Easter is so late this year– I keep feeling like it’s already passed, but when I remember that we still have a little bit, I get excited about it again! Easter is a fun holiday, especially because it’s associated with Spring (and the extra chocolate doesn’t hurt!).
Like the few previous holidays, I’ve created a couple of Easter themed I-Spy pages: one in color, and one black and white. These make the perfect classroom activity for fast finishers, as a stand alone activity, or they can even be used for group work. They are also really great to print off and have your kids do on the car ride to grandma and grandpa’s house for the annual family Easter egg hunt. Laminate them and use them over and over again!
Regardless if you use them at home or in the classroom, I hope you and your kiddos enjoy them!
** As always, these are for personal or classroom use only. Please do not sell or re-post as your own. **
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner– time to prepare your leprechaun traps and gather your pots of gold! If fancy traps and extravagant celebrations aren’t your thing, it’s your lucky day! I’ve put together a couple of fun free printable I Spy games you can do with your students or with your kids at home. I’ve included both a color and a black and white version to fit all printing needs and capabilities.
**Free printables are only to be used for home or classroom use and must not be resold, distributed, or used as your own.**
Click on the links below to download and print yours!
Finding engaging, interesting non fiction books for teenagers can be a bit tricky sometimes. They don’t want to be bored by a book that reads like an encyclopedia or text book, and they need a book that is written on their level. Imagine handing an eighth grader a book about the discovery of bacteria and other germs that is written with a bunch of medical terms and jargon— you’d probably end up with a room full of frustrated kids who can’t understand what they are reading. It just wouldn’t go over well.
Thankfully non fiction books written for and geared toward teens are becoming more prevalent. I was always on the hunt for good informational texts to teach to my junior high classes. One of my favorite books to teach to my eighth graders was a book called Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman.
The book recounts a fascinating true story of a man named Phineas Gage, who, by an unlucky turn of events, was the unfortunate recipient of a tamping iron being blasted through his head while working on a railroad construction site in 1848. The rod, measuring 1 1/4” in diameter and 3’7” long, weighing just over 13 pounds, entered through his open mouth, passed behind his left eye, and exited through the top of his head. The tamping iron continued airborne and was found around 80 feet away from where Phineas was struck. How the accident happened is riveting in its own right, but what’s even more amazing is that somehow, Phineas survived the ordeal, and lived another 12 years after the accident!
The book follows Phineas after his accident, describing the personality and mental changes he experienced as a result of his injury. It also describes the amazing amount of brain research that Phineas was part of, and how this research led to the discovery of new information about how the brain works and what certain parts of it control.
It really is a fascinating story. Gruesome, as the title warns, but fascinating. Eighth graders would eat it up. It had just the right amount of gross, cool, interesting, and relatable to keep them engaged as we read through the text. It lent itself to a great opportunity for cross-curricular instruction and gave students a chance to learn some really cool things about the brain.
We always started the unit with a little background knowledge on the brain. I would show some real MRI scans and we’d map out and learn the different parts of the brain and what their functions are. We would learn about early beliefs about how the brain works and talk about how far our knowledge of the brain has come.
During the unit, we would discuss personality, sleep, brain development, and decision making. I would show short videos talking about how crucial sleep is for proper brain development, and videos about the teenage brain. I had students complete their own personal “mind map” where they filled a head-shaped outline with words and drawings of things that made them who they are. We would dive into how surgical protocol and procedures have changed for the better over time; they were always amazed that medical procedures were performed under such non-sterile conditions (as was I!).
We always ended our book study and unit with a research paper. Their topic was fairly open, as long as it was written about anything that had to do with the brain, its function, its science, etc. I would have papers turned in about dreams, the effects of music or art on the brain, learning deficits, speech disorders, cognitive and other disabilities, and so on.
It truly was an engaging unit, filled with so many opportunities to learn new information as well as make connections to what they already knew. I loved that it was a unit that combined English and Science, and that students were given the chance to use many different methods of learning: reading, research, video/technology, art, and critical thinking.
Even if you’re not in the market for a good non fiction book to teach to your class, keep it in mind for when you are or for when a student wants a recommendation for a good book to read. You can also add it to your own personal To-Be-Read list and watch as your mind becomes engrossed with this fascinating and true story!
