The Joy of Teaching – Page 16 of 46

January 16, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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Chinese New Year Lessons and Free Dancing Dragon and Chinese Lantern Activity

Happy Chinese New Year! The first day of Chinese New Year starts with the new moon, which appears between January 21 and February 20. The Chinese New Year is decided by China’s lunar calendar and falls on the first day of this calendar. This holiday is celebrated in countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many more countries around the world. Introduce this international holiday in your classroom with these fun Chinese New Year lessons and activities from Teachers Pay Teachers.

FREE Lesson: Chinese New Year Dancing Dragon and Chinese Lantern (Grades 1–6)

This free activity helps you celebrate Chinese New Year by guiding students through making an accordion-fold “dancing dragon” and paper plate Chinese lanterns. The unit explains the significance of each symbol and provides detailed directions to make each one. Download this free lesson here!

Preparing for a Chinese New Year Short Story (Grades 2–3)

This unit includes a short story about a boy and his family preparing for Chinese New Year. The boy wants to turn his luck around, so he prepares for the holiday by cleaning the house, getting a haircut, and trying hard in school, all of which seem to go wrong. The unit also includes a reading comprehension page, a Chinese calendar page, a short answer activity page, and a parade-mapping activity page! Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Chinese New Year: Making Books (Grades 1–6)

This unit includes background information on the holiday, reading recommendations for different reading levels, facts about the Chinese calendar, and instructions for making a Chinese New Year book! The unit provides reproducibles of the Chinese calendar and writing prompts so your students can embrace the holiday! Get this unit here, on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Good Luck Messages and Box Dragon Project (Grades K–3)

This unit teaches students about the traditions of Chinese New Year, including cleaning, good luck messages, and the dragon parade. Students can help clean up the classroom, write positive messages for the bulletin board, and help make a box dragon for your very own dragon parade! The unit includes directions, suggestions, and information on the holiday! Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Chinese New Year Cards and Money Pouch (Grades 1–5)

This unit provides instructions for making origami Chinese New Year cards, traditionally made with red paper. It also includes a pattern and template for making a money pouch that holds small coins. Get this unit here, on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Chinese New Year Bulletin Board (Grades K–6)

This unit provides instructions and reproducibles to make a Chinese New Year bulletin board! The bulletin board is red with a paper dragon background, a chart of Chinese zodiac signs, and cut and paste letters that say “Gung Hay Fat Choy!” (Happy New Year!) Find this unit, here, on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Make the most of this opportunity to educate students on this holiday by incorporating some of these activities into your lessons. There are plenty of crafts and activities that celebrate Chinese New Year, many of which practice the traditions of this holiday.

For more information about the history and traditions associated with Chinese New Year, check out: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/china/spring-festival.

Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.

January 7, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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Inquiry-Based Science: How to Use the 5E Model to Support Science Standards

Subatomic particles. Electromagnetic energy. Cosmic black holes.

Science can seem intimidating, wrapped up in some of the most challenging vocabulary. Yet the single word of inquiry—why—is the secret password at the doorway of science. Thankfully, young minds are naturally curious.

In inquiry-based science instruction, the teacher’s role shifts from knowledge provider to experience facilitator. Much of science needs to be witnessed through the senses to be understood, and the more authentic, the better. Approaches using multiple phases of inquiry, knowledge-building, and application, such as the 5E model, have been used effectively and support Next Generation Science Standards.

How the 5E Model Works and Ways to Apply It

While the components generally happen in a logical flow throughout a lesson or a unit, they can be reiterated as needed, depending on what makes sense for the material being taught. Here is a general idea of the purpose and order of each main component.

Engage: Start out by sparking students’ natural sense of wonder.

Show a photo or video of an interesting phenomenon or do a demonstration.
Ask an intriguing question that students are likely to wonder about and facilitate a discussion about it.
Involve the students as actively as possible to stimulate their thinking.

It is important during this phase to elicit prior knowledge and preconceptions. This helps you connect new concepts to what they know and correct any misapprehensions as the lesson progresses.

Explore: Start converting students’ wonder into learning, giving them an opportunity to work directly with an element of the concept.

In free or guided exploration, children interact with one or more materials to see what happens.
In model-building, children are guided or challenged to construct a model of something that uses the concept being observed, allowing manipulation on a child-size scale.
In an investigation, children follow a given procedure designed to show particular outcomes so they can work through the cause and effect.
In an experiment, children follow a more formal process to design and test a hypothesis, collect data, analyze results, and draw a conclusion.

Explain: Present grade-level information in oral, written, and/or graphic form. Now that students have some recent experience with the topic, this will provide a framework for new learning.

