Special Occasions

My husband is a reader, but not the kind of reader that reads novels. He’s the type that you can’t bring to a museum because he will read every word on every sign. If my honeymoon to Hawaii taught me anything it’s how little I know about Pacific Islander heritage and history, because everything I know is what he shared with me that week after he read every sign, everywhere we went. Nowhere in my formal education did I learn about Pacific Islander history, or Asian American history for that matter. May is the month that we celebrate Asian American...

February is Black History Month! Below are easy to print posters that make an interactive bulletin board quick and easy! Each poster has a QR code that is linked to a google slide that has a video and information about the person. The posters also come with their own coloring sheet so your students can help decorate the bulletin board. Along with the bulletin board, there are some other activities you can do with your kids to celebrate this month, as well. You can find articles on influential African Americans on Newsela and do a writing prompt, have them make...

Students love an opportunity to celebrate a holiday. Unfortunately, I often forget to plan for holidays until the day before and I find myself in a last-minute pickle searching for engaging activities for my students. If you are anything like me and have yet to make plans to celebrate Veterans Day, check out some of the resources below.  Our Youngest Learners Letter Writing Veterans Day is a great day to have our students practice their letter writing skills Use. Consider using this free, printable thank you template if you’re looking for a simple paper-pencil activity. Here you can find it...

April 22 is one of my favorite days of the year. Each year, Earth Day reminds me to personally refocus my connection with our Earth and the impact I am making on it. It also gives me an opportunity to share this with my students and to continue to nurture their innate love for nature. This year, I encourage you to spend time with your students engaging with Earth Day while using a simple, underused feature on your iPad: Markup in the Photos app.  When you use Markup in Photos, you are able to annotate and draw on any picture in...

Black History Month “We may be uncomfortable talking about race, but we can no longer afford to be silent. We have chosen a profession that—like parenting—requires us to put our comforts second to those of children.” Jamilah Pitts As February approaches, as does Black History Month. As we spend this month learning more about Black history, keep in mind that Black history did not begin with American slavery and end with the Civil Rights Movement. Black history has deep ancestral roots leading back far beyond the beginning of our country. Do your students know that thousands of years before American...

Struggling with how to teach the inauguration in your classroom? Below you will find lessons, read alouds, primary sources, and seesaw activities to help students better understand this day in history. Read Alouds Utilizing picture books can be a great way to introduce challenging topics for students. Below you will find two different book lists, and also two different picture books that are read aloud on YouTube with corresponding lesson plans you could use and adapt to fit your needs.  This list of books for election day includes stories that are applicable for Inauguration Day. Senate.gov has curated a list of...

Looking to celebrate MLK Jr day in your classroom, but not sure where to start? Find resources here.