- Subjects:Reading, Language Arts, Writing, Teacher Tips and Strategies
Spring is here – already! Wow, where does the time go? Here are a few ideas to help students, not only embrace and enjoy the new season, but also learn or review concepts from the curriculum. If you have any other Spring related ideas, please do share!
Crazy Caterpillar Sentences
Modeled after Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," you can have your students design a crazy caterpillar sentence. Here's what you need:
- green and red construction paper
- laminator
- scissors
- dry erase marker
- permanent marker
- dry eraser
Take a few sheets of green construction paper and laminate them. Cut them into large circles. On a few of the circles write "WHO", "WHEN", "WHERE", "WHAT", "WHY", "HOW" with a permanent marker. Be sure to create a head and a behind for the caterpillar. You may want to create a behind with different the different ending marks. Distribute the parts of the caterpillar to students. Have students write any name, action, or place that matches the title of their part with a dry erase marker. Have the group put their caterpillar together on a table or attach to a board using magnets or tape. Read the sentence to the class, having them help change it to make it better or different. Vary the amount of parts to increase/decrease difficulty and use as many as appropriate to your grade/class level. For accountability, you can re-purpose this Scholastic Printable for students to copy the sentence down or have them write it in their Writer's Notebook or Writing Journal.
Design a Descriptive Daisy!
Students can sharpen their descriptive skills by designing a spring daisy with construction paper. You'll need the following materials:
- various colors of construction paper (cut the size of an index card)
- markers or crayons
- scissors
- cut out/die cut construction paper (yellow or white) circles for the center of the flower
- green paper cut in strips for the stem (don't forget to leave some for the leaves!)
Have students pick a person, place, or thing. They can write that in the circle for the center of the flower. They can then choose a few colors for their petals. Have them cut out petals for their flowers. Then, have students write in words or sentences that describe their person, place, or thing. Have them assemble their flowers, and add it to the classroom learning garden. Time an issue? Do the same activity with just a class set of this clip art from Scholastic Printables.
Sequence in Spring!
It's never a bad idea to review sequencing. Scholastic Printables has a great amount of worksheets for sequencing. In case you have a bit more time, you can have your students do this activity. You'll need:
- half sheets of plain copy paper
- staplers
- pencils
Students will make a sequence book. Either compile the books yourself or give students a set amount of half-sheets (perhaps start with three) to make the pages. Fold them in half and staple the side. Students can then draw an activity or a cycle of something (goes along great with a bean-growing activity). Once their book is complete, they can write descriptive sentences using transitions like: first, then, next, and last.
Do you have any more spring-related ideas? Please share them on TeacherShare for a chance at a 2GB Flash Drive! Or here, we love new ideas! :-)
Thanks for reading!
Eric
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