100th Day of School

On the 100th day of school, we shout hooray! Then we do everything the 100 way! Celebrate the first 100 days of school with math, reading, and writing activities. Let's look at 100th Day of School activities that you can use for remote instruction or in-person learning!

100 YEAR OLD STUDENTS

Prior to the 100th Day of School, invite your students to dress like they are 100 years old. Suggest articles of clothing they could wear, such as a cardigan, suspenders, pearls, newsboy hat, trousers, floral print dress, or a blouse. Choose an app that ages students and upload a picture! Alternatively, students can use the photo booth templates to age their selfie. Such fun!

COLLECTION

Prior to the 100th Day of School, ask students to bring a collection of 100 things that can fit in a lunch bag or sandwich sized Ziploc bag. Brainstorm suitable items, such as mini-marshmallows, coins, stamps, cereal, paperclips, or rubber bands. Have students showcase their collections. For older students, place items in a variety of arrays - 10 X 10, 25 X 4, 20 X 5, etc.

ALL ABOUT 100

 Learn about 100 and how we use it everyday. The presentation includes “Would You Rather" questions that are fun, as well as a thought-provoking. Choose a few students for each choice and have them explain why they picked that choice. The presentation also show words that contain centi-, such as centimetre! The presentation culminates with other fun facts about 100!

100TH DAY STORY

In the story, 100th Day Worries, Jessica is a worrier. She worries about everything, and that includes what to bring to class for 100th Day. Nothing she can think of seems right. To introduce the story, show a zoomed-in portion of a larger picture. Students guess the possible 100th Day collection based on this small glimpse. Listen to the story and then have the students complete the questions.

BEAT THE TIMER 

“Beat the Timer” is another fun counting game. Can you make it to the number 100 in 100 seconds?! First, set the timer for 100 seconds and see if the class can count to 100 before the time expires. Once they are successful, make the game more challenging by setting the timer for 90 seconds, then 80 seconds, and so on.

WHEN I’M 100 

“When I’m 100” is a fun writing prompt for the 100th Day. For extra fun, you could have the students use an aging app. Then, they could insert their 100 year old selfie onto their digital writing assignment.

Map Skills

When a map of the world showed Canada in pink, did you think it was literally a pink country? You may not now, but this is a common misconception when primary students see areas displayed this way.  

Maps are a part of our everyday lives. Maps are special pictures that give information. Maps can show us where things are. Maps can show us how to get somewhere. And maps can show us how far away a place is. But how do we first learn to read and interpret them?

Let's have students examine different representations of the Earth - satellite images, aerial images, world maps, climate maps, city maps, park maps, globes - and even, treasure maps!

Check out two of my resources that help build students' map literacy skills! Click on the image to view the resource in my store!

This resource investigates the Earth using mapping skills, geographical concepts, directions, and representations of the Earth. The presentation and activities focus on: 

•  Interpret various model representations of the Earth. 
•  Identify geographical concepts. 
•  Locate and identify the continents and oceans on a map or globe. 
•  Use rotation and revolution. 
•  Locate studied countries on a map or globe. 
•  Use compass directions to describe location. 

This resource builds map literacy skills. Students use various maps to locate and explore different countries. The presentation and activities focus on:

•  Identify geographical concepts.
•  Locate and identify the continents on a map or globe. 
•  Examine and analyze different types of maps. 
•  Describe the features of studied countries. 
•  Use compass directions to describe location.

Happy New Year!

Looking for ways to ring in the New Year with your students?

These are my favourite picture books to share with students.

Celebrate the new year with this resource. 

It is complete with information, discussion questions, interactive activities, and a flappable book to display! 2022 will begin with plenty of fun. 

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: 

⭐ Word Search

⭐ Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Complete the Pictures 

⭐ Creating Resolutions

⭐ Documenting Memories Of The Past Year 

⭐ Thinking About What They Are Looking Forward To This Year 

⭐ Flappable Book 

 Intended for grade two, grade three, or grade four students, this resource is a perfect an introduction to the new year! Everything is prepped - you are ready to teach and go!

Navigating Nonfiction

As students progress through the grades, more and more of their reading is done in nonfiction, or expository, materials-content area textbooks, reference books, periodicals, and informative articles on the Internet, for example. 

Because the main purpose for reading these texts is to acquire information, the reasons for teaching our students efficient and effective strategies for tackling this type of text are compelling. Students need explicit instruction in identifying and best utilizing the text features and text structures they encounter. If students learn to read the signposts that are guides to the organization of a particular piece of nonfiction, they will be better equipped to navigate their way through and comprehend the material.