Evaluate: Check that students have understood and are able to accurately use what they’ve learned so far. This can include:

Formative assessment of new vocabulary and basic comprehension of the information presented.
Summative assessment at the end of the unit that would include open-ended questions tapping into higher-order thinking, such as generalizing, extrapolating, and theorizing.

Extend: Provide tasks or projects that allow children to go beyond the knowledge they have acquired and incorporate it into their thinking and their lives.

This can include tasks that allow children to elaborate on what they’ve learned, in which they apply their new knowledge to different and/or hypothetical situations, demonstrating transfer of learning.
Students can also take on meaningful projects that rely on using their new-found knowledge and process skills; these projects may be the seeds to effecting change in their community.

Evan-Moor’s Science Lessons and Investigations for grades 3–6 applies the 5E model to guide students through exploring science concepts. It inspires students to explore real-world science topics through a variety of lessons and activities.

Download free sample units here!

Benefits and Applications of Science Inquiry

Bringing students to the learning table is half the battle. Inquiry does that and more:

It starts the flow of questions, as each observation may lead to more wondering.
It breaks the right/wrong answer mold that can cause fear and reluctance in many students. True science is about discovering answers, not memorizing them.
It’s social and cooperative, modeling the real-life science practice of collaboration.
It’s memorable—active participation is indelible; passive exposure is not.

With today’s current trajectory of science technology growth, more students than ever before will end up in a science-related career. Elementary-school students will have jobs that don’t exist today, some of which we can’t even conceive of yet. These careers will involve solving problems in a wide range of fields:

More effective and less risky medical treatments
Greener and safer transportation options
More Earth-friendly materials engineering and recycling methods
Sustainable and healthful agricultural practices
More efficient renewable energy

While much is known about our universe, the process used to gain that knowledge is really the star of the science show. How science is done, rather than what has been done, takes center stage in the classroom.

Basic Principles of Real-World Science

No matter what model you use, it’s important that students realize that science involves asking questions about how the world works and trying to find the answers. It is a living, breathing discipline based on observations, evidence, testing theories—and a LOT of research using many methods. Much of real-world science actually involves constructive failure, in which potential answers are tested and found to be incorrect. Non-answers are a valuable part of the trek toward understanding. Make your students aware of these basic principles:

Record what happens when observing, exploring, or investigating. There are no right or wrong answers.
Science is about trial and error. If something doesn’t work, you’re learned a little more about it. Try something different next time.
Creativity is sometimes needed to come up with new ideas to test or ways to investigate something.

Inquiry is the fuel of science knowledge. Find a way to capture that sense of wonder in a bottle, and you can light a young mind for life.

Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter for more free lessons and activities.

Kathy Jorgensen has been an educator most of her life, starting as a peer tutor in second grade and tutoring her way through high school and college. After teaching grades 2 through 12, she spent two decades editing standardized tests. Kathy happily returned to her teaching roots, providing instruction and practice in Evan-Moor’s math and science products. When she’s not polishing words on the page, Kathy is flitting down the dance floor indulging her passion for Scottish country dancing as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher.

January 6, 2020
by Evan-Moor
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Quick and Easy Substitute Lesson Ideas for Your Sub Folder Plus Free Sub Folder Template

Teachers work hard. That’s no secret. Whether you’re sick or need an unexpected day off, you may need a substitute teacher to step in and follow through on your plans for the day. Every substitute teacher can only be as good as the lesson plan you leave, so make sure you have a sub folder prepared for when the time comes.

How to Prepare a Sub Binder

Download free substitute forms here to create your sub folder.

Cut out and laminate the sub folder cover.
Staple it to a pocket folder.
Fill in the substitute information forms.
Place forms in the folder and include:
1. Class list with transportation information.
2. A basic schedule and alternative schedule.
3. Opening, attendance, lunch, and dismissal routines with detailed instructions for each.
4. A set of name tags for your students.
5. A list of students who attend special classes and the schedule for these classes.
6. A copy of a fire drill and other emergency procedures.
Add your lesson plan and reproduce sets of the student activity pages.

Lesson Ideas for Your Sub Binder

Give your sub plenty of lesson ideas, but make sure your sub knows that it’s okay to not finish everything on the list. It’s better for a sub to have too much to do than to run out of material halfway through the day. Here are some lesson ideas that could work throughout the year for your sub folder and to keep your students on-task and learning:

Addition and Subtraction Fact Families – Free Download – Grades 1–3

These short math games are easy to infuse into the classroom and don’t require any prep work. These two ten-minute math activities about addition and subtraction fact families can be completed as a class or in small groups.

