how important it is to look after the creatures of the earth. The cosmic events of the universe, carnivores, herbivores, and lead into the study of all reptiles. Good books to read to activate this activity: - Outside & Inside Dinosaurs - Sandra Markle - Lift the Flap Dinosaurs - Usborne - An Alphabet of Dinosaurs - Peter Dodson - There's A Dinosaurs in the Park - Rodney Marten - Dino Pete - Lynn Plourdre - Dazzle the Dinosaur - Marcus Pfister - Ten Terrible Dinosaurs - Paul Shuckland - Dinosaurs - A Pop Up Book - Random House
September Arbour (Tree) Day Lesson is a great way to teach the celebration of Arbour Day to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. Any books about Trees will be great to accompany this lesson, we have fou...
(Q) Quiet Please – Bookworm at Work! February is I love to read month, but if you are like me, every month is I Love to Read Month. This glyph celebrates and encourages students to build a love of reading. It is great to use when doing another study, or theme as well as February I Love to Read month. Some prior teaching is necessary. Talk about reading habits and the type of books (genre) is important to point out as you share read, to be ready to do this glyph. As you count legs for their bookworm for this glyph, be sure to include books that are read to them (home and at school), home reading books, guiding reading books, silent reading books, etc. Do not be concerned with the whole book, but quality time spent with the book. Complete the open book and glue the worm onto the book. Bite marks on the side of the book would be an added touch. Once again check are free Glyph Information! Any good author study books or theme would work well for this glyph. Here are some generic books about reading: - Born to Read By: Judy Sierra - It’s a Book By: Lane Somth - The Wrong Book By: Nick Bland - The Best Book to Read By: Debbre Bertram & Susan Bloom - Jeremiah Learns to Read By: Jo Ellen Borat - Lily and the Mix Up Letters By: Deborah Hodge - We are Going on Book Hunt By: Pat Miller - The Girl who Hated Books By: Manyasha Pawagi
Fall time is apple time! To do this glyph some introduction to apple is needed. I used this in the idle of an apple theme. Before making the glyph the students need to have tasted the 3 kinds of apples - Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious. A discussion on fruit is important. Exposing the students to the books on movies William Tell, Jonny Appleseed, and Snow White is necessary for the students to make a discussion. I also graphed tallied if they had apples or apple product in their lunches. Good books to read to activate this activity are: - The Apple Pie Tree - Joe Hill - The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree - Gail Gibbons - Apples - Jacqueline Farmer - Apples A to Z - Margaret McNamara - Apple - Ken Robbins - How do Apples Grow ? - Betsy Maestro - A Day at the Apple Orchard - Megan Faulkner & Adam Krawesky - Apples - Gail Gibbons
(X) “X”- TRA SPECIAL BIRDS A bird theme is very versatile unit. Winter birds, penguins, spring birds, and owls are engaging units to do with students. To complete this bird glyph with success, prior knowledge is necessary. The studying of birds as animal group is essential. Before beginning the students should be pulled aside to identify six birds by sight (pictures included). If there are older students (gr. 4, 5, 6) could identify the birds by sound only. Birds are unique and there characteristics shows this. Discussions on male vs Female birds, Canadian vs. America birds, kind of birds, kinds of feet, special beaks, birds with crowns, wings, homes, bones, and molting. Be sure to check our free glyph resources!!! Good books to go with this unit are: Have you seen birds? By: Barbara Reid Beaks! By: Sneed B. Collard III About Birds, a Guide for Children By: Cathryn Sill An Egg is Quiet By: Dianna Aston Birds Build Nest By: Yvonne Winer Bird Song By: Audrey Wood The Bird Alphabet By: Jerry Pallotta Robins in your Backyard By: Nancy Carol Willis King of the Birds By: Helen Ward Bird Call By: Innovative Kids
Penguin Pals (P) Glyph January is a long, dark, cold month. A good unit to have the cold month pass quickly is jump into a Penguins study. At this time, you can do a comparison of the far north (Artic) and the far south (Antarctic). I did a snowman glyph and a penguin glyph in this unit while I worked on this theme. Prior knowledge is not essential to the completion of this glyph. Penguins themselves are very motivated. I used real yellow feather, but it also works well with strips of yellow paper. Be sure to see our free information package on the how to use glyph on our website. Snowman Glyph is coming in the next few weeks as well! Books to activate this glyph are: - Polar Animals By: Michael Chinery - A Field Guy to Polar Animals By: Nancy Homovich - Penguins Close Up By: Lorna Hendry - Pulls Apart – Life at the End of the Earth By: Mark Norman - Ice Continent – The story of Antarctica By: Louise O. Young - 365 Penguins By: Jean-Luc Fromental & Joelle Jalivet - Tacky the Penguin By: Helen Rester - Ann & Live Cross Antarctica – A Dream Come True By: Zoe Alderfer Ryan - Pierre the Penguin By: Jean Margollo - Solo By: Paul Geragty - Antarctica Antics – A books of Penguin Poems By: Judy Sierra - Mr. Popper Penguins By: Richard & Florence Atwater (The Novel and the Movie are Wonderful)
National Candy Corn day is on October 30th. The lesson provided is a great way to have the children learn about this holiday and create a piece of art. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and unde...
