I look for any opportunity to get my students up and moving around the classroom. I can remember when I was a student, and constantly being concerned about the time because I was ready to move! 

My students know that when a new topic or concept is being introduced that they will be sitting. However, they know that I like to move as much as they do, so they also know partnering up or moving around will soon follow the whole class lesson. 

When it’s time to practice, one of my favorite ways to have my students move around the room is by using task cards. Task cards can be used in all subject areas and offer great opportunities for adding movement to an activity. 

Before our activity, I will have posted the task cards around the room or in the hallway.  This will be the basis of our Write the Room or Scavenger Hunt activity.  The only other thing I need is the recording sheets and a bin of clipboards set out for the students to easily grab. 

Each student moves to a task card to begin the activity. The first thing they do at each task card is to look for the question number on the card.  This will correlate with the number on their answer sheet. Then they read the question and answer the question by writing the answer on the recording page. 

The order in which the students complete the task cards changes depending on the size of the group. If a small group is working with task cards, I will let them move at their own pace. When they are finished with a card, they can move to another card as long as they have completed each one by the end. 

If the whole class is working with the task cards, I will have the movement be more structured. They will have a certain amount of time to work on the task card, and then they will all move clockwise to the next card. 

This is just one way to use task cards! There are SO many more ways you can use task cards as a strategy to increase student engagement! You can learn about 24 more ideas on how to use task cards in your classroom that are fun and engaging for your students! 

In the Elementary Island TPT Store, I have many sets of task cards for Math, English, and Reading. They all have different levels of difficulty to help differentiate for your students as well! 

Another amazing strategy that increases student engagement is a class Seek and Find Challenge. I started this because I wanted to incorporate a way for my students to always be on the lookout for the things we are learning in their day-to-day lives.  Not only does it engage students but they also take ownership of their learning.

The Seek and Find Challenge encourages students to look for things they have learned about in class in the books they are reading, TV shows they are watching, or in other day-to-day activities. Whether in class or at home, students are encouraged to write down what they found and post it on the Seek and Find board.

The first time I tried this with my class we were studying word building with prefixes. One day, during a read aloud we came upon a word with a prefix.  I stopped and showed students the word and we discussed how it connected to what we were learning in grammar. When the students realized this was a “real life” example they got really excited.  I grabbed a sticky note and wrote down the word, underlining the prefix.  Then I stuck the note to our Seek and Find poster. 

I told the class that if they came across any words in their books, on a billboard, or even on a TV show, they could write it down and add it to the board.  At the end of the week, we shared out our discoveries from the poster.  I was truly amazed at not only how excited my students were to connect their learning to their daily lives, but they seemed to have a better understanding of prefixes than before.

This might have been the first Seek and Find Challenge, but it definitely wasn’t the last. Now I use them all of the time.  The topic of our Seek & Find board is always changing.  Sometimes it is math related, like fractions, and other times it might be vocabulary words from our science unit.  Whatever you choose, just know that your students are going to become super detectives.  

I love seeing the excitement students have as they add a new note to our poster.  I’ve also noticed that they improved their communication skills as they explain their note at the end of the week.  Each explanation is almost like a mini-lesson that reviews the skill or concept.  The Seek and Find Challenge promotes a sense of ownership in learning and helps students take an active role in their education. 

Another effective strategy for increasing student engagement is using digital activities in the classroom. Like it or not, our students are growing up in a digital age, unlike any generation before them.  Their entire lives have included technology.  Not to mention that they love it!

Incorporating technology and digital learning activities is a surefire way to increase student engagement. I dig further into all the different benefits of digital activities in the classroom in a previous post. You will find inspiration, well-explained ideas, and a free resource ready to be used in your class today! 

A digital resource I enjoy using in my classroom regularly is BOOM Cards. BOOM Cards are digital task cards. They are a fun and interactive way for students to practice and review different topics and skills. The game-like feel of digital activities makes them exciting for students.  Students will happily complete 25 questions using BOOM Cards, but if the same 25 questions were on a traditional worksheet the assignment would be met with moans and groans.

You can also use BOOM Cards and other digital activities as a whole-class warm-up at the beginning of class or whole-class practice during a lesson. 

And. . . if you are looking for digital activities, in general, hop on over to check out my digital interactive activities for my Math, Language Arts, and Reading skills resources. 

An important and effective strategy for increasing student engagement is allowing students to have a choice in what they can do. When students are interested in what they are doing, there will be an increase in work effort and time management. This might include a choice in the activity they complete or a choice in the topic they learn about.

Students can be given a choice in all subject areas. One way I incorporate it in my subject areas is through a Choice Board or Menu. There are various names for it, but basically, it’s a page with 9 options of different activities students can choose from. Activities will vary in length and type of activity (digital, make a poster, write a comic strip, create a song, etc.) Depending on the goal and length of time students have to complete the activity, they are given a set number of menu activities they need to complete.

These choice boards or menus can be used as part of a class assignment, as extension projects, or as activities for early finishers. 

One way I incorporate choice is in our spelling practice. While the goal of each activity remains the same, learn to spell the target words, the activities students can choose from varies. When you need to repeat, repeat, repeat, it’s important to have a variety of activities ready to help keep engagement high amongst your students.  I have 12 different spelling activities for them to choose from and students know that they must complete a set number. 

Throughout the year, the theme of the activities will change.  I find that this helps to bring excitement to these practice activities resulting in higher engagement. My Spelling Choice Activities are no-prep and work with any spelling word list! 

Every learner learns differently! In today’s classroom, differentiation is key to our students’ success. Differentiation is not a crutch. Instead, it allows you to meet your students where they are and encouragingly provides them an opportunity to be successful. You are providing access to a beneficial educational experience with this strategy. 

As teachers, our plates are full, and as a result, differentiation can feel like a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be! To help streamline the process of differentiation in the classroom, I walk you through a series of tips and steps in Tips for Making Differentiation Easy. I wrote this post to help you become organized and feel confident to help meet the needs of each of your students! 