Excited to get your kids hooked on nonfiction texts? Check out my digital resource, Reading Information Texts to help students navigate nonfiction. Readers will learn how to approach nonfiction texts, identify and utilize text features, figure out tricky words, and determine facts related to the main idea.  It includes: 

• EIGHT presentations for Google Slides™
• Interactive activities for EACH presentation. 

The EIGHT topics are: 

1.  Story Types (Fiction vs. Nonfiction)
2. Text Types (Features and Structures of Fiction and Nonfiction) 
3. Author's Purpose 
4. Fact vs. Opinion 
5. Context Clues 
6. Main Ideas 
7. Main Idea and Details 
8. Text Features 

There is NO PREP! You will be provided links to each presentation. Each presentation is made for Google Slides™ , but can also be downloaded as a PowerPoint™. The interactive activities can be presented online or downloaded and completed as printables.

Poetry

April is Poetry Month!

It is a time to play with words, line breaks, and figurative language. 

Introduce Poetry

Poetry is everywhere! Share popular jingles, catchy songs, sweet greeting card verses, and nursery rhymes. 

Build Excitement

Evoke giggles with poems authored by Shel Silverstein, Dennis Lee, and Jack Prelutsky. “Sick”, “The Planet Of Mars”, “Alligator Pie” and “Green Giant” are sure to cause gales of laughter. 

Rhyme and Rhythm

Sing popular children’s songs such as “The Ants Go Marching In”, “Down By The Bay”, and “Mister Sun” to help students understand rhythm and rhyme. Introduce rhyming couplets and variations of “Roses are Red”.

Imagery

Pop popcorn. Have students write sensory words to describe the popcorn. Create a 5 senses poem using the brainstormed list. My students brainstormed phrases such as, “I see buttery pillows of delight”, “I hear bulldozers gnashing into the yellow goodness”.  Draw a picture of the “Green Giant” in Jack Prelutsky’s poem or the horse in Armstrong’s “I Would Like To Be A Horse”. 

Trickster Tales

Have you ever read trickster tales?

Trickster tales are entertaining stories that have been retold for generations as a way to teach lessons about human behaviour.  Tricksters are loveable, but cunning as they use their knowledge to play tricks on others!

Why Teach Trickster Tales?

The tales are great ways to strengthen these concepts:

1.  Characterization
2.  Personification
3.  Lesson or moral
4. Compare and contrast similar tales

Tales To Share

Almost every culture has its own trickster characters. Here are my favourites:

ANANSI is a trickster from West African and Caribbean stories, and is full of wit and cunning. Anansi and The Moss Covered Rock and Anansi and The Talking Melon are fun read alouds.

RAVEN is a trickster from the First Peoples of the Northwest Pacific Coast from Alaska to British Columbia. Raven is alternatively a clever and foolish  bird-human whose voracious hunger and greed give rise to humourous adventures. Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest is a great book to share.

COYOTE is a comic trickster character from North American Indigenous stories, who is lack of wisdom gets him into trouble, and his cleverness gets him back out. Students will enjoy Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest.

LEPRECHAUN plays several roles in Irish folklore; he is principally a roguish trickster figure who cannot be trusted and will deceive whenever possible. Clever Tom and The Leprechaun is a delightful tale.

WESAKECHAK is a trickster character whose adventures are often humourous, but unlike Plains First People tricksters he is portrayed as a staunch friend of humankind. Wesakechak Tales will be devoured by your students.

Structures and Materials

A tennis shoe is a structure. It holds our foot securely, so we can walk or run. A bicycle is a structure. It has a certain shape and size. It is built securely so we can sit on it and it can take us places. Learning about structures can be LOADs of fun!!!

Students will look at structures in our NATURAL environment, as well as MAN MADE structures. 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most famous structures in Italy. 

Learn about why it leans, as well as famous landmarks:

  

Through interactive Google Slides, students will experiment and learn about:

• The STRENGTH of a structure is its ability to hold a load.
• The STABILITY of a structure is its ability to maintain balance and to stay in one spot. 
• The PROPERTIES of materials, such as STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, and DURABILITY, need to be considered when building materials. 
• The TYPES of structures, such as FRAME, SOLID, and SHELL.
• FORCES that affect the shape, balance, or position of structures.
• STRUTS and TIES which help strengthen and stabilize structures.

If you are looking for fun ways to teach Structures and Materials, whether face-to-face or digital, this resource is for you.