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Thanksgiving Thank You Notes (FREEBIE)

It's Caitlin here from Teach Inspire Change! 

One thing that I personally love to do is write thank you notes. Generally, when I send someone a thank you note, they are shocked, which says to me that thank you notes are going out of style. And they absolutely should not be. There's something truly special about sitting down and expressing your gratitude to someone through a written note. So with Thanksgiving just around the corner, we put together a super helpful resource for you to write thank you notes in your classroom. If I were still in the classroom, I would certainly spend an entire class period working on thank you notes - you could even make your own thank you notes if you're the extra creative, scrapbook-y type!

I really hope you enjoy using this freebie with your students. Happy Thanksgiving to you all - you're almost there :)

P.S. If you're at a loss for a short and challenging unit to teach before the Thanksgiving holiday or even before the Christmas holiday, our "The Gift of the Magi" unit is an excellent resource!

Adult Coloring in the Classroom

Hello all! It's Shana from Hello, Teacher Lady

Believe it or not, the holidays are quickly approaching! As a teacher, trying to plan around them can be a little tricky -- you've got those days leading up to a break when many kids are out of town and also those pesky (but glorious) half days where you don't see all your classes. Because of this uncertainty, I try not to plan anything major during these times, but then that begs the question of what actually to do (without assigning a bunch of "busy work").

Enter adult coloring pages!

Adult coloring is pretty trendy these days, but for good reason. It's relaxing, fun, and allows you to be creative without having to think too hard -- a perfect activity for excited students on those days surrounding a break! We all know that students can be extra squirrely around the holidays, but I've noticed that adult coloring pages have a wonderful calming effect which helps combat the squirrelyness (yes, these are words!).

Check out some of my favorite resources for free adult coloring printables below:

http://www.everythingetsy.com/2015/08/printable-coloring-pages-for-adults-15-free-designs/

http://www.art-is-fun.com/free-adult-coloring-pages

http://bydawnnicole.com/2015/05/free-printable-coloring-page-bookmarks.html

Thanks for stopping by!

Community Involvement

Mandy from Caffeine and Lesson Plans here, blogging about one of my favorite parts about teaching during the holidays... community involvement!

Clipart by Freepik

It's hard to imagine what life would be like without community in our classrooms. So much of what we do is based upon encouraging our students to engage in their classroom and school communities through personal connections, activities, and kindness. It's so natural to extend that community outside of our school walls and into our towns and cities!  For the past few years, I have participated in a few activities a year that help my students give back. I've noticed my students feel more interested in learning about our city and helping people nearby AND within our own classroom. By working together to help others, we are building our own community... which enables us to be better teammates and cooperative learners. It's a win/win! So, here are some ideas for getting your students involved in your local community. 

1. Write a Letter

It seems simple, doesn't it? Just write a letter! Well- here's the thing- it is simple. You and your students can create a batch of letters in just one or two class periods. Their impact is big though. Send them to a local nursing home or hospice around the holidays to bring happiness to the elderly or ill. Write thank you notes to the Firemen and Policemen for all that they do in your community. Let your city councilors, school committee, and Mayor know how much you appreciate their hard work for the school system. Send cheerful "hello" notes to a local shelter for people that are "hard up." Or, just write a letter to someone you admire in the community. Doctors, nurses, mailmen- the options are endless. I always make sure that my students only sign their notes with their first name to maintain confidentiality. 

2. Organize an benefit

Giving to others makes us feel inherently good. Why not capitalize on that? Do something for the community- organize a canned food drive, collect spare change, or ask for old winter coats and hats. See if a representative from the charity can come to your classroom to pick up your donation so your students can see the impact they are having! If not, bring back pictures of the drop off to help them make the connection.

