The Joy of Teaching – Page 17 of 46

October 4, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Nature-Based Science Activities to Do with Your Child at Home

As school jumps back into session, children are itching to do something fun on the weekends. The season of fall brings many new ideas and projects for you and your young child to try at home together, particularly ones that keep their learning momentum going! Capitalize on this fun learning opportunity by adding some nature-based science activities for grades K–3 to your weekend routine!

Free Leaf Art Activity Grade 1

Start your nature projects off strong with a fun leaf art project! This life science unit is from Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: Science (grade 1) activity book, a great resource for fine-tuning those science skills in a fun way! The unit teaches about how leaves grow and live and includes reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and art activities! We’re giving you a free download of the leaf art activity, but if you want to expand your child’s science skills and get access to more science activities like this, you can purchase the Skill Sharpeners: Science activity book here!

Click here for a free download of the leaf project.

Garden Activity Grades K–6

For a fun nature activity that lasts all year round, start a garden with your child! Teach your child about plant life, the life cycle, and how plants eat and grow, all in your backyard. The scale of your garden is up to you; you can invest in a planter box outside, or even just grow some smaller plants in your kitchen window. Either activity opens up a world of nature science for your child to explore. Incorporate art into your science by having your child paint the pots or name the plants! You can even have your child take pictures at different stages of growth and make a mini-photo album of your garden!

Pumpkin Life Cycle Lesson Grade 2

Keep your life science theme and engage your child in learning about the growth and life cycle of a pumpkin! This unit, from Skill Sharpeners: Science (grade 2) teaches children all about the life cycle of plants with reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing activities. This pumpkin growth activity asks children to match the sentence describing the growth stage to the picture. Have your children point out the growth stages of pumpkins when you go to the patch to pick out your own! Check out this unit and more in Skill Sharpeners: Science grade 2 here.

Download this free pumpkin life cycle page here.

Make Watercolor Paint from Flowers Grades K–3

To combine your science and art activities, you can make natural watercolor paint with someflowers!! For this activity, you’ll need:

Brightly colored flowers (or if you don’t have any wild ones available, you can buy some from the store)
Ziploc bags
A rolling pin
Small bowls or cups
Painting supplies

Steps to create your flower paint

Separate your flowers by color.
Pick the petals off each flower and place them in separate Ziploc bags.
- Note: If you do the same process with all the stems from the flowers, you can get a lovely green color!
Heat up some water (not boiling hot, but warm to hot).
Add hot water to each of the bags and close them (you don’t need too much water in each bag; your amount of paint will match the amount of water you put in).
Use the rolling pin the squish the petals into the water.
Let the water and petals sit for a few hours.
Pour your new natural watercolor paints into cups or bowls!
- If colors still aren’t vibrant enough, try adding more flowers and hot water.
Paint away! You can paint with leftover flowers, brushes, or finger paint!

Don’t forget to mention to your child about how color pigments work, and how stems get their green color from photosynthesis and chlorophyll!

Ecosystem Lesson and Activity Grade 3

Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: Science (grade 3) activity book features a whole unit on ecosystems! The unit covers the life science of ecosystems, including how living and nonliving things interact to create habitats and ecosystems. The unit presents new vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing activities. It also includes hands-on ecosystem art activities and an answer key! Check out this unit and others in Skill Sharpeners: Science grade 3 here.

Bring science home this fall with some fun nature activities! The fall season is a perfect opportunity to get outside and observe the natural science around you! Just the simplest of nature activities can engage your child in science and give them some good stories to bring back to school!

Skill Sharpeners Science is availabe for grades PreK-6.

For more scence activities read the article below.

STEM In the Kitchen—Cooking Up Science with the Kids

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.

October 4, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Top 15 TPT Lessons for October: STEM, Daily Practice, and Bats!

Browse Evan-Moor’s individual lesson downloads on Teachers Pay Teachers! Customize your weekly lessons to fit your classroom needs with activities and unit bundles pulled from Evan-Moor’s favorite classroom resources.

Check out our most popular October lessons for fall in Evan-Moor’s TeachersPayTeachers store:

STEM Challenges

STEM lessons are a wonderful addition to your October science units. Find individual STEM challenges that align with your science lessons from STEM Lessons and Challenges. STEM units are available for individual purchase for grades 1–6.

