Category: Curriculum Resources

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Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Book Reviews

As promised, here are some fun books that involve other winter holidays: Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. I really enjoyed reading and learning more about these holidays. I hope you will too!

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel; illustrated by Matthew Trueman

Simon sets out on a journey to get to America. He is lucky enough to get the last ticket on the boat, and sets sail. Tragedy strikes when the boat hits an iceberg and sinks. Simon finds himself stranded on the iceberg, alone, with just his knapsack. In his knapsack, his mother had packed latkes, fish, boiled eggs, a dreidel and a menorah and candles. Simon wishes for a Hanukkah miracle. He is found by a polar bear who brings him fish each day and keeps him warm. He is finally rescued and taken to New York, where he finds a job so he can earn money and bring his family to America.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolk and Mark Teague

Another darling book in the How Do Dinosaurs… series, this books goes through what not to do and what to do during Hanukkah celebrations and how to properly behave and celebrate. Filled with fun illustrations, this book is engaging and fun for all ages.

Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington; illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Li’l Rabbit is feeling left out and useless during his family’s Kwanzaa celebrations. His grandma is sick, and he wants to do something to help her have a great Kwanzaa. He ventures out in search of the perfect things to make the Karamu extra special. He runs into several friends while he is out on his search. He comes up empty handed and is feeling defeated. When he arrives back home, he is surprised to find that all of his friends and family have pulled together to create a wonderful, memorable Karamu. 

Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis; illustrated by Daniel Minter

A family of seven brothers lives in a small village in Ghana. The are constantly arguing, and their home is never peaceful. After their father dies, he leaves them an inheritance, but with the stipulation that they must find a way to turn seven spools of thread into gold, and that they must never argue again. If they can do this by the time the sun sets, they will be able to divide the inheritance amongst themselves. If not, the inheritance will be given to the poorest villagers. The brothers head back home, determined to make gold out of the thread. They learn that they must work together to accomplish what they need to. Using the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Nguzo Saba, they come together and create beautiful things with their spools of thread. They learn that working together in peace is the best way to work.

Happy reading, and Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to all who celebrate!

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Children’s Christmas Books

If you’re looking for a fun book to read with your kids (or students if you’re still in school!), look no further! When I was looking for books to review and share with you, I learned that there are a TON of Christmas books! I could never even come close to reviewing all of them. So, after reading several, I narrowed it down to just a few.

The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen; illustrated by Dan Hanna

Pout-Pout fish gets so caught up in finding the most perfect gift for each of his friends that he finds himself unable to decide what to get them. He soon learns that it’s not about giving the most perfect gift, but giving from the heart that matters most. 

Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway

A Christmas sugar cookie is sad to learn that he tastes terrible, can’t run fast like the gingerbread man, and can’t build his own gingerbread house. He tries to “fix” the things that he thinks are wrong with him, until he learns what he is supposed to be. He finds his place and celebrates knowing who he really is.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore; illustrated by James Marshall

There’s nothing changed with this classic Christmas story, but the illustrations are darling and incorporate all the pets of the house.

Cookiesaurus Christmas by Amy Feller Dominy & Nate Evans; illustrated by AG Ford

Cookiesaurus Rex is a determined Christmas cookie. He thinks he should be the cookie that gets set on the plate for Santa. With every other cookie that is chosen to be put on the plate, he finds a way to knock them off the plate, all while causing a mess and trouble each time. It’s not until the end that he discovers that the humans of the house have a special place, just for him, that is even better than Santa’s plate.

5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas by Jimmy Fallon; illustrated by Rich Deas

The excitement of the Christmas countdown is almost too much for one little boy to handle! As he counts down to Christmas day, he thinks that he is so excited to sleep each night as he watches the snow, thinks about what gifts he might receive, and more. The illustrations are darling and detailed in this fun Christmas book.

Holiday themed books are just so much fun. They bring an added element of fun and magic to any holiday! Next week, I’ll share a few books that spotlight other winter holidays. See you then!

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Effective Lesson Planning

Lesson plans: the bane of many teachers’ careers. They can be tedious, time consuming, and honestly, a bit of a pain to prepare. A seasoned teacher may be able to go without a structured, written lesson plan, but for many not-so-seasoned teachers, this isn’t the case, and a written plan is very helpful. So, with that being said, what makes an effective lesson plan? There isn’t one right or wrong way to plan a lesson, but there are certain components that should remain fairly consistent from one lesson plan to the next: objective/goal, lesson materials, timeline, assessment, differentiation, and closure.

Objective or Goal

Every lesson should have some sort of end goal in mind. When we begin with the end in mind, it allows us to plan our activities, lessons, and assessments accordingly. When we know what goal we want to reach, we can more effectively plan how we are going to reach that goal. Most states have a set of core standards that teachers are to cover over the course of the school year. The objective or goal for the lesson is a great place to list the core concept(s) that will be covered in any given lesson, and to prepare lessons that will effectively meet the concept(s) being taught. 

