By grade 4, students are expected to be able to conduct some research, organize ideas and use their knowledge to create various pieces of writing. What better way to facilitate these practices then by conducting a biography unit? Biographies offer students many benefits, some of which are gaining a new perspective on their own life, while being inspired by the works of others. Below are some biography unit ideas for primary grades. Before beginning this unit it is a good idea to have a discussion about fictions vs. non-fiction texts. As well as, discussing how to write an engaging story/biography. For reference, you can look into a story writing unit and learn more about nonfictionContinue reading
Teach Time – Lesson Ideas For Telling Time
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Telling time is one of those things that is so practical, it’s all around us. Here are some ways to empower your students; try out these how-to teach time lesson ideas: Make it personal: Like I said, telling time is all around us! So, use it to your advantage and make your teaching personal. My students always get excited when they can use their personal lives in their work. I feel like it makes the learning more relevant! Here is an idea I really liked: Create references: This is always helpful for students (and adults alike). When your students are able to look around your classroom orContinue reading
Graphing Math Centers For Grade 3
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Centers are an awesome way to get students practicing what they’ve learned in a variety of fun ways. Here are some great ideas I’ve come across for creating Graphing Math Centers for grade 3. Identifying Graphing Elements: It’s important that students are able to identify the types of graphs as well as all their parts. This will help them make meaning of the data presented to them. Here are some ways to get students to do just that: Once students are done working together to identify the graphs, they can create their own graph as a group on chart paper (oh how they love toContinue reading
Fun with Fractions – Lessons & Tips
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Fractions are so practical, they come up in everyday life all the time! From slices of pizza, the components of a class vote or how much of a period is left until recess, students can find fractions everywhere. Learning fractions on the other hand, now that can be tricky business. Here are some tried and tested fun fractions lesson ideas and resources to make learning fractions engaging. Make Student Practice Visual For some students, this is key to learning fractions. The visual component of a slices up pie or stacked lego pieces really helps to put fractions into perspective. Here are some visual lessons to try out: UtilizeContinue reading
Inspirational Class Books – These are must-haves!
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* Story time is an amazing way to wind down at the end of a lesson, or at the end of the day. Students have a chance to listen to a thoughtful story, and teachers have a chance to engage their students in a deep conversation that may not otherwise flourish. Here are a list of inspirational class books that will spark imagination in any classroom, and get students excited about books. Ish – By: Peter A Reynolds This book is about a budding artist, who loves to create artwork! The character gets discouraged when their artwork comes under some scrutiny, but then receives the inspiration toContinue reading
Book Review: The Very Cranky Bear (With Cross-Curricular Lesson Ideas)
*This post contains affiliate links for convenient viewing* The first time I picked up The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland, it was by chance. My daughter and I were browsing through book store shelves, when the book caught our eyes. I was SO pleasantly surprised with how fun this book is! Summary: This book is about four little animal friends, each possessing their own unique qualities, who run into a cranky bear and come up with creative solutions to cheer him up. Thoughts: What I love about this book is that it allows you to pause a draw various lessons from it. There is a wonderful attention to language, which really displays the effective use ofContinue reading