1-2-3 Come Do Some Constitution Day Activities With Me
I've been working like mad today to finish up a few of the Constitution Day activities that I was designing. I hope someone out there can still use them.
I'm all for easy, when the administration throws these "According to the law, everyone has to teach something about the Constitution on April 17th..." zingers at us.
With that in mind, and because I couldn't find an emergent reader that simplified the Constitution for PK-K, I decided to make my own.
This little, non-fiction Constitution booklet, is filled with basic facts, in easy to understand, kid-friendly terms, that help explain what the Constitution is all about.
So...Woo hoo! Simply "print & go" and you're all set with a quick, easy, and interesting little something to plug in for Constitution Day.
Students "read" the simple sentences (I used plenty of words from the Dolch lists) then trace and write the main idea word. Doing so, will help build vocabulary and reinforce comprehension.
Besides the "kiddy" emergent reader version, I added more factual information to make a non fiction booklet, suitable for 3rd & 4th graders.
For quick printing, there are two pages on one template. The booklet for older kiddos has 5 more pages.
Click on the link to pop on over. Emergent Reader Constitution booklet.
I turned the last page of the booklet into a Constitution Day coloring page. It's one of today's featured FREEBIES. Click on the link to grab a copy.
The other FREEBIE is a pair of parchment-look scrolls. Use them to have your students write their own classroom Constitution, Bill of Rights or class contract.
Also hot off the press today is a set of Constitution themed Memory Match cards.
They match my Constitution Day Number Puzzles, which makes for a nice coordinated center/station.
Students can match the picture to the picture or the picture to the word card. I've numbered them, so children can self-check.
You can also play an "I Have; Who Has?" game. "I have George Washington. Who has his name card?"
Use the picture cards to build vocabulary and explain a bit about the Constitution.
"The men on these cards are some of the "Framers" that worked on the Constitution." etc.
Use them as flashcards to see who can tell who or what's on the card and how it relates to Constitution Day.
Later in the year, bring the game out again in February for Presidents' Day, posing the question: "Which of these men became President? Who was the first?"
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. Our server was having issues for a bit, so it was timing out and driving me crazy!
Every time I tried to save my work the page errored out and I lost everything. You are reading my 4th redo of this article.
Of course a killer headache has insued, so time to quit. Wishing everyone an interesting Constitution Day tomorrow.
"The Constitution is never tested during times of tranquility; it is during times of tension , trumoil, tragedy, trauma, and terrorism that it is sorely tested." -Mike Honda
1-2-3 Come Do Some Constitution Day Activities With Me
Holy Moly where is September flying off to? Constitution Day is this Thursday the 17th! Boy did that ever sneak up fast!
Are you looking for something quick, easy & fun that your kiddos can do on Constitution Day that they can wrap their brains around?
How ‘bout a patriotic number puzzle? It’s a great way to fulfill the “Do something related to the Constitution on September 17th” requirement.
Later, you can still use these puzzles for any other patriotic holidays that roll around.
I’ve included a variety of puzzles that count by 1s to 10, count backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip count by 10s to 100.
Print, laminate & trim the full color ones and use as an independent center.
I’ve included portraits of some of the “Framers”, so when you discuss the men who worked on the Constitution, you can show them a picture puzzle that they can assemble.
I’ve also included black and white options, so that students can color and cut up their own puzzle.
Be sure and give them some background facts to go with the various puzzles, so that they can share this information when they get home.
For an interesting “craftivity” have students glue their puzzle to a sheet of red or blue construction paper. Remind them to leave a little bit of a gap between each numbered strip to create an especially cool mosaic effect.
For an awesome “Look what we did on Constitution Day” bulletin board, scatter completed projects on a white background, trimmed with a patriotic stars & stripes border.
Older students can complete a writing prompt on the back of their puzzle. Share then suspend from the ceiling. This 58-page packet is just 2.95. Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to take a peek and let the fun begin. 25 Constitution Day Number Puzzles
The featured FREEBIE today comes from the packet. It's my personal favorite patriotic puzzle in the packet, and features the adorable clip art of Laura Strickland.
Click on the link to grab your copy just in time for Constitution Day: Patriotic Number Puzzle FREEBIE
Well that's it for now. Thanks for stoppin' by. My brain is fried from doing research about Constitution Day.
Time for a much-needed break. Wishing you a carefree day.