3. Create craft bags

Put together small craft bags for local shelters that cater to families with children. When families are put in a bad situation, any little distraction can be helpful for children. Sometimes nursing homes will be able to use these, as well! I have had success with finding something simple on pinterest, copying easy directions (sometimes with photos), and putting all the necessary bits in a bag. Usually, a messy craft isn't very well received, so I recommend no glitter, minimal glue/paint, and lots of clean-up supplies (if needed). If you want to really stretch your funds, the most inexpensive bags I have made have been a few crayons and some printed our coloring pages. My classroom dropped these off at our local police department to be given to students in crisis. It makes a tough time in life better just a little bit better.

4. Make pet pillows for the local shelter

Take old scraps of fabric or pillowcases, stuff them with batting, and use fabric glue to close them. Instant pet pillows for animals in need of a home! This one can be tricky for younger kids, but my fifth graders had no problem. I did end up running the pillows through my sewing machine as well to ensure the seam would not let go, but I think that could be avoided with a better fabric glue. Don't get yours at the dollar store like I did... lesson learned!

5. Grow plants to donate to public city buildings

Such a fun way to integrate science and community involvement! Last year, my students grew plants in small pots (donated by the local hardware store). We are lucky to have a greenhouse at my school, so we could grow them year round. Once they were flowering, we decorated the pots and brought them to city hall to be displayed. It was fun for the students to see the flowers when they went with their parents to city hall.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Top 3 Service ideas for Middle Schoolers

I live by the phrase "To whom much is given, much is expected."

I like to ask my middle schoolers what they think about this phrase too.  What does it mean?  Do they think it's true?  Why do they think that?  What is expected? 

Generally they come up with the idea of "paying it forward" but they're not really sure how.  So I always have some ready to go ideas that I will share with you today.

#1

Have you ever heard of Operation Christmas Child?  It's an organization that collects shoeboxes full of gifts to give to children in all parts of the world.  For the children who receive these gifts, this is the one and only gift they'll receive for Christmas or for any other reason.  When you tell your middle schoolers that the children won't be getting video games or iPhone or movies or any of the high priced things they hope to receive, they'll be thunderstruck.  They won't believe it's true.  So you might want to show them a video like the one below of children in the poorest countries screaming with glee as they receive their shoebox.

  And then you might just find some students who would like to help you make a class box.  I make one for each class period.  If a student says they can't donate anything to the box, I have them write a letter to the recipient.  This way everyone contributes.

***

#2

Another great way to be of service is to form relationships with your local seniors at an assisted living facility.

What began as a Christmas Caroling and Craft event quickly turned into a relationship between my 6th graders and our "Grandfriends".  On our way home after that cool, December day, one student said "When can we go back?" and when everyone else wanted to know the same thing, I knew what we had to do.

    We played BINGO with them, invited them to judge speech contests, had picnic lunches with them and then had the idea to host a 100th birthday party for one our best friends.

It was the most rewarding experience ever as the students thought about someone else and planned events to make these people feel like royalty.  In turn, they taught my students the value of a life well spent with stories of work ethic and good, clean fun without technology.

You may never know the impact such a relationship can have on all involved, but you will see growth in your students that you may never have thought possible.

***

#3

One more way to be of service is to spread awareness.  This sounds "cheesy" to students sometimes until you introduce them to the PSA - Public Service Announcement.  I like to show old ones that make important points, but could maybe use a more modern flair to get people's attention.  

Then I challenge students to  create one for something they feel strongly about.  We use things like Animoto.com and iMovie just to name a couple.  Then I get them played on our morning TV announcements.  

Be ready!  Sometimes these PSAs turn into various drives at school and you'll find yourself collecting cans of dog food for the local shelter.  It's all worth it of course, as long as the students are the ones really doing the work.  :)

What do you do at your school to promote service learning?  Join in the conversation by commenting below!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Christmas Carol Project & Task Cards

Before Christmas break, my students and I were reading the short story version of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens from Scope Magazine, which I found online and saved here .  I found a great lesson on ReadWriteThink.org (RWT) called “Beyond the Story:  A Dickens of a Party.  