G is for Gingerbread Cookies Gingerbread is a wonderful addition to the holiday season. All children love cookies and Christmas seems like a time for cooking. One of the activities is to make gingerbread cookies and of course eat them. Twice, I made a life size in my career I made a life size cookie with my class to share with the entire school. We traced the smallest kindergarten student as a pattern, and baked the gingerbread accordingly. As with all glyph remind the children that it is not a craft, but a picture that tells a story. Be sure to sort the finished product and finish the follow up paper that accompanies the glyph. Another great idea to tie this with ELA is to have each student orally tell the story of their completed project. This could be used to assess the speaking strand of the ELA curriculum. There are many great books to activate this Glyph. This is also an opportunity to lead into an Jan Brett author study. Here are some great books: - Gingerbread Baby By: Jan Brett - Gingerbread Friends By: Jan Brett - Gingerbread Boy By: Richard Egielski - The Gingerbread Man By: Carol James - The Musubi Man (Hawaii Gingerbread Man) By: Sandi Takayuma - The Gingerbread Cowboy By: Janet Squires - Clay Boy (Russian Gingerbread Boy) By: Mirra Ginsburg - Cajon Gingerbread Boy By: Berthe Amoss - The Bannock Bread Boy (First Nations Gingerbread Boy) By: Sandra Samatte - The Gingerbread Pirates By: Kristen Kladstrup - Catch that Cookie By: Hallie Durand - Ivan the Terrier By: Peter Catalannotts
T is for Thanksgiving Feast (T) Yummy, Thanksgiving is coming! Canadians have a lot to be grateful and this is the time of the year to bring it to the fore front of children thoughts. It is the time for the great bountiful meal, going to visit family, watching football, and even walking in the crisp bottom air. At this time you can celebrate the seasons colour by watching the leaves change. Also it is a great time to talk “Turkey”, what a magnificent bird, and how tasty to eat. It is also a great time to introduce the three sisters (Aboriginal Infusion) corn, beans, and squish. Making a craft with using a cornucopia full of these harvest treasure is an add bonus. Do not forgot pumpkins and especially pumpkin pie. Once again check out activities to do with completed glyph form Hoot Elementary websites. Good books to read to activate these activities are: - Thanksgiving Day in Canada By: Krys Val Lewicki - Dinosaurs’ Thanksgiving By: Liza Donnelly - Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving By: Dav Pilkey - Thanks for Thanksgiving By: Heather Patterson - The Thankful Book By: Todd Parr - Gracias, The Thanksgiving Turkey By: Jay Cowley - Who will Carve the Turkey this Thanksgiving By: Jenny Pallotta - Franklin Thanksgiving By: Paulette Bourgeois - The Little Engine that Could Saves Thanksgiving Day Parade By: Watty Piper
Canada and the Monarchy Lesson is a great way to teach the celebration of the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth to your students. This package includes answer key, multiple approaches to complete the lesson depending on the age of your students. As part of diversity and understanding of the people we share our planet with. I did a month by month study into different cultures around the world. To help with this unit I used the following books: - The Birthday Crown By: Davide Cali - Queen Elizabeth the Second By: Vic Parker - Queen Elizabeth the Second By: Dorothy Turner - The Royal Family Pop Up Book By: Patrick M. Smith - Each month on the day or as close as possible I would read the book or any other appropriate book and complete the follow up paper. We then would put the paper into our portfolio. Also I used these events as part of the timeline in my room in which any and all important events were added. At times even pictures where available were placed on the time line. Make sure to design and wear your CROWN ! Wear your crown or hat while celebrating this prestigious day!