NEA; 2005 Lessons Archive

Will There Be a White Christmas This Year?

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Will There Be a White Christmas This Year?

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students use historical weather data to create a map and color key that illustrates the likelihood of a white Christmas.

More Holiday Resources
Lesson plans, activity ideas, Web sites and more — all in recognition of December's many holidays.
Holiday Resources »

Subjects: Visual Arts, Educational Technology, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

learn about contour maps that employ color keys to show differences in temperature and other things within a region/country;
use weather data to plot on a map the likelihood of snow cover in 50 cities on Christmas Day;
create a color key for the contour maps and color the maps; and,
explain in writing what they learned from the activity.

Keywords
snow, snowfall, Christmas, weather, contour, map, color key, precipitation, data, December, temperature

Materials Needed

a color temperature map (such as the one published each day in many newspapers or the USA Today Weather Map)
recording of the song "I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas" (optional)
White Christmas Weather Data work sheet (provided)
U.S. outline map, such as U.S. Outline Map 1, U.S. Outline Map 2 (PDF, 116k), or U.S. Outline Map 3
atlas
crayons

Procedure
Will it be a white Christmas in your neck of the woods? In this lesson, students take historical weather data (the percent of likelihood that there will be snow) for 50 cities across the continental United States. Students plot the locations and percents on a map and use the data to create a color contour map showing the approximate likelihood of snow cover across the United States on Christmas Day.

Begin this lesson by providing students with a color temperature map. You can find one in your daily newspaper or USA Today. Or print or project an image of a map from the Web. Following are a few sources:

Talk about the how the map can be used as a quick guide to determine the current or high temperature for the day; point out the color key as a tool to guide interpretation of the map.

Then ask: Do you have any idea how this map, called a temperature contour map, is created? Lead students to understand that the color contour map is simply a pictorial representation of weather data. In the case of a contour map that shows the current temperatures around the United States, the data is a long list of temperatures in cities around the country. Students could create their own color contour temperature map by gathering this data, plotting the temperatures in a wide variety of locations on an outline map, and then simply "connecting the dots" to approximate the areas in which temperatures are in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s…

As a practice activity, provide students with data that appears in their local newspaper. Most newspapers carry a list of cities along with the high temperature recorded on the previous day or the high temperature estimated for the current day. Use the list to start plotting locations and temperatures. Demonstrate how students can create a color contour map to show those high temperatures. Then have students map the low temperatures of the day found in the same newspaper source.

Next, introduce the song "I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas." Play the song if you have access to a recording of it. (If you have computer access, you might download a midi file of the song for students to hear. Try Song Source 1 or Song Source 2.)

Next, hand out a copy of the White Christmas Weather Data. This sheet includes figures that represent the percent likelihood of snow being on the ground on Christmas Day in 40 cities around the United States. This work sheet is intended for students in grades 5 and above.

For younger students, we recommend focusing on a state or region and mapping data for that smaller area. Use Stormfax: A White Christmas This Year? as a source of data. Higher level students in high school might also use that source to create more sophisticated and accurate maps.

After students have plotted on their maps the chance of Christmas Day snow cover, have them create a color key to guide them as they color their contour maps and to guide those who might read the maps. The color key will denote a different color for locations where the percent likelihood of snow cover on Christmas Day is

0 to 20 percent,
21 to 40 percent,
41 to 60 percent,
61 to 80 percent, and
81 to 100 percent.

Note: Be sure students understand that the maps they create are a simple approximation of the likelihood that any area will have an inch of snow or more on the ground on Christmas Day. Geographic location can account for vast differences in snowfall within a small area. For example, the map they create as part of this lesson will show that much of Arizona has little chance of snow cover on Christmas Day, but a small area of the state -- around the city of Flagstaff, which is located in the mountains in the middle of the state -- has a 57 percent chance of snow coverage on Christmas Day!

Assessment
Students share their maps with one another and with the class and discuss how accurately those maps depict the likelihood of snow cover. Check maps for accuracy in plotting city locations, but grant leeway in judging the final contour maps; some variation needs to be allowed for where the contours might break between the plotted cities. Students also should have the opportunity to express in writing the lessons they learn (math and geography) from the activity.

Holiday Necessities in the Classroom and at Home

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 05:00:00 GMT

December Holidays

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

December Holidays

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students research a variety of December holidays and create a chart comparing Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, and Ramadan.

More Holiday Resources
Lesson plans, activity ideas, Web sites and more — all in recognition of December's many holidays.
Holiday Resources »

Subjects: Language Arts, Fine Arts, Educational Technology, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

use library and Internet resources to learn about December holiday celebrations around the world;
learn about different elements of holiday celebrations (including the role food and candles/lights play in the celebrations, dates and countries connected to the holidays, and associated symbols and key words);
use a student work sheet (provided) to help them document what they learn; and,
use the work sheet to aid them as they complete a writing activity.

Keywords
Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Ramadan, December, holiday, candle, light, costume, song, research, multicultural, compare, contrast, comparison, chart, graphic organizer

Materials Needed

print and/or online resources
Student work sheet 1
Student work sheet 2

Procedure
In this lesson, students complete a chart comparing major multicultural December holiday celebrations. (Younger students complete the chart on Student work sheet 1; older students complete Student work sheet 1 and Student work sheet 2.) The charts provide spaces for students to make notes about different elements of five holiday celebrations -- Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, and Ramadan. If students or members of your community celebrate a different December holiday, you might replace one of the holidays on the work sheet with that one.

Provide students with the appropriate work sheet(s) and challenge them to use print resources (including encyclopedias, children’s books, and other sources) and Web sites (see list below) to learn about the major December holiday celebrations. Review with them the categories and the kinds of information they will be searching for, including the following.

Younger students:

Dates of each of this year’s celebrations
Countries where each celebration is the predominant one
Foods commonly associated with each holiday celebration
Symbols of each celebration
Key Words associated with each holiday

Older students:

Decorations associated with each celebration
Songs that relate to each holiday
Gifts and the role gifts play in each celebration
Stories that might be told during each celebration period
Light/Candles and the role lights and/or candles play in each holiday festival

After students have had a class period or two to complete their research, hold a “sharing session” in which students share their findings. As each students shares, encourage the others to learn and add information to their charts. This is also an opportunity to handle discrepancies in information, clear up misconceptions, and locate answers to questions that arise. (Older students might keep a bibliography and annotate each note so they will be able to associate each note with a source in the bibliography.)

Resources on the Web
Note: The resources under each category below are arranged in order of difficulty. Older students can use all resources to complete this activity; teachers might limit younger students’ to the first one or two resources.

Christmas

Hanukkah/Chanukah

Kwanzaa

Las Posadas

Ramadan

Assessment
Have students write a paragraph or a brief essay comparing

several elements of any two December holiday celebrations, or
one element of holiday celebrations (for example, symbols or foods) across cultures and celebrations.

What's in a Name?

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

What's in a Name?

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students learn the origins of the names of U.S. states, focusing on names that were derived from Native American words.

Subjects: Language Arts

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

learn about the origins of the names of states in the United States.

Keywords
Native American, United States, states, origins, names

Materials Needed

copies of the names of the U.S. states or a U.S. map
paper, pens or pencils
computers with Internet access or library resources about the states
printouts of Origin of the Names of 28 U.S. States

Procedure

Students may work independently or in small groups to complete this activity. Start the activity by providing each student or group with a list of the names of the 50 states (or have students use a map to create a list). Then challenge students to find the origin of each state's name. The students may use classroom or library resources about the states or any of a wide variety of Internet sites, including 50states.com to locate state name origins.
Ask each student or student group to compile a list of the state names that have Native American origins. When lists are complete, distribute the printouts the origins of the state names. How many states from that list of 28 states with Native American name origins did each student or group locate?

Extension
Have students create a picture glossary of states derived from Native American words. Have students use a text map reference for the shape of each state.

Thanksgiving Placemats: A Community Service Project

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving Placemats: A Community Service Project

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Work with your local shelter, food kitchen, or nursing home to brighten everybody's Thanksgiving.

Subjects: Visual Arts, Social Studies

Grade Levels: PreK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

participate in a community-service project that makes Thanksgiving special for others;
create a unique work of art that will brighten the day of someone they do not know; and,
reflect on what it means to help out.