“Hey, you!” 

“Who? Me?” 

“Yeah, you!” 

One of the worst feelings is when someone chooses to not say your name or forgets your name and refers to you as “you.”  A person’s name is so important to their identity. As a teacher, you know that addressing your students by name is essential in building positive relationships. When students feel valued and recognized as individuals, they are more willing to build trust and rapport with you. 

Using their names creates a personal connection, fosters a sense of belonging, and can increase their engagement in the classroom. Incorporating student names into your teaching and classroom environment can be done in many ways. For example, use name tags or nameplates on desks, assign classroom jobs using their names, or create personalized rewards. 

Another way to engage students using their names is to incorporate them into your lessons.  Turn boring word problems into pure excitement just by adding in student names.  Your students will love to be the star of their own classroom questions.  And. . . you don’t even have to write your own questions to do this.  Use the questions from your textbook or lesson and just change out the names.  You can even make the setting and events line up with things you’ve done as a class.  

When students feel valued and respected, they are more likely to pay attention and actively participate in discussions and activities. The engagement and success levels of your students begin with that one simple but powerful decision to use their names. 

During my practicums during college, I planned a few cross-curricular lesson plans. I didn’t really start appreciating cross-curricular connections until my first full year of teaching. I remember sitting down with all of my school’s standards and wondering when, where, and how was I going to fit all of these into our 180-day school year.

I quickly realized that making cross-curricular connections was such a powerful way to deepen students’ learning and increase engagement. Added bonus, it made my teaching a little less frenzied knowing I was teaching to several different standards at one time!

Math crafts and STEM activities are a great way to integrate subjects like math, science, art, reading, and writing. For example, students can build the skeletal system using Q-tips or create a math craft where they write about the math they are using. 

Any time that I can connect multiple skills or standards in one activity, I feel like I’ve won the teacher time management lottery! So much so, that now my goal is to try and always incorporate multiple skills or standards in my classroom activity.  That’s why I created a variety of math crafts for different holidays.  Students can add some holiday learning and fine motor skills to their practice of basic math operations.  

STEM activities are also great ways to get students working on multiple skills and concepts at the same time. I was constantly looking for hands-on STEM resources that provided my students an authentic, approachable learning experience when it came to science, technology, engineering, and math. I created a series of STEM resources that cover a range of STEM-related topics – coding, robotics, chemistry, and physics. These activities are innovative and help to bring these subjects to life by being hands-on and interactive. My students ask me every day when our next STEM activity will be! They love being collaborative with their team members, designing and manipulating the materials for the end goal! 

These activities not only make learning more meaningful but also foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills! 

Fun student responses are a great way to promote engagement in the classroom. One of the reasons why I love this is because there is no end to your options!  And. . . the sillier the better when it comes to keeping students engaged.  My advice is to find several that will work for you and have them in your teacher toolbox to rotate through! 

One student response I use is to have students complete an action to show which answer they agree with. For example, I have the students touch their noses if they agree with a statement or touch the floor if they disagree. You can easily change up the two things they touch or add a new action. Sometimes I will save this technique for that time in the lesson when attention starts to fall off.  So, for the first few minutes, we use our traditional thumbs up or thumbs down.  Then out of nowhere, I change it up.  I can quickly see who is paying attention and this surprise change usually results in lots of giggles.

Call and response activities are also effective for engagement, active listening, and classroom management. They are so many out there, like: 

1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me….1, 2 Eyes on You

Holy Moly…Guacamole 

Hocus Pocus…Time to Focus

These types of calls are a great way to get student attention when they have been working independently.

Lastly, I use four corners and whiteboards, especially during review sessions before a test. Each corner of my room will represent an answer choice, such as A, B, C, or D. I will read off the question, and the students will move to the corner with the correct answer.  

Allowing students to interact with a lesson using whiteboards is another great way to increase engagement. Each student receives their own whiteboard and marker. They listen to the question being asked, and they write down their response on the whiteboard. I will count down 3, 2, 1, and then say “Flip.” The students will hold up their whiteboards and show me what they wrote. I can quickly look at their responses and see who is understanding and who needs more practice. It’s amazing how excited my students become when they hear, “Please grab a whiteboard.” 

These responses not only make learning fun but also promote active listening and critical thinking skills. Keep in mind these are just a few examples of active student response ideas.  Anything that allows students to actively participate in the lesson without a traditional pencil and paper activity will help improve engagement. Experiment with them, and see what works best for you and your students!

Hands-on activities provide an excellent way to promote active learning and engagement. Through my years of teaching, I have observed the power of hands-on activities with my students. It doesn’t matter the age. And. . . the science of learning supports this! Doing results in better learning than just seeing or hearing. 

A great example of hands-on learning is STEM activities.  The basis of STEM learning is that students are using what they know to build and create.  Even if they don’t have a deep understanding of the concepts, the opportunity to plan, create, test, and correct, offers valuable learning opportunities.

Try out some free STEM Activities in your classroom and watch as the engagement soars!

Another way I incorporate hands-on learning is through Color by Code Math Activities. I like to incorporate these pages into one of my math centers. Students are free to use any available math manipulatives as they solve the problems.  Then, instead of writing the answer, they color the space with the correct color. The students love that they don’t have to write their answers in the traditional way. My students love these pages because they enjoy trying to figure out what the picture is, and I love that they are getting in key math skills practice! 

Sometimes my students have a difficult time remembering a new concept.  I often feel that this can happen when they aren’t actively engaged in the lessons.  When this happens I know it is time to tap into my inner rock star.  Just kidding – but not really.  Making up songs or chants is a great way to engage students and help them remember.  There’s something about the rhythm that just reaches the brain differently.

Not sure where to start? Choose a common tune that the kids know or try the “I don’t know but I’ve been told” military cadence.  Write your own version to help students remember the concepts they have been learning.  

Here’s an example that I have used in my classroom when working on place value models.

