Education Helper

February: A Month Full of Holidays and Fun

2012-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

Groundhog Day, President's Day, Valentine's Day, and Black History Month--it's a month-long celebration for students and teachers! Here are some fun holiday resources:

Groundhog Day Activities for Lower Elementary Students
Top Ten Outstanding Presidents Unit
President's Day Puzzles
Valentine's Day Mad Libs
Valentine's Day Writings
Valentine's Day Coloring Sheets

Having fun lends an air of relaxation to learning concepts, and, although not all lesson plans can include fun, most can use socialization as a learning tool. And, doing so is simple and places the responsibility for learning back onto shoulders of students. Below are some ideas for using socialization as a learning tool in classroom:

1. Pair students then have them choose one of the examples given from the daily lesson and explain it to their partner.

2. Use expert groups. Ask students to choose one portion of the lesson to explain to small groups. Use a timer and rotate groups and leaders.

3. Have students sign up in advance to prepare a two-to-five minute lesson plan with an activity to introduce to peers. Use the templates at: Share Your Knowledge

4. Use Comprehension Postcards. Take ordinary postcards and write one comprehension question per card on the backs. Use craft scissors, which make unusual designs, then cut the postcards in halves. If larger groups are desired, make further cuts. Have students find their mates and discuss the question on the back of the postcard.

5. Get outside the classroom! Measure school buildings in math classes or test hypothesis outdoors. Go for a Preposition Walk . Use butcher's paper or poster boards and have groups illustrate one important date from their history chapter--do Comic Book Writing!

2012-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready for Assessment

Are you ready to get in gear for assessment time? How can you help ease the stress of standardized testing? These tips will help you and your students uncover unique ways to foster learning while having fun:

Try new motivating activities with How to Engage and Entertain Students . Insert some active-learning, ready-to-go motivators into your lesson plans.

Have some fun! Let students create their own comic books with Comic Book Writing! Easy-to-follow and use lesson with handouts, etc... All you need to produce great comics! Excellent for any subject...

Get relaxed with song writing and Let's All Sing the Blues: Writing SCAT . This inter-active presentation incorporates writing with music and gets students up and moving! They won't even know they are learning...

Insert some Martin Luther King, Jr. activities into your lesson plans to help students learn key words and phrases from the civil rights leader at M.L, King Jr. Word Puzzles

Learning comes in all shapes and forms, but it should be done in relaxed, positive atmospheres to produce the best results. Let students kick off their shoes, find comfortable spots on rugs, and enjoy the discoveries of learning!

Winter Fun

2011-12-03T08:11:00.001-08:00

It's the time of year to spice up lesson plans! Teachers and students are ready for winter break, and fostering learning through engaging activities lightens the mood. Try collaborative groups that focus on peer learning rather than individual worksheets completed as homework. Also, try some of the engaging, meaningful activities listed below:

Winter Holiday Writing Prompts--fun stationary with themed writing prompts to get all writers writing!
Winter Writing Prompts with Coloring Sheets--time for some relaxing coloring and writing!
Winter Holiday Coloring Sheets--let your students color and display these or use as holiday placements
Top Ten Kid Movies using symbols to figure out titles--fun word play!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-11-11T13:44:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is for giving...

There are many ways to incorporate giving lessons within your classroom. Highlight students who help others or give back to their communities, try a Good Deed a Day Award, or express your thanks to students for their good behaviors and hard work. Make it a point to praise on person per day, and, soon, it will become habit. Whether lending an ear or extending a hand, Thanksgiving is for giving.

Free Thanksgiving Give-Aways:
Thanksgiving Writing Prompts
Becoming a Successful Teacher
Winter Writing Prompts with Coloring-Sheets
What I Like About You

Click for Other FREE Teaching Products!

Halloween Fun!

2011-10-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's time for creative writing to take center stage! Get into the spirit of the season with some fun Halloween writing prompts and scary group writings. Give the below activities a try to get students involved in the season:

Eerie Writing Prompts
Lets Write a Scary Store A Group Writing Assignment
Halloween Coloring Sheets

Leave the paperwork in the classroom!

2011-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

As an English teacher, I often get asked about all those essays to grade--how do I make time? Peer workshopping! As I introduce skills through twenty-minute mini-lessons, students locate the items within their essays. Then, using a peer workshopping sheet that lists the skills we have worked on (see below), student do read arounds of their essays and rotate them to look for errors and positive points. By the time I read the essays with the students during one-on-one conferences, the essays are pretty good. Grading essays with students allows them to see what I'm looking for, to go over rules for missed skills, and helps them to understand what an "A" essay looks like.

Give it a try, and see if your paperwork load decreases....

Running Peer Workshopping Classroom PowerPoint link:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Teaching-Writing-Running-a-Peer-Workshopping-Classroom

0330 Narrative PeerWorkshopping

PeerReviewer(s): __________________________________

Title ofPaper: ___________________________________

Author:________________________________________

Remember—revisionsare the author’s choice!

As thereviewer, I have:

□ Listenedto the author read the piece aloud

□ Highlightedall end punctuation marks

o Doublecheck for question marks and exclamation points.

□ Highlightedthe words needing capitalization

o Beginningof each sentence

o Propernames, places, brand names, etc…

□ Highlightedall the transition words

□ Highlightedany misspelled words—use a dictionary or spell check if needed

□ Checkedfor proper formatting: Double Spaced, Times New Roman, Twelve Font

□ Checkedfor narrative guidelines

o UsesI

o Useschronological/sequential/time order

o Truestory

o Moralpoint/life lesson is _____________________________________________

□ Attachedfeedback sheet to rough draft (given to author)

One item Iliked: ________________________________________________________________

One item Iwish the author would add: ______________________________________________

Educator or Entertainer? How about both...

2011-08-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

As teachers, we often feel more like entertainers competing for students' attention spans. How can you teach to entertain and educate? Try some of the activities, ideas, links and resources in The Edutainer presentation at:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Edutainer-How-to-Educate-Engage-and-Entertain-Students

Back to School Activities List

2011-08-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

Here are few back-to-school ideas to make your week a breeze!

First Day Introduction PowerPoint Introduce yourself as a teacher/writer/educator to students and establishing class rules

Storytelling to Writing (Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom using storytelling as a prewriting activity)

Back to School Letter Recognition (early elementary)

Back to School Coloring Packet (early elementary)

Find Someone Who... (A get to know you bingo activity)

Teaching Tips and Tools for Being an Educator and Entertainer

Share Your Knowledge (Letting your students become the experts)

Back to School Ideas

2011-07-20T06:56:00.001-07:00

Anyone looking for back to school ideas? How about a Road of Life Map or Get to Know You activity? Check both out at the store front...

Welcome!

2011-01-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

Hope the New Year is off to a great start! The one issue I always battle is time management...of course, organization goes right along with that...I want to be able to read, write, share, and grade. Right now, I'm reading the Smithsonian magazine, which features an article on Texas and wild pigs and an article on the Colisseum's underground mazes. Anyone reading a great novel they would like to share?