The Joy of Teaching

Sharing creative ideas and lessons to help children learn

February 14, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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Presidents’ Day Activities for Grades 3–6

Presidents’ Day formally honors George Washington, but the holiday opens up the perfect opportunity to salute all of the men who have served our country. Dedicate a few lessons to the study of these great men.

Listed below are a few research and writing activities to inspire your students to think about the importance of individuals within our government. It is possible you may be inspiring a future political leader.

Research

  • Presidential term limits and qualifications to be president.
    Write an opinion piece on whether or not the qualifications should change.
  • Students choose an influential president to research and write a report about his contributions while in office.
  • Study and research the Electoral College and its role within the election process.

Interview
Interview a family member or friend about the president he or she remembers the most and why. (Brainstorm a list of questions.)

Counting in Code Game

  • Ask students to count money but list only the names of the presidents on the bills. For example: two George Washingtons, one Abraham Lincoln, and three Andrew Jacksons.
    • $1 George Washington
    • $2 Thomas Jefferson
    • $5 Abraham Lincoln
    • $10 Alexander Hamilton
    • $20 Andrew Jackson

President Word Search

Download your free printable here. (From Seasonal Activities series)

Additional classroom activities for Presidents’ Day

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.

February 14, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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Presidents’ Day Activities for Grades PreK–2

Presidents’ Day is the perfect holiday to salute some of the great men who have served our country. Here are some fun activities to introduce young students to the importance of the presidency.

Coin Sort (PreK–1)

  • Students separate pennies and quarters by identifying the president on each.
  • Advanced: Include dimes (Franklin Roosevelt) and nickels (Thomas Jefferson)

Create a Timeline
Create a timeline of Abraham Lincoln’s life. (Download free timeline cards here.)

Coin Cleaning Science Experiment

  • Hypothesize which solution cleans coins the best: water, vinegar and salt, tabasco, lemon juice, cola, or baking soda.
  • Fill separate containers with solution and drop a dirty penny in each. Wait 15 minutes before removing the pennies.
  • Observe and record observations.
  • Discuss which solution worked the best and why. (Vinegar and tabasco work well because of the vinegar and salt solution.)

Writing Prompts:

  • Compare and contrast Washington and Lincoln.
  • What are some important lessons we can learn from famous presidents?
  • Students imagine they are president of the United States for one day. What would they do? What is the most important thing a president does?

Craft

Create a portrait of George Washington. Get your free download from Evan-Moor’s Art for All Seasons book.

Book Recommendation

  • This Caldecott award winner has wonderful facts and stories about many of our nation’s most prominent presidents.
    So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George

For additional resources and activities, check out Evan-Moor’s Theme Pockets: Presidents’ Day ($5.99) and  Abraham Lincoln “tops and bottoms” writing form and story starters ($1.99, TeachersPayTeachers).

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.

February 11, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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5 Last-Minute Valentine Gifts for Teachers

The gift of giving is inherent in young students. If you look on a teacher’s desk after recess or lunch, you will find treasures of wilted flowers, colorful rocks, and even on occasion, a prized ladybug. As a teacher and a parent, I understand the sweet sentiments of a young child’s gift giving—as well as the after effects of too much chocolate! Here are my top recommendations for teacher appreciation gifts for Valentine’s Day or anytime in the school year.

  1. A handmade card. Nothing is more precious than a card made with love.
  2. Flowers from your garden or from the grocery store. They can brighten a classroom and home!
  3. $5 gift card to a coffee shop! Caffeine is always appreciated within the world of education!
  4. Sweet-smelling bottle of hand sanitizer or soap for the classroom.
  5. Colorful pens and or dry erase markers for the whiteboard (always a winner ☺).

As a teacher or parent, do you have other ideas for teacher gifts? Please share in the comments section.

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.

January 31, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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How to Use Math Fundamentals in Homeschooling

As homeschoolers, teaching our children math fundamentals is a priority, but it can be overwhelming.

And even though I taught elementary school for 11 years before I started homeschooling, I still wanted a checklist of math fundamental skills to cover for each of my children each year. Wouldn’t you know, Evan-Moor just released a new publication specifically for teaching math fundamentals that is specific to each grade level, and it is terrific!

Let me share why the Math Fundamentals series works perfectly for homeschoolers! Be sure to download the free sampler and try it with your children.