Lesson Materials

It’s a great idea to list the materials you will need for a particular lesson. Some days, you will only need a textbook and copies of a worksheet. Others, you may need art supplies for students to use to complete their assignment. Whatever it is that you need, it’s very helpful to write down the things you need to gather. It serves as a great reminder, and even the act of writing it down can give your mind the reminder it needs. In the event that you have to unexpectedly leave your classroom, it will also help the substitute know what supplies they will need. 

TImeline

Creating a basic timeline of activities and information to be covered can help the lesson move smoothly. It’s a good idea to avoid jumping around from topic to topic; having an outline of events can greatly aid the continuity and overall smoothness of the lesson itself. Creating a timeline can also help you prioritize what you’d like to cover during the lesson. If it’s important to get a particular topic covered during the day, planning for that to be the first thing you teach can help ensure that happens. 

Assessment

Another very important part of lesson planning is to plan for assessments: how are you going to know that students “got it?” That may look like a formal assessment in the form of a test, quiz, or worksheet. It could also look like a question and answer time the end of the lesson, where you obtain verbal confirmation of knowledge from your students. It could be a quick walk through the room as they take notes or work on a project. The assessment portion of the lesson will vary from day to day, from lesson to lesson. It doesn’t need to be a big, grand assignment, but there should be some kind of way to make sure you know that your students got something out of the lesson. 

Differentiation

Not every student learns in the same way. What resonates with one student may not resonate with their classmate. It is also crucial to consider students who have IEPs, 504 plans, or other needs. Building this into the lesson plan will help remind teachers to take those students into consideration and to plan ahead for those needs that will arise. Everyone deserves a chance to learn, and some just need a little extra help and guidance… and that’s okay!

Closure

Every lesson has to come to an end, so there should be some form of closure. Having smooth transitions from one lesson to the next can help students better follow your instruction. Many times, the assessment is a good time to provide closure for the lesson. Having students fill out an “exit ticket” as they end the class is a great way to close the lesson and also get a quick idea of what they learned for the day. Doing a quick verbal review and a quick reminder of things to come is also a great way to close out a lesson. Smooth transitions and nice closure help students to move on to the next activity, assignment, lesson, or class.

While there really is not one set way to lesson plan, these few things are great elements that every plan ought to include. Planning out a lesson sets you up for a more successful lesson and helps to avoid potential chaos. Preparation is key, and can set a great example to your students!

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I Spy: Thanksgiving

Can you believe that Thanksgiving Day is less than two weeks away?! It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us. I’ve created a free printable activity for you to use in your classrooms or homes. Simply have your children or students write on the lines at the bottom of the page the amount of each item they find. Click on the “download” button below to save and print a copy (or two!) for the kids in your life. You can print one off and laminate it, then have your kids use dry erase markers to write the number of items they find. You can also print off several copies and use them as a counting activity in your classrooms. Whatever way you choose to use it, have fun! Please only use for personal or classroom use, and do not sell the file. Happy I-Spying!

Thanksgiving I SpyDownload
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The Power of Music in the Classroom

My son, who is in third grade, just sat down to do his homework: completing a multiplication chart. I was headed downstairs to get my computer when I suddenly heard him burst into song. He was counting by two in the tune of “Yankee Doodle,” then proceeded to count by six to the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down.” He continued this process, with a different little song for each row of his multiplication chart. He had it completed rather quickly, thanks to the help of these little songs. 

As he worked, I started thinking about how important and helpful music can be in the classroom. Music has this super neat ability to make information stick. It’s really pretty cool. I remember my 10th grade Biology teacher having us write our own songs to go along with the process of photosynthesis. Come test day, I flew through the questions as I sang my song in my head. I could even hear my classmates quietly muttering out their own songs as they worked their way through their tests. 

I recall a time when I was teaching junior high. I happened to be out in the hall during my prep period and could hear Mr. Hodges’ ninth grade Biology class walking down the hall chanting/singing a song he had made up about amino acids. It was catchy. No doubt those students remembered those amino acids for a long time to come.

For those of us old enough to remember “School House Rock,” I’m sure you are able to recall all sorts of facts about our government and such because of those songs. These seemingly silly songs helped kids remember important information. 

Today’s kids will likely never know the experience of having your teacher wheel the TV to the front of the room, put the VHS tape into the VCR, then push play. But they still have their own version of “School House Rock”-esque songs. You Tube has a plethora of songs designed to teach and help students retain information. Unlike older generations, kids today can watch it at school, then come home and be able to watch it again and again with the click of a button. 

Not only can infusing music with information be helpful, but simply playing music during work time can be helpful. My junior high English students practically lived for the days that I would allow them to bring their headphones to class so that they could listen to music of their choice while they completed assignments. I found this especially helpful on days when we were in the drafting and writing stages of essay or story writing. Students who were normally squirmy and disruptive were suddenly quiet, focused, and still. For students who didn’t have their own music-producing device, I would plug my phone in and turn on a quiet mix of songs that played through my classroom speaker system. Never did I have students work harder and quieter than I did during music days. It was magical!

Music is transformative. It has the power to do so many things for the human brain. It can calm, heal, bring peace, help release anger or frustration, and, as noted here, can have the power to bring things to memory. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. Music brings so much color to the classroom!