Mother's Day in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Mother's Day is this week and I have a hard time with this holiday in the upper elementary grades if I am being honest. Many of the projects and activities I have seen are perfect for lower grades, but a little too simplistic and cute for my grades. That got me thinking about what I love for Mother's Day. One big thing is words....words mean a lot.

My 3rd-5th graders are getting older and have developed skills for putting things into words. So, I decided to put together a little booklet with my class that moms can cherish for a lifetime. A book filled with kind words from the loves of their lives...their children. 

I decided that I would have the students use many of the same writing skills we have learned over the course of the year. First, they will create an acrostic poem using the word mom or some other variation, depending on what they usually call their mother. Next, they will create a portrait of their mom through their eyes, using what we have learned this year about drawing portraits. 

Students will also use their descriptive skills to create a descriptive paragraph about mom. 

Another part of this project is for each student to write a thank you letter to their mom thanking her for all the things she has done for them. Students will then create a narrative based on their favorite memory of their moms. There is an all about page that asks students to fill in the blanks to sentence stems like, favorite thing mom cooks, what I love about you, and Mom always says. The final part is an opinion piece about why their mom is the very best mom in the world. 

If this doesn't touch a mother's heart and bring happy tears to her eyes, I don't know what will. Moms are amazing and they deserve to be celebrated through thoughtful words. They don't often hear the positives. This will be such a fun surprise for every mom in my classroom. 

You can check out all the details over here if you are interested in learning more.  To save more, you can find the combo pack for Mother's Day and Father's Day for a discount here. 

 

Author's Celebration

Writing...the kids either hate it or they love it. Making it fun with an author's celebration helps students find the joy in writing...or at least celebrating their hard writing work. I LOVE doing class transformations, and author's celebrations are the perfect time to make a huge impact. Trust me when I say, it does not have to take a lot of work to make it great! Here are some things I have done previously to bring some joy into the writing classroom.

I was inspired when seeing what the teachers at the Ron Clark Academy where doing. they were creating AMAZING lessons that got the students excited, but still kept them learning. One lesson that I saw was something called Camp Share-a-Story. I loved it so much that I have been doing it ever since. You can go all out or keep it simple. If you want to go all out, create a camp sign out of construction paper to hang on your door. Inside, pop up a tent or two. Bring in a fake fire (one of those flame lights could work). A long time ago, I had a camping themed classroom for the year and so I use my felt fire from that. I also make pillows that look like logs for the students to sit on, so those also come out during Camp Share-a-Story. If you have a Christmas tree, you could even put that up to simulate a wooded area. Bring a camp chair for the students to take turns sitting in as they share their stories. Bring lanterns or a flashlight in for the reader to use. Set your smartboard to display an outdoor theme and play outdoor sounds for an added touch. 

This year, I could not find all of my things, so we went super simple. I brought a lantern and a little sign that welcomed the class to the campfire. We sat in a circle on the floor and that. was. it. Easy, right? Even though this year was simplified, the students were just as excited!

Every year, I bring a little treat for my class to enjoy once we have read all of our stories. With a camping theme, what could be better than s'mores? Since we cannot have a real fire, I make s'mores pops, which are super simple. Start with one of those oversized marshmallows. Poke a lollipop stick in the middle. Dip in melted chocolate flavored almond bark. Dip in crushed graham cracker crumbs. If you use almond bark, this will dry relatively quickly, probably in an half hour or so. Stick into a clear treat bag and tie the back with a piece of twine or a twist tie. 

One year, we did essays about different animals. To end the unit and share our writing at our author's celebration, I created an animal circus theme. Students got to share their writing from under the big top. Reflection sheets were filled out about each essay that listed positive things and how the student could improve next time. Once all the essays were read, students got to get some cotton candy that we made on our machine. 

To say that this circus theme built excitement would be an understatement. It was the perfect way to celebrate these young learners and one I hope they have never forgotten. 

For me, the circus transformation ways super easy because it was created around mostly items I had already from previous years. One year my classroom theme was the circus and I sewed this fun circus tent. I had other circus decor that I used that year that I brought back for my circus transformation. It was so fun!

 With a little creativity, you can make writing amazing and celebrate it in big ways! 

If you want to find out more about how to spice up your writing block in the classroom, be sure to also check out these other blog posts below.

Nature Journaling

Poetry Slam

Connecting Kids with Nature

More years ago than I want to admit, I graduated with a master's degree in outdoor education. I have always loved the great outdoors. I find it to be like a detox to my stress level. There's just something about hearing the rustling leaves, birds singing, and yes, even the crickets at dusk. In fact, studies show just how helpful spending time in nature can be. 