Daily Practice Mini Bundles

Did you know that many Evan-Moor Daily Practice resources are available in “mini bundles?” If you’d like to focus on daily practice for a few weeks instead of an entire school year, take a look at these downloads:

Daily Reading Comprehension, Grade 2, Weeks 1–5
Weeks 1–5 includes: 5 weekly units, table of contents, weekly unit overviews, a skills scope and sequence, and answer key.
Daily Word Problems: Math, Grade 3, Weeks 1–6
Weeks 1–6 includes: 30 word problems within 6 weekly units, a skills scope and sequence, student record sheets, day-by-day skills list, and answer key.
Daily 6-Trait Writing BUNDLE, Grade 3, Unit 1 IDEAS, Weeks 1–5
Introduce trait-based writing with 5 weeks of short daily writing lessons that focus on ideas.
Daily Science, Grade 4, Big Idea 3, Both Slow and Rapid Processes – from Erosion to Earthquakes
Five weeks of daily science activities that use inquiry-based questions to focus on a big idea within each week’s science theme.
Daily Geography Practice, Grade 5, Weeks 25–30
Short daily geography lessons in six weekly units that study the National Football League and climate zones in the United States.
Daily Academic Vocabulary, Grade 5, Weeks 10–18
This download provides weekly units 10–18 from Evan-Moor’s Daily Academic Vocabulary grade 5 teacher’s resource.

October Themes

Trees and Seasons (Fall) Art Projects, Grades 1–4
Celebrate the arrival of fall with creative art activities to decorate the classroom.
All Caught Up in Good Work (Bulletin Board), Grades 1–6
Decorate the classroom for Halloween with this creative spiderweb bulletin board!
Mammals: Bats,Grades 1–3 (science unit)
Introduce bats with this bat science unit that includes diagrams and reading comprehension activities.
Vampire Bats, Grade 3 (reading comprehension)
In-depth reading comprehension unit about vampire bats. Perfect to pair with your bat science unit.
Cats, Bats, Spiders, and Skeleton Art Projects, Grades 1–4 (Art)
Creative Halloween art projects to decorate the classroom!
Pocket Book on Night Creatures: Bats, Owls, Koalas, Grades 1–3
Thematic science units that incorporate reading comprehension, writing, and art into a comparison study of night animals.

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 2, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Pumpkin-Themed Activities and Lessons for Fall

Pumpkins may just be the fruit of fall (yes, it’s a fruit… I’m still getting used to that); but more specifically, pumpkins are tied to October. The spookiest month of the year falls (pun intended) right in the middle of autumn, right after the back-to-school themes wear out but before Thanksgiving decorations go up. So what to do in the classroom during the mid-autumn month? Pumpkin activities and lessons are the answer!

Pumpkins can provide a theme for many fun writing, science, and center activities. Check out these favorite pumpkin-themed activities from Evan-Moor’s Teachers Pay Teachers store:

Halloween Pumpkins Activity Pages for Grades PreK–Kindergarten

This unit provides three fun worksheets, including a cut-out six-page mini-book, connect-the-dots count-to-10 activity, and a color-in pumpkin! This activity is great for younger students!
Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Pumpkin Phonics and Art Project for Grades PreK–Kindergarten

Students will pick out objects that “start like pumpkin,” complete a four-piece cut-and-glue puzzle, and learn about how a pumpkin grows from a seed in this fun and festive unit.
For this unit and more, check out TeachersPayTeachers.

Sequencing Activity: The Pumpkin for Kindergarten–1st Grade

This activity asks students to cut out six pictures showing the stages of pumpkin growth from seed to adult and put them in the correct order. This activity is presented in both Spanish and English!
Follow this link to purchase this activity.

Pick of the Patch Bulletin Board for Kindergarten–6th Grade

This fun fall bulletin board is a festive way to display student work during your pumpkin-themed month! This unit comes with teacher and student instructions, cut-out letters for the board, and a pumpkin poem! Fun for all ages, fun for the whole class!
For this fun project and more, click here.

The Biggest Pumpkin (A Tale from Africa) for 1st–2nd Grade

The African tale of how pumpkin seeds became the stars in the sky is featured in this two-page short story! Following the short story are activity pages that test reading comprehension with questions about the story, as well as skill practice pages that introduce silent k’s.
For this fun project and more, click here.

Seeds to Pumpkin Writing Center for 1st–3rd Grade

This unit provides directions for a “Seeds to Pumpkin” center activity. Students will cut out six pictures and place them in the correct sequence to show the stages of a pumpkin’s growth. This art activity also includes a writing extension.
Find this unit on TeachersPayTeachers here.

Critical Thinking: Comparing Pumpkins for 1st–3rd Grade

This art center is all about comparing pumpkins. The center, which includes student and teacher instructions, asks students to use their critical thinking skills to examine two pumpkins and use their checklists to list similarities and differences!
To get access to this unit and more fun activities, click here.