Substitute Lesson Plans for a Day (Primary) Grades 1–3
This download of primary lesson activities is a great addition to your sub lesson plan! This lesson’s theme is “Ants,” and it includes an activity for each subject of the day: reading, writing, math, science, music, and fun! The lesson has a short story, reading comprehension questions, a math activity, a science insect lesson, and a short ant song! It also includes reproducible worksheets for students.
Purchase this lesson from Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Substitute Lesson Plans for a Day (Intermediate) Grades 3–5
This lesson’s theme, Breaking Records, is all about the tall tale of Jesse Owens. The lesson has a reading, writing, math, and science activity and lesson. The reading section also has reading comprehension questions, followed by a lesson on homonyms. Then students will learn about the difference between tall tales and real stories and practice picking out statements of truth and fiction. The math lesson features “interpreting records,” and the science activity is a fun project where students will make a paper spinner and time its flight. This lesson checks all the boxes for a good substitute plan!
Purchase this lesson from Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Cross-Curricular Morning Work, Grades 1–6

Provide quick review activities to help your substitute teacher begin the day. The one-page daily activities in Daily Fundamentals help students practice reading, language, and math skills that are ideal for morning work. Add these worksheets to your substitute lesson plans to get the ball rolling in the morning!

Purchase the entire book or a bundled set of six weekly units! Click on your grade level to find your bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 1, Weeks 13–18
Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 2, Weeks 13–18
Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 3, Weeks 13–18
Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 4, Weeks 13–18
Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 5, Weeks 13–18
Daily Fundamentals Cross-Curricular Bundle, Grade 6, Weeks 13–18

Fun Social Studies Activities, Grades 1–3, 4–6

Add one of the informative short stories about U.S. history to your sub folder using the U.S. Facts & Fun workbooks. You can pair short stories with holidays, celebrations, or even just history curriculum. These nonfiction short stories span a number of topics, like the creation of the U.S. flag, figures like Dr. Seuss, and famous sites like Yosemite. These short stories are a quality time-filler when you need more material for your substitute lesson plan!

Find these nonfiction stories from U.S Facts & Fun on Teachers Pay Teachers:

U.S. Facts & Fun, Grades 1–3

U.S. Facts & Fun, Grades 4–6

Other Tips for Preparing for a Substitute:

Prepare several sub packets for emergencies – sometimes you won’t have time to throw together an organized sub plan, so have a few on hold just in case the time comes. It may be easiest to do three of these, one for fall, winter, and spring. This way, your sub plan will loosely follow the progress in your classroom.
Create a detailed description of how you manage your classroom and what the rewards/consequences are for students. Providing this information will allow the substitute to follow your classroom procedures to the best of his or her ability.
Leave detailed notes if you have students who need special accommodations for behavior or learning. This helps the substitute understand any issues that arise during the day and also supports your students. (It is often a good idea to arrange for a teaching buddy who will take a challenging student if a substitute is having a difficult time.)

Don’t panic if you get caught needing an emergency substitute! That’s why you have easy access to quick lessons that span all your subjects for the day! Being prepared for substitutes will lift the stress off your shoulders during your sick days or last-minute emergency absences!

For more teaching ideas, subscribe to our teacher e-newsletter.

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December 2, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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Winter-Themed Lessons and Activities

Turn your classroom into a winter wonderland this holiday season with classroom decorations and activities from Evan-Moor! As the end of the year approaches, it’s a perfect time to infuse your lessons with holiday spirit and themes!

Take a look at the lessons and activities below (and get a FREE download) for classroom inspiration!

Free Giveaway! Winter Lineup Grades 3–6
Use the materials and directions provided to create an activity center that challenges students to use various types of thinking and problem-solving skills. This center presents clues for students to solve the puzzle about the ice skaters! The unit includes instructions and reproducibles. Get it here.

Free Giveaway! Mitten Shape Book Grades 1–2
This fun shape book provides writing activities for different writing levels, along with reproducibles so students can create their own shape books. The unit also includes a poem about mittens and literature connections so students can keep reading! Get the free unit here.

For Sale: A Snowman Grades 3–4
This “for sale” ad is a riddle! Students must use pictures and text clues to figure out what the ad is selling. This activity encourages critical thinking and problem solving, presenting students with new vocabulary and graphic organizers for thought organizing. Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Stem Challenge: Strong Roofs Grade 1
This STEM unit focuses on the physical science concepts of force and weight. Students learn about the concepts and then use their new knowledge to build a roof for a house that can withstand the “heavy snow.” The unit includes teacher directions, science concept and visual page, a suggested materials list, and guidance for students to design and redesign their roofs! Get it from Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Mr. Snowman Read-and-Understand Grade 1
This is a simple read-and-understand story about building a snowman. The unit includes a 4-page minibook, activity pages, and a mini lesson on compound and rhyming words. It also includes a writing activity about snowmen. Find the unit here, on TeachersPayTeachers.com.