Spending time in nature is actually an antidote to stress. It is proven that nature can reduce stress and feelings of anger or anxiety. It can even lower your blood pressure and give you a dose of the feel good chemicals that bring about happiness.

Nature is great for me, but as a teacher, I also want that benefit for my studets. Some of the ways nature specifically benefits students is increased attention, self-regulation, fitness, calm, creativity, and even more. If we know that nature has this effect, how can we change things to get kids out there more often?

The average kid spends between 6-9 hours in front of a screen each day. Screen time has the opposite effect of nature. Kids are less focused, more impulsive, more likely to be overweight, and less creative. So if we know better, why is it that we do not do better? I think it really comes down to the fact that parents are busy, teachers are busy, and neither one has the time to figure out activities to connect the kids with nature. 

I'd like to share some simple activities that can be done at home or school that will help get kids out into the wild enjoying the great outdoors a little more.  

First, let's look at some books about nature. These books can be used with younger kids because they have beautiful illustrations, but I was really trying to focus on kids that were a bit older, like upper elementary. The thing I liked about these books, that made them a good fit to also use in upper elementary is that they have some more advanced vocabulary that you could introduce to the children. I put a picture and a brief description of each book down below. Good books can help build interest in a topic, in this case, nature, so they are very helpful in that way. After we check out a few books, we'll look at some activities that you can do as well.

This book features a 37 line poem that serves as a "nest" for 160 other poems found within the 37 lines. 

This book tells the true story of Margaret Lowman who, as a child, was obsessed with leaves. She turned her love of leaves into her career later in life when she became a female scientist exploring the very top of the rainforest.

This is the true story of an entomologist. Back when girls were not suppose to have any interest in bugs, Evelyn fell in love with them, eventually working with insects at the London Zoo.

 

Charles Henry Turner had an inquisitive mind. Even though he lived long ago during the time of ratial predjudice, he did not let that stop his love of learning. He went on to become the first black entomologist.

This book is beautifully illustrated and has just about everything you'd ever want to know about insects....and then some. There are other nature books in this series as well. 

Introducing kids to books about nature can increase their awarness and love for it. I love these books because a few of them focus on jobs that are quite unusual, but have something to do with nature. 

Now for the activities. There are lots of ways to make being in nature enjoyable. First, let's look at how to spice up an ordinary hike or walk. Lots of families take walks, and if we're honest, lots of kids complain that they have to go. So, why not add some activities along the way? One great way is to have the kids do a scavenger hunt. It keeps them engaged and helps them have a purpose during the walk. Another fun twist you could do would be to let them create their own scavenger hunt along the way and use it later or trade with another child. Try giving children a camera instead of a checklist for added excitement. Kids love to take pictures and document what they see. 

Another activity you can do is to have children collect little pieces of nature in a lunch bag. After the walk is over, have them lay the items out and take a picture of everything arranged on a large paper. Turn it into a seek and find game. Have them write a list of things to locate in their picture and share with a friend. 

How about going on a color walk. Kids could focus on colors while walking. Start by listing out all the colors they want to focus on. As they walk, have them write down anything they see in that color. You could even create color poems or similes afterwards.

Teach kids observation skills using the five senses. Have them look at an object in nature from different perspectives. Look up close, from far away, from the top, from the bottom, from the left, from the right. Draw the item from different vantage points. Have children collect different kids of leaves. Compare and contrast the different leaves. Categorize them. Identify them. Use them to create paint brushes or a crayon rubbing. 

Create a simple bird feeder with a pinecone, peanut butter, and bird seed. Observe the different birds that come by. Make a graph of the birds. Do sketches of the birds. 

Watch for and observe insects. Draw them in detail. 

Play in nature...build a simple fort. Climb a tree or walk on fallen logs. Create a scene from found nature items. Have someone guess what your scene is. It could be from a movie or Bible story, or a scene from a book you are reading....instead of writing about what you visualized, build it. 

There are really so many different ways to enjoy nature. Just get your kids out there. Find a way to connect them to nature. 

If you would like to check out some resources to help you explore nature with your child or class, click on any of the pictures below. 

This resource has 21 different easy to do activities for connecting with nature, including most of the ones mentioned above.

This journal has 10 different pages that can be copied to help students write about and draw observations from nature. It is a true nature journal.

Poetry Slam!

Have you ever hosted a poetry slam? I just LOVE them! It has been a while, but it makes sharing poetry so fun and so real. Adding parents in makes it even better and gives students the feeling of having a real audience. Their nerves are up just enough to make it feel like a big deal. Here's a look at how our poetry slam went. It is super basic and easy to put together. 