Keywords
Thanksgiving, community service, placemat

Materials Needed

art supplies

Procedure
On Thanksgiving Day, people often gather in groups large and small to share dinner and give thanks. Students in your school can work together to brighten the Thanksgiving holiday of people who will gather for community dinners or for those confined to home or a hospital. You can work with your local shelter, food kitchen, hospital, Meals on Wheels organization, or nursing home to create a community-service project that will brighten everybody's Thanksgiving this year.

Provide students with 12- x 18-inch white construction paper. Let each teacher use his or her own favorite Thanksgiving art project to brighten the placemats you provide to community organizations; or perhaps your art teacher will take on this project and use a variety of different projects across the grades. We have listed below links to a variety of "Fun Thanksgiving Art Projects" we found online that might be used to make colorful placemats.

Another idea: Each student might paste this simple Happy Thanksgiving sign (PDF, 77K) to the center of the construction paper placemat. Students can color the sign and then decorate the borders around that sign with their favorite Thanksgiving symbols and scenes. Or they might glue or paste a variety of Thanksgiving clipart gathered from Internet sources around the placemat's borders. (See "Thanksgiving Clipart Online" sources below.)

Fun Thanksgiving Art Projects

One of these ideas might be used to create colorful -- and memorable -- Thanksgiving placemats.

Thanksgiving Clipart Online

Assessment
Students might reflect in their journals about how they feel knowing that their placemats will make Thanksgiving a special day for someone in their community who they don't even know.

Thanksgiving Feast

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving Feast

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

In this lesson students read a chart to learn more about where the foods in their family’s Thanksgiving feast were grown.

Thanksgiving Lessons
* "Thank You" in 100 Languages
* Thanksgiving Placemats
* Thanksgiving Feast
* Thanksgiving Science Experiment
* Popcorn History

Subjects: Math, Health, Science, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

Objectives
Students will:

read a chart for information;
interpret questions to figure out what information is wanted and use a chart to answer those questions; and,
learn about how food production adds to a state's economy.

Keywords
economy, geography, turkey, Thanksgiving, food, nutrition, farm, food, production

Materials Needed

Thanksgiving Feast work sheet (PDF, 112K)

Procedure
Begin the lesson by asking students to list foods that might be found at a Thanksgiving feast in their families. (Use this as an opportunity to point out that one family's Thanksgiving feast might differ greatly from another's. Many family use foods that are part of their own culture of family tradition when they celebrate Thanksgiving.) Write down the foods that students call out.

Write the information in the chart below on a board or chart. The chart shows five U.S. states that are among the leaders in turkey production and the number of turkeys raised in each of those states.

LEADING U.S. TURKEY PRODUCERS
Name of State	Number of Turkeys Produced
Arkansas	28,500,000
Minnesota	46,500,000
Missouri	21,500,000
North Carolina	39,000,000
Virginia	19,700,000
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2004

Give students an opportunity to study the information on the chart. If you teach younger students, you might walk them through the information on the chart. (You might also round off information on the chart. For example, you might round 46,500,000 to the nearest million: 47,000,000. Or you might simply write out the information in words: 47 million turkeys.)

Then ask students grade-appropriate questions about the information on the chart. The questions below serves as examples of the kinds of questions you might ask:

Which state produces the most turkeys? (Minnesota)
Which state on the chart produces more turkeys -- North Carolina or Virginia? (North Carolina)
How many turkeys were produced on farms in Missouri? (21,500,000 turkeys)
Which state on the chart produces the fewest turkeys? (Virginia)
Which state produces fewer turkeys -- Arkansas or Minnesota? (Arkansas)
How many more turkeys are produced in North Carolina than in Arkansas? (10,500,000 turkeys)
If Arkansas produces 500,000 more turkeys this year than in the year on the chart, how many turkeys will they raise? (29,000,000 turkeys)
How many million turkeys in all are produced by these top turkey-producing states? (155,200,000 turkeys)

Provide each student with a copy of the Thanksgiving Feast work sheet (PDF, 112K). On that work sheet, students study charts and answer questions about the production of two other common Thanksgiving foods -- sweet potatoes and cranberries.

Assessment
Work Sheet Answers: 1.c, 2.c, 3.a, 4.b, 5.b, 6.c, 7.b.
BONUS: 6,494,000 barrels.

Wall of Peace

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 05:00:00 GMT

Wall of Peace

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

A good activity for Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or September 11.

Memorial Day Lessons
* History of Sacrifice
* Thinking about the Troops
* The Wall Inspires Letters
* Mapping Your State's Role in the Vietnam War
* Memorial Shoebox Parade
* Connecting Kids and Soldiers
* Hang a Flag Mural
* "Memory" in Memorial Day
* Wall of Peace

Memorial Day Resources »

Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

honor veterans,
think/write critically about the day and what it means to be an American, and
help build a symbolic "wall of peace."

Keywords
Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, September 11, patriot, patriotic, patriotism, wall, peace

Materials Needed

paper and pen/pencil
tagboard
colored pencils or crayons
scissors

Procedure
This lesson can be used to commemorate Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or the anniversary of September 11. In the lesson, students will choose a question(s) to respond in writing. The written paragraph will be attached to a symbolic "brick." Students' bricks will be used to commemorate the day and build a "Wall of Peace."

You might begin the lesson by talking about the holiday. These resources could prove useful:

If you and your students have computer access and are using this lesson as you commemorate the anniversary of September 11, you might visit The September 11 Digital Archive and read some of the email comments submitted by visitors to the site. If you are using this lesson around Memorial Day or Veterans Day, you might visit The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall and read some comments written in the Web site's Guestbook.

Then write the following questions on a chalk/whiteboard or chart:

What do you feel is the cornerstone of our country?
In what ways can we honor our veterans?
How do we show respect for our country?
In what ways can we, as individuals, on a daily basis help keep the peace?
What is tolerance?
How does tolerance promote peace?
Veterans have shown their loyalty to our country. How can we show ours?
Why is it important to keep honoring our veterans?

Ask students to write a paragraph in response to one of those questions. Have students/peers edit the paragraphs for publication. Once students have edited their paragraphs for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, have them write or type their paragraphs on a paper "brick." (Or they might write/type on white paper, then cut out and mount their paragraph on a red brick.) Build a Wall of Peace on a classroom bulletin board by having students read aloud their paragraphs one at a time; then have them place their bricks on the bulletin board. Leave space between bricks to represent the mortar that holds the bricks in place. The bricks in this classroom Wall of Peace represent important characteristics: peace, honor, respect, tolerance, and loyalty.

Additional Idea
Present your "Wall of Peace" to another class, or to the student body at a special holiday program. As each paragraph is read, the student/writer will walk forward to add his/her brick to the wall. At the completion of the presentation, the audience sees a wall not built out of hate and isolation but rather out of peace and unity. Each student represents the mortar that binds us, and their statements represent the building blocks of peace.

Assessment
You might assess student involvement in the classroom discussion; writing their paragraphs; and speaking.

"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

“War of the Worlds”: A Broadcast Re-Creation

Teaching Theme of the Week

Gary Hopkins, Education World®

Students re-create the panic-causing 1938 radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds.”

Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts, Science, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

learn the background behind this famous radio broadcast (why did it cause widespread panic?);
re-create, Readers-Theater style, the broadcast (or excerpts of it); and,
reflect on the ability of this broadcast to cause such panic (were people that gullible?).

Keywords
H.G. Wells, Orson Welles, War of the Worlds, Spielberg, radio, theater, drama, Readers Theater, script, broadcast

Materials Needed

Background Information
The year was 1938. Television was in the experimental stages (the number of TVs in the United States numbered in the low hundreds), but people frequently gathered around radios to listen to the popular shows of the time.

On the night before Halloween in 1938, "The Mercury Theater on the Air" radio program presented an adaptation of an H.G. Wells novel, War of the Worlds. At the start of the broadcast, and several times throughout it, an announcer made it clear that the broadcast was fictional, but many people missed those announcements. Another popular radio show, "The Chase and Sanborn Hour," aired at the same time as Mercury Theater, so many people tuned into that popular program and switched from it during commercial or musical breaks to listen to the "Mercury Theater" production.

Can you imagine tuning into the middle of a broadcast and hearing dialogue such as this?

PHILLIPS [RADIO ANNOUNCER]: I see, do you still think it's a meteor, Professor?

