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August Lesson Plan Ideas-Activities-Theme Units-Worksheets

August Lesson Plan Ideas For You

Here are some ideas to incorporate August events in your classroom:

August Is Back To School For Teachers - Worksheets, Lessons

National Inventors Month - Worksheets

August 5th - American Family Day - Workbook

August 6th- Alexander Fleming's Birthday - Worksheets, Guide

August 8th - President Richard M. Nixon Resigns - Worksheets, Lessons

August 18th - Wizard of Oz Premiered in 1939. - Teacher Guide

August 24 - Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. - Worksheets, Lessons

August 26 - U.S. Women Gain the Right to Vote - Worksheets, Lessons

August 27th - Mother Teresa's Birthday - Worksheets, Lessons

August 28th - Dr. King gives "I Have a Dream" Speech - Worksheets, Lessons

See All August Events and Celebrations

Weekly Tips for Teachers Issue 629: July 30, 2012

Source: http://www.teach-nology.com/newsletters/629.html

 

More August Activities-Lesson Plans-Theme Units:

http://mrscjacksonsclass.com/

http://www.mrscjacksonsclass.com/august.htm

Educating the Whole Child - Happy New School Year!

Happy New Year! The dog days of August are approaching and, soon, school doors will open welcoming students to a new school year. With any new year, we are given to both reflection and resolution. As you reflect on your past practices as a teacher, find those things that not only worked but made teaching enjoyable. As you make your resolutions for the upcoming school year, let one of them be to educate the whole child. Educating the whole child consists of five components. 1.       Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle. It cannot be overstated the impact a student’s health has on both short-term and long-term achievement. Does your school culture support and reinforce the health and well-being of each child? If not, then let it begin with you. Be attentive to your students and watch for any changes in behavior or increased absenteeism. When you see signs, take positive actions; after all, inaction is the same as acting negatively. Use parent conference to discuss nutrition and a home environment that includes opportunities for active play. Work with them and others in the school community to identify health care providers to help children get the medical attention they need. For yourself, model a healthy lifestyle so that you influence not just their learning but also their health and physical well-being. 2.       Each student learns in an intellectually challenging environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults. Safety is a basic pre-condition to learning as none of us wants to spend a majority of our waking day in an environment where we do not feel safe. If you are given duty, use it as a time to monitor what the students are doing. Take a pro-active approach to make sure children are safe-especially if you see children victimized or bullied. Make sure your classroom is a safe haven of community because for some students it may the only safe place they have to go. Let your actions speak of safety and respect and try not to shut your door, emotionally or physically, in the face of a child. 3.       Each student is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the broader school community. Successful students are connected to their school community-they feel safe, they recognize that everyone on campus respects them, and they begin to make positive choices that impact their well-being across the rest of their lives. This connectedness makes school a place they want to be rather than have to be. When students want to be in school, they will be; and when they are in school, learning takes place. Take time to get to know your students and provide opportunities for them to get to know one another. To minimize the impact and effects of bullying, use class time to talk about respect and make sure that everyone who enters your classroom models the rules that you and your students abide by. Removing the challenges and barriers to school participation helps students focus on their learning and fosters active engagement that is self-driven and self-directed. You want your students to engage in inquiry to expand their learning and their success in order to enhance intrinsic motivation. 4.       Each student has access to personalized learning and to qualified caring adults. All students have unique learning needs and your classroom is home to students with disabilities, those who are gifted and talented, speak different languages, and a host of other characteristics and values. It may not be possible to personalize learning 100% of the time but there are opportunities that you need to take advantage of. Think about the feedback you give to your students. Make sure the feedback is tied to learning goals and reflects information that benefits students collectively and individually. It also helps if it is sometimes spontaneous and does not result in a grade. More significantly, personalize the feedback so that it actually helps the student shape behavior and improve individual learning. This is just one way that you can begin to personalize learning for your students. 5.       Each high school graduate is prepared for success in college, for further study, and/or for employment in the global environment. More and more emphasis is being placed on ensuring that students graduate from high school college and career-ready with the ability to succeed in a global environment. As daunting as this may seem, it begins with setting high expectations for all students in the context of curricula that embeds learning disciplines. English is no longer just English; it embodies the depth of history, the precision of hard sciences, or the richness of art. Teach across disciplines and work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that what you teach is aligned vertically with other grade levels and content. Also, actively incorporate critical thinking skills in instruction and recognize the benefit of utilizing technology such as smart phones and iPads as well as the power of social media such as Twitter and Facebook when used as learning tools. Take time to expand your own understanding and use of technology; you also have to be successful in the global environment. Effective teaching is not so much about being the “sage on the stage” as it is the “guide on the side.” Structure your classroom and your instruction to align with qualitative and quantitative data that makes the most of your time in front of your students and their time in your classroom. Learning is life-long, not an August-to-June practice where one year exists in isolation from one another. It is connected just like life. As you begin this new year, resolve to teach the whole child. Oh, and Happy New Year! For more information on Teaching the Whole Child,  visit: http://www.ascd.org/Default.aspx Source: An E-newsletter from the Texas State Teachers Association - August 2012  2012 Texas State Teachers Association • 316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX 78701 • 877-ASK-TSTA

I Teach Poem of Inspiration

"I Teach"

~I teach because there is a great fulfillment that comes
in working with boys and girls.

~I teach because I wanted to be a sculptor, and I can do so,
by shaping lives for the future.