Snowy Day Caldecott Winner Grades 1–3
This literature pocket provides information about Ezra Jack Keats, an illustrator and author. His title “The Snowy Day” won the Caldecott. The unit includes a biography, a bookmark, an original story, and an activity about making an accordion sequencing book. Get this unit from Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Who Likes Hot Chocolate? Activity Center Grades 1–3
This activity center challenges students to figure out which child likes hot chocolate based on the clues provided. The unit, which encourages strategic thinking patterns, provides reproducible pages, teacher directions, and information on logic matrixes. Use this link to find it on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Snowman Poetry Grades 3–6
This unit provides a two-stanza poem about snowmen, teaching suggestions about rhyming poetry, and a form for students to organize their thoughts before writing their own poems! Encourage students to write their own winter poems using the form, either rhyming poems or verse. Find this unit here, on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Snowflake Bentley Caldecott Winners Grades 3–6
This literature pocket teaches students about Caldecott Winner Mary Azarian and her 1999 winning title “Snowflake Bentley.” The unit comes with a biographical sketch, bookmark, bibliography, and activities! The activities include making a block print, completing writing prompts, and creating a 3-fold book. Follow this link to Teachers Pay Teachers to get this unit.

STEM Challenge: Hibernation Station Grade 3
This STEM lesson, from STEM Lessons and Challenges, teaches students about insulating materials. Students are challenged to design their own hibernation den to keep a hard-boiled egg warm. The unit includes a concepts page, suggested materials list, instructions, and design pages to guide students. Get this unit from Teachers Pay Teachers here.

STEM Challenge: Thermometer Grade 4
Students learn about the scientific concept of thermal energy and how it affects matter. Students are challenged to design and create their own thermometer that measures temperature accurately. The unit comes with a teacher support page, a science concept page, a challenge page, and design pages. Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Bring some winter vibes into your classroom with these lessons and activities! Check out Every Snowflake Is Different: Snowflake Crafts and Writing Prompts for Your Classroom for more fun winter ideas!

For creative writing ideas around winter themes, check out the ideas in Winter-Themed Writing Prompts.

November 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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10 Holiday Activities from Around the World

This time of year is filled with celebrations and holidays! Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Chinese New Year are just a few of the many celebrations that take place during the winter. So why not learn about all of them? Celebrate holidays from all around the world in your classroom this December!

Christmas Art Projects: Rudolph, 3-D Tree, Candy Canes
Start your holiday season off with classic Christmas art projects. This unit features a Rudolph art project that only requires construction paper, ribbon, scissors, glue, and a marker! The 3-D Christmas tree project is fun, and also has information about the first Christmas trees! Then students can make paper candy canes. Each project comes with instructions, patterns, and a reproducible when necessary.

Purchase this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Pocket Book for December Celebrations
This is a great project for December celebrations! This unit provides instructions on how to make a pocket book and reproducibles about Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. Each celebration is highlighted with information sheets, posters, art projects, games, writing forms, recipes, and more! This unit is enough for the whole month!

Purchase this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

December Candles
This unit is a reproducible mini book that tells about how candles are used for different celebrations in December! It is a great way to compare and contrast holidays. Students can read it independently, at home, or in class. Feature other mini books in your curriculum to help students make their own mini library.

Purchase this mini book on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Kwanzaa: Making Books
Learn to celebrate the African holiday of Kwanzaa! This unit includes information on the origin of the celebration, book recommendations, and a student book about the Kinara candle, a big piece of Kwanzaa culture!

Visit Teachers Pay Teachers here to purchase this unit.

December Celebrations Bulletin Boards
Include more than one December holiday in your classroom decorations this winter! This bulletin board unit has decorations for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Las Posadas! It also leaves room for student work to be posted, and comes with information about each holiday, teacher directions, letter cut-outs, and a writing form!

Visit Teachers Pay Teachers to purchase your bulletin board here.

December Celebrations
This unit is a chance for students to research six celebrations in December that they may not be familiar with! The unit comes with information forms, teacher directions, reproducibles, and writing forms to encourage students to learn more about other cultures and traditions.

Visit Teachers Pay Teachers to purchase your unit here.

Kwanzaa Storytelling Activity
It is common in Kwanzaa tradition for family members to tell stories to each other. This unit encourages students to practice this tradition by writing down a story from one of their own family members. Students will learn about Kwanza and their own family history—and get to share it with others!

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Chinese New Year Activities
This unit provides information about Chinese New Year, including common practices and traditions. Then students will get the chance to practice these traditions and participate in fun activities like making a box dragon.

