|
Writing
Idea |
Here’s
an idea for June or September! !
Instead of writing “ What I did this summer” Have the kids write
“ What I didn’t do this summer” or “What I didn’t do in 3rd
grade”. |
|
Potato
pageant |
Give
each child a potato and let them decorate them with things like doll
clothes, tooth picks, etc. (This
can be an at home project). After
decorating is done, have them model their potato by walking down the
runway. |
|
Beach
blanket day |
Similar to camping theme.
Have the kids bring in a beach blanket or a beach towel. Take them outside or set up in the classroom and have
beach-related activities going on.
|
|
We’re
signing off |
This
is another interactive bulletin board idea.
Put plain paper on a bulletin board and have the children write
anything they want (within reason) about the school year. |
|
Take
a trip down memory lane. |
You
know all those photos you have taken during the year?
Post them on a bulletin board and let the kids take a trip down
memory lane. Afterwards, they
can take a photo or two that they want to keep. |
|
Getting
to Know You |
Have
each child write a letter to their next year’s teacher describing
themselves and what they hope they will learn next year. |
|
Journaling |
If
possible, have the parent organization buy small empty notebooks for the
children and pass them out in June. Tell
the children they are to journal during the summer and return it in
September to get a prize. In
a separate letter, explain to the parents what your objective is and give
them examples of several sentence starters to encourage their children. |
|
Soccer
Ball |
–
On going bulletin board – In September, pass out a soccer ball and have
the children write their goals on it for the year.
Keep in posted and then return the soccer ball in June so that they
can see whether they have been successful in achieving their goal. |
|
Everyone
is a star |
Have
each child write a sentence on a strip of paper and to why they are a star
now and on another strip of paper, write what they hope to accomplish by
the time they are out of 8th grade, or high school, or college. Put these two strips into a film canister, fill it with
stars and send it home. Instruct
the parents to give it to their child upon graduating from 8th
grade or whatever. |
|
Mini-
books |
Using
magazines, old phonics books, old text books or whatever, show the
children how to do a pattern book and then cut out pictures, paste one on
each page, write a patterned sentence, ex. One red ball, one red dress,
one red shoe and so on. These
can be given to your kindergarten or first graders. |
|
Time
line |
Have
the students make their own time line.
Begin at birth and have them project up to 10 years from now. Have them present these to the class. |
|
Brochure |
Have
the kids design a brochure (Microsoft Publisher has a template for this)
welcoming the current 4th graders (or whatever) into 5th
grade. |
|
State
Capitals |
Do
a unit on the State Capitals have students do a group activity, like
flashcards, or a “capital bee”. |
|
Words
of Wisdom |
Have your current students write some “Words of Wisdom” for the
upcoming class. Things like
what a 3rd grader should know, what they should know about
their teacher, etc. |
|
Do
a camping day |
Do
you use reading partners? Do
a camping day with your reading partners.
Set up a tent or two (those pop-ups work great), read stories about
camping maybe make smores or other camping treats.
6.
D |
|
A
puppet show |
Using
socks, gloves or anything else the kids can think of, have the kids tell
one of the favorite stories that they read this year in a puppet show
format. |
|
Math
Olympics. |
This
takes a lot of work but is well worth it.
Have each teacher that is willing to participate, make up 10 or 12
questions for each part of Math (e.g. numeration, geometry, algebra,
etc.). Set up each area in
the all-purpose room or empty classroom and then kids will go to each
station and answer the questions.
Parents can be called in to help “judge” and there should be an
award ceremony afterwards. |
|
Access
to a computer for everyone? |
Have
an Ask Jeeves scavenger hunt. Give
each child a list of questions to Ask Jeeves and have them report on their
answers. |
|
Have
a game day |
You
know all those educational games you have in your closet. Get them out and let the kids choose their favorites to play
in cooperative groups. |
|
Have
a Competition |
The
perfect
time to have a Spelling Bee or a Math Bee between various classes.
|
|
Math
Jeopardy |
-
3
teams of 4 students -Assign each team a name.
-
Each
team member has a bell to ring for rounds 1 and 2 only.
-
Each
student has scrap paper and 2 pencils.
-
Calculators
are for rounds 2 and 3 only! -After each round the score for each team
is announced.
-
Round
1 -20 computation problems are read by one of three judges only once.
-The 1st person to ring their bell is called on to answer the problem.
-If the 1st person gets the answer wrong the other 2 teams have a
chance to answer. score: 1 point per correct response.
-
Round
2 -Give each student a calculator. -10 short answer problems are read
twice! Score: 2 points per correct response.
