Elementary Matters is an educational blog focused on Elementary grades 1-3. These posts will make an elementary teacher's life easier by sharing information about how the brain learns best. It includes time savers, suggestions for classroom management, hints on effective teaching of reading, writing, and math, and several ideas for squeezing Science and Social Studies into daily instruction. These posts include links to several videos, articles, resources, and plenty of free materials.
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:
We have three patriotic holidays coming up! Yep, that's 3!
We have Memorial Day at the end of May.
We have Flag Day on June 14th. We have Independence Day on July 4th.
I know there are some teachers out there who will be out of school by Memorial Day. My district gets out just a short week before Independence Day.
But it's a great opportunity to teach our kids something about our country!
I find literature, the arts, and music are a great way for children to learn any subject, especially social studies! Here are some of the books I use. (Click any image for an affiliate link to Amazon!)
Coming to America by Betsy Maestro is a great book to show how most Americans came from other countries. (I often read this one around St. Patrick's Day, as this holiday celebrates Irish-Americans, and gets conversations started about our ancestry.)
How Many Days to America by Eve Bunting tells the story of people escaping a harsh life and coming to America for freedom. It's done with Eve Bunting's child-friendly language, but also touches their hearts, as many of Eve Bunting's stories do. Although it's subtitled "A Thanksgiving Story," it's very appropriate for any day you want to show the children the risks people take to live in America. It's a great conversation starter to remind children (and ourselves) of the freedoms we have in our country, that people don't have in others.
Speaking of Eve Bunting, The Wall is one of my very favorite books for children. Although I do have trouble getting through this story without tears, it's a nice book to read around Memorial Day or Veterans Day, when we are thinking about those who fight for our freedom, and those that don't come home. (I think this one really gets to me because of the time period... I was "coming of age" during the Vietnam War. Yes, I went to demonstrations and everything, I'm THAT old!)
Here are some informational books that are helpful:
I always want to remind my students about how beautiful our country is. Picture books are great to help with that concept! Here are a couple to help:
Here are a couple more books that have loads of fun activities to share and celebrate our country!
No USA celebration is complete without patriotic music!
This CD has a huge collection of historical USA songs and patriotic songs. Plus, it has the split track for opportunities for the kids to sing with accompaniment!
Here's another collection of classic patriotic songs! This is nice to have if you want to play a patriotic song in the morning to follow the Pledge of Allegiance.
Here's a nice You tube video to America the Beautiful.
Of course, after all that learning about America, the children will need to do some writing. Check out this dollar deal! Click the image or click here: USA-Themed Writing Paper.
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 of 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. (These are affiliate links, which means I get a few cents from a sale, but it doesn't change your cost at all!)
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 only $2! You can find it here: Mexico Themed Writing Paper
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:
I think looking out for our world is VERY important and it needs to happen now.
Each and every one of us needs to do what we can to help this place be around for our grandchildren and our grandchildren's grandchildren.
As with most special days, I always celebrate every Earth Day with plenty of good literature.
Here are some of my favorite children's books with an Earth Day theme:
Earth Day is an ABC book, and makes a great introduction to the concept of protecting the environment.
The Lorax, is classic Seuss! He tells about a mystical land of fantasy, which, in true Seuss fashion, is a much deeper real story. Even my second graders understand this valuable lesson.
The Wump World is a fun book to read to the children and NOT show the illustrations (even the cover) until the children have had a chance to show the Wumps and Pollutians that they visualized while listening to the story. Another great story about a fantasy world with very real lessons!
This one is a new discovery to me, and my new Earth Day Favorite.
A River Ran Wild is a story that dates back to the days the Native Americans ruled this area, and respected the earth. It continues through European settlers, the industrial age, and attempts to clean up the river. This book is based on a local river, which makes it near and dear to my heart, but it's got a valuable message about protecting our world. My students became very upset when they saw what happened to the beautiful river. See THIS BLOG POST for more about this book, and an art activity to go with it.
After reading, I intend to have the children do some opinion writing and/ or explanatory/ informational writing based on what they have learned about protecting the environment.
Here's a collection of writing paper with the Earth Day theme that I'll be using.
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 of Mexican history with a cute sombrero-wearing chili character and a catchy tune.
