April Fool's Day and Earth Day Activities for Primary!

Earth Day & April Fool's Day

 

 

Besides the Recycle Crafts above, you might enjoy these April Fool's Day and Earth Day Learning Centers...

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Activities-7-Posters-Pledge-Graphing-Certificate-Parent-Letter-231767

Earth Day Activities: 

★ 7 Posters, Earth Day Pledge, Earth Day Graphing Activity (for in school or at 

home), Earth Day Certificate and Parent Letter 

★ 22 Pages – NEWLY REVISED to include Full Color Earth Day Versions as well 

as Black and White Earth Day versions for students to color.

★ Earth Day Certificate

★ 7 Earth Day Posters

★ Earth Day Graph

★ Earth Day Pledge

★ Parent Letter

★ Use by itself or with my PowerPoint Presentation and/or mini-book at 2 

different reading levels. 


April Fool's Day Readers... Color and Black and White:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/April-Fools-Day-2466976

April Fool’s Day Booklet of Jokes!

Celebrate April Fool’s Day with this mini book containing seven jokes that are bound to be appreciated by K/1 students!

★ Plus illustrated April Fool's Day vocabulary cards for a word wall or pocket chart.

NEW PRODUCT DISCOUNT for a limited time!

3 Versions of the Book:

1) Full Color Illustrations

2) Black and White Illustrations for Students to Color

3) Versions for students to illustrate their own. 

Keep in school for future fun, or send home for students to have fun with their families on April Fool’s Day!

April Fool’s Day Songs and Poems! 

Use for April Fool's Day shared reading or fluency.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/April-Fools-Day-2468259

Celebrate April Fool’s Day with these 5 songs and poems...

★ Full Color and Black and White.

★ All Illustrated with April Fool’s Day themed Graphics

★ Songs/Poems sung to popular children’s songs.
Just choose those you like, and print just those pages.

★ Sing to familiar tunes, or chant. 

★ Use some or all year after year. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-PowerPoint-Things-To-Do-To-Help-the-Earth-10-Songs-25-Slides-231776

Earth Day PowerPoint "Things to do to Help the Earth"

I also added 10 Songs at a variety of levels so you can have an Earth Day Sing Along! 

★ 25 slides - Use by itself or in conjunction with my Earth Day PDF file OR mini-book (2 Reading levels) that can be found in my other product listings. The PDF file (sold separately) has a parent letter, take home graph, Earth Day Pledge, Earth Day Certificate, and 7 posters about how students can help the Earth. There are black and white versions as well as full color versions of the Earth Day Posters, Earth Day Certificate and Earth Day Graph. 

Browse my other Earth Day Resources for Literacy and Math by visiting my store and opening the Custom Folder labeled "EARTH DAY/CINCO DE MAYO", or just click below:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Linda-Post-The-Teachers-Post/Category/Earth-Day-Cinco-de-Mayo

Visit me on Pinterest for Product Close-Ups! 

Earth Day Readers:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Activities-Readers-231994

Earth Day Build A Word Wheels For DIBELS Blending Practice:  Real or Nonsense?

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Activities-Blending-Build-A-Word-Wheels-629484

Earth Day Sight Word Game Boards -  

First 106 Dolch Words

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Activities-Sight-Words-Game-Boards-Set-1-640052

Earth Day Sight Word Game Boards -

Last 114 Dolch Sight Words

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Activities-Sight-Words-Game-Boards-Set-2-640456

FREE FONTS -"Personal Use Download"

I have gotten crafty on myself and have been creating fonts that I just absolutely adore! I'm considering this a beautiful mess since my life while creating these was a beautiful mess with a newborn and a four year old. I didn't realize for, well, my entire life that I was able to create fonts that actually look great when put on paper and they do! I worked to get the fonts I've created so far into a Free download at my TpT store. Yes, that's right! A free download for you to use for your personal crafts!! I hope you love them! Just click on the image below! Please feel free to leave some comments!! Thanks!

Barnett's School House

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FREE - Class room rules poster

Simplify your classroom rules and start the school year off right.

http://teachwithpassion101.weebly.com/tips-and-tricks-blog/simplify-your-class-rules

A lot of teachers like to overcomplicate their classroom rules and it becomes a game to students. I know some teachers who like to allow for a certain number of infractions and who have complicated lists of possible consequences.  Then students start asking, "What will happen if I break this rule?".  Don't fall into that trap.  They have charts and color codes, and on the surface it all seems very organized, but in reality, it is very difficult to maintain. 

It sounds very idealistic to say this, but it’s true.  From personal experience, I assure you that simplifying your rules will simplify your life. At the beginning of the school year, when it’s time to introduce the class rules I show students this poster and read the three words.  Then, using the Socratic method of questioning I go through the rules one by one and discuss the implications of those rules (which is the reason you don’t need many.)