If you’re looking for a fun last minute, super simple activity to do with your students, I’ve got you covered! All you need is a printer, paper, scissors, and something to color with! Click on the link below to download and print off four Valentine bookmarks. Leave them black and white, or color them in!
*Please do not sell or distribute this file. It is intended for only personal or classroom use.*
In continuing with some fun Valentine’s Day themed ideas for the classroom (or home!), I’ve created two different I Spy printables, one in color, and the other in black and white, so you can print whichever version works for you!
Put kids in to teams to find the pictures, have them work independently, or make it a whole class activity. Count each different picture, then add up the numbers to see how many total pictures are on the page. The options are plentiful, and the fun is endless!
Happy Spying!
*Please only use these printables for classroom or home use. Do not sell these files.*
Valentine’s Day is just a couple of weeks away! If you’re looking for a fun, easy Valentine’s Day themed activity for your class to do, I’ve got you covered! Click the boxes below to download a Valentine’s Day Word Scramble and/or a Valentine’s Day Word Search. Check back next week for some more Valentine’s Day fun!
*Please only use for home or classroom use. Do not sell or redistribute these files.*
One of my favorite novels to teach with my eighth grade students was The Giver by Lois Lowry. The novel is rich with themes and ideas that lend themselves to some really good classroom discussions. Because the main character is close in age to junior high students, it provided excellent opportunities for students to make text to self connections and dive deeper into the book and really try to understand what it would be like to live in the society that is portrayed in the novel.
The book is set in a “utopian” society. The people are pleasant and kind. They follow their laws and rules very obediently. The people don’t have memories, don’t see color, and they don’t feel pain, joy, love, sadness, etc. Weather is constant. There aren’t birthdays, and everyone born each year moves up a year (age) all together. They are assigned jobs as they become a 12, and begin training for their new assignment right away. Jonas, the main character, is given the assignment as The Receiver. His job is to receive and hold the memories of the past. It is a heavy responsibility. Through this assignment, Jonas learns just how imperfect his society really is.
Students today are pretty familiar with dystopian novels, as they have recently risen in popularity. So while the genre itself isn’t new to most kids, some of the ideas that are in the novel are, or are at least presented in a new way. This provides a plethora of discussion and thinking points for students to study as they read the novel. Below is a list of some ideas you can use as you teach this novel.
As an anticipatory assignment, have students brainstorm what makes a “perfect” society. What kinds of rules are there? How are jobs chosen/assigned? Is there school? How is healthcare handled? What kind of government is there, and how are leaders chosen?
After they have brainstormed, have students design their own perfect society.
Discuss the importance of names and individuality— the people in the novel are assigned a family unit and are assigned a name and a number.
Talk about color. This is a great chance to do some cross-curricular activities. Learn how the eyes see and process color. Imagine a world where color didn’t exist. Talk about how color can influence the way we perceive things and remember things.
Talk about memory. Have students write about their favorite or important memory in each category: family, friends, school, a time they were sad, and a time they were happy.
Discuss pain. Talk about what life would be like if we didn’t know pain of any kind. Find some quotes that talk about pain and have students write about what each quote means to them.
Talk about how the elderly are cared for in our society vs. in the novel.
If you feel your students are mature enough to handle it, appropriately teach them about euthanasia.
Talk about different kinds of government and the pros and cons of each kind.
Invite students to illustrate or write about a memory of their favorite celebration (holiday or birthday).
Have students write or think about what it would be like to experience a particular type of weather for the first time.
At the end of the novel, ask students to write an additional chapter where Jonas returns to his society and tries to teach friends and family about what he has learned.
Have students reflect on how Jonas’ society is skewed, and to note any similarities and differences they might see between where Jonas lives and where we live.
The Giver is full of so many opportunities to teach, discuss, and ponder the rights and wrongs of society. The topics, for the most part, are things that junior high students deal with or at least have dealt with in their lives. They can relate to Jonas as he navigates learning new things and goes through changes in his life. This novel opens up so many possibilities in a classroom and is a book that is worth reading!
