Educational & Tasty Candy Cane Activities

Visions of candy canes will be dancing in your students' heads after they complete these candy cane themed (and of course educational) activities! In honor of National Candy Cane Day, on December 26, these fun activities are great for your students' minds as well as their sweet tooth.

Family Tree Project: Teaching Students About their History & Heritage

As we approach Thanksgiving, it is common to discuss the first settlers, Native Americans, and the history of America. Since the first settlers, the United States has been a multi-cultural nation. What a great time to discuss, explore, and research the ethnicities and cultures that makes us unique.

As part of studying the different cultures of America, encourage students to investigate their own heritage. Where did their ancestors come from? To which ethnic groups did their ancestors belong? Set up a "Heritage" corner in your classroom. Have students bring recipes, stories, photographs, etc. that relate to their family's heritage to share with their classmates.

As you know, making learning personal, keeps students interested! Use these resources and interview questions to help students build their family tree and map their family's story. They will be working on geography, history, and research skills, all while learning about themselves.

10 Fast Finisher Activities

What can I do now?! Answer the age-old question for your students who find themselves done before the rest of the class with these 10 Fast Finisher activities. Download our Fast Finisher Bingo (free download) game to give your fast finishers a variety of activities to complete that won't interrupt you or their classmates. Bonus! More free downloads below.

Literacy Center: Silly Synonyms Game

Literacy centers are perfect for independent study as well as cooperative learning. But it can be time consuming creating skill centers for your class. This free skill center is a sample from our Skill Center Series that features time-saving, ready-made activities for busy teachers like you!

Follow these easy steps to play this fun game that will challenge students to match similar word meanings. While playing the game, students will get plenty of practice understanding and using synonyms.

Patriotic Pinwheel Craft

This hands-on pinwheel craft is a great summertime activity! For one, you'll be inside and out of the heat. Two, you can make it thematic for the Forth of July. And three, your kiddos will be working on reading and following instructions–skills that they can take with them into the next school year and the real world.

Unique Ways to Squeeze in Summer Reading

Some students just don't love reading. The idea of sitting down to read for 5 or 10 minutes (let alone 30) can seem daunting to some students. How on earth can you motivate struggling and reluctant readers to read the necessary 20 minutes a day over the summer? Try these unique activities, tips, and games that will help you squeeze in summer reading without making your kiddos feel like they are sitting down to read a chapter book–don't worry, you'll work up to that!

5 Reasons to Use Cloze Reading

Cloze reading is a wonderful springboard for comprehension.  When students complete a cloze passage and have the opportunity to discuss their responses, more significant growth in comprehension takes place. Students not only gain a greater understanding of the concepts introduced in the text, but they improve and expand multiple skills.  These skills are five undeniable reasons why you should use cloze reading with your students.

Treasure Hunt: Map Activity & Science Experiment

Take students on an adventurous treasure hunt with this thrilling mapping exercise and science experiment! This activity will have students working on reading comprehension, mapping skills, following directions, writing, and science. Bonus! Get free downloads below.

Teaching & Reviewing Essential Survival Signs & Symbols

We encounter special signs, symbols, and directions in every area of our lives. They provide us with information and tell us what we can and cannot do. Knowing what they mean is vital. Knowing them is even more essential for students who are trying to expand their knowledge outside the classroom into the real world. We've put together some fun, hands-on activities to help you teach and review the essential signs and symbols with your students.

Setting & Attaining Goals with your Students

Resolutions are a just a fancy way of saying goals. You and your students can make simple goals work for you at the beginning of the year or the middle. Just start where you are, take small steps, and you can achieve any goal with your students. Here's how...