Will the Groundhog Predict Spring?

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow?

It's a tough call, but I'm thinking we might just have 6 more weeks of winter. 

But even so, Groundhog Day is a fun day at the beginning of a dreary month to scramble up some fun excuses to learn!

Let's start with books! I'm a big fan of Gail Gibbons, and this one is perfect for groundhog learning. I love her books because she puts information in a way that's interesting and easy to understand for children. 

• Groundhog Day

These two books are fiction, but with a lot of learning to happen!

• Grumpy Groundhog

• Groundhog Weather School Fun Facts about Weather and Groundhogs

Speaking of reading skills, I have a close read about Groundhogs in this resource: Science and Social Studies Printables for February.

Plus, there's an activity sorting animals that hibernate in the winter.

Then there's video! 

Look what I found! This is a reading of Gail Gibbon's book Groundhog Day!

I also found an informational video that tells about Groundhog Day. I like this one because it has real groundhogs for the kids to see!

 

Besides the science of groundhogs, kids really take to this topic, so I've got a few resources to help you out!

Here's some groundhog-themed word work! Perfect for grades 2-3!

Groundhog Consonant -L-E: a sorting activity

Speaking of word work, Here's a fun game to practice prefixes and suffixes!

Don't Let the Groundhog See His Shadow!

What student doesn't think story problems are a little bit more when they have a fun theme! This is my plan for this week! It combines groundhogs AND Super Bowl themes!

Groundhog Day and Super Football Math Problems

Want to try a little science? Here's a Life Cycle activity with lots of options

The LIfe Cycle of the Groundhog

Want more science? Here are a couple of resources that give practice reading informational text while having some fun learning about groundhogs!

Boom Learning: Facts About Groundhogs

They love these "hands-on" booklets!

Groundhog informational booklet

Or grab them all in this fun Groundhog-themed Mini-bundle!

Groundhog Mini-Bundle

Isn't it fun to integrate seasonal topics into our learning?

Here's to hoping that groundhog doesn't see his shadow! 

We could use a little spring!

Are You Ready to Ship Your Students Off to a New World?

Yes, the last few weeks have been very busy! 

I'm VERY tired, and so are the kids, but we've got a couple more school days to survive!

It's time to pull all the stops out! Time for high-interest activities that involve conversation and movement. Here are some ideas:

I'll be pulling out this activity from my Science and Social Studies Printables for November.

We'll also be reading informational text and learning about wild turkeys! 

(This is also in the Science and Social Studies Printables for November.)

 

 I like to let the children work in pairs or small groups while working on these informational text booklets. It encourages conversation to discuss the information they are learning and encourages them to use their new vocabulary.

Looking for more turkey fun? Try this Turkey Mini-Bundle, which includes that turkey informational booklet that you saw above!

Finally, we'll be getting our reading, writing, word work, and math skills in with these Fun No Prep Activities for Thanksgiving.

 

Planning ahead? 

Check out some of these posts: (See the images for the links!)

How are you keeping the children focused during this busy time?

How Can I Keep My Active Students Learning?

 Kiddos sure have a hard time sitting for long periods of time, don't they?

 

According to research, they shouldn't! So how can we let them be active, yet keep them learning?

 

 

 Clearly, the answer is... have them learn standing up!

I've got a very active group of kids this year, so we've been learning in a variety of positions all year!

Here are some ways we can keep moving as part of their learning:

1. Have them move as part of the learning! For example, when we learn to spell a new word, the kids "dance" the words. For each tall letter, we stand tall with our hands in the air. For each medium sized letter, we put our hands on our hips. For the letters that go below the baseline, we squat with our hands on the floor. A couple of my students really enjoy the "dance" concept, and have added a hip movement as we spell and dance out the words. I'm all for making it more fun! 

2. Brain breaks! Sometimes children need a break FROM learning, and that's fine. But it's possible to add a physical break that's also part of the learning! For example, in math, the children could do "wall push ups" while counting by fives... or reciting math facts. When sharing a story with the children, the children can take a walk as if they were one of the characters in the story.

Here's a little freebie with some Social Studies and Science related Brain Breaks!

3. Scoot! Scoot is an active game where children move from desk to desk answering questions or performing tasks. It's fun to play any time of year, but I find it particularly necessary as we get to those last few weeks of school.  Here is a blog post explaining how to play Scoot.

 

Keeping these ideas in mind, I've made a couple of new resources! Each resource has an informational text with 10 text based questions, 4 text based sketches for drawing, and 6 text related brain breaks. These are perfect for Scoot, or simply as task cards for those kiddos that need to move. Explore the links below if you want more information!

Freedom Isn't Free: Learning About the USA

 

  Parts of a Plant for Active Learners

 

 Keep those kiddos moving!

Science and Social Studies Activities for November

Science and Social Studies are my very favorite things to teach! 

However, it's so hard to find time in the schedule to teach these. But I manage to find time by overlapping with other subjects, such as reading, and including science and social studies concepts with the calendar!  

Here's my favorite resource for November!
Science and Social Studies Activities for November!

 

I'm determined to make your life easier, and I hope this resource does the job!  I've taken many of the important second-grade skills, mixed in a few November special days, and came up with these activities! There are close reading activities, mini-books, sorting activities, and even a S.T.E.M. activity to do with leftover Halloween candy corn! It's guaranteed fun for the kids, easy for the teachers, and valuable learning experiences!

Here are a couple of my favorite parts:

A Turkey Fact Mini-book! (With vocabulary and comprehension questions.)

Daylight Savings Time Close Read. 

 

A STEM Engineering Challenge with leftover Halloween candy corn!

 

Thanksgiving Fact or Fiction? This one was so much fun to make: Children have to decide whether things could have happened back in the 1600s at the first Thanksgiving! Expect plenty of giggles!

If you like these, check out some of my Science and Social Studies Bundles: Autumn Bundle

 

Winter Bundle

 

Spring Bundle

 

Summer Science and Social Studies

  

Science and Social Studies for the Year Bundle

These resources have made my life so much easier! I hope they do the same for you!