EARTH BOOK

“The Earth Book” will take a little time to construct, but I guarantee you the children will be thrilled to read it and share it when you are finished. I would stretch this out over 2 or 3 days so the children don’t get frustrated. 

*You can also easily adapt this book to informative writing, science, and other skills.

Materials: construction paper (2 orange, 1 blue, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 brown)
Directions: Cut squares using the attached pattern out of the orange and purple construction paper. Cut a circle out of one of the orange squares. Using the patterns cut the green tree, blue water, yellow sun, and brown mountains.

To construct the book place down the orange square for the back of the book. Place the “purple sky” on top of this, then the “brown mountains,” “yellow sun,” “blue water,” “green tree,” and finally the front cover with the circle cut out. Staple on the left side. Younger children can read this as a wordless book. Older children can write descriptive sentences on each page.

Download the patterns by clicking here.

LETTER WRITING DAY

Since December 7th is LETTER WRITING DAY, I thought it might be a good day to write a blog about it. With texts, emails, etcetera, letter writing is almost a lost art. However, it’s something children should be exposed to and it is a meaningful way to practice informative writing.
Children will easily remember the parts of a letter with this song to the tune of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes:”

Head, greeting, body, closing, signature.
Head, greeting, body, closing, signature.
These are the parts of a letter.
Head, greeting, body, closing, signature.

*Point to your head as you say “head.”
Point to your mouth as you say “greeting.”
Point to your body as you say “body.”
Point to your knee as you say “closing.”
Point to your feet as you say “signature.”

*Let children write letters to their friends in other classes and deliver them at the end of the day.

*Write letters to politicians, children’s favorite authors, movie stars, famous athletes, etc.

*And, yes, you might even be at a school where they can write letters to Santa! (You can download these free from several sites.)

Here’s a simple way to make a letter/envelope.

1. Write your letter.
2. Fold in the top two corners as shown.
3. Fold up the bottom.
4. Fold down the top triangle and secure with a sticker.
5. Turn over and write the name of the recipient.

DO THE DINOSAUR BOOGIE

Grrrr! Let's do the dinosaur boogie so the kids can growl, wiggle, and release all that energy. Jumping up and down is a great way to get oxygen going to the brain and as the children dance they will be developing motor skills and self-regulation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1cPJhQPmM

Dinosaur Boogie
Pterosaurs had wings and could fly. (Stretch out arms.)
He’d swoop in the swamp then up in the sky.
The ancestor of birds they say,
I wish it were here today.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, king of the swamp.
He growl and snarl, and then he’d go chomp. (Clap hands.)
He ate meat, he was a carnivore.
They’d all hide when he would roar.

Chorus:
Do the dinosaur boogie start - bounce around. (Bounce.)
Hands like claws, make a growling sound –Grrr! (Make hands like claws.)
Stomp, stomp, stomp the ground. (Stomp feet.)
Then wiggle and turn around. (Dance and turn around.)
Let’s do the dinosaur boogie…

Brontosaurus was the largest of all. (Point up high.)
He moved slowly so he would not fall.
He ate plants, he was an herbivore. (Pretend to pick a leaf and eat.)
He ate and ate and then ate some more.
Triceratops had three horns on his head. (Put 3 fingers up on head.)
I’d like to see one, but now they’re all dead.
Where, oh, where, did the dinosaurs go? (Hold up palms and shake head.)
I guess we’ll never know!
(Chorus)

Vocabulary
What does carnivore mean? Herbivore? Are you an omnivore?
Apatosaurus is another name for brontosaurus.

Art
Give children paper, paint, markers, and other art media to create original dinosaurs.


Research
What can you find out about dinosaurs on the internet? What happened to dinosaurs?

Writing
Students could do informative writing about dinosaurs or creative writing about what they would do if they were a dinosaur.

LITTLE BOOKS AND THINK PADS

Little Books
These are quick and easy to make and can be used in so many ways to replace worksheets.