Pumpkin Art Projects for 1st–4th Grade

Find your fill of pumpkin art projects with this unit! You have your choice of five different projects: Jack-o’-Lantern Fun, The Pumpkin Patch (with ghosts), Jack-o’-Lantern Pals, Positive-Negative Pumpkins, and Pumpkin Smiles!
Follow this link to purchase this unit.

Jack-o’-Light Science Experiment for 2nd–4th Grade

This pumpkin-themed science experiment is super fun for the whole class (but be careful, please)! The experiment studies how fire needs oxygen to burn and how candles inside jack-o’-lanterns are affected by replacing the lid on the pumpkin. The unit also includes instructions, list of materials, and worksheets.
Find this activity and others like it here.

Watch a Movie!

As a special Halloween treat, show your students one of the many Halloween- or pumpkin-themed movies! I’ll list some of my favorites below…
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
- Spookley the Square Pumpkin
- Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
- Casper’s Scare School
- The Nightmare Before Christmas

Basic Pumpkin Art

To keep things simple, gather up some orange, white, brown, and black construction paper and have kids cut out and design their own pumpkins! This is an easy and simple activity, and allows for a lot of freedom. You’ll just need the construction paper, glue, and scissors!

Have fun this October!! There are so many possibilities when it comes to pumpkin crafts and activities. I love Halloween month, but don’t forget that pumpkins transition nicely into pumpkin pie come November. Happy fall!

September 17, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Math Measurement Activities for Grades 3–6: Volume, Length and Time

As children jump into multiplication and division, they face another difficult concept: volume. Understanding units of measure makes its way into math around third grade, with concepts like calculating 3-D volume following close behind. Introducing measurement to students can be approached a few different ways, but hands-on activities and physical demonstrations are great additions to any measurement unit. Explore the basics of volume with your students by demonstrating liquid measurement and volume.

Measurement Activities

Visual measurements: Using a container and measuring cups, explain the units of cups, pints, quarts, and gallons. Ask students to guess how many cups are in a pint, how many pints are in a quart, and so on. Some may already be familiar with these measurements from baking.
Class recipe: Make a class trail mix snack in small groups and have students create their own mix by measuring specific amounts. Here are the supplies needed:
1. Measuring instruments: ¼ cup, ½ cup, ¾ cup, 1 cup
2. Paper bags or zip lock sandwich bags
3. Ingredients such as: raisins, Cheerios, chocolate, sunflower seeds, Kix cereal, Chex cereal, goldfish crackers, stick pretzels, banana chips, and cranberries
Art projects: Integrate a little art into your math lesson and have students illustrate a container and label how much water is inside with the units of measurement they just learned.
King Gallon’s Family:Teach your students how to convert gallons, quarts, pints and cups with this volume trick.

Measurements of time, liquid, and masses for Grade 3

Evan-Moor’s Math Fundamentals book covers measurements of time, liquid, and masses. The units linked below teach the basics of measuring time, measuring liquid with customary units and metric units, and measuring masses of objects. The third grade unit contains a teacher instruction page and multiple worksheets and activities for students to practice their measuring skills. This unit focuses on the basic units of measurements like cups, pints, quarts, and gallons, and how they compare to each other.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Measurement Conversion for Grade 4

Once students grasp units of measurement as they relate to time, liquid, and mass, they’ll attack the concept of conversion. Converting units within a system of measurement can seem very clear when being demonstrated in a physical or hands-on way, but doing the math on paper can be much more challenging. Luckily, there are plenty of fun ways to make unit conversions less intimidating.

“Party Time” is an Evan-Moor grade 3 math unit that provides worksheets for unit conversion, including fun activities like crosswords and party planning, as well as a standardized style test. The unit covers measurement and conversion of time, length, and volume. Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Fill It Up! for grades 3–4 is a fun measurement matching activity to help students practice converting measurements. The unit contains the directions for the activity, two sets of measurement cards, and an answer form. Students will need to match two cards together to find equivalent measurements. For example: a student will need to find a card that equals two cups, i.e., a pint card. To make it more challenging, flip the cards over like a regular matching game so the student will have to try and remember where each measurement card is to successfully match eight pairs.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Converting Units Within a System for Grade 5

Converting units within a system may be introduced as early as third grade, but it becomes a crucial skill by fifth grade. Though the conversions become more difficult as students progress to higher levels of math, the fundamentals stay the same. Evan-Moor’s Math Fundamentals for grade five covers all the basics of math measurement your fifth grader will need. The unit linked below provides practice of converting measurements within a system, with word problems, practice worksheets, and other activities to help students ace conversion! The models in the unit go over customary units of length, capacity, and weight.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Does Volume Change with Shape?
Help your students understand volume in this hands-on activity. (Students may have different results in this activity; if you’re using 20 blocks, some may create a 4 x 5 rectangle, while others may build a 2 x 10 rectangle.)

