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 that if 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 I 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 to get them thinking about the day. They can also be used as daily writing prompts.

The above resource is related to this fun October trivia digital resource, available on the Boom Learning platform. 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 families: 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 an 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!

Here's a collection of several football-themed games!

Here's a fun football-themed math problem-solving activity on Boom Learning!

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 seven school days celebrating Thanksgiving. It's a great opportunity to "throw in" a little history and enjoy the things we are grateful for!

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, and 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! (These links are affiliate links to Amazon.)

10 Fat Turkeys

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks

The Night Before Thanksgiving

The Story of the Pilgrims

A Turkey for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at the Tappletons

Thanksgiving is...

If You Were at the First Thanksgiving

Sarah Morton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl

The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving Story

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 some movies I've found on YouTube with a Thanksgiving theme. Feel free to preview them and choose what is suitable for your group!

I try to incorporate the holidays into all my 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

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

There's an information mini-book about turkeys 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 whether facts might have happened in 1621 or if they couldn't have happened 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!

I can't let Thanksgiving pass without mentioning football! As 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 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!

My Favorite Holiday Activity

Have you ever had one of those activities that's a win-win? It's something that works so well that you keep bringing it back year after year. 

That's how I feel about this resource: Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.  I've done this activity with second graders for about 15 years now. It integrates a classic piece of holiday literature with music and visualization.

I've always loved the music from The Nutcracker. When my daughter was 5, I figured she was old enough to go into Boston to see the Boston Ballet perform the classic. We read a few versions of the story so she'd know what to expect, put on our very best holiday dresses, and drove into the city.

Since I knew the story so well, I brought the CD into school and shared it with my students. I wrote this summary of the classic story, played the music while the children visualized what it must look like, and illustrated the different parts of the story.

Every year, the children loved the activity, which practiced valuable skills such as visualizing, summarizing, and sequencing. Plus, it exposed them to classic holiday literature and classical music. Of course, you can't miss it when the setting is The Kingdom of Sweets!

A couple of years after seeing the production in Boston, my daughter had the opportunity to audition for a production of The Nutcracker. She was in the youngest group, and the little ones had a very small part, but it was priceless. She went on to perform in The Nutcracker 3 years in a row before life just got too busy with other performances. However, the story of The Nutcracker will always be near and dear to my heart.

Enjoy this freebie: The Nutcracker story for Visualizing, Summarizing, and Illustration! It's one of my favorites!