Math Fundamentals Is Kid-Approved

To quote my fourth grader, “I really like this new math book, Mom! I understand math better, and the pages don’t overwhelm me. Math is fun now!”

Isn’t that what every homeschooling parent wants to hear? She even asked if she could work ahead in her Math Fundamentals book this week! What a compliment to this series!

The Layout of Math Fundamentals

Math Fundamentals divides each set of skills into units. This helps you and your child focus on specific math skills.

Each unit begins with a teaching page. This teaching page can be used by both the parent and child to understand the fundamental math skill the child will learn. It is very helpful to have the skill explained with examples, with all of the teaching points all together on a single page.

Each of the skills showcases simple teaching points. You can work through them one at a time as your child is ready for each step of the math fundamental skill.

Here is an example:

In this unit, the math fundamental skill is telling time by the half-hour for grade 1. There are two teaching points listed: the analog (face) clock and the digital clock.

See how everything is labeled and easy to understand?

Another thing that I really like is the “Think” question at the bottom of the page.

Here is another example for teaching fractions for grade 4. My child and I both found it easy to focus on one skill at a time.

The Practice

There are typically 4–5 pages for each unit. I really like how the pages are arranged. The first page is the foundational math fundamental skill. Then, the next page invites the child to build on that first skill and use the next skill taught on the teaching page.

You can CLICK HERE to select and preview each grade level.

The practice pages are key to helping me to see if my child truly understands the skill.

These pages feature a combination of basic math fundamental skill practice and story problems, which shows me if my child understands the skill outside of a formula. It is a perfect opportunity to see if your child can apply these math fundamental skills to real-life situations!

How to Use Math Fundamentals in Your Homeschooling

Math Fundamentals is a complete math curriculum, so we can simply focus on one unit at a time. You also have the flexibility to work at your child’s pace, slowing down when he or she needs more time or speeding up if it is easy.
For example, if my child breezes through the skill pages, then we can leave the remaining practice pages as workbox review in a few weeks.

If my child is struggling, then it is easy to just slow down and do a few problems together. I also like that the number of math problems doesn’t overwhelm my child. It is focused and purposeful practice – not just “busy” work.

Want Access to All Grade Levels of Math Fundamentals?

Another feature that Evan-Moor offers homeschoolers is including all six grade levels of Math Fundamentals in their TeacherFileBox subscription. TeacherFileBox has all of the Math Fundamentals titles in their digital lesson library!

This is the best value, because you can easily skip ahead to the next grade level if your child is ready without buying another level of curriculum! Likewise, if your child is struggling, you can also go back a grade level to review skills he or she has forgotten.

I don’t know of any other publisher that offers all grade levels of a series to homeschoolers. This is just another reason that I am a fan of Evan-Moor!

Math Fundamentals is a big hit at our house. It helps both my child and me focus on each set of skills for the week. It has made teaching math much simpler. I also have peace of mind knowing that the math fundamental skills are covered for each grade level.

Be sure and CLICK HERE for sample pages and to learn more about the new Math Fundamentals and TeacherFileBox! Once you try it, be sure and leave me a comment to let me know how it is working for you!

Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website www.thrivehomeschooling.com.

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January 20, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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3 Simple Steps to Create a Unit on Antarctica: Grades 4–6

Take your students on an exciting journey to the remote continent of Antarctica and uncover its mysterious past and uncertain future. With its dramatic topography and fascinating wildlife, this study unit has something for every student.

Step 1: Exploration

Although the human exploration of Antarctica is relatively new compared to the rest of the world, it has been filled with adventure.

  • Introduce the early explorers and their role in Antarctic exploration to your students. Have students create a timeline. Don’t forget the voyage of Belgica!
  • Discuss current exploration and international research stations.

Free download: Use this timeline of early exploration of Antarctica to help you get started.

Step 2: Features

Study the climate, landscape, and oceans surrounding Antarctica.

  • Discuss temperature variations within Antarctica and its geographic regions.
  • Study the current and changing climate conditions.
  • Ice experiment: Record the temperature of ice in three stages.
    • Introduce the purpose and use of a thermometer.
    • Measure temperature of water before, while, and after it freezes. Record the results and graph them.

Free download: Antarctica: Physical Features: Climate. This article from The 7 Continents: Antarctica presents information about the three distinct climate regions on the continent.

Step 3: Research

Instruct students to build their own research report on a topic of Antarctica that interests them, such as: exploration, weather, wildlife, research stations, or ice.