Using centimeter cubes or blocks, give a set number (12, 20, 25) to each student and ask them to form a rectangular solid with their blocks. If you can, place a concealing barricade between desks so students can’t see each other’s creation.
Once everyone has created their solid, remove the barriers so students can compare with each other. They may have trouble understanding that though some rectangles look different from others, they all have the same volume. You can test this several times using a different amount of blocks each time until students start to understand the concept of volume.

Linear Measurement Conversions for Grade 6

Around sixth grade, your students will have to tackle linear measurement conversions. While students need to practice this skill to improve, it can be tiring to do the same thing over and over again.

In “Linear Measurement: Conversions Between Units,” students solve riddles, tongue twisters, and complete math sentences while practicing their linear conversions. By completing the “math sentence” conversions, students then can match the answer to a letter, which is a piece of the puzzle on the activity page. Solving the problems means solving the puzzle! Students can practice their fundamental math skills without feeling bored converting units of measurement. This unit, which includes six activity pages that test your students’ conversion ability, also provides an assessment page in test format.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Encourage your students to take note of measurements at home – how much milk they pour into their cereal, how many inches long their couch is, etc. Some of my teachers offered extra credit if we brought in an empty carton and wrote down how many cups, pints, quarts, or gallons it held. Students will start to take notice of volume and measurements in their everyday life, and this will transfer to how comfortable they are with conversions in the classroom. Reinforcing your students’ confidence in this fundamental part of math will benefit them greatly as they progress to higher math!

August 30, 2019
by Evan-Moor
1 Comment

Apple-Themed Science Experiments and Writing Activities for Fall

Welcome autumn apple season! Bring apples to your classroom this fall for a delicious treat and for fun math and science lessons! Apples are my favorite fruit, and I eagerly welcome any and all apple-themed activities. My class was lucky enough to go to an apple orchard on a field trip in fourth grade (I highly recommend this if you have an orchard near you!), and we used some of the apples we picked for the class activities I’m going to share with you today!

Be sure to get your FREE apple-themed activities in the links below.

Apple Taste Test, Grades 1–6

It’s impossible to go wrong with this activity! Whether you have hand-picked apples from the orchard or fresh produce from the grocery store, this activity is fun for all grade levels and can be incorporated into engaging learning opportunities.

Using at least three different types of apples, label each type Apple A, B, or C.
Have your students close their eyes as they taste the apples, using describing words that you or a partner can write down. Challenge your students to get creative with their describing words.
Have students select a favorite apple (you can keep track of this and create a tally or chart for fun, or for a mini-lesson on percentages/fractions).
Download this free “An Apple a Day” activity. This template directs students to taste apples, write down describing words, and create their own apple poem using their experience!

Check out this blog for more ideas on how to use apples in the classroom or at home.

From My Farm to Your House: Art and Cooking Activities, Grades PreK–1

Mix up your fall lessons with this fun art activity for younger students. This unit includes instructions and some materials for making paper apples, seeds and all! These projects look great as fall décor in the classroom! Once children have designed their own paper apples, you can make applesauce with the included recipe! The unit also includes a packet to send home to parents with the same recipe you used in the classroom!
Download this free apple art and recipe activity here.

Apple Shape Book, Grades K–2

This activity includes a fun apple art activity and writing prompts for three different writing levels. Kindergarteners to second graders will love coloring and writing their own apple shape book! Prompts range from drawing and writing about the colors of apples to writing a short story about the last apple on the tree during autumn!
Download this free writing lesson here.

Johnny Appleseed and Apple Math, Grades 1–2

This apple activity checks all the boxes; it’s part art, part math, and part writing activity, but all parts fun! Students will color a mini-book about Johnny Appleseed, count the apples he picked, and write about the steps of making an apple pie.
Download this free mini-book and activity pages here.

A is for Apple, Grades 2–6

Students can write a thank-you note to Johnny Appleseed while they munch thoughtfully on an apple in this fun creative writing activity. This can be done in the classroom (you can cut up different kinds of apples to vary the describing words that students will use), or you can send it home for homework! Make an apple slice toast to Johnny Appleseed to honor all his hard work!
Download this free writing activity here.

Johnny Appleseed Reading and Activity, Grades 3–4

Combine your reading comprehension and social studies lessons with this fun short story about Johnny Appleseed! Along with the short story, this unit also has two fun worksheets that ask questions about the reading, match vocabulary terms with their definitions, and provide a short writing prompt. This activity is targeted for grades three and four, but could be extended to second through fifth.
Find this unit for purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

The Science of Delicious

Though apples are a super yummy snack, I think Johnny Appleseed would agree that they also make fun science experiments!! Ever thought about how apple slices turn brown when they’re left out? What if there was a way to keep them looking fresh? Well, there is!! This fun experiment tests which solutions can keep apples looking pale and yummy!