Teacher: I don’t know but I’ve been told

Students: I don’t know but I’ve been told

Teacher: Tens are tall and ones are small

Students: Tens are tall and ones are small

Teacher: Then hundreds are after that

Students: Then hundreds are after that

Teacher: They are round and they are fat

Students: They are round and they are fat

Add some hand motions to the words and you’ve got a multi-sensory, interactive learning song that your students will be fully engaged with and aren’t soon to forget!

If you are looking for even more engagement ideas, then check out the blog post Activities to Engage Students Now.  In this post, you will learn more ways to increase student engagement.  Plus you can grab a freebie too!  

Every group of students will respond to different engagement strategies.  Have a variety in your teacher toolbox and you’ll be ready to engage all year long.  

Remember to pin this post to your favorite classroom Pinterest board so you can come back any time you need student engagement ideas! 

2. Conduct an Interview!

Want a fun way to get your students excited about biographies and writing one? Ask them to interview a friend in the class! You can allow students to choose a classmate they would like to interview or assign students to interview each other. Give students a list of questions to ask and 20 minutes or so to conduct their interviews.

• Where were you born?
• How many brothers or sisters do you have?
• What’s your favorite movie?
• What do you want to be when you’re older?

How can you ensure your students understand what biographies are and what information they include? Have them write a biography about a famous person! Yes, writing a biography can seem overwhelming- even for an adult, much less a student! It can definitely be done, but your students will need guidelines and support throughout the process.

Luckily, my Biography Student Reports resource includes Notes Pages that allow your students the freedom of choosing who they learn about while having questions that will guide them during their research! To help students include important information in their biographies, they will be asked questions like:

• When was this person born? When did they die?
• Describe this person as a child.
• Did this person get married or have children?
• How did this person contribute to society?

4. Incorporate Art with Your Biographies!

Now that students have researched their famous person, learned interesting facts, and written those facts into a biography, let them celebrate with a little art project! The art project included in my Biographies Pack is the perfect way to allow students to show what they know in a different and creative way!

Using a piece of large construction paper and the directions in the pack, students will cut the paper in such a way as to create the shape of a body. Students will then fold the paper to make two flaps appear to be clothes, then add arms, hands, feet, and a head to the body shape.

Students will decorate their body shape to look like the famous person they researched (adding as many details as possible). They will take the biography book they wrote and glue it inside the clothes flap, making the cutest display for all of their hard work! 

I love displaying these in the hallway for other classes to see. You could even invite other classes to come by and have your students read their information out loud to their audience!

Would you like to try Biographies?

Your students will love learning about famous people from history, but sometimes you have to try things for yourself to see how awesome they are! Dip your toe into biographies with this incredible Biography Templates Freebie! 

Use these templates to help your students organize three facts they learned about important historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Rosa Parks, Henry Ford, and many more! This is a great way to ease your students into learning about biographies.

Let’s Teach Biographies! 

Before I jump into the fun and engaging ways to teach prefixes, you’ve got to understand why it’s important! Students can improve their reading, vocabulary, spelling, and writing skills simply by studying prefixes. When you explicitly teach your students the concept of prefixes, they build their vocabulary and begin to understand new words and what they mean. When students understand the meanings of words with prefixes, their reading comprehension begins to improve. They can move on to more complex thinking while reading such as noticing character traits and making predictions.

• foldables to brainstorm prefix word lists
• pockets with prefix word sorting cards
• liftable flaps for word definitions
• cut and paste cards with example sentences
• liftable flaps for sentence examples
• puzzle piece sorting activity

Utilize Posters When Teaching Prefixes

• write as many words as they can think of that use this prefix
• write the definition of the prefix
• choose one of the brainstormed words to write in a sentence
• give the definition of the word from your sentence

Save this post to your favorite Pinterest teaching board so you won’t forget these fun teaching ideas! 

Students love brainstorming ideas together with friends!  Begin your Spring activities by asking them what they already know about Spring.  Make an anchor chart of their answers to hang in the classroom.

They may share answers such as:

• green leaves budding on trees
• warmer temperatures
• seasonal flowers blooming (ex-tulips, daffodils)
• new animal babies (ex-bunnies, chicks)

If you want to add a little writing to this dot-drawing activity, get your students to write a poem, riddle, or descriptive paragraph about the item they drew!

2. Spring Math Crafts 

Remember that Spring Anchor chart you made earlier?  It’s time to put that chart to use in another activity!  Read through all of the items that students added to the chart and ask students to think of adjectives that would describe how these items would look, feel, smell, sound, and taste.

Examples could include:

• bunnies: soft, furry, cuddly
• tulips: bright, colorful, slender
• leaves: green, waxy, tender

Give each student Spring themed paper shapes such as butterflies and flowers.  On each shape, have students write one or more adjectives to describe the shape they have. 

Tape the adjectives on the anchor chart and wall around it and encourage students to use these words in their speaking and writing about Spring!

Kids of all ages love novelty, so take an Easter egg hunt and turn it into a fun learning activity!  

Cut up any math worksheet and fold up each individual problem to place inside plastic eggs!  You can also use task cards inside the eggs too.  Just print the task cards at half their normal size and they will be just the right size to fit inside the plastic eggs. 

Hide the eggs around your classroom (or another room in the school if you really want to make this activity special!), and have students find the eggs. Each time they find an egg, they must work out the problem inside!  When finished with the problem, place the paper back in the egg (hiding it in its original hiding space).  Students should continue searching for eggs and working out problems until they have found all the eggs!

If you’d like some Task Card resources that are perfect for this Easter egg hunt activity, check out my TPT store!  You’ll find eggs-actly what you’re looking for!

Show students how much easier writing a story can be when using a graphic organizer!  A flower is the perfect shape for this graphic organizer activity!  

Students write the main idea in the center of the flower while one supporting piece of evidence is written on each petal.  The graphic organizer will help students keep information in place until they are ready to add it to their story.  Also, students will remember to begin a new paragraph each time they move on to a new petal. 