-
Round
3 -5 open ended problems given to each team member one at a time. -The
problem is read and the team members work together to solve the
problem. -3 to 4 minutes are allotted for each problem, after which
one member of each team turns in one solution of the problem for the
team. score: 0 to 3 points per problem given in this round. Judges
consist of a reader, a scorekeeper, and a timekeeper.
|
|
Author's
Tea
|
Students
make a portfolio of the year's writing work and put it on display for
parents, teachers and other grade level students to stop by and visit. The
students put their displays on their desk for viewing. It can be poetry,
story boards, book reports, student autobiographies, actual books written
by the students. |
|
Wax
Museum
|
class
picks a time in history to tell a story setting up wax museum with
characters and artifacts of that chosen era. The students pretend that
they are wax replicas of persons in that era and when the time comes
recite information about that person as people enter their section of the
wax museum.
|
|
Number
Books |
Students
design and make number books for younger students |
|
Senior
Readers Project |
Invite
senior citizens in to read to the students. |
|
Rescuer
Program |
Bring
adult readers in to read or do projects with students |
|
Outside
Speakers |
Invite
various speakers or presenter into the classroom or for a school wide
assembly "sponsored" by your class. |
|
Vocabulary
Game |
A
student has vocabulary word taped on their back. Other students in class
answer yes/no questions regarding the vocabulary word as the student with
vocabulary word tries to guess. You can use science, SS, words or words
from Novel etc. |
|
Color
or Field Days |
School
wide athletic or academic contest day |
|
Virtual
Field Trips |
Video
Conference Projects |
|
Mixed
up News |
Have
students copy first two paragraphs of a newspaper
article on a sheet of paper. Have them erase a word from each
sentence and draw a line in its place and write the part of speech
of the below the line. Try to use many different of parts of speech. working
in pairs. The first student should read the article
and the other student fill in the missing word.
|
|
Grammar
Hunt News |
Hand out Grammar hunt Activity sheet.
Click
here for activity sheet. Have students work in pairs to read a
newspaper and find as grammar elements as possible. Have each group
discuss their results with class. If possible try to give a reward to the
group with the most correct elements. |
|
A
Travelog |
Each
student will select a country that he or she would like to visit.
Provide resource materials for students to use or
have them visit the library to gather information about their countries.
CIA
World Fact Book is a great resource. Students will use the
activity
sheet for note taking and can include additional topics. Invite
students to "visit" the countries they have researched. They
will write travelog entries about their countries. Assemble the students
work on into a book named "Our World Travels". Students can use
Two
Countries worksheet to compare counties in teams of two students. |
|
If I Were . . . |
Creative circle activity. "If I were an
Animal I'd be a _____ because _______. The teacher does several samples
for the students, then the students make up their own. After each child
the teacher the teacher may repeat the child's name and their choice of
animal. |
|
Word of the Day Activity |
Teacher chooses a word of the day, uses it it a few
sentences, then writes it on a large sheet of paper 4' x 6' is good. The
teacher writes her/his name on the paper in a manner that is appropriate
for the word. |
|
Detective Time |
A clue sheet is handed to each student with fill in the
blanks like . . . "When I grow up I will be a ____" "My
favorite hobby is ____ " "This summer I ______." When
completed each student hand in the paper that has no name in it and the
teacher hands out the papers randomly. Students play detective by trying
to find the correct person by questioning various classmate until they
find the right person. |
|
My Favorite Thing |
Divide a
bulletin board into "window panes," for each child in class. Have each
child bring in something special that they want to share with the class.
After they show the item and tell the class about it put it in a plastic
bag and hang it on that child's window. |
|
Teach the Class! |
Have
students write a few paragraphs explaining, "If they could teach the
class, how would they make it more interesting and what would they avoid
doing?" |
|
Tutor
of Aide for the day |
Make
students Kindergarten Aides or tutors for lower grade students |
|
Learn About Learning Styles |
Give your students the learning styles
inventory to determine how they learn best. This is helpful to you and your
students. Here are links to various assessments. Choose the one that best
needs your needs.
Learning Styles
What is Your Learning Style
Learning Styles / Strategies |
|
Heiroglyphic Names |
Use
the
Cheops Hieroglyphic
Transformer
at Egypt's Tourism Net to write your students name then
have the students find their names.). A letter to
hieroglyphic guide is available as well. You can use the online version or
download a program for use on your computer. |
|
Rules Puzzle |
Create a word search puzzle for each student.
It can include rules or policies for your classroom or positive words of
encouragement. The
Hidden Message Word Search Puzzle
at
Discovery School's Puzzlemaker will make the
puzzle for you. |
|
Million Word Project |
Send home a "Homework Assignment" for each student's parents. One page lined
paper with words on the top, "Tell me about your child in a million words or
less . . . " Most parents will enjoy the opportunity to tell you about
their children. Some may never return it so don't expect full participation.
|
|
Education World's Icebreakers |
Icebreakers: Volume 1 *
Icebreakers: Volume 2 *
Icebreakers: Volume 3 *
Icebreakers: Volume 4 *
Icebreakers: Volume 5 *
Icebreakers: Volume 6 *
Icebreakers: Volume 7 |
|
Ask Jeeves scavenger hunt |
Give each child a list of questions to Ask
Jeeves and have them report on their answers. |
|
Math Olympics |
Have each teacher that is willing to
participate, make up 10 or 12 questions for each part of Math (e.g.
numeration, geometry, algebra, etc.). Set up each area in the all-purpose
room or empty classroom and then kids will go to each station and answer the
questions. Parents can be called in to help “judge” and there should be an
award ceremony afterwards. |
|
Camping
Day |
Set up a tent or two (those pop-ups work
great), read stories about camping & enjoy camping treats. |
|
Words of Wisdom |
Have your current students write some “Words
of Wisdom” for the upcoming class. |
|
Brochure |
Have the kids design a brochure welcoming the
students in next September's class |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
Ha
|
Academy Homepage |