fbq('track', 'ViewContent');
Showing posts with label writing prompt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing prompt. Show all posts

What Do You Love About Yourself?

What do you love about yourself?

What do you love about yourself? This blog post suggests asking children what they love about themselves, and gives some suggestions.


We often ask children what they love about people in their lives. What about themselves?

This is a fun idea for a morning meeting discussion topic, a writing prompt, a homework assignment, or just a casual question. It's a great idea to get the kids to search for their own personalities and build some self-esteem.

It's a good idea to start off by giving a good example. Get them to think about specific personality traits, and encourage the children to celebrate themselves!

What do I love about myself? 

Here are a few things:


1. I am a team player.
2. I always do my very best.
3. I am loyal and caring.
4. I am sensitive to the needs of others.
5. I am a survivor.

What do you love about yourself?


What do you love about yourself? This blog post suggests asking children what they love about themselves, and gives some suggestions.



January Resources

I'm dreading going back. I've enjoyed my morning ritual of having a cup of coffee, watching TV, and browsing Facebook and teacher blogs while in my jammies! I'll have to say good bye to all that when our vacation ends.

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

But the good news is: I get to see the kids again! Plus, there's a lot of fun stuff that can be done in January! (Well, besides testing and Progress Reports!)
 
First of all, it's winter. Now I've never been crazy about the snow or the cold, but the kiddos love playing in the snow, and I love their enthusiasm. Therefore, I look for opportunities to include winter themes in my classroom. Let's start with books! (Each is an affiliate link to Amazon for more information!)

Here are a couple of fun resources to help the kids practice the basics in a fun way.

 
HERE is a link to the winter video on Brain Pop Jr. Don't you love the way they put sophisticated concepts into language the children can understand?

Besides winter, there are a couple of days that are important. We have a day off for Martin Luther King Jr. in a couple of weeks. Besides making sure the kids know why we have the day off, I think Dr. King was an amazing man. I always spend some time talking about Dr. King, and love the innocent passion I always get from the kids each year. "They couldn't use the same bathroom? That's...just...so...wrong!" They are amazing!


HERE's a link to the Brain Pop Martin Luther King Free movie! 

A lesser-known holiday: Friday January 9th is National Static Electricity Day. It's handy that it lands when the air is so dry, since it gives us plenty of opportunities to explore static electricity! (I suspect that was intentional, but I know nothing about how National Static Electricity Day came to be!)

Speaking of electricity, did you realize Ben Franklin's birthday is January 17th? Now he's an interesting guy! 

 
I love all the little holidays. Brain research tells us that children need novelty to learn. Well, all these little days are a great way to bring novelty into the classroom! See this resource for more of these fun little holidays! Click here: 

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Don't forget...
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

If you enjoy celebrating individual days, you'll love January Morning Meeting Greeting Activities! I'm trying to make your life easier by writing your morning letters for you. Each day includes the full date, something to celebrate on that date, and questions designed to get the children thinking! These can be used for discussions or writing prompts, and can be used occasionally or as a daily morning routine. Plus, they will be updated each year!
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's another look at the individual pages!

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

 
You may also be interested in this creation: Science and Social Studies Printables for January. There are activities for winter, Ben Franklin, static electricity, Martin Luther King Jr, mapping, and making timelines. See the image below for the link. (Be sure to download the preview for more details!)

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.


I've also put several January items into a bundle that has pretty much everything you'll need for those first few weeks back! 

This image gives you some ideas about what's in it, but if you want a closer look, check out my preview here: January Bundle or see the image below.
January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.
 
Enjoy your January!

January Resources: books, videos, and resources for teachers for the month of January including winter, science, social studies, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrate Heroes

We had a great lesson today. My alternative to a full fledged "9-11" Lesson turned into a lesson on heroes, and it couldn't have been more successful!

Celebrate Heroes: September 11th is a tough day to honor with little ones, but this discussion and writing prompt has been a success in my classroom. It includes a freebie!

I modeled looking up the word heroes in 3 different dictionaries and led a delightful discussion on what heroes are and what heroes aren't. The best "child friendly" definition came from Macmillian First Dictionary (Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990) 
 
Here it is:
 

A hero is someone we think of as special because of the good or brave things that person has done.

Celebrate Heroes: September 11th is a tough day to honor with little ones, but this discussion and writing prompt has been a success in my classroom. It includes a freebie!


We discussed what heroes are and why they're not superheroes. We talked about heroes in our families, in our school, and in our town. Then I told them about my hero, my dad. I told them why he's my hero. (because he taught me to inspire kids to be the best they can be.) I told them to think about who their own hero might be, and why that person fits the definition of hero.


While they were at lunch, I typed up Heroes Writing Prompt, available here (or click the image) for free! It has the child friendly definition of heroes, and a lead for the children to write about their heroes. When writing time came, they were ready to write. This was the most focused I'd seen this group of children yet this year. They were so focused, that I actually had a chance to sit down with the children and write about my dad. We ended up with a variety of heroes. Lots of moms and dads, but children also picked neighbors, siblings, teachers, and, of course, firefighters and police officers. Some of their explanations were quite touching! It was the first time we had enough writing for a sharing session, and the children were truly interested in each others' work. I was quite proud of them!


Celebrate Heroes: September 11th is a tough day to honor with little ones, but this discussion and writing prompt has been a success in my classroom. It includes a freebie!


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...