Why stop using this graphic organizer with writing? You can also use this as a fun spring reading comprehension activity.  After students read a non-fiction text, simply have them fill in the main idea in the middle of the flower.  Then they can add a supporting detail to each petal, citing directly from the text.

There are so many ways to use this spring graphic organizer. Grab your free Flower Graphic Organizer here! 

6. Spring STEM Activities

Use these cute (and free!) Rainbow Cloud Templates to help your students brainstorm ideas for activities they like to do in the Spring!  Print out the templates on colored paper or white to allow students to color their rainbows. 

Students write one activity on each strip (color the strips the colors of the rainbow if printed on white paper).  The strips are then cut out and assembled in color order on the cloud!

Allow students to share their ideas with the class.  If it’s a pretty day, take your students outside to do some of the activities they wrote about! 

8. Spring Mystery

Have students practice “How To” writing and make a fun Spring themed craft at the same time! Help students create Grass Buddies by giving oral directions in a step-by-step manner.

• Give students cups to decorate to look like a person.  
• Students should add soil, then poke holes in the soil.  
• Have students place seeds in the holes and cover them with soil.  
• Students should then add a little water to dampen the soil and leave their cups in the sun.

10. Spring Observations

If you have been looking for ways to keep your students engaged in learning this Spring, then I hope you found plenty of new ideas and resources to do just that!  If you haven’t already, grab the free resources I mentioned in this post!  They are sure to make your teacher life easier- and I’m pretty sure we could all use “easier” when teaching in Spring!

If these ideas have gotten you ready for Spring, then make sure you Pin this post to your favorite Teaching Pinterest Board!

  

Having fresh faces coming into my classroom to read to my students is a really easy way to celebrate this day!  Since Read Across America Day is on March 2nd, I always start scouting around in mid-February to find people who would love to read to my students.

Who could you invite to come read?

• Your Principal or Vice Principal
• Other teachers such as Music or Art
• Bus Drivers or Cafeteria Staff
• Parents of your students
• Other community members

Pretty much anyone your students would be excited to see in your room would be perfect!  Special Guest Readers could bring their own favorite book to read, but also have a basket of books handy just in case they don’t. 

Want to work in some real-life writing experience as well?  After your Guest Reader has left, ask students to draw a picture or write a letter as a “Thank You” to your Special Guest!  

Get your students excited about reading lots of books on this day by having a Picture Book Scavenger Hunt!  Give students access to a large number of picture books (organized in baskets, on tops of tables, etc…) and a Scavenger Hunt Recording Page.  

On the Recording Page, students are given items to find in the books.  For example, students might be asked to “Find a book with an animal”.  Students would look through books trying to find a page that contains an animal.  If they find an animal, write the name of the book on their Recording Page.  If they don’t, put that book down and try another!

Students will continue working through the page until they have found a book for each item.  Grab my free Recording Page to help you easily implement this fun activity!

This Picture Book Scavenger Hunt is a great way to get kids looking at books they might not normally choose to read themselves!  In fact, they might be surprised to find a new favorite during all that searching!

Keeping kids motivated to do something is often as simple as a sticker! Show students how they can keep track of how many books they have read with a cute sticker chart!

Let your students know that this will be a whole class chart where everyone works together as a team to achieve the goal of reading 120 books!  Students will feel so much pride as they get to “help the class” by putting up one sticker for each book they read (books read by you to the whole class count too)!

Ok, I have to admit… Dressing up as a book character I love is definitely my favorite activity for Read Across America Day!  What could infuse more fun into your school day than dressing up?!

I always give my students a heads up the week before to give them time to choose a character and plan their outfits.  Remind your students that their outfit doesn’t need to require money, just some creativity, and imagination!

Encourage students to bring an actual copy of the book in which their character appears.  If they can bring the book, allow students to read it to the class (for short picture books) or simply read their favorite page or two (for longer chapter books).

And don’t forget your outfit!  It’s more fun when the teacher dresses up too! 

Since the purpose of Read Across America Day is to celebrate reading, it makes sense to read as many amazing books as possible that day!  One easy way to do that is with a little game of Book Bingo.  

Make up your own Bingo card by using an empty template and adding different genres of books or certain characteristics in each square.  Ideas could include:

• talking animals
• mystery
• nonfiction
• fairy tale
• funny book

If you are pressed for time and can’t make your own, grab the free Bingo Card I use in my classroom and get started!

Students will read and mark the coordinating space as they finish each book.  Students who complete BINGO could get a prize like a pencil, bookmark, or a little extra recess time.

Read Across America Day should definitely have reading activities, but also consider ideas that don’t involve reading but still relate to your theme.  A great way to let your students be creative without text is to hold a Bookmark-making contest! 

Give students strips of cardstock/construction paper, crayons, and stickers, and let them create reading/book-inspired bookmarks!  They can draw and color pictures about reading or write fun sayings to inspire others to read more.  It’s totally up to your students how they want to design their bookmarks.

When finished, laminate the bookmarks (packing tape also works) and allow students to vote on which one is their favorite!  

Think students creating from scratch may take a little too much time?  Print out these adorable bookmarks and have a coloring contest instead! 

For those who are fans of college basketball, the beginning of March is synonymous with March Madness, so why not hold a Book Tournament for your students? 

Choose 12 picture books to read to your class.  Ask students to fill out their brackets to see which book they think will win the title of “Book of the Year”.  Then get to reading!

After reading each set of 2 books, have the class vote on which book they liked better.  The book with the most votes moves on to the next bracket.  Continue reading until you have finished all 12 books, but feel free to take breaks in between sets of books so students don’t sit for too long. 

Once all the books have been read and a winner picked, have students share their brackets with the class.  Choose a fun prize for any student who had the winner picked on their bracket!  

Reading isn’t just a silent activity.  Books are better with a buddy!  Schedule time with a teacher in another grade level to read to their students.  

Allow your students to choose a picture book they want to read to their Book Buddy.  Give them a few minutes to practice and even come up with a few questions to ask their buddy while reading.