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself." - Benjamin Franklin
1-2-3 Come Do Question of the Day With Me
Do you do “Question of the Day?”
If not, you’re missing out on a terrific opportunity to reinforce math skills such as graphing, tally marks, greater & less than, as well as counting, and number recognition. All this in less than 5 minutes! Woo Hoo!
Children are eager to give their opinion. Doing so, builds confidence, which leads to self-esteem.
Besides all these advantages, a Question of the Day allows students a fun way to practice writing their name.
When everyone’s name is displayed on the white board, it’s also a way children learn to read and recognize their classmates’ names as well.
For me, the best part, is getting to know each other better through sharing.
With all this in mind I designed a Question of the Day packet.
The packet includes:
* An explanation of how I set up my Question of the Day activities.
* A question mark poster to make a display with.
* Yes and a No posters you can also use in your display
* A Yes/No graphing sheet, which you can use instead of having children write their names on your white board.
* 5 things I’d say yes to writing prompt
* 5 things I’d say no to writing prompt
* Yes-No I have an opinion trace & write worksheet
* A list of 485 Yes or No questions, so you don’t have to wrack your brain in the morning thinking of something, or wondering if you’ve already asked that question.
Simply run off the pages, laminate & check off the ones you’ve done. (Reuse every year)
I use a permanent marker, so that my check marks don’t rub off, and then at the end of the year I use a Mr. Clean eraser to rub them off. Works like a charm!
* Finally, a pair of clipboard Tally Worksheets for girls & one for the boys. I tossed these in to switch things up a bit once in a while, so that students get a hands-on opportunity to practice using tally marks, as well as data collection & analysis.
A boy & girl is chosen to think up their own question of the day, then armed with a clipboard (my kiddos LOVE carrying around a clipboard) they interview their classmates, record data, then share their findings with the class.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to get this 34-page packet. It's just $1.95. Question of the Day Packet.
The FREEBIE for today is a Question of the Day Poster. This one is not included in the packet, but just a little something to get you started.
Well that's it for today. The squirrels are scampering back and forth outside my window; their cheeks are stuffed with acorns. I wonder if this is a harbinger of winter creeping up on us?
Anyone else out there think that fall should last longer? Wishing you a terrific week.
"Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt." -William Allingham
1-2-3 Come Practice the "Owl-phabet" With Me
I’m delighted to post anotherDollar Deal from Diane.
This “owl-phabet” craftivity is a super-fun way for students to practice upper & lowercase letters .
Look closely at Ollie the owl’s eyes. You will see an uppercase letter in one, and a lowercase letter in the other. Ollie is one of my "Turn & Learn” alphabet wheels.
Play "I Spy” a letter & have children turn the "eye wheels" 'til they've found both.
They hold their owl in the air, and you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
You can also play “Whoooo has a clue?” Call on a child to choose a letter, then give 3 clues to the class. For example: “My letter is a vowel; it comes before P and after N. What’s the ”mystery letter?”
Children turn the owl’s “eyes” ’til they’ve found it. “Whoooo was the first? Is that person correct?”
I've also included a few owl-themed worksheets and a "color me" bookmark in the packet.
Besides playing games with Ollie, use it as a non-threatening way to assess.
Turn Ollie into an “Owl” miss you!” activity at the end of the year, so that students can review letters over the summer, lest they forget all you’ve crammed into their heads.
For a quick & easy way to make the letter “windows” in the eye, I used a circle paper punch.
I set Ollie up as a center/station activity that children get to do after they have completed their morning table top work.
All of the pieces and parts are on a table, with a variety of colors to choose from. They pick out their parts & return to their desks to put Ollie together.
You can also do this as a whole-group "monkey see-monkey do" activity, where you demonstrate the assembly step-by-step & children copy what you are doing.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to grab Ollie for just a dollar. I hope your kiddos enjoy their owl-phabet pal as much as mine did.
The featured FREEBIE for today is a set of owl alphabet cards. Click on the link to get your set today. There are 3 sets in the packet. Owls showing both the upper & lowercase letters, as well as separate sets of each, so that you can play Memory Match, Speed, and "I Have; Who Has?" games.
Well that's it for now. Thanks for visiting. It's still chilly out, so time to grab my jacket and take my poodle pup Chloe for a walk.
Right now she's asleep under my desk. Maybe she thinks it's a bit too nippy today too.
