teaching tips and tricks for the elementary classroom | classroom ideas and resources | crafts for kids

Integrate STEAM and STEM in your classroom at the End of the School Year! Make the last week of school and the last day of school amazing! Create a cereal box memory book to help students process the "last day blues." Engineer an amazing treehouse! Have students imagine, design, build, and write about their dream house using Geometry and 3D Shapes! Learn about the Chicago World's Fair and make a Ferris Wheel! Includes 4 STEM/STEAM Projects to go along with the following Read Aloud Books: Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg If I Built A House by Chris Van Dusen Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins Mr.Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Davis These End of the Year STEM Activities are more than crafts / craftivities. Each STEM Challenge takes students through a process where they develop critical thinking and engineering skills. Students plan, design, and execute their own ideas. After they have completed their activity, there is time for reflection on what worked and what didn't. Amazing resource for STEM club, STEM Teachers, parents who love hands-on learning, and elementary teachers who want to create a hands-on educational environment in their classroom! Each Activity Includes: Teacher Instructions Student Instructions STEM Journal Student Planning and Reflection Pages Writing Activity NGSS Standards Common Core Standards

'Things I love this year' keepsake memory book. Memory books work great as end of the year activities. This lap book includes several writing prompts. This craftivity gives students an opportunity to record their thoughts and feelings from the school year while still meeting writing standards. The front cover provides a place for students to write their class grade and the dates of the school year so that teachers can use it year after year. Detailed lapbook assembly instructions are provided. Each lapbook is made with half of a file folder. (Pages are "half-page" size.) What this includes: ~ Assembly Instructions ~ Front cover (2 pieces for lapbook exterior) ~ Flair buttons to decorate front cover with words for things they loved this year ~ FOR INSIDE THE LAPBOOK… * About me page * Note from the teacher * School is Cool Memory Book Cover (22 page booklet) * Some of my favorite things * Favorite subject writing prompt * School lunch writing prompt * This year I learned writing prompt * I will miss writing prompt * Words that described me this year… * Acrostic Poem ~ Friends * Notes from my classmates (“sticky note” autograph pages) * Advice letter for new students * Field trip page * Class photo page * Awards (4 pages) * My summer plans * When I grow up I want to be… * Blank writing pages Please take a look at the FREE PREVIEW above to see what is included. **************************************************** Check out these additional creative ELA resources! **************************************************** Enjoy! ~ SunnyDaze

Put together this editable back to school activity that begins as a craftivity bulletin board display, and then turns into an end-of-year memory book! This back to school craftivity is a great activity to keep your kids engaged during that first week of school, and you end up with a fun display that can be used for Open House, Parent Night, or Meet the Teacher Night! With several social media and tech terms, the majority of students will find this activity to be super engaging! Begin by distributing the first two pages of the packet to your students, and having them draw a selfie on the phone image and assemble their own "About Me Craftivity". Within an hour, you'll have your first student-created bulletin board of the year! When you decide to change the bulletin board, students simply remove their craftivity from the board and fold it in half, Now, it forms the front and back covers of their "My ____ Grade Selfie" memory book. Each month, students add a page to their book, so that by the end of the year it contains 9-10 colorful pages and reviews the highlights of their year at that grade level! (All 12 months are included!) Students will treasure this memory book far into the future! Student-friendly directions (with photos) are included with the upper elementary version so that you can place the directions under your document camera, and students can refer to them as they complete the project. This file also contains an editable version. The words in each monthly app section can be edited if you'd like to create a topic that better fits your students! Check out the PREVIEW! TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID... Kaitlyn C says, "Such a cool resource to use to get to know your students at the beginning of the year. Students were very engaged each month creating their selfie page. At the end of the year, they loved going back and seeing their monthly pages. It made a great memory book!" Laura H says, "Voted best bulletin board in the school! :) Excellent fun activity for the first few days of school and a great memory book for the year!" Yvette M says, "I use this resource every school year! The students love this resource and they enjoy sharing at the end of the year!" Sharida W says, "A great way to see how the students evolved from the beginning of the year to the end. Such a fantastic way to incorporate an activity which is so relevant to the students." Feel free to take a peek at these back-to-school activities as well! Growth Mindset Partner Plays Growth Mindset PowerPoint and Activities Copyright by Deb Hanson This item is a paid digital download from my TpT store www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Deb-Hanson This product is to be used by the original downloader only. Copying for more than one teacher is prohibited. This item is also bound by copyright laws. Redistributing, editing, selling, or posting this item (or any part thereof) on an Internet site that is not password protected are all strictly prohibited without first gaining permission from the author. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me if you wish to be granted special permissions!

so...i know some of you gals might have limited space on your desks or work areas...but you want some kind of way to be able to post small n...

Last Day Blues Activities: End of Year Read Aloud w/ Digital Option Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg is an end-of-the-year picture book that is most appropriate for the last week of school. This literature activity unit was created for 1st-3rd grade and contains end-of-year activities relevant to the book but are also appropriate as reflection activities as the year winds down. The following activities are included in this Last Day Blues Literature Activity Unit: Discussion Questions in list form as well as task card form (and reflection answer sheets) Who, What, When, Where, Why, How for Last Day Blues My Feelings graphic organizer A Wish for My Teacher My Favorite Memories Craftivity Sphere (as pictured on the cover) Teacher Appreciation Ideas Friendly Letter Newspaper Template- What Will I Miss? NOTE: THIS FILE INCLUDES A DIGITAL DISTANCE LEARNING OPTION! This product includes a digital option (as well as the no prep printable option). The instructions for utilizing the digital portion appear at the end of the packet. You will find other engaging literature units here: LITERATURE UNITS

This 89 page pack is FULL of engaging activities, printables and craftivities that are perfect to use those first couple of weeks with your new students! Activities are geared for grades 1-3. **DOWNLOAD THE PREVIEW FOR A PEAK AT MOST PAGES!** There are activities to go along with the following books: -Chrysanthemum -Have You Filled a Bucket Today? -Wemberly Worried -I Like Myself! -The Crayon Box That Talked -A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue Table of Contents: Pg. 3: List of books needed Pg. 4-10: iPad Craftivity Pg. 11-13: Making Words Pg. 14-15: Back to School Word Find Pg. 16-18: Back to School ABC Order Pg. 19-20: Back to School Parts of Speech Sort Pg. 21: Find a Friend Getting to Know You Activity Pg. 22: It’s in the Bag Getting to Know You Activity Pg. 23-26: Birthday Graph Activity Pg. 27-28: Hello-Goodbye Writing Pg. 29-41: Back to School Memory Book Pg. 42-51: Bucket Filling activities Pg. 52-64: Chrysanthemum activities Pg. 65-68: The Crayon Box That Talked craftivity Pg. 69-72: Tattle Tongue poster & activity Pg. 73-76 I Like Myself! activities Pg. 77-83: Wemberly Worried writing craftivity Pg. 84-87: Back to School Certificates Pg. 88-89: Thank You & Credits I hope you and your students enjoy all of the activities! Some actvities can be tucked away for later in the year {i.e. Tattle Tongue} or for author studies {i.e. Chrysanthemum and Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes} THANK YOU!

A fun, easy, and colorful craftivity to celebrate dad or a special friend on Father's Day. Check out the preview for a closer look. I hope you enjoy as much as my kiddos (and their fathers) did!!