PIERSON [SCIENTIST REPORTING FROM A SITE WHERE AND OBJECT HAS LANDED]: I don't know what to think. The metal casing is definitely extraterrestrial . . . not found on this earth. Friction with the earth's atmosphere usually tears holes in a meteorite. This thing is smooth and, as you can see, of cylindrical shape.

PHILLIPS: Just a minute! Something's happening! Ladies and gentlemen, this is terrific! This end of the thing is beginning to flake off! The top is beginning to rotate like a screw! The thing must be hollow!

VOICES: She's movin'! Look, the darn thing's unscrewing! Keep back, there! Keep back, I tell you! Maybe there's men in it trying to escape! It's red hot, they'll burn to a cinder! Keep back there. Keep those idiots back! (SUDDENLY THE CLANKING SOUND OF A HUGE PIECE OF FALLING METAL)

VOICES: She's off! The top's loose! Look out there! Stand back!

PHILLIPS: Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . .

Needless to say, many who tuned in without hearing the announcer's introduction, went into a panic. The New York Times, reported on the panic:

" A wave of mass hysteria seized thousands of radio listeners between 8:15 and 9:30 o'clock last night when a broadcast of a dramatization of H. G. Wells's fantasy, "The War of the Worlds," led thousands to believe that an interplanetary conflict had started with invading Martians spreading wide death and destruction in New Jersey and New York…"

Lesson Ideas

Language arts: Listening. To give students a flavor of the broadcast so they too might sense what people were listening to that evening, you might play the audio of the above dialogue (alternative source).

Language arts: Reading aloud. Have students read aloud "readers-theater style" parts of the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast script (, 91K) (alternative source).

Language arts: Drama. Arrange students into groups. Divide up the script and have groups rehearse their sections of it. Set aside time for the groups to present their readings. You might "recreate" the original broadcast by recording students' presentations. Students might even add sound effects to their presentations.

More Activities

Critical thinking and media literacy. In 1938, people were enjoying the Golden Age of Radio. (The first commercial TV broadcasts would not debut until 1941.) Radio -- along with newspapers and newsreels that were shown in movie theaters -- was an accessible source of news and entertainment. People believed what they heard on the radio. To help put that thought into perspective, ask students to talk about how they use books, television, and the Internet as sources of information. Ask: Do you think you could have been fooled by the radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds"? Why might you have been fooled? Do you believe everything you read? Have you ever been fooled into believing that something you saw on TV or read on the Internet was real when it was not?

You might introduce students to one or more of the following Web sites on the Internet that are entirely bogus. But each of the sites is created so that it looks, feels, and even sounds real. Share a Web site -- see if students of today can still be fooled…

Critical thinking -- comparing and contrasting. Share with students the novel by H.G. Wells that was adapted for broadcast. Have students compare the novel to the radio script. (Click for complete text of the novel on the Project Gutenberg Web site.) Or compare the book or radio script to the movie version filmed in 1953 or the Steven Spielberg version released in 2005 (available on video November 22, 2005). Note: The 2005 movie is rated PG-13, so you will need parents' permission to show the movie to students age 13 or under; or you might show excerpts of the film that are carefully screened for appropriateness.

Other Resources
Study Guide for H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds (1898)
WOW: War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells and The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds and Fear of Invasion
WKBW's Recreation of the Radio Broadcast (1971)

Assessment
Given the circumstances of the 1938 radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds," do you think you would have panicked? Have students write a response to that questions in their journals. They must include three supporting ideas to justify their responses.

Silly Pumpkins: Just for Fun (or Fund-Raising)

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Silly Pumpkins: Just for Fun (or Fund-Raising)

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Pumpkins are the ultimate October icons -- the fruit of the month, if you will. (Yes! Pumpkins are a fruit.) Celebrate pumpkins with this fun activity for all grades.

Halloween Lessons
* My Pumpkin Story
* Predicting Pumpkins
* Graphing a Cemetery
* Silly Pumpkins
* Guess Who's Coming...
* Literary Bash
* Monster Mash
* BIG Pumpkins!
* Jack-O'Lantern Mobile
* Pumpkin Puzzler

more Halloween resources

Subjects: Arts & Humanities, Visual Arts

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will

think creatively as they transform a plain pumpkin into a work of art.

Keywords
pumpkin, contest, fundraising, fund-raising, fund-raiser, PTO, painting, decorate, decorating, Halloween, fruit, fall, autumn, October, September

Materials Needed

pumpkins of varying sizes
paints and other art supplies

Procedure

In this lesson, students decorate pumpkins in fun or goofy ways. They might do the activity to decorate the classroom, just for fun, or to raise money for school activities. This activity could be turned into a contest, an auction, a roadside sale...

You probably don't want to involve students in carving pumpkins but that won't stop you from letting them have some fun by painting pumpkins or stenciling pumpkins (may require free registration).

Or how about these ideas?

Assign each student the name of a member of the school staff and have the student decorate a pumpkin to look like that person. Aside from the obvious physical features, the student might incorporate symbols related to that person's job.
Have students decorate their pumpkins as famous people in history.
Emphasize the fact that a pumpkin is a fruit by painting/decorating or otherwise disguising pumpkins to look like other fruits.

Still looking for more pumpkin-decorating ideas? The following pages might inspire additional ideas. If you use this activity as a fund-raiser, each class might take on one of the following ideas as a class theme.

Turn This Activity Into a School Fund-Raiser
It's too late to plant a pumpkin garden in your schoolyard to raise your own pumpkins, but you can check with local food distributors about purchasing pumpkins in bulk for this activity. Once students have decorated their pumpkins, you might make arrangements to sell them at a local store, hold an auction and sale at the next PTO meeting, or set up shop in the schoolyard on a Saturday morning and sell students' decorated pumpkins to the entire community.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
How about involving community members as judges in a pumpkin-decorating contest, then auctioning off the winning pumpkins? Because students will not be taking home their creations, you might want to present them with ribbons, certificates, and photos of their pumpkins.

More School Pumpkin Photos

ESL Photo Gallery: Painting Our Pumpkins

More Resources

Gourd and Pumpkin Painting
Tips on painting pumpkins, storing pumpkins, more.

What Works: Paint Pumpkins
Tips for a large-group painting effort.

Pumpkin Painting: Put Down That Knife!
More simple ideas for creating a pumpkin work of art.

Create a Word

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Create a Word

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students work in small groups to brainstorm new words for a class dictionary.

Subjects: Arts & Humanities

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

use creative-thinking and creative-writing skills to develop new words.

Keywords
dictionary, words, entry, citation

Materials Needed

paper
pens, pencils
chalk, chalkboard
colored tag board or construction paper
hole puncher
brads or other fastening devices
markers, crayons, or other art materials
computer(s) with Internet access (optional)

Procedure

Motivation: Ask students to discuss their thoughts about how words get into dictionaries. Write students' responses on the board.

For younger students: Read and discuss the article How Does a Word Get into the Dictionary? with the class.

For older students: If Internet access is available to everyone, have students read the feature noted above; if not, print the information. Ask students to define the word citations. Ask them to discuss what part citations play in determining whether a word is added to a dictionary.
Organize students into small groups. Tell students that each group will brainstorm new words for a class dictionary. They will use each word in a sentence. Each group should come up with at least one word per individual in the group. For older students: Have each group write definitions for their new words and indicate the part of speech -- noun, verb, etc. -- for each word.
When everyone has finished, have students read their words and sentences to the class.
Compile the words into a booklet fastened with brads or other devices. Have students brainstorm a title for the dictionary and decorate the tag board or construction paper cover.

Assessment
Observe students' abilities to work in cooperative groups. Evaluate students' words and sentences.

Going Nuts for a New Grade

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Going Nuts for a New Grade

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

An ideal source for an adorable bulletin board that features student work, this activity gets kids to consider "resolutions" for the new school year!

Subjects: Arts & Humanities

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5

Objectives
Students will:

describe the practices they follow to get ready for the school year, and
create a list of "resolutions" they will seek to achieve during the new school year.

Keywords
fall, writing, resolution, acorn, nut, autumn, September

Materials Needed

Procedure

With the giddy butterflies that come with a new school year also come hopes and plans for a successful learning adventure -- for both students and teachers! This lesson has students put on their thinking caps and consider how they will achieve these goals as the year gets underway.
Discuss the many things families do to prepare children for the first day of school. Ideas may include shopping for new clothes, shoes, and backpacks, or gathering items to pack in lunches, arranging for before and after school care, and more. Tell the students about your own preparations and the tasks that are done to make the school building ready for classes. The start of a new school year is much like the beginning of a new calendar year. Everything is new and there are exciting opportunities and things to explore. Talk about New Year's resolutions and how people often decide to begin new and healthier practices as they start a new year.
Hand out copies of the Going Nuts for a New Grade work sheet. Point out the cap on the top of the acorn and explain that you want the students to wear "thinking caps" just like the acorn. Invite the students to share some ways they want to grow and learn this school year. Create a sample list on the board with your class that reflects your "resolutions."