Find this unit here, on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Chinese New Year: Dancing Dragon and Chinese Lantern
Add these two art projects to your December schedule! Students will get to make a paper accordion-fold dragon and make it dance with popsicle sticks! The other activity is making decorative Chinese lanterns using paper plates and yarn.

Visit Teachers Pay Teachers and get this fun activity unit here.

Hanukkah Activities
This unit has three different Hanukkah activities to include in your December celebrations! The first is a mini book about the use of candles in December celebrations. The second is a coloring the Menorah activity, and the third is a spin-the-dreidel counting game.

Purchase this unit and others like it on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Take a trip around the world in your classroom this December and feature more than one celebration in your holiday season lesson plans!

For more December lesson ideas check out:

Holiday Books and Activities
for Grades K–3

Holiday Books and Simple Activities
for Grades 3–6

November 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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Big Ideas about Electricity: Asking Questions about Science (Grades 3–6)

How does electricity work? Why do light bulbs turn on with a flick of a switch? How do electric cars work? These are all questions that children ask every day! Electricity is such an interesting part of science! Did you know that before electricity was discovered, people thought static and shocks came from electric fish? Or that the generating station that powers your house could be up to hundreds of miles away? Or that electricity travels at the speed of light?

Engage students’ interest with big idea questions that activate their curiosity and prior knowledge. Engagement questions asked before the introduction of a lesson allow students to make connections with prior learning, raise questions, and generate curiosity.

Evan-Moor’s Daily Science for grades 1–6 highlights some great lessons on electricity.

Daily Science Grade 3 Big Idea

Electricity Can Exist as Static Electricity or Travel as a Current

The unit supplies lessons and activities for five weeks, with each week asking a different question:

Where Does Lightning Come From?
Why Do Electrical Cords Have Metal Plugs?
How Does Flipping a Switch Light Up a Light Bulb?
How Does a Battery Make Electricity?
Electricity: Unit Review/Hands-on Activity

All five weeks focus on the same big idea, but ask different questions and provide different activities. Each week’s plan has different activities and worksheets for each day, so you can stretch the science concept through the whole week! An answer key is also included with each week.

Purchase this electricity unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Daily Science Grade 4 Big Idea

Electrical Energy Can Be Converted into Heat, Light, Sound, and Motion

This unit asks questions like:
How Do Toasters Work?
What Lights a Digital Clock?
How Do Hearing Aids Help People Hear?
How Do Electric Cars Work?
Electrical Energy: Unit Review/Hands-on Activity

The unit ends with an assessment of students’ comprehension and a hands-on activity called “Start Your Motor.” The unit supplies vocabulary, activities, teacher instruction pages, and a hands-on activity and directions. The inquiry-based units encourage students to ask questions of their own, in addition to brainstorming answers to the questions provided for each week.

Follow this link to get this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Daily Science Grade 5 Big Idea

When a New Substance Is Made Through a Chemical Reaction, It Has Properties That Are Different from the Original Substances

This unit introduces vocabulary like acid, boiling point, oxidized, and reactant! Students are asked to ponder:

What Puts the Fizz in Soda?
Why Do Batteries Die?
Why Does Metal Rust?
Why Can’t You Light a Match More Than Once?
Chemical Reactions: Unit Review/Hands-on Activity

The review and hands-on activity tests the results of oxidized pennies placed in acidic solutions. Engage your students in physical science concepts like chemical reactions, and have fun with the experiments that go with the concepts! For example, putting mentos in a soda bottle never gets old!

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Daily Science Grade 6 Big Idea

Energy Can Be Mechanical, Electrical, Thermal, or Chemical. Light, Sound, and Heat Are Often the Result

The sixth grade level of Daily Science tackles more complex concepts, asking questions like:

How Do Windmills Make Electricity?
What Makes Popcorn Pop?
What Makes Fireflies Glow?
How Do Fireworks Work?
Energy Often Results in Light, Sound, and Heat: Unit Review/Hands-on Activity

The unit explores different kinds of energy, including advanced vocabulary like catalyze, electromagnetism, and kinetic energy. Students will explore real-life examples of energy and electricity, like windmills, popcorn, and fireworks, and create and test their own hypotheses about the best way to pop popcorn.

Visit Teachers Pay Teachers here to get this unit.

The goal of Daily Science is to fully engage students in the topic, asking them to brainstorm answers to the provided question before diving into the activities and lesson of the day. The big ideas within each unit allow students to connect prior learning with new experiences. Teaching students to ask questions creates deeper meaning and better understanding of the content.

In the words of Josef Albers, and American artist and educator, “Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.”

