Illustrating Homographs to Internalize Learning

 Brain Research tells us that when children illustrate as part of the learning process, it deepens the learning. In fact, integrating any of the arts has this affect on learning!

 

 

My students did this activity on homographs this week: 

My kids were so excited about the double meanings of words, they had a blast!  Plus, they created some awesome illustrations to prove their understanding!  Here are some of them:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change can mean the money that you get back. Or Change can mean if you get your clothes dirty, you could change them!

 

 

 

 

Tip can mean a tip of a pencil or the tip at a restaurant.

Foot can mean football or foot can mean a foot.

Broke can mean I broke up or broke can mean no money.

Bat can mean a baseball bat or a bat who flies.

Key can mean a house key or key can mean a computer key.

Rose can mean a flower or Rose can mean a girl's name.

Well can mean a wishing well or well can mean getting better when you're sick.

March can mean they are marching or March can mean the month of March.

Aren't their drawings amazing? 

They actually thought of meanings of these words that I hadn't come up with! I love when they think of things I don't, in fact, I always love when the kiddos are thinking!

This is a perfect activity to keep in the "sub tub". It requires little preparation (just run off the papers), the kids enjoy it, and it's easy to leave directions for another teacher! 

Plus, these kiddos really know their homographs!

October Resources

It feels like we just started school, and already we're looking at October in the not-so-far distance. 

October brings fall, Fire Safety Week, football, and, of course, Halloween!

Brain research tells us if the children can make a connection with their learning, then learning will happen. I find most children can easily make a connection with special days and sports, which makes them more enthusiastic about learning! In face, I'm banking on their enthusiasm, and have plenty of resources to celebrate learning and building skills, in a fun way!

My latest baby is this one: October Team Building, Morning Greeting, Shares, and Daily Writing Prompts.

Teachers can project these questions as the children arrive in the morning in order to get them thinking about the day. These also can be used for daily writing prompts.

The above resource contains a free link to this Boom Learning Digital Resource: October General Knowledge Trivia Questions and Enrichment. These are great for your fast finishers and those who need a little something extra!

Here's a little something to maintain positive communication with parents: October Parent Communication Brochure

 

In an attempt to "fit in" more Science and Social Studies concepts, I've looked over my grade level College and Career Ready Science and Social Studies Standards, and found ways to squeeze these concepts into my day. Most of the work is done, all you have to do is print and go! I even have a S.T.E.M. activity with an October theme! Check out this resource here: Science and Social Studies Activities for October.

 

  

This Bats resource is a sample of the above collection. Check out this fun resource here: Bats Informational Mini-Book

Here's a dollar deal to get the kiddos thinking about Fire Safety: Fire Safety What-If task cards.

It's fall in New England! There are so many beautiful changes here that make it one of my favorite seasons:  warm days, crisp nights, football, and the beautiful fall colors on the trees.  To make your life (and mine) easier, I've combined important concepts with fall ideas in these Fall No Prep Activities!

One of the best parts about Fall in New England?  Football! I've got plenty of Football Resources! Just click the images for each link!

Here's a sample from the set above: 

Students LOVE these football-themed BINGO games!

This October bundle is marked down for you, with plenty of fun learning activities!

Enjoy these October Resources!

Thanksgiving Resources

Wow, Thanksgiving is practically upon us!  

Can you believe it? After that, Christmas, then another year! Life, please slow down?

 

Well, I want to spend the next 7 school days celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a great opportunity to "throw in" a little history, as well as enjoy the things for which we are grateful!

How do I squeeze all this in? Well, I always start with loads of books. Here's a collection of books I've loved. Some are fun, some are informational. I like to have a lot of books for each interest and each reading level so they all can enjoy them at independent reading time!

                                                            

Books are always a great start. Movies are another fun way to enjoy the holidays!

See the above image for a link to BrainPOP Jr's free Thanksgiving video! Don't you love BrainPOP?

Here are a couple of movies I've found on YouTube with a Thanksgiving theme. Feel free to preview them and choose what is right for your group!

HERE are some videos from Scholastic that have been filmed at Plimouth Plantation. These are definitely worth a watch!

I try to squeeze in the holidays in all the subjects. This resource has loads of math and literacy activities with the Thanksgiving theme I'll be using these all week!

Thanksgiving No Prep Activities

There are a few Thanksgiving-themed items in my November Science and Social Studies Printables!

There's an information mini-book about turkeys, complete with fun facts, vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, and a reflection page. (My kiddos LOVED this, especially the fun facts!)

 

This resource is also available as a stand-alone resource here:

or as part of this bundle:

Plus, there's a sorting activity, where the children have to decide if facts might have happened back in 1621, or if it couldn't have happened back then. Be prepared for giggles!

 

Here's a math game with a Turkey theme to practice those +9 facts. My kids LOVE this one!

Turkey Nines!

Here's a simpler, freebie version of the above game:

Turkey Nines Freebie!

I can't let Thanksgiving go by without a reference to football! When I was a kid, we always had a football game in the morning, and a turkey in the afternoon. (My dad was a football coach!)

Here are links to a couple of football games my kids love!

Football Game Board and Cards

Counting to 1,000, plus short and long vowels:

Here's a simpler, Dollar Deal version of the above set:

Football Game Board and Counting to 1,000 Cards

 

Here's is a favorite with my boys:  Football Past and Present Verbs! Yes, all these verbs have something to do with football!

 Want still more football learning? Try this bundle!

Happy Thanksgiving!