Example: Mrs. Jones, during this school year I will...
- be ready to learn.
- try my best every day.
- be helpful.
- read, read, read.
- make time for music.
- share my favorite stories.
- make new friends.
Give the students time to create their own lists and help them to record those ideas carefully on the acorns. As they finish, have the students lightly color their acorns and cut them out. Collect the work sheets. (Consider posting your list of resolutions on a tree trunk made of craft paper with the students' acorns attached and the title "We're Nuts About _____ Grade.")

Assessment
All satisfactory submissions will be complete and meet classroom writing standards. After display, place the acorns in the students' writing portfolios as an example from early in the school year. Then have the students reexamine their lists and evaluate their success in achieving their goals at the end of the year.

Mother Nature Has Her Say

Mon, 26 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Mother Nature Has Her Say

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

As part of this creative writing activity, students prepare interview questions for Mother Nature and then respond (as the lady herself!) to questions designed by another student.

Autumn Activities
* Photosynthesis Activities
* Mother Nature Has Her Say
* Graphing Greenery
* Foliage Tracker
* Fall Similes
* Celebrate Fall and Its Colors

Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

write interview questions,
respond to interview questions through writing, and
perform research as necessary to answer questions appropriately.

Keywords
seasons, Mother Nature, writing, interview, autumn, spring, summer, fall, winter, interview, September

Materials Needed

paper
pencils
Internet access (optional)
research materials as needed

Procedure

When the seasons change, Mother Nature's quiet work is especially evident. In this activity, students consider what they would ask the imaginary figure of Mother Nature if they had the opportunity and then take on her role and reply to questions designed by another student.
With young students, begin by discussing the change of seasons and the telltale signs that a new season is about to start. Ask the students to describe the character of Mother Nature. Older students can discuss myth and legend and what they know about Mother Nature. Why might such a figure have been created in the minds of men?
Distribute paper and have the students create several questions they would ask Mother Nature if they had the opportunity to speak to her. You may choose to require the number of questions you feel is appropriate (probably between three and ten). Some examples might include:
- Why does fall occur at this time of year?
- What is your favorite season and why?
- Why do leaves change color?
- What is your projection for winter weather in this area?
- Do you know Jack Frost? The Sun and Moon? Father Time?
- How did you become Mother Nature? How long is your term?
- Describe your position and the role you play in nature.
- Do you enjoy being Mother Nature?
- What is the best thing about your job? The worst?
- Do you have a family?
- If you could be someone other than Mother Nature, whom would you choose? Why?
Have students record their questions on composition paper with a pseudonym. Secretly exchange the papers among the students and instruct them to write responses to some or all of the questions. When they reply, the students should respond as Mother Nature and use her "voice" as they imagine it. They should research scientific and social studies topics as needed. Be sure that the students write their names on the papers they have responded to and collect the replies. Return the papers to their original owners so they may read the pages and add their names beside their pseudonyms.

Assessment
Have each student share a favorite question and response from the interview he created. Collect the papers again for evaluation. An interview that meets expectations will contain the required number of questions, all material will be appropriate, and the writing will meet classroom guidelines. Responses must also be appropriate and thoughtful as well as reflective of the proper voice and related research.

For the Beans

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

For the Beans

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students grow vegetables, such as corn, beans, squash, and chilies, often used in recipes in Hispanic cultures.

Hispanic Heritage Lessons
* Spanish Picture Dictionary
* Travel Guides
* Hispanic Hall of Fame
* Letters to Congress
* Spanish in English
* Flags of Nations
* For the Beans
* Write a Hispanic Folktale

Subjects: Science, Social Sciences

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5

Objectives
Students will

study the growth of vegetables often used in recipes in Hispanic cultures, and
follow directions.

Keywords: vegetables, beans, corn, squash, chilies, recipes, Hispanic, culture, geography

Materials Needed

a world map or globe
cups or small pots
soil
dried beans (for example, pinto, kidney)
corn, squash, or chili seeds
water
paper and pencils

Procedure

Show students the locations of Latin American countries on a world map or globe. Explain to students that corn, beans, chilies, and squash are vegetables often grown and eaten in those areas.
Divide the class into four groups. Distribute the cups or pots and soil. Give each group one kind of seed or bean.
Tell groups to put the soil and seeds in their cups or pots. Add water.
Have each group record the daily growth of the plants.

Variation 1: Have students grow different varieties of each plant; for example, have groups grow different kinds of beans (for example, kidney and pinto beans).

Variation 2: If your school has space for a garden, plant the seeds and beans outdoors.

Extension: Have elementary students research the history of the vegetables they are growing.

Assessment
Evaluate students' participation and ability to follow directions.

Charting the Three Branches of Government

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Charting the Three Branches of Government

Teaching Theme of the Week

from Education World®

Students work in groups to create charts showing the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the first three articles to the Constitution.

Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies, Educational Technology

Grade levels: 6-8

Objectives
Students will:

define the terms article, legislative branch , judicial branch, and executive branch;
gain a greater understanding of the organizational structure of our government;
demonstrate skills in organizing information in a chart; and,
work together in cooperative groups.

Keywords
chart, government, Constitution, article, legislative branch, judicial branch, executive branch

Materials Needed

poster board or construction paper
pens or markers
copies of the Articles I through III in the Constitution from textbook or library sources or printed out from the following sites:

Procedure
Note: This lesson might fit into a unit of study about the Constitution.

Review the three branches of government. Ask students to define the terms legislative branch , judicial branch, executive branch.
Depending on class size, divide the class into pairs or groups of three students. Assign one article to each group.
Tell each group to choose one part of the article that describes a structure or function of a branch of government. Have each group create a chart to showing how that structure or function works.

Assessment
Have students present and explain their charts to the class. Have students ask questions of the presenters.

Best of the Icebreakers

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Best of the Icebreakers

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

Education World has been collecting great icebreaker activities from teachers since 1997. This year, we take a look back and spotlight some of the best of the more than 150 ideas that teachers have shared.

Since we published the first edition of getting-to-know-you "icebreaker" activities in 1997, eleven more volumes have followed. Even today, new ideas continue to flow in. This is the first year we have not had more than a dozen new ideas to share with Education World readers, so, instead of sharing new ideas, we have decided to look back. The ten icebreakers that appear below are ten of the most original and powerful ideas we've seen through the years.

Maybe you'll find the perfect idea here for your first day of school. If not, be sure to check out more than 100 additional ideas that have been submitted over the years to our Icebreaker Activities Archive.

And, if you have an idea to share, be sure to join the Icebreaker conversation on Education World's message boards.

As I have always done, each idea below is credited to the teacher who submitted it to Education World.

Making Introductions

Many icebreaker activities are focused on helping teachers get to know their students and helping students get to know one another. These activities are fun ways to learn about students' backgrounds and personalities and to start to form bonds that will last all school year long.

Recipe Card Mix-Up
Provide each student with a recipe or index card. Ahead of time choose about five questions that you might ask of students. Be as creative as you want with the questions. Possible questions might include the following:

What is the title of a favorite book?
What do you like doing in your free time when you're not at school?
What is your favorite board game?
What is your favorite candy bar?
If you could request your favorite meal for your birthday, what would that meal be?

When students -- and the teacher -- have written their answers to the questions, collect the recipe cards. Shuffle the cards. Then pass out a card to each student; be sure students do not receive their own cards. When everyone has a card, then the job of each student is to find the student in the room who belongs to the card the student holds. When everybody has found the person who wrote the answers on the card they hold, they must make sure they know how to pronounce that student's full name and that they understand everything that is written on the card. Then it is time for introductions. The teacher can begin the activity by asking the student on the card s/he holds to come to the front of the room. As that student stands by, the teacher introduces the student to the rest of the class by saying, "Class, I'd like you to meet ___. Her favorite book is ___. Her favorite board game is… Please welcome ___ to our fourth grade class!" (Classmates then give the student 4 claps [for 4th grade]).