Purchase the entire Daily Science book with 150 daily lessons for grades 1-6 from Teachers Pay Teachers or www.evan-moor.com

Visit STEM Challenges: Build a Ship, Skyscraper, and Bridge for more science ideas and lessons.

November 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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Winter-Themed Writing Prompts

Inspire creative writing in your classroom this winter with fun winter writing prompts. Even reluctant writers will have a difficult time resisting the engaging themes of snowflakes, gifts, and holiday cheer.

Use these prompts to inspire festive writing in your classroom this winter:

If I were a snowflake…write about things you would feel or do if you were a snowflake flying through the air.
This year, my New Year’s resolution is…
If I were a hibernating bear this winter…make a list of how you’d prepare for the hibernating season and what you’d do during the cold months!
I saw the best Christmas tree in the world!
If I could change the world this new year…
Pretend you have a pen pal living at the South Pole. Write a letter to him or her.
It was snowing again today, but the snow was purple!
On a stormy day, I…
How to keep warm.
We made sugar cookies for Santa. They were cut into shapes of…
Write about snowflakes.
I got a brand new sled for Christmas…
How to build a snowman.
If I were Rudolph…
I couldn’t find the present I wrapped for my mom! What do I do?
My favorite holiday movie is…
What’s the best Christmas present ever?
My favorite thing about winter is…
If I could change one thing about December, I would…
I had the best gift idea for my best friend. It is…
My grandma knit me a magic scarf. Its magic powers are…
Today it started snowing inside the classroom!

Picture Prompts: Supply your students with a picture to write about. It can be anything: a snowman, a Christmas present, a puppy. Have them write a short story about the picture!

For more writing prompts check out Giant Write Every Day: Daily Writing Prompts, Grades 2-6 for 300 writing prompts, story starters and writing forms.

November 22, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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Children’s Books To Read: Holidays Around the World

Encourage reading as a form of entertainment this holiday season as kids spend more time indoors. Check out these holiday books that explore multicultural traditions and learn new ways to celebrate the holidays!

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko

Sadie’s family celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah every holiday season. This book tells the story of this mixed family celebration, which embraces more than one holiday tradition.

Tree of Cranes by Allen Say

This story, set in Japan, is about a young Japanese boy who has caught a bad cold just before the holidays. He watches his mother decorate the house with origami cranes, infusing their culture into the American Christmas tradition.

The Night Before Christmas by Rachel Isadora

This traditional Christmas poem is reinvented with African themes by Caldecott winner Rachel Isadora. Set in Africa, the poem tells of African toys, Christmas excitement, and holiday cheer in a new culture.

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola

The tradition of Las Posadas, the procession of Joseph and Mary, is almost derailed when Lupe and Roberto (Joseph and Mary) get caught in a snowstorm! Two strangers step up to take their place, but mysteriously disappear after the procession! The town witnesses a Christmas miracle that night.

Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto

This Christmas Eve, Maria gets to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner! When her mom left the kitchen for a moment, Maria decided to try on her mom’s diamond ring. But the ring gets lost in the tamales, and Maria has to find a way to solve the problem!

Everett Anderson’s Christmas Coming by Lucille Clifton

This story brings an urban take on Christmas joy, telling the story of Everett, a young boy who lives on the 14th floor of his building. Everett loves Christmas and everything about it, just like all the other kids in the city.

An Angel Just Like Me by Mary Hoffman

Tyler loves to decorate the tree with his family, but notices all the angles have pale skin and blonde hair, and don’t look like him and his family. Tyler sets out to find an angel that looks like him.

La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story written by Antonio Sacre, illustrated by Angela Dominguez

Nina spends this Christmas in Miami, visiting her grandmother, which is a very different experience than the white Christmases she is used to in New England. Nina gets to learn about Cuban Christmas traditions from her father’s side of the family.

N Is for Navidad by Susan Middleton Elya

This alphabet-style book introduces different Spanish words to children, all about the Christmas season! It is also beautifully illustrated with vibrant pictures.

Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee

This little girl sees tracks outside her window in the fresh snow and decides to follow them. She discovers that the tracks are her own from yesterday, and they lead her back home.

Amadi’s Snowman: A Story of Reading written by Katia Novet Saint-lot and illustrated by Dimitrea Tokunbo

Amadi doesn’t want to learn to read, despite his mother’s insistence that he attend his reading lessons. He runs off to the market instead, where he discovers a picture book about a snowman that inspires him to learn to read.

Mama Do You Love Me? written by Barbara M. Joosse and illustrated by Barbara Lavellee

In this story, a child asks her mother all kinds of questions about how much her mother loves her. The arctic setting is perfect for the holidays, a time for family to come together.