Older students benefit from reading to younger students as they get the chance to show off their reading skills and help mentor them.  Younger students benefit as they want to work hard to do their best reading and listening to their older “cool” Book Buddy.

It truly is a win/win situation and the sweet way your students treat their Book Buddy is worth the effort in getting them together!

A little something out of the ordinary is just the ticket for making Read Across America Day a special memory for your students!  So why not give your students the chance to read in a different way?

Let your students bring items from home (or you could provide them) and read around the classroom!  Items could include:

• flashlight and a pillow (with the lights turned down!)
• a favorite stuffed animal to read to
• a fun pair of silly sunglasses
• a magnifying glass

Curling up with a good book instead of sitting at a desk is a simple way to show students that reading can be an enjoyable experience!

With a few red tablecloths from the Dollar Store and a stack of amazing books, students can participate in a Book Tasting that just may lead them to discover their next favorite book!

Set up your desks/tables to resemble a table at a nice restaurant.  Have different books out on each table and encourage students to “taste” each one by looking at the front cover, reading the back cover, and reading the first few pages of the book.  Students can move to different tables to get exposure to as many books as possible.

Students should write down the book’s title and a few notes about how they feel about the book.  Feelings like:

• Does this book interest me?
• Would I be able to read this on my own and understand it?
• Did the first few pages “hook” me?
• Is this a book I would normally read or am I trying something new?

Once students have “tasted” several books, ask them to choose 3 books they want to put on their “Reading Wish List” and allow them time to share with friends the books they are excited to read in the future!

I hope these ideas have gotten your wheels spinning for all the fun ways you can celebrate reading in your classroom! If you feel a bit overwhelmed, grab your Free packet that contains the printables I mentioned in this post to help you implement these ideas!  I want you to enjoy Read Across America Day without the planning stress!  

If these ideas have gotten you excited to make this Read Across America Day the best one yet, then make sure you Pin this post to your favorite Teaching Pinterest Board!

Teaching our young students about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be tricky.  The themes associated with his life can be hard to put into words and activities that our kids can not only understand, but grasp the seriousness of. Whether you are teaching this for the first time or looking for some new MLK Day activities, you’ve come to the right place.

If you find yourself asking questions like “How do I celebrate MLK Day at school?” or “What are some kid appropriate activities for MLK Day?” then you keep reading.  These 8 activities are just what you need for teaching your students about Dr. King and all he stood for.

These 8 activities have been used again and again in my classroom with great success.  They take some deep concepts and teach them in a way that kids can understand.  

If you are looking for a great way to introduce Martin Luther King Jr. to your kids – why not let another kid do it.  Kid President has this great video about Dr. King and his life.  It’s a great way to set the stage for the learning to come.

I love a great picture book to introduce my kids to any topic I’m teaching.  Books are a great way to build interest and share background knowledge for students to connect to as I teach.  So of course, I have my three favorite picture books on Martin Luther King Jr. to help you get started.

National Geographic Readers: Martin Luther King Jr. by Kitson Jazynka is an in-depth, but not intimidating, biography of Dr. King.  

It shares difficult-to-understand historical information in such a way that kids can easily comprehend.  Brightly colored photographs and illustrations will draw in your students and bring to life the interesting facts on each page.  

I also love the book’s use of Text Features such as timetables, captions, sidebars, and fact boxes. They organize information and serve as an excellent real-world example to show your students why text features are important in non-fiction texts. 

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport takes a different approach as it tells the story of things that happened in Dr. King Jr.’s life as a story rather than a grouping of facts.  Throughout the story, students get to hear firsthand the actual words of Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke them!  Combine that with gorgeous illustrations, and your students will be spellbound by the emotional depth of this story!

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.: A Biography Book for New Readers by Christine Platt is another excellent biographical offering that includes a wealth of information in short, easy-to-read chapters. 

Black text on a white background with simple (yet effective) illustrations, makes the pages just right for readers who don’t like busy backgrounds. 

The use of bold text on vocabulary words helps students to zero in on important facts.  This book also does an excellent job of showing the effects of certain events in Dr. King’s life, while a visual timeline helps students to understand the sequence of events and cause-and-effect relationships.  

If building interest in Martin Luther King Jr.’s life is your goal, you truly can’t go wrong with any of these 3 books! 

After reading a book or two to your class, let your students witness Martin Luther King Jr.’s life for themselves!  In this video Meet the Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., students get to see a collection of pictures that show Dr. King’s early life, historic moments in his later years, and what life in America was like for African Americans before and during the Civil Rights Movement.

Students even get to experience Martin Luther King Jr. with their very own ears as they hear snippets of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech spoken straight from his lips.  This audio combined with beautiful photography makes everything you have already discussed come to life for your students!

When the video is over, ask your students to share what stood out to them as they watched.  

• Did they learn anything new from what they saw?
• Did the pictures give them any new ideas or help them better understand Dr. King’s life?
• Did they connect any information from the video to the books you read?  

As students become more excited about what they are learning about the life of Martin Luther King Jr., now is the time to let them continue their research on their own!

Now armed with so much prior knowledge about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, students will excitedly start coming up with their own questions about him!  Let your students create a project based on information they have learned from class and researched through books or the internet!

Students can create posters about Dr. King by writing interesting facts about his life, making a timeline of important events, and even drawing a picture of Martin Luther King Jr.! 

If the idea of a Research Project appeals to you but want a little more guidance on how to make one work for your students, check out my Biography Report Templates and Research Activities!

This resource gives you 3 different leveled templates for students of all abilities to complete, 3 different print-and-go timelines, an adorable craftivity, writing pages, and more!  Research reports have never been easier (or more fun!) than with this pack!  Your students will love writing about and illustrating the information they have learned about Dr. King and you will love that all the resources you needed to complete the activities were right at your fingertips!

And the best part is, that when you are finished creating biographies for Martin Luther King Jr., you can use these same resources again and again to research and create biographies for other important people!

Kids can often learn new facts, but it may take a while before they start to “see” what they’ve learned.  Help your students connect what they learned about Martin Luther King Jr. to their daily lives by playing Fair or Unfair.