In this lesson, students are required to research 4 specific areas (history, fashion, entertainment, and etiquette) regarding the Victorian Period, which is when "A Christmas Carol" takes place.  In order to incorporate technology (and make the assignment a little easier for me to grade) I used the information provided on the RWT website and created virtual task cards using power point on each of the areas students were to investigate.  On each card I included links that students could click on in order to perform their research.  Then I posted this assignment on Edmodo.  This allowed students to have the option to complete part of the assignment at home, if needed, and then submit their work using Edmodo, as well. If you aren't familiar with Edmodo, Education Technology & Mobile Learning posted a great video tutorial on how to use Edmodo in the classroom here.  The lesson turned out great and even kept my students engaged during that last week of school before getting out for Christmas! 

I have included the instructions I provided my students, as well as directions for how to use Edmodo, below.  Have you used virtual task cards in your classroom?  I'd love to hear how they worked for you!

Practicing Gratitude

Wedged between sugar-coated Halloween insanity and the frenzy of holiday shopping is that quiet holiday:  Thanksgiving.

Younger grades may dress up or bring items to school for a feast to commemorate the first Thanksgiving, but for older students, the holiday is often glossed over as we rush to finish work before an extra -long weekend. 

However, we have the opportunity to create a different, more literal, Thanksgiving.  One that offers life-long benefits … and that is teaching our students the practice of gratitude.

According the Huffington Post’s article The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier by Ocean Robbins, several studies have looked at how expressing gratitude can impact our lives.  The studies conclude that people who practice gratitude are happier and healthier than those who do not.  They have better relationships with others and have improved moods. 

The bottom line:  think about what you are thankful for – and find a way to say “thank you.”

After reading some of those studies on gratitude and then John Kralik’s book 365 Thank Yous:  The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed my Life several years ago, I decided I’d have my eighth graders practice daily gratitude through their journal writing. 

One study had participants write three things they were grateful for each day. 

That sounded easy enough.

After a brief intro, I sat down with my students during journal time and, along with my students, wrote three things I was grateful for. 

But by the end of the week, there was a problem.  My students weren’t really reflecting on what it meant when they created their list.  They wrote vague items like:  1) sports  2) my dog  3) food.  All wonderful things to be grateful for, but repeating the same list day after day (in a variety of versions) wasn’t getting to the heart of gratitude.

We first had to figure out what it means to feel gratitude.  It sounds easy at first – it means to say “thank you.”  But it is more than feeling obligated to say thank you to Aunt Bertha when she offers you a stale oatmeal cookie.  It’s more that automatically saying “thanks” to the person who serves you lunch or holds the door open for you.  Like saying “I’m sorry,” thanking someone needs to be felt.

I then created a series of journal prompts for my students to help them focus and stretch.  True, we are grateful for the circle of wonderful people, places, and things (sports, my dog, food) around us, but we are also grateful for wider circles – such as nature, our earth, cities, countries, the people we never see who provide us with food and clean water…the list goes on and on.  The prompts helped my students think beyond the obvious.  I included inspirational quotes that shared a different point of view about thankfulness.  

And then once we feel that gratitude, can we act on it?  Most of the time, yes!

Do your students know how to write a thank you note?  Students don’t have to be like John Kralik and write a thank you note each day for an entire year (!), but perhaps just one.  

Not only do you have the opportunity to teach your students the forgotten art of writing thank you notes, you are also going to be the catalyst to make someone’s day.  Imagine being on the receiving end of one of those thank you notes!

Of course, we can and should practice gratitude every day.  But November seems like the best time to do this, especially if we can squeeze that practice into the crazy-busy time before the December holidays.

Give your students an opportunity to slow down our frantic October – January by practicing gratitude. 

Thank you for reading!

Ps:  If you would like a free copy of the pocket Gratitude Journal I created, please head over to my TeachersPay Teachers store.  I will be offering it as a freebie for the next 24 hours to say “thank you” to you!