Directions:  Lay four to six pieces of paper on top of each other. Staple the four corners. Cut into fourths, and you’ll have four little books.

Use for: days of the week (seven sheets of paper)

             seasons (four sheets of paper)
             senses (five sheets of paper)
             planets, continents, etc.


Skinny Books
Directions:  Make long skinny books by stapling four times down the short side and cutting across horizontally.
                                        
Use for: writing names left to write
             practice pre-writing strokes
             repeating patterns
             writing numerals
             sight words or spelling words
             writing sentences

THINK PADS 
Children can use these to take notes as they listen to a book or watch a video. They can draw, write words, or simply scribble. Encourage them by commenting, “You’re taking notes just like the big kids do in high school and college! Isn’t it fun to know how to take notes to help you remember?” 

      


What can you find out?
Collect non-fiction books about a topic that you will be studying in your class. Place the books on a table along with think pads, paper, and pencils. Let two children work together and take notes to look in the books and see what they can find out (learn) about the topic.

                                       

Scavenger Hunt
Use think pads to find different objects in the classroom that relate to reading, math, or science standards. They might go on a scavenger hunt for objects that start with “CH.” How many ovals can they find? Can they make a list of nouns? Can they find objects that a magnet will attract? 

                      

MAKE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE!

Santa’s not the only one making lists this time of year. I’ve been making lists of things to do (gifts to buy, cards to send, goodies to make) all night long! There’s something about making a list that makes me feel better – maybe a little more “in control.” Not that I’m going to check everything off the list; it just feels good to write things down.

Making a list is something children will enjoy doing, and it is a perfect way to motivate children to write. Younger children could make lists of 3-5 things, while older children could do lists of 10 or more. In addition to writing a list, children could draw pictures or dictate items.

So, what can they make a list of other than who’s been naughty and nice or what they want for Christmas? Check out my "list" of ways you can use lists all year long.

                  

List of people they love and what they would like to give them.

List of favorite songs.

List of signs of winter.

List of their favorite books.

List of their favorite subjects at school.

List of their favorite animals/pets.

List of their favorite sports or games.

List of what they can do if they finish their work early.

List of the things that make them happy.

List of how to be a buddy/friend.

List of nouns, verbs, things that start with a sound, shapes…children could make a list of almost any skill you are working on.

Lists could also be included in units of study by having children keep a list of things they learned, facts, etc.

Can you a make a “list” of things to add to this list?

I’ll be checking my list twice,
So better not be naughty –
Just be NICE!

By the way, I found two adorable websites with lots of activities and ideas:

northpoletimes.com

northpole.com

NON-FICTION WRITING

Nonfiction writing is all around us from signs to newspapers to emails to food wrappers. Most state standards include informational writing similar to the Common Core Standard below: 

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Here are some activities where children can have the opportunity to be engaged in “playful and challenging” nonfiction writing. These activities can be used for independent work or in a literacy center. Many would also be perfect to do with a partner.


Interview
Have children interview parents, friends, school personnel, etc.

*Ask their parents what it was like when they were in school. What games did they play? What was their favorite subject? What was their favorite book?

Directions
Write directions or a “how to” for, a sport, a game, a craft, or something they are good at.


Recipe
Write a recipe for a favorite food.

*This time of year it would be interesting for children to write “how to cook a turkey."

*Create a menu for a restaurant they would like to own.

*Ask children to bring in an empty cereal box and design a new cover for it.


Lists
Make lists of books they read, toys they own, what they can do instead of watching TV, things in their desk, etc.

*As Thanksgiving approaches a list of things they are thankful for would be appropriate.


Invitation
Write invitations to a class program or party.


Advice
Write suggestions on “how to be a good friend,” or “what to do when you get angry.”


Diary/Journal
Let children have a quiet time each day to write in a journal or diary.


Riddles & Knock Knocks
Let each child write a riddle or joke to add to a class book.