Fun for Constitution Day

I love going all out for Constitution Day!

My students wear red, white, and blue, and the whole school recites the pledge together, outdoors at the flagpole.

 

 

We have 1700s USA flags for the kids to color, and copies of the school promise to sign with a quill pen. Sometimes even George Washington and Benjamin Franklin stop by the classrooms with a little skit about the signing of the Constitution.

Of course, I might read a book or two:

      

Here's one of my favorite Schoolhouse Rock Videos!

Here's a Constitution Trivia Boom Learning Activity:

 

US Constitution Fun Facts

And, of course, I have a couple of Patriotic Freebies:

Here's an explanation of 6 USA holidays, and some suggestions on how to celebrate our country.

Patriotic Holidays!

Here's another freebie:  a variety of paper with a USA theme:

 

USA Themed Writing Paper

What are your ideas for fun on Constitution Day?

Resources to Celebrate Mexico!

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day. 

 (That is celebrated on September 16th.)  Cinco de Mayo does celebrate a Mexican battle.  It dates back to May 5, 1862, and I imagine if I were Mexican, I'd know more about it.  I've shown this video in the past. The content is a little above the heads of my second graders, but it gives the kids a taste Mexican history with a cute sombrero wearing chili character and a catchy tune.

Those of us who live in the USA think of Mexico as our "neighbors to the south." It's also a lovely place to visit when the winter is cold and bitter. (Winter sure gets nasty here in New Hampshire!)

Many of us like to think of Cinco de Mayo as a day to celebrate our Mexican neighbors.

Here's another Youtube video that gives the kids a taste of Mexico. It's filled with Mariachi music and pictures that are classically Mexican!

A couple more You Tube videos that give kids a "taste" of Mexico:

Or... it's not too late to order some of your own Mariachi music. Check out these CDs available on Amazon. 

 

    

     

I prefer to have loads of literature when I teach about anything, particularly another country. Here are some of my favorite informational books about Mexico!

 

 

  
  

 

Of course, after learning about Mexico through books and videos, I'd have my kids write about the country. Here's some paper with a Mexico theme, and it's free! You can find it here: Mexico Themed Writing Paper Freebie

 

 

What good is a celebration of Mexico without a little Mexican food and a craft?  Tortilla chips with salsa are easy and popular, so I imagine they'll make an appearance. If you're daring, bring in some hot salsa!

Here are a couple more Mexico resources your students might enjoy:

Cinco de Mayo No Prep Printables

Mexico Suffixes Go Fish

7 Ways to Celebrate Columbus Day

Looking for some ways to celebrate Columbus Day in your classroom?  

Here are a few of my favorites:

Disclaimer:  We've learned that Columbus wasn't always a great man. Feel free to have discussions about that in your classroom. These ideas and resources simply give the facts about what happened back then. This doesn't mean I approve of the way he treated people.

1. Work with Maps and Globes - Columbus Day is such a great opportunity to get the children acquainted with the globe. I think it's important that children can identify where they live on the globe. Our location is easy for the children to find. I have the children locate Cape Cod along the east coast of North America. We're not far north of that, and it's easy to locate. (I tell them to look for a flexed arm... they love to flex their own arms!) I usually use the globe to show how Columbus got from Italy to Spain, to San Salvador, and how he was actually trying to get to the East Indies, and "accidentally bumped into America". They get such a kick out of that!

2. Books -  Speaking of the Columbus story, if you haven't seen the book, Encounter by Jane Yolen, you really need to check it out!  It's the story of the arrival of Columbus from a young native's point of view. The illustrations are beautiful, and it really makes the "other side" of the story quite clear.  Explore the image to go to Amazon(affiliate link) for more information about this amazing book!

 

3.Videos - This Youtube video gives a little information about Christopher Columbus. As in all videos, please view ahead of time to make sure this is something you want to share with your students. There are many videos on this topic, many are quite harsh.

4. Illustrate the story - 
Illustrating is a great way for children to deepen their understanding. I wrote this summary of the basic Columbus story for my students to illustrate. Explore the image or see here: Columbus for Visualization and Illustration

 

 

5.  Common Sense Fun - Here are a couple of resources that will get the kids thinking. Explore the images to see more! Christopher Columbus: Common Sense for Active Learners: 

 

 

 
These are electronic task cards from BOOM Learning! The kids are going to love these! Christopher Columbus Common Sense Thinking BOOM Cards

 

6.  Guided imagery - I like to do lots of guided imagery activities with my students. I'll tell the story, while the students go through the movements. I tell about the men saying goodbye to their families and getting on the ships, the long ride on the ship (including the bland food, storms at sea, and lack of clean water) finally sighting land, and getting off the ship, thinking they were in India. The kids love this, and brain research shows involving movement and gestures helps the memory!

7.  One more idea - Looking for one more way to celebrate Columbus Day? Take the day off! (And perhaps pay some homage to the Indigenous People on that day!)

 

 

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Books, Videos, and Resources

I love teaching my students about Martin Luther King Jr.  

He was an incredible man, and stood for peace.

Although I'm giving away my age, I remember when he was shot. I was a little too young to understand the impact at the time. (I was far more interested in the boys than the politics of the day.) Today I can't watch his speech without tears rushing down my face.  It disturbs me to think that a peaceful man who worked so hard for non-violence was killed in such a violent way.

I find literature to be a valuable part of my teaching. I've read many books about Dr. King, and they always keep the children engaged.  He was clearly a powerful man.  Here are some good ones: (Each image is a link to Amazon.)

      

                                    

Explore each image for a link to Amazon to learn more about that book!  A video also grabs the attention of the children. Check out this one from Brain Pop.

Or this one from YouTube:

Although his speech is kind of long for the little ones, this is the last part of that famous speech, and it's worth showing at least part of it to the children. This video from Youtube is the last part of his speech, and I think the children will understand Dr. King's passion:

Dr.  King taught the world about peace.  Here are some children's books that help with the concept of peace. 

 

  

I also recommend this video:

It certainly tells the story of peace that I want children to learn, and I suspect it's the peaceful world Dr. King dreamed of. Plus, the lyrics are right on the screen for the kids to sing along... over and over!

Here's one more video, a song that warms my heart! It goes right along with the teachings of Dr. King, and something children will understand:

Finally, here's one my own resources - it's a freebie sorting activity that's sure to get the kids talking! And their conversations defending their opinions are amazing! See the image for the activity Just or Unjust?

Speaking of activities, I have a couple of MLK activities in this resource: Science and Social Studies Activities for January

It includes a close read about Dr. King.

A mapping activity, based on important places in Dr. King's life.

And making timelines based on Dr. King's life.

See any of the images above to see Science and Social Studies Printables for January! (There is other fun stuff in there, too!)

I'd love to see your ideas for MLK too!