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A Batty Art Project

I'm sure you know some children that are fascinated by bats! 

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

After reading a great information book by one of my favorite non-fiction authors, I wanted to do a fun art project to help the children remember what they learned! (This is an affiliate link to Amazon)
 

 
A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

I'm not a fan of "cookie cutter" art projects that all look alike. I like to give the children an opportunity to be creative and make something unique. 

We started by making a night scene with crayons.

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Then we added a watercolor wash.

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

The kids loved how the crayons came through the watercolor!

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!
It's amazing the effect paint has on a class of kids.  Suddenly all chatting stops and they are totally engrossed in what they're doing.

Of course, some classical music in the background inspires the creativity!

Now, please tell me why aren't I bring out the paints more often?

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

I was tempted to give them a pattern to follow for the bats, but when I looked at photos of bats in the night sky, you really couldn't make out a specific shape. I gave each child a piece of black construction paper and they developed their own technique for making the bats.

The results were spectacular!


A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Each child wrote a fact they remembered from the book, and these are displayed with the pictures. 

These kids are amazing!


A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Here's a fun resource that might be a good source for your Facts About Bats!

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!
 
This resource is part of a bigger October resource with more fun Science and Social Studies activities:

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Or try this Life Cycles set:

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Or this Boom Learning resource:

A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!


I'm thinking I'll be reading this book real soon! 
I love comparing fiction books to non-fiction!


Here are a couple more informational books about bats that might interest your students. (These are affiliate links to Amazon)



A Batty Art Project: Here are step by step direction a fun bat art project to integrate literacy with the arts. Plus, the kids love it!

Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting

We always start our day with a morning greeting. 

Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.
One at a time, the children shake hands and greet each other by name. Then they say something related to a given topic.

As we know, squeezing in enough time for everything is nearly impossible, so we squeeze in some learning any place we can! Time for social studies and science are especially strained, but we squeeze them in!
 
Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.
 
 
We all love starting our day with a morning greeting, and I usually try to squeeze in a learning concept while we greet each other. 

After a lesson on States of Matter the day before, they were asked to state something they remember from the lesson.
 
Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.

After working on the 4 kinds of sentences, I had them tell statements about themselves one day, then ask each other questions on another day. Their questions were priceless! (Some of their answers were even more priceless!)
 
Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.

For a writing project this week, they had to tell why their school was great. (We'll be writing opinion stories!)
 
Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.

I read an information book about Bats, so the next day they had to tell a fact they remembered about Bats. It was amazing what they remembered!
 
Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.
It's never tough to think of a topic, 
we just think about what we've been learning! 

Of course, sometimes we just have a fun question. 
 
Today we shared our favorite kind of ice cream!

Sneaking in a Little Curriculum with a Morning Greeting: Here are some ideas to sneak in those content concepts as the children greet their classmates.


Halloween Favorites!

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays! 

Why? Well, first of all, it's a chance to be something you're not. What kid (of all ages) doesn't like to play pretend? 

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.


I also love Halloween because of all the great children's literature out there! Here are some favorites! (These are Amazon affiliate links!)

Who doesn't love this one?

I'll be exploring the world of bats this week with my class. Gail Gibbons is my favorite author of information books for second graders. She presents information in a way that little ones can understand


I have two copies of In a Dark, Dark Room, and both copies are barely holding together! That's a good sign that it's a popular book!
 
I also have a few Halloween-related joke books, and they are wildly popular! (It's also an excellent time to introduce homophones since most jokes depend upon a double meaning!)

On Halloween day, I usually read a kid's version of the classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. If I have a class that can handle it, I'll turn off the lights, but I don't want to scare the dickens out of those sensitive ones!
 
Last but certainly not least is my very favorite Halloween story, the Hallo-wiener! Who doesn't love a book where the underdog becomes the hero? (Pun intended!)

Besides books, I try to squeeze in some Halloween fun wherever I can! 

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

See the image above for this sampler (dollar deal!) of Halloween No Prep Worksheets and Printables! Or, for the whole set, see the image below:
 
Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

We're working on sentences in my classroom. This set received a lot of attention last week—just see the image! (dollar deal!)

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.
  
Or, if you'd prefer the full set, see this image!

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.


 Or perhaps you're looking for some math? (dollar deal!)

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.


Here's a fun trivia activity on the Boom Learning Platform:

Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

 Check out this fun Boom Learning deck with a mapping theme: Halloween Mapping!


Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

Still looking for Halloween resources? This bundle has plenty of October resources at a huge discount! 
Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

What are your favorite books?

What are your favorite Halloween activities?


Halloween Favorites! This post has several book recommendations, resources, and even a couple of Halloween related dollar deals!.

It's Time to Let Go of Summer, But Hooray for Autumn!

Summer is almost over. 

I hate to let go of summer, but...

Hooray for Autumn!