  • Create your own cyber hunt for students online with symbaloo. This site allows teachers to create an online research page using multiple sources and limits students in their research to specific websites (approved by the teacher). You may also search for educational sites related to your research that others have posted.

For an in-depth study of Antarctica and its history, features, and wildlife, check out The 7 Continents: Antarctica, grades 4–6.

For more winter report ideas read Steps to Create a Penguin Unit for Grades 1–4.

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.

January 20, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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3 Simple Activities to Increase Your Child’s Vocabulary

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud to your child is one of the simplest ways to help expand his or her vocabulary. Authors include word choices that aren’t used in everyday conversations. When children read alone, they are often left on their own to comprehend the meaning of the text. Without guidance, children can easily misinterpret the meaning of a story. By reading aloud and discussing the text with your child, you are providing them with new information to be used during their independent reading.

I am currently reading aloud to my daughters the book Brady by Jean Fritz. Throughout the book, the term “abolition” is used. Without defining and discussing the meaning of abolition, my daughters would have missed one of the most important concepts within the novel.

Weekly Vocabulary

In addition to reading aloud, teaching weekly vocabulary will help your child learn and practice new words. This year we are using Evan Moor’s A Word a Day. Each day there is a new word introduced. The words are varied, and the lessons include nouns, adjectives, and verbs. We use the word in sentences and discuss whether they’ve heard it before or not. We also add it to our vocabulary bank.

Visuals and Games

If your child is a visual learner, incorporating word/picture match-up games is a great option to introduce new vocabulary. All you need is a stack of index cards and a pair of scissors. Cut the cards in half. On one side write a word and on the other have your child illustrate a picture of what that word might mean. Shuffle the cards and practice matching the picture to the correct word. Increase the fun element by cutting the cards into different shapes. Each word and picture match should fit together like a puzzle piece.

Do you teach vocabulary in your homeschool? What is your favorite method?

Latonya Moore is the creator of Joy in the Ordinary, a site where she focuses on seeking joy in everyday moments. She enjoys spending time with her husband and home educating her daughters.

January 13, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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Steps to Create a Penguin Unit for Grades 1–4

Create your own penguin science unit with a few simple lessons and activities. Build a penguin unit that incorporates life science, geography, and writing for cross-curricular lessons that will WOW your students and get them excited about learning!

Idea Web: Introduce penguins with an idea web. Discover what students already know about the birds and their habitats. (Video clips are also great for building excitement!)

Information: Explore different types of penguins, their behavior, habitats, reproduction, diets, eating habits, and predators. Some great informational books are:

  • National Geographic Readers: Penguins
  • Fun Facts About Penguins: Part of the Fun Facts Series

Simple Student Journal

Watch this short video to see how to make a DIY penguin journal!

Resources from Evan-Moor

The Theme Pockets: January, Grades 1–4 e-book includes the following penguin activities:

  • Life Cycle Wheel
  • Penguin Mini Book
  • Penguin Picture Cards
  • Penguin Information Book
  • Map Activity

Penguin Activities

  • Emperor Penguin egg transfer:
    • Two students transfer a ball using only their feet.
  • Experience the warming effects of penguin blubber.
    • Step 1: Students place hand in a bowl of ice water
    • Step 2: Covering their hand in a plastic bag, students place hand into a bag filled with Crisco (zip lock it carefully so it doesn’t leak out) and dip it into the icy water again. (This time they should feel the warming effects of fat.)

Writing Prompts

  • Write a sentence describing a penguin you studied. What does it look like? Where does it live?
  • Pretend you are a baby penguin. Write a story about your life. (Include your habitat, diet, parents, and predators.)
  • Compare and contrast two species of penguins. How are they the same and how are they different?
  • Research and informational writing: Students research their favorite penguin and write about it.

Movie

March of the Penguins by National Geographic

For more winter report ideas read 3 Simple Steps to Create a Unit on Antarctica: Grades 4–6.

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.

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January 3, 2017
by Evan-Moor
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3 Math Hacks Every Teacher Will Love

With just a few changes, you can boost students’ understanding and reduce transition times within your classroom. Here are a few of my favorite math hacks:

Math Toolkit: If you’re like me, you cringe every time you pull out the manipulatives. Those time eaters take up most of your math period and cause disruptions throughout the lesson. Assign a box to each student at the beginning of the year with every math manipulative he or she will need. (You may need two boxes to cover the entire year.) 