The Poetry Unit

First off, April is poetry month, so it was the perfect time to do a unit on poetry. We learned so much about how to put poetry together...that it takes something ordinary and makes it extraordinary. We learned about how poets use different types of figurative language and how they are used. 

*simile

*metaphor

*personification

*hyperbole

*onomatopoeia

We practiced writing different types of poetry. 

*bio poems

*haiku

*cinquain

*diamante

*acrostic

*rhyming

*free verse

*letter

*memory

*subject/predicate

and others

We practiced reading poetry and digging into the deeper meaning. 

Planning for the Poetry Slam

Once we had a good repertoire of poetry written, the students picked two poems to share at our poetry slam. I helped them to edit the poems and they published them. To publish, they simply followed the edits, making changes. They wrote the poem in their very best writing and made an illustration to go with it. Students were encouraged to reread their poems. We talked about how to speak before an audience...pausing, looking up, using an appropriate voice level, etc. 

I made a little paper program for our poetry slam to make it feel more real. The morning of the program we moved our desks to one side and set up chairs on the other. We added a stool for the poets to sit on. We had cookies laid out and some water bottles to enjoy afterwards.

The Poetry Slam

It was really very simple to host the slam. I started by welcoming any guests that came, which honestly were not a lot, but still enough to make it feel like we had a real audience. Once I welcomed guests, I explained that I would be announcing each poem and that it is a tradition at a poetry reading to applaud with snapping instead of clapping. Then one by one I had each poet come up to read. They read one poem and then sat back down. Later each poet presented another poem. It was that simple. After we were finished with the poetry, we enjoyed our cookies and water. 

Extending the Learning

This coming week we will be finishing our poetry unit. We will finish writing our poems and then each of the poets will publish each of their poems and we will create a small booklet of poems stapled together with a front cover. Each student will go home with a book of their own poetry to treasure for many years.  

9 People to Feature during Black History Month in your Classroom

There are so many people, both well-known and not as well-known, that are both amazing and perfect to study with your classroom. During this black history month, here is a list of 9 of those people to bring into the classroom. My students will be studying these people and doing a simple biography about one of them. I have done this same project with kids from second grade through fourth grade and the difference is on the amount of writing the students do. I cannot wait to get started again this year.

Let's start with the well-known people:

First up is of course Martin Luther King Jr. If you have ever taught, I am sure you have taught about his man. Everyone knows about his dream for America...how he wanted all people to be able to be judged by their insides and not on the color of their skin. He spent his life working to end racism and help all people be treated equally. He protested, but he found ways to do it peacefully. He is one of the black leaders at the forefront every single black history month.

Next is Rosa Parks. She is almost as famous as Martin Luther King Jr. himself. Rosa was famous for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. It was the start of the Montgomery bus boycott. 

Bessie Coleman was another amazing black woman who was also a pilot. She had to work hard for the right to reach her dream and became the first black American to have a pilot's license. 

Harriet Tubman is one of my favorites. She was nicknamed Moses because while she could have just saved herself, she didn't. She continued to rescue other people who were enslaved. She is likened to the Biblical Moses who saved his people from slavery. She was brave and strong and selfless. 

Now for some of the lesser known people who were still just as amazing:

The first one is Garrett Morgan. Garrett was an amazing inventor who did not get all the credit he deserved. Some of his inventions were credited to another person because black people could not hold patents. He was willing to allow someone else to get credit so the inventions could be of help to others. He made traffic lights better and saved many people's lives in the process. 

Dr. Charles Drew was a hard-working black doctor who worked to figure out a way to save blood that was needed for injured people. Before his time, transfusions were done from one person directly into another person. He was able to save it so hospitals could have a blood bank to draw from. Also, he is the father of the modern bloodmobile. 

Did you know that the very first open heart surgery was performed by a black surgeon? Dr. Daniel Hale Williams did that in 1893 without any of the modern conveniences of medicine today. He saved the patient's life. He also was not allowed to practice medicine at the white hospitals of the day so he opened a hospital that kept an interracial staff and was willing to help all people. 

Lydia Newman was a black inventor. She holds the first patent for a hairbrush with synthetic bristles. This hairbrush was better suited to detangle hair, especially that of African Americans. The bristles were stiffer than those made of animal hairs. The brush she invented was also easier to clean and more sanitary. She also worked hard to get voting rights for women. 

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator. She opened one of the very first schools for African American girls. She also worked with some presidents to help with civil rights for African Americans. 

These are just, of course, a few of the many men and women of color who have helped to make our country great. Who will you choose to bring to life in your classroom? 

Check out my black history resources if you are interested. You can find these individually or in a complete bundle. Click below to be taken to each resource.