Materials:
- Apples! (You’ll only need one, since you’ll be cutting it up for this experiment…but don’t cut it up yet!)
- Six bowls (They’ll need to be large enough that your apple slice will fit and be totally covered by the solution.)
- Paper (to label which bowl has which solution)
- And finally…the solutions themselves!
  1. 1 teaspoon baking powder mixed with 1 cup water
  2. 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed with 1 cup water
  3. lemon lime soda
  4. ½ teaspoon salt mixed with 1 cup water
  5. 1 cup tap water
  6. control (just the apple slice)
Instructions:
- Set out the bowls and label which solution is going to go in which bowl.
- Mix and prepare your solutions in separate bowls so they’re ready to go!
- Cut up your apple into six even pieces.
  - You should only use one apple, as adding another apple to the mix could be an extra variable that may alter your results.
- Place an apple slice in each bowl.
- Cover each apple slice with the designated solution! Remember to leave the control alone, as that’s how you’ll know the natural effects.
- Leave the apples alone, checking back every 5 minutes to see how the apples are browning. Keep track of which apples are browning by writing down your
- results. You can make a colorful chart to keep track if you’d like!
- After 10–15 minutes (depending on how fast your apples are browning) pour the solutions out, leaving just the apples.
- Record the browning of the apples.
- Taste the apples! Record your findings.

Whether you have the chance to go to an apple orchard or not, apples are a fun and easy way to make your regular lessons a little sweeter (or more sour if you’re using granny smith)! Use the free downloads and activities in this blog to keep your autumn lesson plans interesting and fun! Happy fall!

August 21, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Create Your Own Owl-Thematic Study Unit for Fall

Embrace the fall season in your classroom with autumn-themed décor, lessons, and activities! Developing your fall reading instruction around a thematic study unit such as owls is a great way to introduce cross-curricular topics and project-based learning into your curriculum. Plus, whooo doesn’t love owls? Owls are interesting creatures and have plenty of attributes that can be used in autumn activities.

Check out these fun owl-themed activities and hands-on reports to include in your thematic study unit! Be sure to get your FREE downloads for the Owl-themed bulletin board and owl poem below.

Owl Bulletin Board: “Whooo did this good work?” Grades 1–5

This fun fall bulletin board showcases your students’ work! It also adds to your fall theme decorations, with a cute owl perched on a moonlit tree branch!

This bulletin board can also be shortened to “Whooo?” for a modified activity.
- Have students write a riddle about: classmates, other nocturnal animals, or other birds.
- Post the riddles on the bulletin board and challenge the rest of the class to try and determine who the riddle is about.
- Download your free owl bulletin board template here!

“Five Little Owls”: Grade 1

Give students reading fluency practice with this owl poem!

Download your free owl poem here!

Forest Animals: Owls and Squirrels: Grades 1–4

Teach students about new forest animals with picture cards, a reading comprehension article, and writing activities. The unit focuses on owls and squirrels, providing a short article for each of these forest animals.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Pocket Book on Night Creatures: Bats, Owls, and Koalas: Grades 1–5

This project teaches students how to create a file folder report that features nocturnal animals: bats, owls, and koalas. The pocket book includes overviews on each creature, Venn diagrams, writing prompts, and lots of art projects! Plus, it is easy to organize with student-created pocket folders.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Owl Facts (Text-Based Writing, Nonfiction): Grade 2

This activity includes a scientific reading article about owls and a compare-and-contrast writing prompt based on the text! The unit also includes vocabulary, reading comprehension questions, and a graphic organizer to help students organize their thoughts and plan their paragraphs. This paragraph should be bulleted.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Elf Owl Reading Comprehension: Grade 3

This reading comprehension unit includes an article about elf owls and reading comprehension questions. Students answer questions based on the article, fill in the blanks, learn word meanings, and practice spelling and syllables. This fun owl activity unit practices several writing and reading skills.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Pocket 10: John Schoenherr: “Owl Moon”: Grades 1–3

Learn about Caldecott-winning illustrator John Schoenherr and his winning title “Owl Moon,” in this literature pocket and activity. The unit includes a biography, a bookmark, and an art activity that teaches students how to draw an owl and a tree, modeled after the winning title.

Find this unit on Teachers Pay Teachers here.

Keep your autumn owl themes going with daily (or weekly) owl facts! Encourage students to bring in their own owl facts to be featured as the fact of the day, or relate each fact to another subject such as vocabulary, science, or social studies.