Immi’s Gift by Karin Littlewood

A girl sits with her fishing rod in the arctic, but is surprised when, instead of a fish at the end of her line, she has caught a wooden bird. More surprises follow, so the girl drops a wooden bear into the water. Far, far away, a little boy stands on the hot sand and throws colorful things into the water, only to find a small wooden bear washed upon the shore.

Check out these books as a fun way to incorporate other cultures into your holiday season! Children will love the books about winter adventures, especially those that explore other cultures in a fun and colorful way. Happy holidays, and happy reading!

For more holiday activitites from around the world checkout: 10 Holiday Activities from Around the World

October 21, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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Teacher Tips to Help a Struggling Reader

Some people think that to help a struggling reader, the student just needs to read more. Although daily reading is an essential component of reading fluency, this is not the best approach to take with a child who is struggling.

As a classroom teacher, I know it’s a challenge to address the varied reading levels within a class. The tips and resources in this article are meant to help both teachers and parents with some strategies that have worked with my students to nurture reading skills.

Sometimes, reading difficulty is an indicator of something more serious. One common learning disability is dyslexia, which can affect a child’s ability to spell, write, and read. These special cases should always involve school specialists to help you diagnose. A few signs of dyslexia in elementary students are:

Struggling to sound out familiar words and not wanting to read aloud
Reading slowly and not comprehending what they read
Not remembering details
Mixing up the order of letters

Here are five tips to help a struggling reader build confidence in reading fluency and comprehension.

1. Find the Phonological Gaps

Rather than teaching children from where they “should” be reading, start at the beginning. Look for holes in the phonological and phonemic awareness. (This is the most common problem.)

Supplement reading instruction with additional phonics and phonological practice. Once those reading skills are mastered, introduce reading selections that practice those patterns. Here are a few lesson ideas to help.

Basic Phonics Skills, Level B: This resource provides plenty of practice pages to help children master consonant sounds, short vowel sounds, plural endings, and word families. Included are take-home phonics readers for additional practice. (This resource is available in four different levels of difficulty: A, B, C, and D for grades K–3.)

2. Model Fluent Reading and Comprehension Strategies

The National Reading Panel Report supports sounding out letters as the number one method to help struggling readers. Model for children how to sound out and decode words. Some children learn best with a tactile component. Model sounding out words by placing an object next to a letter for each sound.

For example:

Have children sound out CAT, and each time they sound out a letter, have them place a small object underneath the letter they are sounding out. As a classroom teacher, I would use small, round, red magnets on my whiteboard to place underneath each letter.

C A T

Small group or one-on-one instruction is the best solution for helping struggling readers improve. Children in this setting face fewer distractions and can see your mouth forming the sounds easier. You are also able to monitor their progress closely in this type of setting.

After reading a passage, check for understanding. Some children are so focused on decoding the words that they are not paying attention to what they are reading. Sometimes, this is a good indicator that a reading passage is too difficult. The optimal reading passage for practice allows children to read fluently and understand what they read.

For more details on how to check fluency levels in students, read this article: How Many Words Per Minute Should My Child Read? A Guide to Reading Fluency.

3. Build Confidence

Most of the time, struggling readers feel ashamed and embarrassed that they are not reading like their peers. They don’t want to read aloud or tackle challenging reading activities in a group setting. Make time in your instruction to find each child’s strengths and compliment the student. Sometimes it helps to share your own difficulties with learning so students feels less lonely in their struggle. I like to recall my early struggles in math and the skills I developed to tackle difficult assignments. Often, the skills struggling children develop to overcome their learning obstacles are the same skills that will make them successful adults (perseverance, dedication, humility, compassion for others, and just plain hard work). Students who are succeeding without much effort will have to learn those traits later in life.

4. Practice Aloud

This is a struggling reader’s worst nightmare. Take time to pull these readers into a private setting and listen to them read aloud. This will showcase their progress as they infuse what they are learning in their reading lessons into reading practice. It will also highlight any word patterns or letter sounds they are still struggling with and that may need review.

Before asking a child to read aloud, preview difficult vocabulary in the passage. Model how to sound out the words and discuss their meaning. This will help alleviate children’s stress when they progress to reading it aloud alone. If they continue to struggle with the words, read the difficult ones with them to model correct pronunciation. These leveled reading comprehension resources are a great way to provide reading practice and check for comprehension.