    • Number each box.
    • Assign each student a number.
    • Before each lesson, have students pick up their math toolkit and remove only the manipulatives for that lesson.
    • Warning: Once students have removed the tools they need from the box, they must close it and put it under their desks.

Math Journal: These are perfect for teaching new concepts and reminding students of forgotten strategies. They also double as an at-home math tutor.

  • Composition journals (Home Depot will cut in half).
  • Record key vocabulary, strategies, and visuals.
  • Solve multi-step word problems and write out solutions.

Evan-Moor’s Math Fundamentals pairs perfectly with student journals. Cut and paste visual math model pages into students’ journals. Download your free sample of the new Math Fundamentals series (grades 1–6.)

Math Wall: Most of us have the obligatory writing wall display in our classrooms, but what about math? With wall space at a premium, what we put on our walls is a reflection of what we consider important. Encourage students to embrace mathematics by displaying new math terminology, strategies, and student work.

  • Include key vocabulary and strategies.
  • Display anchor charts that support students’ reasoning.
  • Incorporate student work into your display.

What are your favorite math hacks?

heather-foudy-blog-imageHeather 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.

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December 15, 2016
by Evan-Moor
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Teacher Tips: Lose Weight and Gain Energy in the New Year!

If you struggle with teacher bulge September–May, don’t wait for summer to start living healthier; small changes can make the difference! Get tips from certified personal trainer and rehab specialist, Chris Foudy.

1. Calories in verses calories out.

  • 80% of the battle is fought with nutrition. Plan healthy, balanced meals and snacks ahead of time to ensure a calorie deficit.
  • 40/40/20. A good rule of thumb for planning meals is 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% healthy fats.
  • Eat 6 small meals a day. It’s important to keep your metabolism burning calories throughout the day.

2. Move!

  • Sit down and stand up off a small chair 20 times.
  • Push-ups off your desk. Have your class join in!
  • Walk on your lunch break. Walk around the playground. Get out and run with your class!
  • Choose active brain breaks and do them with your students!

3. Avoid traps.

  • Don’t go to the teachers’ lounge when you are hungry. If you must indulge, eat a smaller portion.
  • Don’t eat when you are stressed; rather, find a quiet spot and take three deep breaths.
  • Drink water. Many people get dehydrated and think they are hungry. (Drink water 20–30 minutes before recess and lunch.)

Even if you do not see physical changes right away, living a healthy lifestyle will help you sleep better, manage stress, and have more energy! What teacher couldn’t use more energy?

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.

November 29, 2016
by Evan-Moor
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Holiday Books and Simple Activities for Grades 3–6

Embrace the spirit of the holidays with these classic Christmas books. The figurative language and beautiful illustrations will inspire your students’ writing and teach them the gift of giving.

how-the-grinch-stole-christmasAlthough entertaining and funny, this well-loved children’s book, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, teaches students to look past the trappings of Christmas and discover the meaning behind the spirit of giving.

  • Writing prompt: Why did the Grinch dislike Christmas so much? (Discuss what motivates individuals to act in unkind ways.)
  • Summarize: Identify the characters, setting, problem, and solution.
  • Vocabulary: Use context clues to have students determine what ramshackle, slunk, sneer, and other words mean.
  • Activity ideas:
    • Picture ornaments: On green construction paper, cut out circles and glue on a small red heart. In the center of the heart put students’ pictures. Hole punch and hang with a red ribbon. (Other option: Glass ornament balls filled with green tissue paper instead of construction paper.)
    • Create Whoville trees with ice cream cones, green and white frosting, and candies.
    • Grinch STEM activities

the-polar-expressThis timeless story, The Polar Express, and Caldecott Medal winner will captivate your students with its beautiful illustrations and magical journey.

  • Sequencing and retelling the story (younger grades).
  • Similes and metaphor comparisons (older grades): Teach students to recognize descriptive and plain writing by identifying metaphors within the story (“hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars”).
  • Pajama party for students with hot chocolate (read book aloud).
  • Show and share: Students bring one object from home that holds similar meaning for them to the bell in the story. (Can be extended into a writing activity.)
  • STEM: Students build a model train out of graham crackers, frosting, Oreos, and other decorations.

Click here for Holiday Books and Activities for Grades K–3!

heather-foudy-blog-imageHeather 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.

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