The student that the teacher introduced continues the activity by calling up the student whose card he or she holds. Continue until all students have introduced someone to the class. When everyone has been introduced, take all the cards, shuffle them, and call out responses on one card at a time to see if students can remember who belongs to each card.
Arlene Stoebner, Yankton School District, Yankton South Dakota

Getting-to-Know-You Venn Diagram
Gather groups of three students. Supply a prepared three-circle Venn diagram (see an editable sample Word 82KB ) for each group. Students talk in their groups about themselves and the things they like to do. After a brief discussion, students must…

Decide on at least three ways in which they are all alike; they write those things in the area of the diagram that intersects all three circles.
Find ways in which they are like one other student in the group and record those ways in the appropriate areas of the diagram.
Determine a few facts that make each of them unique and write those facts in the appropriate sections of the diagram.

This activity helps students recognize and appreciate likenesses and differences in people. It also introduces them to Venn diagrams on the first day of school. This type of graphic organizer might be used many times throughout the year.
Rene Masden, Sixth District Elementary School, Covington, Kentucky

Student Dictionary
Write five questions on the board. Questions might include the following:

What is your name?
Where were you born?
How many brothers or sisters do you have?
What are their names?
Do you have any pets?

Tell students to write those questions on a piece of paper and to add to that paper five more questions they could ask someone they don't know. Pair students, and have each student interview his or her partner and record the responses. Then have each student use the interview responses to write a "dictionary definition" of his or her partner to include in a Student Dictionary. You might model this activity by creating a sample dictionary definition about yourself. For example:

Reynolds, Kim. proper noun. 1. Born in Riverside, California. 2. No brothers or sisters. 3.…

Have students bring in small pictures of themselves to paste next to their entries in the Student Dictionary. Bind the definitions into a book, and display it at your back-to-school open house for parents.
Kim Reynolds, Warwick Elementary School, Fremont, California

Getting-to-Know-You Chart
Create a large chart titled Getting to Know You. Include on the chart sections for students' names and interesting facts, such as how many people are in their families, how many pets they have, their favorite colors, favorite school subjects, favorite sports, and so on… Laminate the chart and hang it on the wall. On the first day of school, have each student "sign in." Leave the chart up for several weeks. The kids love to wander over to it when they have free time. They keep learning new things about one another. The chart can be a good source of "data" for a lesson in graph-making too.
Charilyn Damigo, Liberty Baptist School, San Jose, California

Many Great Activities Start with a Good Book

Lots of great books offer fitting segues to getting-to-know-you activities. If you're a teacher who likes to read aloud to students, why not start the year with a read aloud that leads to a fun activity that will get students talking and interacting? Here are just a few possibilities…

Special Memories Book
If you write a letter of introduction to students before the school year starts, include a request that students bring to school on the first day something that has a special memory attached to it. (If you do not send a before-school letter, you can make this activity the homework assignment for the first day.) Start the day by reading Mem Fox's popular book Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. The story is about a little boy who befriends an older woman and gives her back memories that she has long forgotten. After reading the story, discuss what a memory is and list students' ideas. Then give each child an opportunity to share his or her special item and tell about the memories it carries. You might also use this as the first writing assignment of the year; have students write about the memories their objects spark, take pictures of the objects, and create a class book of memories.
Cindy Kramer, West Side Elementary School, Cold Spring Harbor, New York

The Giving Tree
Read aloud Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and involve students in a discussion of the types of gifts the tree gave the boy; none of those gifts cost a thing. Then talk about the types of cost-free "gifts" the students can contribute to the class. Prepare a bulletin board that has the silhouette of a tree trunk and branches. Give each student a cutout apple. Have students write on their apples the things they can "give" to the class. Put the apples on the tree. This bulletin board makes a nice display for open house.
Lori Napoli

Goal Setting With Booker T.
I like to share at least one read-aloud book on the opening day of school. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg are favorites. Most essential though, is More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby. The biographical story of Booker T. Washington's youth uses beautiful language and illustrations to show how he learned to read as a young boy. After reading the book, we talk about his goals and how his determination to achieve them made them a reality. More Than Anything Else is an excellent tool for starting a discussion about students' goals for the school year.
Heather Migdon, Dogwood Elementary School, Fairfax County, Virginia

Setting the Tone

The last two activities above are perfect ones for setting the tone for a productive and respectful school year. When the going gets rough -- when students are not respecting their classmates or when they are losing sight of their goals -- you could always refer back to the lessons learned from the "giving tree" or Booker T.

Following are a few more activities that can help you set a tone on the first day of school that will carry over thoughout the year.

Chain Gang
Begin by asking students "Who can do something really well?" After a brief discussion about some of the students' talents, pass out paper and ask students to write down five things they do well. Then provide each student with five different-colored paper strips. Have each student write a different talent on each paper strip. Then create a mini paper chain by linking the five talent strips together. As students complete their mini chains, use extra strips of paper to link the mini chains together to create one long class chain. Have students stand and hold the growing chain as you link the pieces together. Once the entire chain is constructed and linked, lead a discussion about what the chain demonstrates. For example, it might illustrate that…

All students have talents.
The students in this class have many talents.
If the students in this class work together, they can accomplish anything.
Our class is stronger when students work together than when individual students work on their own.

Hang the chain in the room as a constant reminder to students of the talents they possess and the benefits that can result from teamwork.

Kimberlee Woodward, substitute teacher, Waterford, Michigan

Puzzling It Out
This activity is especially valuable if you have in your class students who are new to your school. Those students probably will be experiencing a range of emotions -- including fear, shyness, and uncertainty. Before the activity, create a word processing document containing many different messages -- preferably in different type sizes and fonts -- that convey such messages as

Welcome!
Don't be puzzled, you'll fit right in!
We're here for you!

Depending on the age of student with whom you work, you might include a few messages or a dozen. Print multiple copies of the document (one for each small group of students). Then cut each copy into puzzle pieces, and place the pieces of each copy in a separate envelope. Post on an overhead transparency instructions that direct students to work with others at their table to assemble the puzzle pieces in their group's envelope. As students enter the classroom on the first day of school, be sure they read the instructions and begin the activity. This activity accomplishes several goals: It offers a quiet activity that you can observe; as you observe, you will learn about your students and discern potential problems. It gives students something to do when they first enter the classroom -- something they will be successful at. And it can be a great discussion starter.
Nita Dale, Tryon Middle School, Tryon, North Carolina

Ugly Words Are Out!
As you discuss classroom expectations, introduce the idea that "ugly words" have no place in your classroom. Ask students what they think you mean by "ugly words." Then have the class generate a list of words that might be found on an ugly-word list, and write the words on a piece of chart paper. (Explain to students that any word that is considered a swear word would definitely be on the ugly-word list, so there is no need to mention them. Point out that the same is true for such words as dummy, jerk, dork, geek, hate, or ugly.) You might start the list with the word "can't." What about the word quit? Go around the room and give each student an opportunity to add an ugly word to the list. When you are satisfied that the students' supply of ugly words has run dry, dramatically rip the chart paper off the pad, let it fall to the floor, and stomp all over it. Next, rip it up and crush it into a ball. Finally, get a shovel, take students outside, and ceremoniously bury the list of ugly words. This activity willahave quite an impact: students will always remember the "ugly words" that will not be accepted in class.
Becci Motes, Kelley-Smith Elementary School, Palatka, Florida

Fun Activities Get the School Year Off to a Good Start!

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Fun Activities Get the School Year Off to a Good Start!

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

Every teacher has a different approach to the first few days of school. Whatever your approach, we have an activity for you!

What are your goals for the first days of school? Some teachers use the time for informal activities designed to help students get to know one another. Other teachers introduce class rules or establish new routines. Still others design activities that help them learn about student strengths and needs. There are as many different approaches to the first days of school as there are teachers!

Whatever your goals for the first days of school, the 13 activities in today's Education World article will help get the year off to a great start! You're sure to find a new activity or two to use, adapt, or share.

The 13 activities are divided into four categories:

Getting to Know Student Strengths and Skills
Setting the Tone
Discovering How They Work Together
Having Fun!

Getting to Know Student Strengths and Skills

Following directions. How well do your students follow directions? Provide instructions for folding a drinking cup from a piece of paper, and see how many students can make a cup. You can use the printable template and instructions at the Origami Japanese Paper Folding Web page. Fill each complete cup with apple juice to see how many students correctly followed the directions! (You might want to conduct this particular assessment on the playground, however!)