Example: A group of owls is called a parliament. This can be related to early U.S. history or government/social studies class!
Owls are farsighted, which means they can’t see things up close clearly. Explain how glasses work for farsighted people.

Read entertaining owl-themed books aloud and provide thematic reading options from your school library for early finishers. Some popular titles to include are:

Owl Puke, the Book by Jane Hammerslough

Children can continue learning all about owls and their interesting habits, including owl pellets (book includes pellet and dissection activity).

Owls (Animal Predators) by Sandra Markle

This title presents owls as predators and details the growth of an owl and its stalking and hunting habits.

Owls by Gail Gibbons

Gibbons, a former teacher, provides a detailed account of owls, including trivia, vocabulary, and information on how some owl species have become endangered.

Exploring the World of Owls by Tracy Read

This book gives an overview of the 200 species of owls across the world, including their shared traits and their differences in size, markings, and diet.

What are your favorite owl-themed activities?

For more fall inspirations, check out:

Fall-Themed Hands-on Thinking Activities

Quick Bulletin Board Ideas for Fall

August 19, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs: How to Teach Beginning Writing

Developing students’ writing takes practice and hard work throughout the year, and it can be difficult to transition young students’ basic writing into detailed and descriptive sentences. Teaching early writing components such as expanding sentences, beginning paragraphs, identifying topic sentences, including details, and writing conclusions are all small skills that your students can master to enhance their writing.

Take a look at the following resources and lessons to help your students improve their writing.

Write a Super Sentence for Grades 1–3

Developing students’ writing from simple sentences to expanded sentences is an ongoing battle throughout the school year. Give your students practice expanding their sentences with Write a Super Sentence.

Write a Super Sentence for grades 1–3 gives students practice expanding simple sentences using descriptive words and the “five Ws” (who, what, when, where, and why). The Super Sentence Starter provides you with an organizer that leaves blanks where descriptive words can go in a simple sentence, and includes a chart so children can brainstorm and decide which descriptive words to insert into the basic sentence. Students choose words that answer the “five Ws” questions to enhance the sentence.

The super sentence template allows students to see how simple sentences can become more interesting by including more information.

Find individual lesson downloads from this resource for writing super sentences on Teachers Pay Teachers:

Paragraph Writing for Grades 2–4

Students begin paragraph writing around grade two, and they are often confused by several descriptive sentences strung together, as well as by a paragraph’s components and structure. Before asking students to write a paragraph, teach them how to identify the parts of a paragraph. Spend time reviewing:

Topic sentences/main ideas
Detail sentences
How to write conclusions

Paragraph Writing for grades 2–4 provides sample paragraphs that give students practice locating main ideas and topic sentences within a paragraph. Teach students to identify a topic sentence by asking questions such as:

What is the most important or main idea of this paragraph?
Which sentence tells you this idea?

Many times students will write a paragraph with many details but no topic sentence. This activity is a great way to help them formulate a topic sentence.

1. Write a list of details about a topic.

build a nest
lay eggs in the nest
sit on the eggs
gather food for the hungry babies

2. Read the details and discuss what they have in common.

3. Ask students to write sentences on the board.

Possible examples are:

A mother bird does many things.
Birds are good mothers.

4. Explain that the sentences could be used as the topic sentence of a paragraph containing the information about a list of details.
5. Have students select one of the topic sentences created earlier and write a paragraph containing information the list of details provided.Provide students more practice with for grades 2–4. The guided lessons will have students writing narrative, descriptive, how-to, and compare-and-contrast paragraphs in no time.

Provide students more practice with Paragraph Writing for grades 2–4. The guided lessons will have students writing narrative, descriptive, how-to, and compare-and-contrast paragraphs in no time.

Find individual lesson downloads from Paragraph Writing on Teachers Pay Teachers:

Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs for Grades 4–6

Figurative language is an extremely useful part of creative writing, but similes and metaphors are often confusing for young students. Review the differences between similes and metaphors and show examples of them to students.

A simile compares two things using “like” or “as.” For example: The waves were as big as dinosaurs.
A metaphor compares two things by saying they are the same thing. For example: The waves were dinosaurs, pounding the shore.
- Metaphors are more difficult to teach than similes. They often use fewer words and do not have the signals of “like” or “as.”

Students can practice writing their own similes with this simple exercise. Give your students a list of three items

Spinach
Thunder
Pancakes

1. Have students list three things they could compare to each of these items.
2. Using their lists of comparisons, have students write three similes for each item.

Extend this activity with a writing component! Ask students to write a full paragraph using one of their similes or metaphors! Their paragraph should include a topic sentence, supporting details, a simile, and a concluding sentence.