"I don't know what my path is yet. I'm just walking on it." - Olivia Newton-John
1-2-3 Make A Keepsake Name Booklet With Me
My Y5s were simply too young to keep track of a portfolio, and I didn't need more work collecting and filing "stuff" for it, so instead, to show my students' awesome progress, I designed what I call "monthly keepsake booklets".
Today's blog features two name writing activity packets. First up, is a very simple "color me" booklet.
Because coloring is great for strengthening those weak finger muscles, I drew pictures for each month, and for quick printing, put 2-on-a-page to make a "just the right size" booklet.
At the end of each month, students wrote their name on the appropriate page and gave their best effort coloring the seasonal picture.
The booklet provided a wonderful look at the progress children were making writing their name, as well as coloring.
It was perfect to share during conferences, and then at the end of the year, my students had a wonderful keepsake to take home.
In celebration, the last page of the booklet is a certificate of praise.
The other name writing packet, has 3 keepsake options for you to choose from, along with a variety of other name writing activities to make practicing especially fun.
The 1st option, is simply a 2-pager in both color as well as black and white.
Simply staple them together & have your kiddos write their name at the end of each month & then color the small picture.
Keep these in their writing folder or journal.
The 2nd option, is also a two-pager, but has 6 page strips on one page that children cut apart to make an Itty Bitty pencil keepsake name booklet.
Finally, the 3rd option is a bit like the "color me" name booklet I first discussed, as this one has monthly-themed pages to color as well.
However, I’ve also added quite a few extra pages to work on later in the year, that involve a variety of math & language arts skills appropriate for kindergarten.
Such as vowels, syllables, counting, comparing, word work, greater & less than, as well as simple addition.
Besides the keepsake booklets, there are also a variety of name-related worksheets.
Such as the three "find your name" worksheets, where teachers write everyone's name on a heart, gum ball, and star.
For another activity students "rainbow write", "stamp" & "cut and glue" their name. I've included a set of letter tiles to make this easy.
To get in a bit of ABC order practice, there's also an "alphabetize your classmates' names" worksheet.
My personal favorite worksheet, is the "I can write my name with a ...." (crayon, pencil, marker, pen, and piece of chalk).
Since apples are a big theme in September, I've also included several apple craftivities.
In the first activity, students find their name then give the apple 3 layers of "skin" to reinforce the fact that apples can be red, yellow & green.
I also made matching apple cards. Glue a student photo on one, and write their name on another to make Memory Match & "I Have; Who Has?" games, as a fun way for students to learn their classmates' names as well.
I do the other apple craftivity after we read Dr. Seuss's story "10 Apples Up On Top".
Students count how many letters they have in their name, then place that many apples on top of their head, which is either a photograph or self portrait.
The apples spell their name, and show either an AB-AB or ABC-ABC pattern. Older students can cut out the larger apple pattern, while younger kiddos cut squares & color them.
Children share their creations with the class, then color in the appropriate number box on the "How many letters in your name?" apple graph.
Completed projects make a sweet fall bulletin board.
The "Build your name" activity, where students color the construction bear and glue the letters in their name to the worksheet, as well as the "puzzle name" also make cute bulletin boards too.
Finally, another fun way for your kiddos to learn how to recognize & write their names, is my Spill & Spell game.
I write the letters of each students' name on colored Popsicle sticks & put them in a Snack Baggie. They spill them out & put their name puzzle together.
This simple game reinforces colors & counting too. Children can also pick a partner and compare their names.
I also pass out extra sticks so that everyone has 6; then I call out a shape and students arrange the Popsicle sticks to create whatever shape I ask for. It's a quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess.
Students can also practice making a variety of capital letters with their sticks as well.
This 50-page packet is just $2.95 in my TpT shop. Click on the link to pop on over: Name Activities & Keepsake Monthly Name Booklets.
While you're there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd follow me. I only need 30 more followers to hit 600 then I'll post a celebration FREEBIE. I know it seems silly to get all excited about reaching this goal, but that's just me. Thanks in advance.
I have two featured FREEBIES today. Both of them come from this packet. They are the "Apples Up On Top" craft, as well as the "Find Your Name" apple worksheet. Click on the links to grab them.
Well that's it for today. Mother Nature has decided to pitch a fit, delivering 40 degree temps today.
Brrrrr! I'm so not ready to give up the warmth of summer. Wishing you a snuggly day.
"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!" -Percy Bysshe Shelley.