Learning styles survey. How do the students in your class learn best? Do they learn by seeing, hearing, or doing? Invite students to discover their most successful learning strategies by taking the Modality Questionnaire provided by the Center for the Advancement of Learning at Ohio's Muskingum College.

A world of change. On the first day of school, provide students with an 11-inch by 17-inch piece of drawing paper. Challenge students to draw a map of the world and label as many countries and bodies of water as they can. Collect the maps and put them away. At the end of the school year, repeat the activity. Has a year of lessons focused on world geography and current events increased your students' knowledge of the world? (If this activity isn't appropriate for you, why not share it with a social studies or history teacher in your school?)

Time capsule. Turn empty Pringles cans or paper towel tubes into miniature time capsules. Ask each child to create a time capsule that includes such items as a handwriting sample, a hand tracing, a self portrait, and so on. At the end of the school year, compare samples from the beginning of the year with new samples.

A video keepsake. At the start of the school year, or before school starts, if possible, provide parents with a list of supplies to send to school with their children. Include on the list a blank videotape for each student. At least once a month, invite a parent volunteer to come in and videotape each student reading aloud from a favorite book. Send the videotapes home at the end of the year as a memento and as a reminder of the reading growth that happened during the course of the year.

Setting the Tone

Sticks and stones... This simple activity has been making the rounds of mailing lists recently: Provide each student with a small paper cutout in the shape of a human, or have students cut out their own paper figures. Ask each student to write his or her name on the cutout. Have students form a circle. Then tell students to pass the cutouts to the person on their right. As the cutouts are passed around the circle, have each person make a small crumple or tear in the cutout or add a pencil mark. When the cutouts have made their way around the entire circle, have students try to repair their own cutouts by flattening, erasing, or taping. After the cutouts are repaired, discuss the activity. Talk about the effects of unkind words and hurt feelings. You might display the cutouts on a classroom bulletin board as a constant reminder of the effects of hurtful actions.

Illustrated student reflections. Students in middle school and above can reflect on their dreams and accomplishments with this First Day of School activity provided by an Indiana teacher. A simple illustration provides a backdrop students can use to share their dreams, their interests, and the high and low points in their lives. The activity can provide teachers with important information about students' interests, concerns, and goals; teachers can use the information to determine how best to direct students and provide for their individual needs.

I Wish I Were a Butterfly. Students across the grades will enjoy this book, written by James Howe and illustrated by Ed Young. A cricket longs to be a pretty butterfly until a spider teaches her that all friends are beautiful. Read the book aloud, and then discuss the story's message.

Discovering How They Work Together!

Surveys and graphs. Start the year with a survey activity in which students get to know one another as they create simple bar or picture graphs. Students work in pairs or small groups to collect responses to a class survey, and then they graph the results. Older students can develop their own survey questions; younger students might collect data in response to questions provided by the teacher. Questions might include the following:

When you bring lunch to school, how do you carry it?
If you were to carry a thermos bottle to school, what would be in it?
What is your favorite sandwich?
How do you get to school most days?
What is your best subject in school?
How many miles do you live from school?
What is your favorite snack?
What was your favorite summer movie?

After students collect the data, they create a simple graph to display the results of their survey. One student in each pair or group can then report the findings while another explains the graph. Display the graphs on a bulletin board for all to see!

An average day. Challenge students to compute class "averages." Have students work in pairs or small groups to collect, calculate, and report on the average age, shoe size, height, family size (and so on!) of the students in your class.

Having Fun!

Personalized classroom calendar. Every classroom has a calendar. Why not personalize your classroom calendar with photographs of your students? First, make a calendar pocket chart with seven columns (one for each day of the week) and five rows (so the chart can handle months with five weeks). Then have students make signs with the numbers 1 to 31 on them. The numbers should be large enough to be clearly seen from a distance. Use a disposable camera to take a picture of each student holding one of the numbered signs. Slip the photographs into the pockets on the calendar. Change the calendar each month!

Back-to-school ABC book. This is an activity that can be done across the grades! Share with students some ABC books from the school or town library and tell them that they will be working together to create a Back-to-School ABC Book. Assign a letter of the alphabet to each student. Brainstorm with students possible words for each letter or allow each student to choose his or her own word. Explain that the words must be related to activities associated with school. Of course, the difficulty of the words will vary, depending on the grade level of the students. For example, A might be represented by the words art, abacus, attendance, algebra, addition, advisor, athletics, auditorium, alphabet, answer key, apple, arithmetic, announcement, award, A-V, aide, or assistant principal. Finally, have each student illustrate his or her word. Combine the pictures to create a book. Display the book in the classroom or school library. As an extra challenge, you might limit older students to choosing adjectives; no nouns allowed!

Back-to-school word search. Print a Back-to-School word search and challenge students to find the school-related words hidden in the puzzle. Or create your own word search puzzle containing the first names of all the students in your class. Go to Puzzlemaker.com's Word Search Puzzlemaker to create your puzzle.

Hang a Flag Mural

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Hang a Flag Mural

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

What better way to greet visitors to your school (or to your Town Hall) than with a student-created flag mural?

Subjects: Language Arts, Visual Arts, Educational Technology, Social Studies

Grade Levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

Objectives
Students will:

create a mural that expresses their feelings and patriotism to honor the memory of those who gave their lives on September 11, 2001.

Keywords
hero, September, attack, memorial, flag, mural, diversity

Materials Needed
See individual activities below; each activity requires different materials.

Lesson Plan
Following are a handful of ideas for creating a mural to honor the anniversary of September 11. The mural will help students revisit their feelings and keep alive the patriotic feelings stimulated by the events of 9/11.

To make a mural flag that approximates the dimensions of a U.S. flag, you will need:

Seven stripes of mural paper 5 inches wide and 72 inches long.
Six stripes of mural paper 5 inches wide and 126 inches long.
A blue background that measures 35 inches wide and 54 inches long.
Stars to paste on the blue background; see directions for cutting stars at How to Cut a 5-Pointed Star in One Snip.
A picture or print of a flag to serve as a model for arranging stripes.

Mural Ideas

Give a Hand to the United States
Organize students into five groups. Cut all stripes listed above from white mural paper. Provide two of the groups with two 5- by 72-inch stripes; provide each of the other three groups with one 5- by 126-inch stripe. You might take this activity outdoors; students should dress in their "painting clothes." Provide a tray of red finger paints for each group. Let students take turns placing the palms of their hands lightly upon the paint and then pressing their hands onto the white stripe. When dry, tape the back of each "hand-painted" stripe to one of the unpainted white stripes. Be sure a red stripe appears at the top and bottom of your flag mural. Now attach to the upper-left corner of the flag blue construction paper that measures 35 inches wide and 54 inches long. Attach cut stars. (Alternate plan: Students might paint blue handprints on white to create the blue background, or they might use white handprints on a blue background to represent stars.)

Celebrating Diversity
Cut from red paper four stripes that are 5- by 72-inches and three that are 5- by 126-inches. Cut from white paper three stripes that are 5- x 72-inches and three stripes that are 5- by 126 inches. Then have students find and cut out from magazines and Internet sources pictures of people of all races and creeds. Attach those pictures to the red stripes to create a collage effect. Piece together your flag mural, which will stand as a symbol of American diversity.

September 11: In Our Own Words
Cut stripes as in the previous activity. Pose a question to students and let them write their responses on the white stripes of the flag. (The white stripes might actually be made from white-lined writing paper.) Students might draft their responses or essays before posting them on the flag. Following are a few questions that might serve as prompts for this writing activity:

What is an American?
Where were you when you learned of the attack on the United States, and what were your first reactions to it?
Why is remembering 9/11 important?
Did September 11 change the United States forever?

To motivate student thinking and writing, teachers of students in grades six through 12 might use this lesson from the New York Times Learning Network: Another Day That Will Live in Infamy.

Remembering 9-11
Cut stripes as in the previous two activities. Collect newspaper headlines about the attack on the United States from actual newspapers or from Internet news sites. Cut a variety of headlines and/or news articles, and create a collage of headlines on the white stripes of the flag.

Assessment
Assessment varies depending on the activity selected and the age level of students.