Nonfiction Reading Practice for grades 1–6 works well within the classroom setting. It provides three different levels of reading for the same nonfiction story. This resource is ideal for supporting basic to advanced reading level instruction within a classroom. Each student can read at his or her own level while studying the same topic. Each robust reading unit includes:
- 3 leveled reading passages
- Comprehension questions
- Text-dependent writing prompt
Read and Understand with Leveled Texts for grades 1–6 covers a range of reading skills within specific Lexile levels. The engaging stories and fun practice activities engage even the most reluctant readers. These lessons and activities provide:
- Fiction and nonfiction topics
- Comprehension and vocabulary review
- Text-to-text comparisons

5. Include Multi-Sensory Activities

Providing visual, auditory, and tactile learning activities is a wonderful way to keep children engaged and provide avenues of practice that may interest them more than traditional learning models. Songs, chants, and hands-on center activities are some of the simplest methods for reinforcing children’s learning through multi-sensory activities.

Phonics Intervention Centers: Vowel Digraphs: This is a great hands-on center activity to help students struggling with vowel digraphs (those pesky sound-letter combinations that don’t follow the rules). This center provides colorful ready-made activities and an assessment to record students’ progress.
This classic Peanut Butter and Jelly chant is a fun activity to get children moving and reading together. Download your free copy here.

Read Fun Phonics Activities and Games for ideas for rhyming games, flip books, and hands-on center ideas.

One of my favorite quotes in teaching is “strive for progress not perfection.” Building a struggling child’s reading skills can take years. Focus on a student’s individual progress and not that of his or her peers.

Heather Foudy is a certified elementary teacher with over 7 years’ experience as an educator and volunteer in the classroom. She enjoys creating lessons that are meaningful and creative for students. She is currently working for Evan-Moor’s marketing and communications team and enjoys building learning opportunities that are both meaningful and creative for students and teachers alike.

October 21, 2019
by Evan-Moor
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How to Teach Writer’s Voice with Trait-Based Writing—Mini Lessons for Grades 4–6

The six traits of writing are a crucial part of writing curriculum, especially when students are beginning to learn how to write persuasively. However, just because it’s important doesn’t mean it’s easy to teach! That’s why we are presenting you with resources, ideas, and activities that make teaching the six traits of writing easy and fun!

What Is Trait-Based Writing and Why Is It Important?

The six traits of trait-based writing are:

Ideas
Organization
Word choice
Sentence fluency
Voice
Conventions

These six things are the basic framework that make up quality writing at all skill levels. They are the ingredients in your recipe to improve your students’ writing! Including these in your writing curriculum also provides consistent vocabulary, so it’s easier for students to understand what they do well and what they can improve on.

Trait-Based Writing: Author’s Voice

While all six are equally important in quality writing, this article will focus on an author’s voice and how it is used to set the tone of the writing, depending on what purpose the writing serves.

When teaching voice, it helps to narrow down students’ focus to:

Attitude: How does the author feel about the subject he or she is writing about?
Audience: Whom is the author writing for?

Together, attitude and audience will determine how an author approaches a writing topic.

Writing lessons can often become labor intensive activities that eat up a good portion of your school day. But scheduling consistent writing opportunities for students is important for their growth as writers. Evan-Moor’s Daily 6-Trait Writing bundles on Teachers Pay Teachers offer short daily lessons that focus on one trait at a time, providing consistent, focused writing practice. Each bundled unit provides five weeks of daily activities that are focused on one writing trait. (You can purchase the entire Daily 6-Trait Writing resource for 25 weekly units covering all traits here.)

How to Use Descriptive Words to Convey Voice or Tone (Grade 4)

For example, one lesson from Daily 6-Trait Writing grade 4, unit 5, weeks 1–5 teaches students how to use descriptive words to convey voice or tone in their writing. Each week focuses on a different aspect of the trait presented. Included in this mini bundle are five weeks of daily writing lessons that practice:

Examining different writing voices
Using your voice to persuade
Writing from different points of view
Using voice in poetry
Developing your own voice

Find Daily 6-Trait Writing grade 4, unit 5, weeks 1–5 on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Each five-week bundled unit provides:

Five weeks of daily activities
20 reproducibles (days 1–4 of each week)
5 writing prompts (day 5)
Teacher support and grading rubric

Throughout the week, whether you choose to teach lessons consecutively or pick and choose to fit classroom needs, students will go through activities and lessons that teach them how to recognize and use each writing trait. As activities get progressively more complicated, students will fully understand how to implement the trait into their own writing. Day five of each week includes a writing prompt, so students can practice their newfound skills. Use the teacher support in each model for tips on how to teach each unit. Each activity builds towards the fluent use of the specific trait, so feel free to skip around and pick the ones you like!

Practice Writing with Voice Within Different Writing Genres (Grade 5)

Daily 6-Trait Writing grade 5, unit 5, weeks 1–5 includes five weeks of mini writing lessons that help students practice writing with voice within different writing genres.