Writing about Spring curriculum and teaching ideas when the temperature outside our office here in the Northeast is in the single digits (Fahrenheit) is a bit of a stretch but doing so gives us hope for warmer weather. With a warm spell this past weekend, a friend and I went out for a long walk on Saturday morning around a nearby reservoir. I heard a rustle in the trees up to my right and I had the opportunity to witness a red tailed hawk swooping down just yards away from us. We are also on the lookout for an American bald eagle. This piece of nature is just 10 miles from downtown Boston. Interestingly enough, in our research for this Spring issue we discovered that International Migratory Bird Day is coming up in March. What a great way to get into a Spring mood - start your students on keeping a bird log. Why not take your students for a simple walk to observe the signs of spring in your school neighborhood?
Spring provides a host of teaching ideas, from planting seeds to talking about the birth of the planet Earth, from discussing the Spring Equinox to the holidays like Saint Patrick's Day. When I was teaching, we made birds out of paper and put them up on a tree we made from brown construction paper. This led to putting out bird feeders and learning names of birds.
I hope you have as much pleasure in teaching this Spring as I had in writing this brief article. Don't forget to send us your ideas for future Class Ideas issues.
We have created fourteen unique Spring-themed activity pages for your students to enjoy. Just print these ready-to-use activity pages and copy them for your students. The children will enjoy these fun activities as they complete word searches, read poems and create Spring animals with tangrams.
We have found some great resources to assist you in preparing for your Spring-themed instruction. From learning about the Spring equinox to making egg designs to learning about International Migratory Bird Day, we are sure you will find these sites packed with great fun facts and activities your students are sure to love.
Reading and spelling skills stack up quickly with our new word-building game. Players really get involved in working with common word endings and beginnings as they compete to build the tallest stack in the unique word trays. Up to six players can make and break words and check them with the 48-page dictionary included. Chunk Stacker includes 40 onsets and 40 rimes and six stacking trays along with the dictionary. Encourages strategic and lateral thinking in players of all ages.
In order to help you get into the Spring mood, we have come up with some fun ideas that you and your students can do in and around your classroom.
We have created fourteen unique Spring-themed activity pages for your students to enjoy. Just print these ready-to-use activity pages and copy them for your students. The children will enjoy these fun activities as they complete word searches, read poems and create Spring animals with tangrams.
Reading and spelling skills stack up quickly with our new word-building game. Players really get involved in working with common word endings and beginnings as they compete to build the tallest stack in the unique word trays. Up to six players can make and break words and check them with the 48-page dictionary included. Chunk Stacker includes 40 onsets and 40 rimes and six stacking trays along with the dictionary. Encourages strategic and lateral thinking in players of all ages.