25 Ideas to Motivate Young Readers!

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 04:00:00 GMT

25 Ideas to Motivate Young Readers!

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Gary Hopkins, Education World® Editor in Chief

The BOOK IT!® Reading Incentive Program, sponsored by Pizza Hut, has motivated millions of young readers over the years! That's why we're grateful to the people at BOOK IT!® for permitting Education World to share with you 25 teacher-tested ideas originally published in 1989.

Note: The following teacher ideas were originally published by the BOOK IT!® National Reading Incentive Program in 1989. Education World and BOOK IT!® recognize that some of the teachers credited with the ideas above might have retired or changed schools or grades since 1989, but we wanted to give full credit where credit is due!

25 Ideas from 25 Terrific Teachers

Musical Books. Chairs are placed back-to-back in a straight line, and the teacher places a book under each chair. Every child then sits on a chair. The children march around the chairs when the teacher starts the music. When the music stops the children sit down and begin to read the book under their chair. After a few minutes, the teacher starts the music again. After the game, the teacher puts the books in a special box marked "Musical Books" so that the children may later read the rest of the story.
Mary Vandeyander, Jefferson Elementary, Newell, West Virginia, Grade 2
Scavenger Hunt. Have a "scavenger hunt" by dividing the class into teams and giving each team a copy of the same book. Have them find the page numbers of particular objects, events, or people in the book. Give a reward to the winning team.
Lana Downing, Hanson Memorial School, Franklin, Louisiana, Grade 6
Name That Book! Explain to your students how important the cover and title are to a story. Then read a book to your students without telling them the title or showing them the cover. After reading the book, give the children a piece of paper to draw what they think the cover and the title of this book should be. Finally, display the storybook surrounded by the children's covers.
Christine Schmidt, Our Mother of Sorrows School, Cincinnati, Ohio, Grades 1-6
Readers for Tomorrow. We hope to make "Readers for Tomorrow" by creating picture books, laminating them, and giving them as gifts to newborns at the local hospital. We will include a letter to the parents telling them the importance of reading to their young children in order to instill a love for books early. The books will be stories written by the students with very colorful illustrations to catch babies' attention.
Diane Cotton, Aiken School, Charlotte, North Carolina, Grades 1-8
Mystery Reader. Every year I choose two or three weeks for my "Mystery Reader" project. I send home a secret flyer to the parents to see if they would like to come in and read to us during story time. It can be parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles. They pick out their own story (usually their child's favorite) and give me a first and second choice of dates. I then make up a schedule after the slips are in. This usually takes a week, and then I send back another secret note to those who responded informing them of their date. The kiddos are surprised and love it. I take a picture of each Mystery Reader reading and send it home with the child in a thank you note.
Carol Lee Restifo, Ridgefield School, Erie, Pennsylvania, Grade 1
Where in the World? Give each student a United States or a world map. (Let students select the one they would prefer.) Each time a student reads a book that relates in some way to a state or country, he/she may color that state or country on the map. The relationship may be based on the following: (1) the author was born there; (2) the setting for the book is there; (3) the story began there; (4) it is a book telling about the state or country. The student who colors the most states or countries is the winner and receives a reward, such as an inexpensive atlas or map.
Anndora Laflin, Indian Heights School, Kokomo, Indiana, Grade 4
Story Webs. All you need for this game is a ball of string and a story to share. Have your students sit in a circle on the floor. One of the students gives the beginning sentence of a familiar story. Then the student holds onto the end of a ball of string and rolls the ball to another student, who will give the next part of the story in sentence form. This is repeated until the story has been told. Soon you'll have a spider's web in your students' circle. Any story can be used for variation, or new stories can be created with each student adding a new idea!
Marilyn Weiland, Alta Elementary, Alta, IA, Grade 1
Two Characters Meet. Pick a favorite character from each of two books and write a new story or play in which they meet. Have the members of your class act out the new story.
Alice M. Cosgrove, St. Joseph School, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Grade 5
Readers' BINGO. Brainstorm 25 to 30 words that deal with books and write them on the board. Give your students 9" x 12" newsprint and have them fold it into nine squares. Then have the students write nine of the words from the board into each of the squares on their sheet. Give them corn or candy for markers. Randomly call off words from the board. When a student has filled in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row, he/she should call out "BOOKS!" I give the winner a paperback book. For variety, the teacher can play Readers' BINGO by giving the definition of words rather than the words themselves.
Jean Haegen, Mattawan Elementary, Mattawan, Michigan, Grade 4
Book-Word Search. Children love to do puzzles. To help generate an interest in book reports, my students make a "word search" on graph paper using for the words a book title, author's name, main characters, setting, and any key words for events in the book. The puzzles are mounted on construction paper and illustrated with pencil sketches or markers. They can be exchanged with class members. If the "word search" puzzles are laminated, they can then be exchanged many times and kept from year to year. These make excellent at-seat activities and motivators to check out a variety of books.
Nancy Parker, Jefferson School, Arkansas City, Kansas, Grade 4
Please Stand Up! A fun game our class came up with is "Will the Real BOOK IT!® Reader Please Stand Up." We choose a judge, a lawyer, three jurors, and three defendants for each round. Each defendant takes turns coming up to the witness stand, while the other two defendants wait outside the classroom or where they cannot hear the others' testimony. The lawyer asks questions from a questionnaire that one of the defendants has filled out on a book he/she has read. After each defendant has been questioned, the three jurors vote on whom they feel really read the book and give their answer to the judge. The defendants are then asked to come back in and sit down. The judge counts the jurors' votes and reads aloud the tally, and then asks, "Will the real BOOK IT!® Reader Please Stand Up?" This has been a great incentive in my classroom.
Lisa Lewis, Sacred Heart School, Terre Haute, Indiana, Grade 6
Kid Quiz. I let children take turns reading one of their BOOK IT!® book choices orally to the rest of their classmates. Prior to this oral reading, I ask the reader to prepare two or three comprehension questions about the book. After the oral reading, the reader gives a "quiz" to the class. The reader then has the responsibility for grading the papers. (Kids love to play teacher and check papers!) They could do the grading in class in lieu of another assignment or at home.
Cheryl DeHaven, Wadsworth School, Griffith, Indiana, Grade 2
Read to the Principal. Recognize students' accomplishments in reading by selecting one or two children daily to go to the principal's office to read to him/her. Before starting the program, make a computer banner that says "I read to the principal." The children can color the letters. Hang the banner in the principal's office and ask the children to sign the banner with different colored markers after they've read their selections. The principal may want to give the child a bookmark that is signed by him/her that says "I read to the principal."
Norma Kreusch, Beulah Elementary and Jr. High, Beulah, Colorado, Grade 2
TV vs. Reading. Begin a TV/Reading Chart for each child. It would be a weekly chart to keep a record of time spent reading and time spent watching TV at home. If total reading time exceeds total TV watching time, the child earns a treat. The class with the most winners could have a party.
Lindy Guy, Maclay School, Tallahassee, Florida, Librarian
Reading Timeline. Encouraging growth and a sense of accomplishment with intermediate readers can be attained with a personal reading timeline. Students are asked to produce a timeline of their lives by naming their favorite books through the years. Students can include personal pictures, books, book covers, illustrations, etc., to show the history of their reading preferences. The displayed timelines make excellent book advertisements, create impromptu book reports and discussions with classmates, help students understand timelines, and help each child to see how their reading has matured throughout the years.
Janice Haake, Leland Elementary, Leland, Illinois, Grade 4
"You're Under Arrest!" My students in the 5th grade "kidnap" or "arrest" one of the teachers whom they had when they were younger and sentence that teacher to so many minutes of reading aloud before they return to their own class. I inform the teachers that they will be "arrested," but the students are not aware of this. I then stay in the room of the "arrested" teacher and read to his/her students.
Janice Hamman, Hook Elementary, Troy, Ohio, Grade 5
Reading -- It's a Piece of Cake! A good activity to do [during Children's Book Week] is to make a "title cake." Have your recipe visible and let your students help add the ingredients. Then, on small pieces of paper have each student write down the title of his/her favorite book. Fold the title strips several times, add to the cake batter, and bake. Each student will enjoy discovering a title in his/her piece of cake. The students might enjoy trying to guess whose favorite book title they had in their piece of cake. I call this activity "Reading -- It's a Piece of Cake."
Linda Carrier, Laurel Hills Elementary, College Park, Georgia, Grade 1
Carnival of Books. Our PTA sponsors a Carnival of Books. Food booths offer the following goodies with an appropriate book theme: Popcorn -- Popping for Books, Pickles -- Pickled Green Over Books, Cold Drinks -- A Toast for Books, and Candy Bags -- I'm Sweet on Books. We also have a Jump-a-Thon booth named "We Jump for Books." Students take up pledges and jump from 4:00 to 5:30. All profit from the booths goes toward purchasing books needed in the school.
Eunice Lopez, Charles E. Nash Elementary, Fort Worth, Texas, Principal
Books Open Doors. Each classroom will agree on a favorite book. Then students will decorate their doors as giant book covers. The giant book-cover door will open up to find the room decorated as a scene or setting from the book. One day during Children's Book Week, the students will come to school dressed as characters from their chosen book. Judges can select grade-level winners or a hallway winner. A giant "Book Cake" could be served at lunch to reward everyone's hard work.
Beth Barlow and Donna Lawson, Jane Macon Middle School, Brunswick, Georgia, Grade 6
Read-a-Thon. The school could have a day-long Read-a-Thon, with the central office tabulating the number of books or pages read in the whole school, principals and custodian included. Hourly results could be posted on rungs of a ladder reaching to the sky.
Miriam Leon, Crockett School, San Marcos, Texas, Grade 1
Books on Tape. Our children will be choosing five simple reading books to tape for children in the hospital who are too young, too tired, or too sick to read on their own. The books will come from the children's hospital library so that they may listen to the tape and follow along with the book. We will deliver the tapes during Children's Book Week.
Jamye G. Backus, New Middletown Elementary, New Middletown, Ohio, Grade 4
Buddy Books. Each sixth grader will be assigned a first grader to interview, finding out about their family, birthday, friends, pets, and favorite things. Using this information, the sixth graders will write a story, using their first grader as the main character and the information from the interview as the basis for the story. The stories will be published in book form by the sixth graders, complete with cover and a sewn binding. During Children's Book Week, the sixth graders will present the books to their first-grade partners and share some reading time with them.
Rhonda R. Mooney, Estherville Middle School, Estherville, Iowa, Grade 6
Bead Hangers. I give students a colored bead for each book report they turn in. I also give them a ribbon on which to string these beads. When they have read ten books, I give them a shiny bangle to place between the 10th and 11th book beads. I give them another bangle to place between the 20th and 21st beads, the 30th and 31st beads, etc. These are hung in our window, which adds a festive air to our room. The students take their chains home at the end of the year.
Edith Burke, Gold Canyon Elementary, Apache Junction, Arizona, Grade 4
Green Light -- Go! Students will read books recommended by their peers. To foster this, have available in the classroom red, yellow, and green index cards. These cards correspond to the colors in a stop light. A student fills out a green card to tell others to "go" for this book; yellow means caution, the book was so-so; and red means "stop," do not read this book. The front side of the card has the following information written on it -- the title and author of the book and the student's name. The back side of the card has the following information written on it and should be filled in according to the color card chosen: A green card should read "I really liked this book because. ..." A yellow card should read, "This book was so-so because…." A red card should read, "I did not like this book because. ..." Have hanging in the classroom a burlap banner covered with silly, comical buttons, such as "Who Needs Skool?" After a student fills in an index card and staples it to the bulletin board, he/she can wear a button for the day.
Kathleen Doherty, Christa McAulliffe School, Tinley Park, Illinois, Grade 4
"Picture" Books. Take a picture of each student holding his/her favorite book and attach a short summary of the student telling in his/her own words why this book is so special. Laminate and display. Students can read about classmates' selections and expand their knowledge of exciting books to read.
Marcelle J. Smith, Gamewell Elementary, Lenoir, North Carolina, Grade 1

