There are so many unusual holidays, but I jumped for joy when I saw this one--Doughnut Day! It's the first Friday in June. Are you ready for Doughnut Day?
There's nothing better than a hot, gooey doughnut! Whether filled, frosted, round or twisted, it melts in mouth and satisfies a sweet tooth. I'm not going to mention the calories or unhealthy ingredients since that would spoil the image being created here. Instead, think about the smell of dough and the art of creating. Making a doughnut requires talent, but eating it does not. Stuff the sugary concoction in your mouth and savor every bite.
Remember the commercial about the young man who is late for work and stops on his way to the office to purchase donuts? The purchase is sure to make the boss forget the employee is late! It's been known to work, so give it a try the next time you are running late. Plus, there's the commercial of the young man who gets double points on his credit card when he uses it to purchase doughnuts. Doughnuts are good for lots of situations!
Do you have a favorite kind of donut? As a kid, the nearest donut shop was about ten miles away in the next
town. What a treat it was to get to visit! The shop with its large, plate glass windows laden with goodies was open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it was always packed with donut seekers. Then, there was my grandma's version of fried donuts. She took a can of refrigerated biscuit dough, forced a hole in the center, and plopped them into a frying pan of hot grease. Once these were lightly browned on each side, they were drained on paper towels. Finally, it was time for a glaze of powdered sugar and water, like a thick paste, that was poured over the donuts. At last, the plate was set on the table, and we dived in! To me, these tasted just as good as the store bought donuts.
This year for Doughnut Day, let your students join in the fun! Below are some fun activities for Doughnut Day--enjoy a sugary concoction and savor every bite of it!
Happy Doughnut Day!
Click here for more Doughnut Day activities!
The Made Up Words Project is a great project for your classroom! The rules are simple:
1. Find a purpose or reason to create a new word. For example: does your mother make a dish from her own recipe, do you have a habit no one else seems to have, do you have a special place that needs a name, etc...
2. Use compound words, foreign words, prefixes/suffixes, shortened words, sound words, rhyming words, etc...
3. Read "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
4. Discuss made up words within the poem. Why did Lewis Carroll choose words without origins? Where did the words originate from? What do they mean? Are context clues used?
5. Now, it's time to make your own made-up words: review rule #1.
6. Start writing! Be creative!
7. On paper or screen, include: the made-up word, definition, example of use within a sentence, and an image that represents or defines for readers your made-up word.
8. Set up a Made Up Words Class Project website, or add to the Made Up Words Project website.
Examples:
:
Have fun, and enjoy being a Wordsmith!
FREE!!! Understand the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. Click the link on the left to download the free Get Fit Action Story!
It seems as if Easter is late this year. That means not-so-cold egg hunts! There have been lots of years that young ladies stood shivering in dresses while gentlemen crammed their hands in shorts designed for much warmer weather. This makes a late Easter much more desirable.
Let's get to the fun stuff of Easter--all those Easter eggs. Without doubt, coloring Easter eggs can be classified as artwork! Yes, keep telling yourself that as you mix paints and grab crayons to scribble across all those hard boiled eggs. How about blown egg shell decorations? They are so beautiful and fragile. There are also sponge decorated eggs and painted eggs. Confetti eggs are popular in South Texas and are now pre-made and sold in stores. Regardless of the method chosen, it takes creativity to make colorfully decorated Easter eggs, so give kids plenty of time--and be patient.
One of the best things about the holiday is the Easter bunny. He's everywhere! There are tons of stories about the bunny, so take some time to let students create their own Easter tales. Take the opportunity to create small peer workshopping groups with writers and to share tales in round table settings.
Here are some Easter writing activities to get students thinking about the holiday and sharing their ideas with others:
This winter has dealt South Texas some strange phenomenons:
1. several separate occasions of ice
2. a few snowflakes
3. cold temperatures for more than a few days in a row
4. a snow day with no snow
5. only 3.6 inches of rain since the first of the year
6. eerie fog that lasts all day
On these days, attendance in classes is challenging at the community college. Everyone would rather stay home than go outdoors in bad weather. Those who make it to class write in their journals about family members and friends who are enduring blizzards, earthquakes, gale winds, fires, and frozen tundras.