Give your students a series of real-life scenarios.  Students are to give a thumbs up if they think the situation is “Fair” and a thumbs down if they think it’s “Unfair”. 

Some scenarios could include:

• A student gets in trouble because they couldn’t afford school supplies.
• The principal gives prizes to students for getting all A’s on their Report Card.
• The basketball coach only plays the kids on the team if he’s friends with their parents.
• A student yells at the teacher and has to go to the Principal’s Office.
• The teacher gives snacks to students who don’t bring one to school but doesn’t give one to the students who bring one from home.
• A student wins an Art contest and gets their picture in the newspaper.
• Two students get caught cheating on a test.  One gets a zero because it’s her third time being caught cheating, while the other gets to retake the test because it’s her first offense.

Dr. King always shared the message that no matter what your skin color is, we are all the same!  

One way for students to realize this for themselves is to show students a physical example of this.  All you need for this simple yet effective visual aid is to grab two eggs- one brown and one white!

First, ask students to describe the two eggs. Students will probably notice they are the same shape. When they touch the eggs, both the brown and white eggs even feel the same.  But very obviously, their colors are different.  

Now crack the brown egg into a bowl, then crack the white egg into the same bowl right next to the brown egg.  

Ask your students what they see, and they will tell you that once the shell was cracked and thrown away, they can’t tell the difference between the two.

Ask students if it matters that they had different colored shells and see what they say.  Then ask them several questions:

• What will happen if you drop a brown egg?  What will happen if you drop a white egg?  
• How would cookies taste if I use brown eggs in the recipe?  Would the cookies taste the same if I use white eggs?  Why?
• If I leave a brown egg out of the refrigerator for several days, what will happen?  If I do the same thing to a white egg, what will happen?

Once students realize that all skin colors are amazing and should be celebrated, use this idea to bring your students together to create a display for your classroom or hallway!  Give students construction paper (or some other type of craft paper) in colors that replicate various skin tones. If you do not have colored paper, students can use white paper. 

Ask students to trace their handprints several times on the paper and cut out each handprint.  If using white paper, ask students to color their handprints to replicate various skin tones or let them make handprints using paint.  Once you have a fairly large quantity of different colored handprints, give students a large piece of butcher paper or an area on the wall in which must work together as a team to create a peace sign out of their handprints. 

If using butcher paper or a paper-covered bulletin board, you may want to draw an outline of a peace sign so that students can tape or glue their hands inside the outline.

Add a quote from Dr. King to go along with your peace sign and have students write about what that quote means to them or what it means to “live in peace”.

Art is the perfect way for students to get creative after such an emotionally powerful activity!  This simple Peace and Love Craft only takes black, white, and red construction paper to make a visual to help students remember the lessons they are learning.

Have each student trace their handprint on a piece of black paper using a white crayon and again on a white paper using a black crayon. Place each paper touching end to end and glue a red paper heart directly in the middle of the two papers.  Write the phrase “peace and love” on the red heart.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspiration to others!  He used peaceful ways to get his message across and helped as many people as he could to have a better life.  What better way for students to show what they have learned than to put it into practice in their daily lives?

Tell your students a few days ahead of time that you will hold a Day of Service in order to do kind things for people!  Brainstorm a list of “act of kindness” ideas as a class and type up that list to send home with your students or message to their parents.

Acts of Kindness do not need to be big or cost money, they just simply need to be ways to help those around you!  Ideas could include, but are not limited to:

• smile and say “Hi!” to everyone you see today
• holding doors for other people
• writing a note of thanks to your bus driver or the cafeteria staff
• picking up trash off the playground or in a park
• baking cookies for your principal and school secretary
• sweeping the classroom floor so the janitor doesn’t have to
• telling 5 other students a kind compliment 

I hope this post has inspired you to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. to your students!  If you found some awesome ideas that you would like to use, then Pin this post to your favorite classroom Pinterest Board so you will always have them when you need them!

First, choose a binder or a file box that will be used solely for your substitute plans. I actually like to use both!

In my experience, using a binder works well for planned absences. You can use tabs to separate sections of information from the work you leave. It also makes it easy to further categorize the work by subject or class. 

A file box works well for unplanned absences because you have room to include printed-out activities, books, and manipulatives your sub may need to complete lessons. 

I like to organize my substitute materials at the very beginning of the year.  This way, I am prepared as soon as possible and I can forget about it until I need it.  Knowing that I am ready for a sub takes some of the stress off of being sick or an emergency situation. 

However, since our student needs change during the year, this isn’t a one-and-done activity. I do check periodically to see if I need to update the materials in my sub-box. Not even a sub wants to complete an apple activity in January. 

I have found that checking in once a month or once a quarter allows me to keep the sub materials timely and make any changes to the information. But don’t worry, this is a quick check and is usually done in 5-10 minutes.

The Sub Binder

1. A list of names of several responsible student helpers

2. A list of procedures for the classroom

It helps a sub to know how you expect your students to behave.  When the sub knows and understands the class rules and expectations they are better able to keep the day as normal as possible.  

In addition to the rules, don’t be afraid to jot down some notes on what you expect from your students when it comes to behavior. Provide details on your classroom behavior plan so that they can use it just like you would. 

I also like to leave a visual incentive so my students know their good behavior will earn them a reward!  I (or the sub) will write “FREE TIME” on the board, and the sub can remove a letter anytime they see whole group behavior is not acceptable. If there is at least one letter left when I return, my students get free time! 

A sub’s life is so much easier when you leave this!  They need to know the names of those they are talking to.  If students have assigned seats or places in the classroom, leaving the sub a seating chart is also very helpful.   

For the day to run smoothly, your sub needs to know how long each subject should last and at what times they should take your class to other places.  Also, give them the heads up when staff members will come in or pull students out (such as a Speech Therapist, Counselor, etc…).  And if any special activities are going on, be sure to leave the sub all the important details.

