Monday, January 18th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Our school system is closed for this holiday. I like to introduce Martin Luther King to my students and discuss why we have a holiday. This prepares the students for more in depth lessons during February, which is Black History Month. Please comment below on any of your interesting activities.
Friday, January 22nd is National Popcorn Day
Yum...popcorn! Popcorn is so easy to enjoy in the classroom with your students. And, most of them LoVe it! There are SO many ways to teach about popcorn across the curriculum. I've posted several resources below.
1. So, why does that little kernel explode into a fluffy white puff-ball? Click here for a podcast about the "magic" of popcorn from "A Moment of Science".
2. Education World has an abundance of popcorn themed activities. Click here to check them out!
3. Help develop fine motor skills by making popcorn necklaces. Students use a needle (cross-stitch needles are dull) and thread to make edible necklaces. My own children, ages 5 and 6, LoVe to do this, but make garland for the Christmas tree rather than necklaces.
4. Pop popcorn using a hot air popper. You'd be VERY surprised at the number of children who only know popcorn from a microwaved bag! My students are ALWAYS intrigued with the air popper. One year, I even had a parent buy one after our popcorn lessons.
5. Graph it - How do you like your popcorn? Choices could be plain, buttery, salty, and cheesy.
6. Estimate it - If your students are having trouble with estimation, this is for you! First, read the books Great Estimations and Greater Estimations by: Bruce Goldstone. Then, have students estimate the following: How many kernels in a teaspoon?, How many in a tablespoon?, How many kernels will pop from a certain amount (maybe 100)?7. Here is a page that contains many more links to popcorn fun! However, I haven't tested all the links to see if they are still available.
Popcorn is too much fun. The possibilities are endless!
Saturday, January 23rd is National Handwriting Day
Let's face it...with so many standards to teach, tests to give, data to maintain, programs to follow, full schedules, and VERY limited classroom time...handwriting is an important subject that gets pushed to the back burner. I recall my elementary days when my teachers stressed handwriting, both print and cursive. They spent TIME with us, making sure we learned to form our letters correctly and create neat work. Now, it seems the TIME just isn't there.
In recent years, I've noticed a steady decline in penmanship despite the new and improved modern handwriting. So, what can we do to teach and motivate good handwriting. Below are several things to try.
*On your wall alphabet, make a BIG BLACK dot at the beginning point of each letter. (I'll try to post of picture.)
*Introduce only TWO letters each week (maybe Monday and Wednesday). Be sure to show students the correct and incorrect ways to form the letters. I like to "make light" of the incorrect ways since so many of my students do this. Stress the fact that they are not allowed to make the letters incorrectly anymore!
*Letter poems - These poems make handwriting practice more fun because they are silly. You can create your own, or stay tuned...I'll start posting the ones I use...2 a week! I always have my students illustrate for practice with creating mental images.
*Have a weekly handwriting contest and pick the top 3..."Best of Show", "Neatest", and "Most Improved". Of course, give small tokens for the winners. I like to give a "homework pass" for the Best of Show and a special pencil for the other two winners.
Just remember, it's VERY difficult to RE-learn a skill that had been learned incorrectly. Patience, practice, and praise! Do you have an activity to make handwriting fun for your students?
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