Building on Biographies

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Building on Biographies

Teaching Theme of the Week

by Cara Bafile, Education World®

Who can dispute the value of a good story? Though students may initially view them as dull, biographies are the stuff that great classroom activities are made of -- history, honesty, and heroism. With the help of the Internet, every teacher can bring biographies into their classrooms!

It seems that biographies are not the first choice of reading material among many young readers. As a matter of fact, boring is a word students often associate with biographies. How can you fight that misconception and introduce your students to the rich and engaging biographical tales your library has to offer?

Ten Ways to Teach Biographies

Do you need a clever way to incorporate biographies into classroom activities? We have ten!

Make biography boxes. Who can wait to find out the name of the next sports figure who will appear on a box of Wheaties? Isn't it about time that people of other vocations get into the act? Your students will enjoy perusing the 25,000 biographies contained online at Biography.com to find the perfect person to grace a food box. Should the person's image be placed on a box of Wheaties, another known cereal, or a newly imagined food creation? You be the judge! Have your students include facts about the character's life, illustrations, and a motto that makes clear why they have chosen the figure.

Build a biography. If you are looking for a simple way to integrate biography writing into a classroom activity, no resource could be of greater use to you than The Biography Maker. By following the instructions, your students can create excellent biographies that address key questions and hold the attention of readers. The site walks students through the steps of choosing a topic, researching the answers to probing questions, pulling together resources, and creating an engaging story. The site offers a template that can help you turn the biographies into Web pages that can be published on a classroom Web site.

Write people poems. Poetry writing may seem dull to some students but not when it is combined with a biography! Have your class visit InfoPlease: People and search its 30,000 online biographies. Ask them to select one individual and write a poem about the person. The poem should feature qualities that make the person unique, facts relating to the person's life, and other details. You may choose to have each student include the name of the individual or to have the student share his or her writing and have others guess the identity.

Create a birth date biography. How many days have you been alive? What was the moon like on the day you were born? What was in the news, and what songs were people listening to? Those are questions participants in The Day I Was Born Online Project are answering. This ongoing project is the perfect endeavor for your class too! Students use online resources to answer specific questions about their dates of birth, and teachers collaborate with other classes by sharing their findings. If you prefer, have your students use the handout and links to perform the research -- then create "newspapers" that reveal facts about the days that they were born. They may then share the publications with others.

Imagine a celebrity guest. Invite your students to imagine that each is going to have a celebrity visitor to the school. Each student selects a person who would make an excellent speaker by examining the biographies of The Biographical Dictionary. When he or she has made a choice, the student should write an introduction for this figure and tell about his or her accomplishments and what he or she will be discussing during the visit.

Identify people of the century. In Time magazine's The Most Influential People of the 20th Century, the names of 100 influential people are organized into groups and ranked in order of their importance. Who do your students view as the top ten leaders and revolutionaries, artists and entertainers, builders and titans, and heroes and icons? After they have compiled a list of their picks and voted on them, have the students read the Time lists and compare the results. Do they agree with the findings of the readers of Time?

Choose the greatest American. What one person best represents the qualities of citizenship -- qualities that might qualify that person to be selected as "the greatest American"? Your students may decide! Have them read about historical figures at Who's Who in American History. Instruct each student to choose a person he or she feels deserves this title and create an award for him or her. The student should define the characteristics that set this person apart from other Americans. Hold a class discussion to determine whether any students have chosen the same individual and why.

Work on Biography.kids. One thing the Web still lacks is a good biographical dictionary with the stories of kids. How many amazing kids do your students know? Have your students use our Biography.kids teaching master to interview or gather information about a special student who is newsworthy. Compile the reports into a biographical dictionary in print or online so that all students may share the stories they have created.

Biography study guides. Anyone who has watched a segment of a biographical program from the A & E channel knows how interesting and enlightening those stories can be. Students can benefit from them as well when they are used in the classroom, and now it is even easier to make them a part of your curriculum. With AandE.com Classroom Study Guides, you may choose from an index of programs and find summaries, vocabulary words, thought-provoking discussion questions, extension activities, and the next air time of specific shows. For an interesting twist, have your students watch a Biography program and create a study guide for it. Be sure to tell them to include an answer sheet!

More Online Biography Resources

Lives, the Biography Resource
If biographies are what you seek, this resource is a wonderful place to start. The site offers links to thousands of biographies of famous people and sends you to destinations across the World Wide Web.

Distinguished Women of Past and Present
Women are the focus of this site that provides links to the biographies of distinguished female astronomers, biologists, musicians, and more.

Famous Mathematicians
Do you know your mathematicians? Meet them online through the PowerPoint presentations at this site. Archimedes, Fibonacci, and Pythagoras are just a handful of the great minds students can learn about here.

4000 Years of Women in Science
This site has brief descriptions of the accomplishments of many women who have excelled in the field of science.