6. A list of all medical issues they need to know about (asthma, food allergies, etc…)

Subs should be trained on how to handle this information, but always copy this page on colored paper and mark “CONFIDENTIAL” at the top. 

Fire Drill, Tornado Drill, and Lockdown Drill procedures should be very explicitly written.  Include a note to speak to a Team Teacher who would know this information if they have even the tiniest question about these procedures!

Many students need support in different ways during the day. This may include things like repeated directions, help focusing, assistance with transitions, and more.  Letting your sub know this information before they happen prevents misunderstandings and possible behavior issues. 

There’s nothing worse for a sub than not being able to access the classroom technology. This includes how to turn on and use equipment and any passwords they may need to complete the day’s activities. I would suggest keeping things very simple or leaving a trusted “Student Tech Helper” tasked with helping the sub. 

Leave as thoroughly DETAILED lesson plans as possible.  Don’t assume subs “just know” what they should be doing when it comes to the work you have left.  If applicable, copy teacher textbook pages and highlight what should be completed.  Save your plans so that you can use them as a template for your next substitute lesson plan.  Since the format and times are already there, you can simply change the text as needed.  

When I know I will be out, I leave the binder out on my desk so my substitute can easily find it. Right next to the binder, I leave any copies or supplies the sub will need and I make sure to label everything!

 

The Sub Tub

While it would be great to have advance notice of all absences, we all know that is just not the case. In fact, more often than not, our need for a substitute teacher arises at the last minute. By preparing in advance, you can have some ready-to-go sub plans at a moment’s notice.

When leaving lesson plans and student work for an unplanned absence, a file box or basket is a great way to organize your resources.  Simply fill your box with plenty of ready-to-go printed-off worksheets/activities that will review grade-level skills.  I do not differentiate the work I leave as I don’t know what my students’ levels will be when I’m out and I also want to keep things easy for my sub.

 

In the lesson plan or on a sticky note, I will say: “Choose one of the following Math activities”, “Complete one of the following Reading Pages together as a whole group”, etc…  

Having this amount of work already prepared not only means that my sub has plenty to choose from, but also keeps me from having to replenish activities as soon as I return.

My “Sub Tub” stays in a prominent area of my room where it is easy to find.  But just in case, I have gotten into the habit of leaving a note on my desk at the end of every day that shares the location of the tub.

Here are some essential resources and activities to keep in your Sub Tub.

1. A read aloud

A picture book along with a reading graphic organizer makes a great activity any time of the year. On the back, they can draw and write about their favorite part of the book. As a whole group, students can make a list of character traits on the board. Time Frame: 30-45 min

A no prep activity that reviews a skill you have already taught is the perfect addition to your sub tub.  Review is an important part of the learning process, and a great activity for students to complete without needing a lot of assistance.  Color by Code activities make students think and review important skills, but allow coloring which makes it fun for students to complete. Time Frame: 30-45 min

Spelling activities and worksheets allow students to practice spelling correctly and writing neatly.  And since this is often a skill that gets cheated out on time, adding them to the sub tub is perfect.  Check out these creative spelling ideas that are perfect for a sub!  With versatile activities that can be used with any spelling list, the sub can use these any time of the year!  Time Frame: 20 min

Journal writing is a great way for a sub to provide some dedicated writing time without the need for an extensive writing lesson. Students can write a journal entry about their day, something funny that happened to them, or anything they want the teacher to know and illustrate their story.  If you don’t use writing journals, simply provide the sub with a list of writing prompts they can choose from. Time Frame: 30 min

Looking for a super engaging and academic activity that will make the sub’s life a breeze?  Look no further than Math Mysteries! These math activities include lots of critical thinking and math review, but working in partners allows students to feel like it’s just a normal school day.  These math mysteries take a little longer than your typical math lesson, but students love them! Time Frame: 1-1.5 hours

Word Searches are a fun way to keep students busy, but are also good for critical thinking and focus!  Easy and low stress for students and substitutes alike!  Time Frame: 20-30 min

Craftivities that ask students to color, cut, and glue while reviewing important skills are perfect for sub-work!  They are more fun than a typical worksheet and students love them.  Anything that engages students means they are more focused on work and are less likely to cause disruptions or have behavior issues. And . . . the demands placed on teachers and time, these “fun” activities sometimes get pushed to the back burner. Time Frame: 1 hour

Games such as bingo, Scoot, or game boards with task cards are a great way for your students to have a break from worksheets!  Grab a bingo set or task card set that reviews a skill and let students have some gamified learning time.  Games are great for small groups or the whole class!  Time Frame: 30-45 min 

Free Resources for Planning for Your Sub

Planning for a sub does take some time, but by getting this set up and ready before you need it, you can save yourself a lot of time and stress.  Grab this free Substitute Information pack! This resource is exactly what you need to get your Sub Binder or Box in tip-top shape!

Pin this Substitute Prep Plan!

Encourage your students to eat healthily as they explore Expository Writing by sharing reasons why they should eat fruit every day.  

Bring red apples to class and allow your kids to experience eating one for themselves!

Buttery, salty, sweet, and crunchy – students will sharpen their Descriptive Writing skills as they describe their favorite type of popcorn.

Pop some popcorn and share it with your students as a pre-writing snack! That’s one way to inspire creative thinking that I could really get behind!

Practice Narrative Writing (as well as encourage kindness) by asking students to write about their favorite gift they have ever made for someone.  

Students can’t remember ever making a gift?  Tell them to think of a gift they could make instead!  Then encourage them to really create what they wrote about and give that gift to a loved one.

This writing prompt could also be used to work on How To writing.  Instead of having students write about a personal experience, encourage them to use that experience to teach someone else how to make the same gift.  

4. National Sock Day

How could a day get any cooler than this one?  Sneak in some Narrative Writing practice by asking your students to imagine they are ninjas for the day then write a story of their adventures!  

Another sneaky “Teacher Trick”?  Watch their hallway behavior improve 100% by pretending to be ninjas as they stealthily creep to the library, cafeteria, or gym!