~I teach because I wanted to be an artist, and I can do so,
by painting dreams for children.

~I wanted to be a musician, and I can,
in giving inspiration to children.

~I teach because I wanted to be a historian, and I can
in having recorded something for the lives of great men to come.

~I teach because I wanted to be a poet, and I can
in writing impressive passages of mankind.

~I teach because of the reward I receive when a child's frown
turns to smiles, or when he/she says, "Now I understand."

~I teach because of the personal growth I receive each day as
I venture out on a quest for knowledge and techniques
to help my students understand.

~I teach for it is in this where I can see the worthwhile
and true fulfillment of living.

~Author Unknown~

More Teacher Sayings, Quotes, Tips, Ideas, Lessons, Units, W.S.

http://mrscjacksonsclass.com/

Back-to-School Guide For Teachers

 Back-to-School Guide
For Beginning Teachers
(And Not-So-New Teachers Too)!

"Welcome to Education World's Back-to-School Guide for Beginning Teachers. Not-so-new teachers will also find classroom-friendly materials to expand their teaching files in this compilation of online resources from Education World writer Joan Luddy. Included: Resources for getting your feet on the ground, lesson planning tips, assessment ideas, time and behavior management resources, classroom freebies, technology information, humor and more.
 
Education World has surfed deep into the Web to pull together this Back-to-School Guide for Beginning Teachers -- a virtual survival guide for educators about to begin their first year in the classroom or for classroom veterans who are always looking for fresh ideas.
Before you go any further, have you visited Education World's Back to School theme page?"

Source: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr264.shtml
More Resources: http://mrscjacksonsclass.com/

Creating a Classroom Community

Grades: PreK to 12

"A successful classroom community promotes positive social skills and academic achievement. Children learn best when they feel they are part of a community, where everyone feels accepted and where individuality is encouraged. Creating a Classroom Community requires planning and practice. Read how you can help foster a sense of belonging where children learn how to participate in class meetings, work collaboratively and resolve conflicts peacefully."

See More at the Source: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/creating-classroom-community-0

Back to New School Year Checklist for First Day

First Day Checklist

1. Have 3 copies of your class roster with the child's home phone number listed. Keep one on your desk, one on the wall for emergency drills, and one in your take home bag (I keep mine in a monthly planner in my bag) for reference.
2. Have a name tag for each student to wear for the first 3-5 days that includes
* His/her Complete Name
*Address
*Bus number (or walker, car rider)
*School name and phone number
*Your name
(I laminate my students tags hole punch them and string them as necklaces with a note ***(laminated) on the back of each one that tells parents to send the tag back to school every day for the first week until we have established our dismissal routine.) ***Tip--Use Avery Address labels and your printer to quickly print up 20+ copies of the return tag request. Then you can easily peel them off and stick them on the back of your name tags before laminating them! I use these same tags for field trips except I use the shipping labels) E-mail me (below) if you need more info.!
3. Have your first week planned, and ALL materials prepared~~but always over plan! I never get to half of what I had planned the first week of school due to first week changes and interruptions, but I feel better knowing I am ready and over prepared if necessary! I suggest keeping a monthly planner and an ongoing "to do list", "to buy list", and "materials to prepare list."
This keeps me on track and it's also a helpful resource when I have parents who want to volunteer or help out in some way. 4. Have a copy of your lesson plans on your desk and one in your take home bag (in case the first gets lost in the shuffle of madness the first few days!) I staple a copy to my monthly planner so I will always have one for reference if I need it.)
5. Have a signed form from each parent regarding HOW their child is to go home from school. I have parents fill out a special form that tells me how their child is to go to and from school, and how their child is to go home in case of an early release day due to bad weather. I keep the original copy of this with my sub folder in the office, and make an extra copy that stays in my desk until the last day of school.
To print a copy of my Transportation / Emergency Contact Form CLICK HERE.
6. Have 1 sharpened pencil ready for each student on their desk. This saves you the headache of everyone wanting to visit the pencil sharpener first thing on the first day and it's also a nice little gift for kids to find on their desk the first day!
7. Have stations prepared as to where you want the children to put their supplies. Decide what you want and don't want to have the kids have at their desks! Ex. "Girls, bring all tissues to the round table." Bring all paint shirts to the yellow basket. Bring all markers to the square table, etc. This keeps you organized while trying to gather student supplies. Have 2-3 volunteers to help you check items for student names, with permanent markers in hand to quickly write names if needed. If parents bring their children, which they almost all do on the first day of Kindergarten~have them double check their child's name on all supplies before leaving and have permanent markers on the table available for the parents. To make a long story short~have a place in mind to put all of these new supplies! :o) 8. After all supplies are put away I show the kids where their backpacks and coats will go. Have all individual desks, cubbies, hooks and spaces labeled, ready and waiting for the children and their supplies. 9. Be prepared for 'new' students not on your roster due to late enrollment. Have blank name and desk tags, and cubby tags ready for them and prepare extra materials "just in case!" You want these children to feel just as welcome as those who enrolled early.
10. Remember--That the first days, weeks and months of kindergarten (or any grade!) are ALWAYS the hardest for the kids and teachers!
Remember~~ your class WILL establish a routine and things will begin to flow. It just takes time! After several years of teaching, I still have to remind myself of this through the months of September and October! 

See the Source: http://www.kinderthemes.com/backtoschool.html