"No," we agree as a group, "we've never seen anything like it." A student places a sweater over shorts clad legs while another kicks off flip-flops.
"Yes," we say, one after the other, "our winter is not so bad...no, not bad at all...fortunate...lucky...blessed..." There are no coats draped over backs of chairs nor any gloves or scarves on the tables.
Suddenly, a young man stands and shouts, "A Spring thaw is forecasted, and spring break is only weeks away!"
My students spend some class time discussing their spring break plans:
"I bought tickets to Six Flags!"
"I've got rodeo tickets!"
"I'm going to the beach!"
"I'm going to the beach at Padre!"
"I'm headed to a cabin at the lake!"
"I'm going to see my family."
"I'm going to sleep!"
"I'm going to stay up all night and watch movies!"
"I've got homework."
"I've got lots of homework."
"I've got to catch up."
"I'm hoping to meet with a tutor."
"I'm waiting on financial aid."
"I blew my financial aid."
"I hope I can keep my kids busy all week!"
"There's an online list of free activities for kids!"
"I hope there's no rain."
"I hope it's warm!"
For many students, the Spring thaw leads to a spring break that's packed with activities. But, in the backs of minds is the thought that it lasts only one week. In that amount of time, students will have logged many hours on different kinds of activities.
When we return to class from spring break, everyone will be in their seats and ready to learn--as soon as we write about our spring break antics then share whole group. Then, I will make a list of places to go based on my students' writings. We will console, cry, and laugh as real life stories are read.
We are learning. It may not be what's on the curriculum chart for today, but we've learned valuable lessons that can't be duplicated. And, we've become a team.
"We're in it together to the end," says a student.
College Readiness Activities:
FREE!!! Choosing a Major
Finding the Perfect College
FREE!!! Introduction Checklist for Literary Analysis
Having Fun with Plagiarism and Plagiarism Quiz
Help! How Do I Cite Sources for Research Essays?
Learning Styles: Understanding, Identifying, and Adapting
Accuplacer Testing Hits and Tips
Another year is here! For 2014, learning more about other cultures is a great New Year's resolution, and these activities help students learn more about others' lives. The more we know about others' cultures, the more patient and understanding we can be when helping others become acquainted with Western ways. Also, students are more prepared to enter the real world with its diverse population and many viewpoints.
I've often thought about teaching abroad. I follow Heidi Raki's website, Raki's Rad Resources, and many days I'm envious at the open attitudes to teaching concepts in schools in other countries. For example, my children learned math while sitting in single rows in classrooms and rote memorizing formulas then working problems on Smartboards or as homework. But, Heidi's students learned math concepts by cooking! Measuring ingredients and following recipes produces great end results, usually. Probably, mure more than just math was learned, and consequences and problem solving skills are part of Common Core Standards. Heidi makes me want to become a student in her classroom!
Several years ago, I was on a hiring committee that interviewed one of California's Teacher of the Year. I asked, "What make your teaching different from that of other educators?" His response was, "I teach math through real life skills--for example, my students go outside and measure and plan if new construction is going on." Ah-ha! Even I could understand math if taught through real-life skills. How about learning percentages through sales at clothing or grocery stores? Now, that's my kind of math!
I teach English, so how can these skills be taught using real-life application? Newspapers' Letters to Editor columns are good places to begin. This requires research so students understand background knowledge of problems, and it requires putting together facts and using quotes in ways readers understand and make sense of them. Plus, it requires great writing skills! How about entering writing contests? I entered Good Housekeeping's contest before the holidays. Students helped me revise my introduction to make my writing better, and students listened and helped with other corrections in my essay. Students who entered the same contest earned extra credit points.
Making learning interesting and relevant means tying it to real-life. "Why do I have to learn this stuff?" is answered. Imagine classrooms where students love learning and using real-life applications, and where diversity is celebrated everyday. Use real-life learning to introduce, engage, and inform students about the world and its unique cultures.
Celebrate Diversity and Real-Life Learning through Chinese 2014 New Year Make a Book and Activities (this product updates yearly):