 1) Respect – Why is respect the number 1 rule?  What does it mean to be respectful? 
•Respect means not talking when it’s someone else’s turn
•It means being patient with ourselves and with others
•It means that when I ask you to do something, you need to respect my request
•You need to be quiet when I speak, otherwise, you would lack respect
•It means coming to class on time
•Etc…

2) Try – Why would rule number 2 be to try?  What does it mean to try?  Why is this important?
 •Participate in class discussions
•Do your homework
•Ask questions when you have some
•Don’t rely on excuses to get your through
•Etc…

3) Be responsible – What does it mean to be responsible?  Why is it important?  Why do you think this is the third rule?
 •Students’ school year or semester will depend on them.  The teacher always wants what is best for his or her class, but if students won’t cooperate, we can’t force them to. •Hand in all evaluations
•Make the best of class time
•Bring all of your materials with you
•Be punctual
•If you are absent during an evaluation, you are expected to communicate with your teacher.
•Etc…

 Many of these discussions will take on different shapes depending on the students you have in front of you and depending on their age. 


Click on the image above for a copy of these rules and for a copy of the poster. 

http://teachwithpassion101.weebly.com/tips-and-tricks-blog/simplify-your-class-rules

How to start the school year off right

By now the back to school nightmares have probably already begun and you are nervous about the beginning of a new school year.  Click on the link below for simple and helpful tips to make sure you begin the new school year off right.

http://teachwithpassion101.weebly.com/tips-and-tricks-blog/how-to-start-the-school-year-right

New Beginnings, An Organized Middle School Classroom

By Deann Marin at the Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs II

Offering for Educators, Comprehensive Teaching Aides.

If you'd like to see what else I have to offer please visit my store

It seems like every year, summer vacation goes quicker and quicker and before we know it, school comes a calling.  What I’ve always liked about teaching is that each year is a new beginning.  What happened last year is in the past and I’m always so happy to meet my new charges. New challenges, new things to teach, new things to learn, different methods and programs keep my teaching fresh.  I’m going to share some of the things that I do to organize my classroom into the best environment for learning.

Here are some tips that I've used and they’ve been quite successful.  We have two main groups of 25-30 students each. Before school my partner and I take a look at the comments from last year's teachers. We then set the children up into groups according to their grades as well as their strengths and weaknesses. We come up with  creative names for them such as: Greeks and Romans, Black and Blue, or we ask them what they’d like their group to be named and we take a vote. The kids really like to pick their own names. Of course we change them each year because we don’t want the kids to know which is the higher or lower group.

I’m a great proponent of Collaborative learning, so I set up my classroom accordingly. It works quite well for what I want to do.

I like my students to work in groups of four so  I make two rows of horseshoes. Two members of the group are in the front, the other two sit in back of them. So when it is time for group work, the front row only has to turn their desk around to face the other two. Of course this takes a little bit of practice, but they eventually get it. When we begin group work it can get noisy so I have to remind them to use inside voices, I might also hold up a finger,  ring a little bell, or hold up a QUIET sign  to let them know they need to quiet down a bit.

Groups are composed of one high level child, two with average ability and one lower level child. I also try to have 2 boys and 2 girls in each group. That way there is diversity in abilities and they can all help each other. I found that the best arrangement for groups is no more than 4 so if I have 25 students I will make 6 groups of 4 and one with 5.  Each group remains the same for one semester, and then we rotate. We would change groups 4 times throughout the year since we had 4 semesters. I liked having them work together for at least two months, getting to know each other, cooperating and allowing each child a chance to be heard.  Of course there are always one or two kids that have a hard time working with others.  If that occurs, you might pull them from the group and have them work on their own, esp if they are disruptive, until they can prove that they are able to work within a group. Setting up the rotations takes a bit of  work since you don’t want to have the same kids in the group more than once.  

Like most schools, we use a computer grading system, but, I’m a little old fashioned and like a hard copy of my grades. It’s easier to write them in my trusty grade book and then transfer them to the computer. Also, if a parent or student wants to see their grade, I find it easier to just show them the book.

1. Split book in half with a section for each group. Glue or tape

    list of type written names of students in each group into

    their designated section.

2. Label both sections with English, and Social Studies.

     For ex: Roman group: First Semester, Label the tab

    with Language arts. Count 4 pages for Language Arts,

     4 pages for Social Studies. Then do the same for

     the other group Greeks. Make sure there are

     enough pages for all of the semesters.

3.  When you finish with one semester, fold back or cut

     the pages on dotted line so you can see the

     students names. Label the  new page with 2nd

     semester, and so on.   One picture speaks 1000 words,

     so please take a look at the images of my grade book.

                                                              

Bulletin boards are next, I decorate one for social studies and language arts which I change each semester for some variety. I have a checklist for book reports, Computer Dos and Don’ts, Quotes to discuss, a rewards board and classroom rules.

Before I drift off to sleep the night before my students arrive, I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my room is set up. I'm now ready to dive into another exciting and rewarding school year.

Image Credits

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Watson-Works

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-3am-Teacher

http://www.whimsyclips.com/

Thanks for stopping by

 Deann

Please visit Socrates Lantern’s Social Media Sites

   

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This post is part of our Sharing is Caring Teacher Blogging Collaborative. Read about  how these veteran teachers approach the beginning of the school year.

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