For more exercises like this to improve students’ sentence and paragraph writing, check out Evan-Moor’s Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs activity book.

Find individual lesson downloads from for writing paragraphs from this resource on Teachers Pay Teachers:

Writing Instructions for an Alien for all Ages

This activity is fun and challenging for all ages, and focuses on descriptive language and adding details to writing.

Have your class pretend they’re writing instructions for an alien who has never been to Earth.
Pick a goal for the alien
- Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- Watering plants
- Taking the dog on a walk
Make sure students know that they’re including every detail, because the alien doesn’t know what anything is!
- Example: Pick up the cylinder container with a blue wrapper and a thick, light brown substance inside. This is called peanut butter. Pick up the silver, pointy tool next to the container. This is a knife. etc.
Have fun with this! This activity can be very fun and surprisingly difficult. It can be adapted for any age student.

Though it may be difficult to engage kids in narrative writing, there are so many ways to make it more fun and interesting for students and teachers. Activities like the ones listed above will make creative writing less challenging and more enjoyable. Encourage your students to write just as they would tell a story to their friends, with lots of details, jokes, and descriptors!

For more writing lessons and tips check out: How to Teach Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors for Grades 3–6.

July 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

Homeschool STEM Challenges and Activities

STEM education is a wonderful addition to your homeschool curriculum and provides hands-on learning experiences so that children can make connections between their learning and the world around them. One of the learning goals embedded within the STEM design process is a mindset that embraces failure as a learning tool. STEM challenges allow students the freedom to test and refine their designs, giving them the opportunity to learn and understand more through failure.

Develop your child’s critical and creative thinking with these STEM challenges and activities!

Fun, Easy Homeschool STEM Activities

One of the best ways to get kids excited to learn is to add fun, easy homeschool STEM activities to your homeschool curriculum. With STEM activities, kids get super excited because they are encouraged to experiment and think about different ways to solve problems. It is even more fun when they are allowed to make mistakes and try again when things don’t work out the first (or second OR third) time. Learn how to include STEM education into your homeschool curriculum without too much effort!

Native American STEM Challenge: Build a Native American Shelter

This STEM challenge arrives just in time for Thanksgiving celebrations and fall lessons. Children use their problem-solving skills in a creative way while developing a better appreciation for the challenges that colonists in the New World faced 400 years ago. Children learn how Native Americans taught colonists to build homes in the 1600s using only what they could find in nature. Children design and build a model version of their own.

Homeschool STEM Adventure: Building a Mousetrap

This busy homeschool mom recounts her funny and educational experiences building a mousetrap with her daughter. This grade 5 mousetrap STEM unit is from STEM Lessons and Challenges and focuses on the science concept of “simple machines that move.”

Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade STEM Activities

STEM In the Kitchen—Cooking Up Science with the Kids

For some kids, the kitchen is a pit stop to refuel on snacks and drinks. But did you know that the kitchen is the perfect place to do STEM activities with your children? You can make learning fun by exploring everyday items found in your kitchen. These fun activities will help you and your children discover science, technology, engineering, and math in your very own kitchen!

5 Ways You Can Support STEM Skills at Home

Children are natural scientists. They are constantly observing the world around them, experimenting with anything they can get their hands on, and asking A LOT of questions. These are attributes that can help with higher education and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related careers later in life. Because you are your child’s first teacher, it is important to inspire, nurture, and support your child’s learning. Here are 5 ways you can support STEM skills at home.

Homeschool Review of Evan-Moor’s Smart Start: STEM Activity Books for PreK–1

Build a STEM apple tower with this fun and educational STEM challenge for early learners. These homeschool STEM challenges for PreK–1 are perfect for little hands. Every lesson creates fun learning experiences that encompass a variety of learning skills. They begin with some basic knowledge and vocabulary pertaining to the lesson and move into activities that cement the knowledge and reinforce skills, such as writing, reading, and beginning addition.

4 Benefits an Evan-Moor STEM Guide Provides for Learning at Home and School

The easy-to-use guides and STEM activities in Evan-Moor’s Smart Start: STEM make it simple and fun to incorporate fun hands-on learning in the home. Find out why this mom enjoys doing STEM activities at home with her children.

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.

July 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

STEM Challenges for the Classroom

STEM education is a wonderful addition to your classroom curriculum and provides hands-on learning experiences so that children can make connections between their learning and the world around them. STEM challenges allow students the freedom to test and refine their designs, giving them the opportunity to learn and understand more through failure.

Discover new STEM challenges to include in your classroom curriculum and learn why failure is an important element in STEM pedagogy.