Don’t let this Expository paragraph fry your brain!  Ask students to think about the benefits of using a microwave instead of a conventional oven and then explain them.  

Want to make this day memorable?  After writing, do a mini science experiment by microwaving different types of candy and see what happens! Then let them document their findings in their science journal.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is a day to remember the thousands of lives lost on December 7, 1941, during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  This day has an obvious connection to history and social studies.  

But don’t stop there. Teacher your students about remembrance in general and open their eyes and understanding to many special days we celebrate during year. Connect this idea to having students remember someone important to them.  This Descriptive writing prompt asks students to describe someone important to them.  Once students have finished writing, encourage them to draw a picture for or of that special person!

This prompt will propel students into the future!  The year 2144 to be exact!  Students will use their imaginations to pretend they are now in the future, then flex those Persuasive powers of theirs to convince someone from that time that they are from the past!

Do not pass up the opportunity to show your students that you are from the past too!  Pull out old kitchen gadgets, tools, or tech devices and explain their uses!  

Llamas sure are interesting creatures, and in this prompt, students get to describe just how interesting they really are by telling important details like what they are, where they live, and other cool facts.

To get the ball rolling on this prompt, perhaps show a quick YouTube video clip of llamas on a farm before asking students to write.  If you’d like to teach your students 10 interesting facts about llamas check out this video that was made for kids!  And . . . a silly picture like this one will get your students excited to start writing!

When writing a Narrative story, students naturally write better when the topic is themselves!  Have students imagine they won a Nobel Prize!  Students can share what they won the prize for and how.  

For a little inspiration, show pictures of past Nobel Prize winners and explain what important contributions they made to the world that earned them this prestigious award!

Linguine, rotini, spaghetti, or orzo – students will need to use their noodles to decide on their favorite pasta and write reasons as to why it’s better than any other type of pasta!

Give students practice making evidence-based arguments by holding a class discussion where students try to convince you that their favorite pasta is better than yours!

No matter what you think about the taste of gingerbread, there’s no denying that a well-made gingerbread house is simply adorable!  Let your students pretend they are gingerbread men and describe the gingerbread house they live in (down to the tiniest detail!).

Have students who don’t have experience with gingerbread houses?  Build some background knowledge before they write by showing a quick YouTube video of the Gingerbread House Competition at the Grove Park Inn!  These incredible (and edible!) works of art are sure to inspire even the most reluctant writer!

In this Narrative prompt, students will imagine they are a musician performing in front of a large crowd.  They must write a short story that tells how they are feeling and what they are doing through this experience.  

To really set the mood, play orchestral music before or during your students writing time.

Yes, there really is a Monkey Day, and what better way to celebrate it than to allow students to choose their favorite primate and write a Descriptive paragraph about it?   You could also have students write about whether they would like to have a monkey as a pet.

Once students have written about their animals, allow them to share famous primates they know from movies or tv (ex. Curious George, Ivan, King Kong, etc…) and compare/contrast them with real primates.

There is not much that captures the interest of a kid quicker than the word “cupcake”!  Capitalize on that by asking students to write a Descriptive paragraph about their favorite cupcake.  Remind them that they should use all 5 senses in their description.  

If you’re feeling super festive, grab a platter of tiny cupcakes from your local bakery!  Have a class discussion where everyone describes the cupcakes as they are eating them!  

This Narrative prompt may just be a class favorite as students are asked to write a story where they forgot to turn off a chocolate fountain and chocolate has splattered everywhere!  

Not only will this silly prompt inspire some giggles, but the pictures they create in their minds as they write will definitely need to be drawn!  Give your students extra time to illustrate and share their stories with the class!

Introduce your students to Orville and Wilbur Wright and their invention to kick off this special day.  Airplanes are arguably one of the most important inventions in history.  In this Expository prompt, ask students to give examples of how airplanes have changed the world (a class brainstorming session before writing may be helpful if some kids seem unsure about what to write).  

When you are finished, have a paper airplane-making competition!  Design, color, and fly those paper airplanes to see which one can fly the farthest, make loops, or be the tiniest but can still fly, etc.

 

Buddy the Elf brings cheer to everyone around so why not have your students spread a little cheer just like him?  Students will pretend to be Buddy the Elf and write a descriptive paragraph detailing what they would say when answering the phone like Buddy.  

After writing, have students read their paragraphs aloud to the class using their very best “elf voices”!  Encourage your students to spend the rest of the day doing kind deeds for other people as a way to spread cheer (they can drop the “elf voice” though!).

Muffins make breakfast just a bit sweeter, and this Persuasive prompt asks students to make a choice- which muffin tastes better: oatmeal or blueberry?  Students must decide and write reasons for why others should agree with them.

And you know what goes well with a choice like this?  A taste test! If you’re able to, cut 2-3 blueberry and oatmeal muffins into bite-sized pieces so students can make an informed decision!  If not, a picture of each item may help students to get a better idea of what they are choosing between if they have never eaten them before.

A little class discussion about what caroling is, sharing past experiences, and perhaps singing a song or two together will help students connect to this Narrative prompt.  Ask students to write a story about a time they went caroling.  Many students may not have been caroling before, so ask them to imagine where they would go, who they would sing to, and what they would sing to help create an imaginary story of what they would hope their caroling experience would be.  

If your school allows it, practice singing a song together several times, then take your students to the principal, the cafeteria staff, or other classrooms and carol to them!

These writing prompts are so much fun, and I hope you can use them in your classroom!  You can find all of these December Daily Writing Prompts on Teachers Pay Teachers!  

You will find beautiful prompt pages (in both printable and digital formats) and student writing pages that are themed to go along with the day’s prompt.  You can even add your own prompts on the editable Prompt card and student page!  This resource will truly make the weeks leading up to break so much easier for you and fun for your students!  And . . . by the end of the 20 days they just might love writing a little more!

Not ready for December planning just yet?  Pin this post to your favorite December Activities Pinterest Board!  These ideas will be right where you left them, ready for when you need them!