It's a great time of year! Here are some book ideas and resources to help your students enjoy the new season!
 
Don't you love this time of year? The kids are settled into their classroom routines and are really in "learning mode!"

The weather is perfect: cool nights for sleeping and warm days for playing outside. It's perfect for football, apple picking, carving pumpkins, and jumping into those beautiful leaves!

I'll be focusing on the change of seasons in my classroom this week.

This will be our writing focus this week:

It's a great time of year! Here are some book ideas and resources to help your students enjoy the new season!

See the image or see here for this Dollar Deal: Summer or Fall Opinion Writing.

This resource is part of my Fall Printables Collection, which I'll be using a lot these next couple of weeks!
 
It's a great time of year! Here are some book ideas and resources to help your students enjoy the new season!

Explore the image or see here for more information about this collection of fall printables: Fall No Prep Printables

I will be reading a couple of my favorite books for the season:
(All of these are affiliate links to Amazon.)
Aren't books a great way to bring out science and social studies concepts?

What are your favorite fall books for kids?

What will you be doing to celebrate autumn?


It's a great time of year! Here are some book ideas and resources to help your students enjoy the new season!

A Quick Exit Slip Procedure

My students have Independent Reading time daily. I try to make it a special time for the kiddos by letting them choose a cozy spot and giving them a comfy pillow. I also make sure I have plenty of fun books. It is often their favorite time of the day!
Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

But reading really is pretty important, and I have a fun, quick way for the children respond to their books. Are you ready for a bright idea? 


Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

Although I have several strategies for checking for understanding in response to Independent Reading time, this is a quick one I use often. It doesn't replace the need for deep book conversations or detailed Book Reviews. It's just a quick response.

It starts with a Post It.

Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

My kiddos each have a Post it pad in their book boxes just for this purpose! Many kids struggle using Post its, so I make it as easy as possible for them.
 
Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

I replace the backing with a red square as a reminder: don't use that side. (It also helps them find their own!)

I have them write on the Post it while it's still on the pad. (To avoid them writing on the sticky side!)

What they write depends on the prompt. I'll ask them a variety of questions, depending on what we're studying. 

  • They might draw the setting. 
  • They might write 3 adjectives to describe the main character. 
  • They might write a general statement about the story. 
  • They could be asked about the Author's purpose. 


I'm sure you can think of many more responses that would fit on a Post it!

Sometimes I tell them the topic before we read. 
Sometimes I don't tell them until after we read. 

Here comes the really easy part:

 

Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

They just put the post it on their class number!


That's it! I've had these same charts for years, and I just keep using them for exit slips! It's easy to see who wrote what, and who hasn't responded yet!

Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

Sometimes I have the children share with the whole class what they wrote. Sometimes I have them share with a small group, and sometimes they don't share at all!

It's quick and easy, and there are plenty of possibilities.


How do you assess Independent Reading?


Looking for a quick way to assess what the children are reading? This post suggests a very simple exit slip procedure using post its!

Sometimes You Just Have to Cry

My typical style is to turn the title of my post into something funny, but I'm actually serious.

Sometimes you really just have to cry!

Sometimes You Just Have to Cry! This post has some ideas for those times when you need a "good cry," but the tears won't come.

I guess it's been since my divorce, but sometimes I have a hard time crying. I suspect it comes from trying so hard to be strong all the time. I have a hard time letting go.

But crying can be good. It's cleansing. 
It helps to get the bad feelings out. 

It doesn't make things better, but sometimes it's part of healing.

A couple of weeks ago, I lost a friend, suddenly, in a plane crash. He was a member of my singing group. I've known him for close to 20 years.

I didn't cry.

I found myself thinking I was a horrible person. 
Why wouldn't I cry?

I think part of it was that I was still in shock. 

My singing group will be singing at his memorial service tomorrow. 

When I heard the music we'd be singing, then the floods started. 

You can listen to recordings of these songs HERE and HERE.

The second one is the killer... if you need a good cry, that should do it!

Throughout my life, whenever I needed that beautiful release that only a "good cry" will bring, this is the song I'd listen to: 


As I've mentioned here on my blog, I'm a huge theatre fan!

That's Lea Salonga in Miss Saigon. I saw this show in London (starring Lea Salonga!) in 1990, before it came to the U.S. 

I admit, I did cry through a good portion of the show, but this song in particular had a strong connection for me.
   
It's interesting. This was years before I had a child, but I knew even then how much I would love that child. 
 
This post has more ideas on the benefits of a "good cry," and how music will help! A Good "Ugly" Cry! It's Good for You!
 
Sometimes You Just Have to Cry! This post has some ideas for those times when you need a "good cry," but the tears won't come.

Music is magical. What songs make you cry?

 
Sometimes You Just Have to Cry! This post has some ideas for those times when you need a "good cry," but the tears won't come.

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