STEM and the Benefits of Failure

STEM challenges provide the opportunity to help students adopt a mindset that will influence their work for the rest of their lives—their ability to persevere and believe in the process and to know that their success and self-worth are not determined by the outcome of the challenge, but rather by their belief in themselves. We are part of fueling that belief. We are part of modeling the mindset that engages students in creative thinking. We are part of helping them understand that many times, failure is one of the best stops on the road to success. Learn why including STEM challenges that embrace failure is an important mindset to foster within the classroom.

Blubber Glove STEM Project: How Polar Bears Stay Warm in Winter

Who doesn’t love a hands-on activity? Most often, the lessons our students remember are the ones that require active participation. This winter-themed STEM lesson on polar bears challenges students to create a blubber glove and offers an interesting way to engage students in learning about winter animals.

Native American STEM Challenge: Build a Native American Shelter

STEM Challenges for the Classroom: build a ship, skyscraper and bridge

Learn how to teach three physical science STEM challenges for grades 3–5 from Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges. These projects are simple versions of real-world examples of science that kids see every day: cargo ships, skyscrapers, and bridges! Hands-on learning activities like these make STEM concepts fun, simple and applicable!

July 25, 2019
by Evan-Moor
0 comments

STEM Challenges: Build a Ship, Skyscraper, and Bridge

STEM experiments were one of the highlights of elementary school, and even though I went on to be English major, I’ll never forget dropping Mentos mints in soda bottles and building wooden bridges in science class.

Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges (available for grades 1–6) provides fun and easy activities that engage children and educate them on the scientific process. Each book provides 15 STEM units that cover physical, earth, and life science concepts. Each STEM challenge guides students through the basic concepts and key terms of every STEM activity before directing them to design their own creations. Students are expected to test their invention and are given the opportunity to refine and redesign it.

Below, you can find three units from Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges that showcase physical science activities that kids love. These projects are simple versions of real-world examples of science that kids see every day: cargo ships, skyscrapers, and bridges! Hands-on learning activities like these make STEM concepts fun, simple, and applicable!

STEM Challenge: Building a Cargo Ship: Grade 3

Buoyancy and Gravity

Design a floating piggy bank with this physical science STEM challenge from grade three! This challenge asks students to design a cargo ship that can hold 30 pennies and stay upright when being pushed through the water by a fan. This activity explores the concepts of buoyancy and gravity, using the example of a ship afloat in water to convey the balance of the two forces. The lesson also explains center of gravity before students launch into the design process. Suggested materials range from pie tins to rubber cement, allowing kids to take creative license with their design and test different types of materials.

Before beginning the challenge, students read about and study different cargo ships and develop a plan for their design. For more fun, have the kids name their boat or make multiple designs and test them against each other. Whoever floats, wins!

Find this unit on TeachersPayTeachers here.

STEM Challenge: Building a Skyscraper: Grade 4

Structural Engineering (Height)

The skyscraper STEM challenge is from the fourth grade STEM Lessons and Challenges book. As a part of the physical science unit, the skyscraper STEM challenge asks students to build a solid structure out of uncooked spaghetti, marshmallows, clay, glue, and tape. This can also be attempted with just toothpicks and marshmallows. The goal is to build a three-foot-high structure that stands alone and can support a ruler placed across the top. This activity explains concepts like foundation building, shock absorbers, and building reinforcement in a way that allows kids to understand and apply these concepts to their own design. Students will become contractors to design their building, and they will create a plan, test it, evaluate it, and redesign it if needed.

Find this unit on TeachersPayTeachers here.

STEM Challenge: Building a Bridge: Grade 5

Structural Engineering (Strength)

Your students have been promoted to bridge engineers! This STEM challenge can be adapted for all ages, and is a popular high school physics experiment. This fifth grade version outlines physical science concepts like compression, tension, and suspension, and also teaches children about the different kinds of bridges that they see. They can model their own wooden bridge after the Golden Gate Bridge or even the Sydney Harbour Bridge! This open-ended experiment has limitless possibilities for students to explore the design process using materials like cardboard, craft sticks, string, and glue. The goal of this challenge is to create a bridge that can withstand a small amount of weight, using rubber erasers as “cars” crossing your child’s bridge! If their first creation does not pass the testing phase, students are given the opportunity to redesign their bridge using the redesign page at the end of the STEM unit.

Find this unit on TeachersPayTeachers here.

Challenge students throughout the school year with STEM activities! Watch your students become junior scientists, engineers, and technicians with Evan-Moor’s STEM Lessons and Challenges!

Browse STEM Lessons and Challenges (print or e-book) at www.evan-moor.com. (Available for Grades 1-6.)