Classroom Conundrum: I Don't Like Halloween

© Depositphotos.com/@ Krisdog @Wavebreakmedia

I have a confession to make.  I'm an elementary teacher who does not like Halloween.  Honestly, I find the whole thing kind of distasteful.  The focus on evil/scary/ugly things is just not something I can appreciate.

For a lot of teachers, this is not an issue, because so many schools do not celebrate the holiday.  Mine does.  We make a Halloween craft.  We read Halloween books.  We allow students to wear their costumes to school and celebrate with a parade through the classrooms.  Parents send candy and cupcakes and all sorts of goodies for their kids to hand out to their classmates.  Our Principal even wears a costume, and teachers are expected to wear costumes, as well.

After all that, we try to teach, when all the kids can focus on is the candy waiting for them at the end-of-the-day party. Seriously, what are the chances that any learning will take place that day?  For several years, I had a BAD attitude about Halloween.  Yes, I wore a costume.  But I didn't have to like it!  Once, I got the flu, and I was almost happy to be throwing up, because I could avoid the whole day!

Then I started really paying attention to my students during October.  Their little faces would simply light up when they described their costume to me.  They didn't want to be evil, they just wanted to be a ladybug.  Or a Superhero.  How could I dislike something that brought them so much joy?

© Depositphotos.com/@ Malchev

So here's what I do.  I do my best to turn Halloween into something more positive.  I tell my third graders not to be anything too evil or scary, because I'm too young for scary stuff (this always makes them laugh, because they're sure I'm at least a hundred years old).  I pull out my Cat in the Hat costume and paint on some whiskers, and I do my best to appreciate their joy in the day.  

I take their picture and have them write about their costume.  I look on Teachers Pay Teachers for non-scary activities that address the standards we happen to be learning.  And when it's over, I give a BIG sigh of relief, wash off my whiskers, and put my hat away until next year.

I also try to incorporate Halloween into other things that are happening in October, like Red Ribbon Week.  So we say "Boo" to drugs, and make ghosts (cute ghosts, not scary ones!) with our hand prints and some googly eyes.  I found this ghost craft idea on Pinterest, of course.  You can find the original pin here.

Now that I'm routinely sharing things on Teachers Pay Teachers (many for free), I decided to go ahead and make monthly calendars with seasonal and holiday clip art, so teachers can have a choice of which to use.  For October, I have two choices: an Autumn theme, and a Halloween theme with happy jack-o-lanterns.  Nothing too evil or scary =)  Click on either picture if you would like these free calendars to use with your students.

You can find the entire year of calendars, with and without Holidays (27 in all) for sale HERE.

Happy Teaching at Halloween,

Classroom Posters For Every Teacher

Oh. My. Word.  This is THAT year.  You know what I mean.  Every teacher has had at least one.  This year is really going to help me grow as a teacher.  That's all I can say.  Well, I can say a lot more, but I'm going to let my students' words speak for themselves.

In my classroom, we make a habit of talking out the negative things that happen.  We come up with alternate ways that a person could react to a situation.  We help each other get along.  We apologize when we've hurt someone.  We write a pledge together and recite it every day.  In it we promise to work as a team and follow the Golden Rule.  We learn about the Pillars of Character.  You get the drift.

Here's a list of some things I've heard from my students this year.  We wrote them on the board.  Then we talked about how a person could respond to these words.  Here's what we came up with.  If these are posters that you can use, please download them from Teachers Pay Teachers.  Use them with my blessing!  And have a wonderful year.  (Click on  any picture to download.  They come in two versions: paint splatters and black and white.)

• "He made me do it."
• "She did it first!" 
• "I wouldn't have kicked him if he hadn't hit me."
  

• "My dog peed on it and I had to throw it away."  (Checked with mom.  She said, "We don't have a dog.")
  
  
  
  
• "Nobody gave me my homework."
• "Why do I have to?  It's not fair!" 
  
• "I had to erase her name and put mine.  You didn't give me one."

• "I didn't do it."  (Oh, yes, you really did.)
  
  

• "I don't like purple.  I want the black ones."
  
  
  
  I hope that you do not need these as much as I do this year!  The good news is, I think they're already helping. =)

Happy Teaching,

How To Make a Paper American Flag

Our school had an amazing day celebrating the 200th Birthday of the Star Spangled Banner!  We raised a new flag, sang every patriotic song imaginable, and were even on the local news.  My third graders were so proud of the flag that they made (with a little help from their teacher).

The inspiration for the flag came from Pinterest, of course... but that flag was small, and we wanted to make a BIG one to be on television, so here's the recipe for a 3x4 1/2 foot flag:

 Click on the picture to download the recipe.  I hope you have as much fun making this as we did!  Here's a look at our new Star Spangled Banner being raised.  (See our flag on the fence?)

Happy Teaching,

The Star Spangled Banner's Birthday!

On September 14, 1814,  Francis Scott Key was on an enemy ship in Baltimore Harbor, and had just watched a 25 hour battle in which the British attempted to capture Fort McHenry.

They did not succeed.  When dawn came, he was able to see the huge American flag flying above the fort.  Overcome with emotion, he found an envelope and began to write on it.  Those words have become the National Anthem of the United States of America.

I love teaching about the Star Spangled banner!  It was huge.  It was also unique, being the only U.S. flag that had 15 stripes instead of 13.  I love the vocabulary... words like ramparts and gallantly and perilous.  They're beautiful, and so full of meaning.  Our students need to know these words.  They need to know that they live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

September 14, 2014 was the 200th birthday of the Star Spangled Banner.  To celebrate this occasion, I made a poster for my classroom with the lyrics, and a coloring page/cloze activity to help students learn the words.   These are a FREE download on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Just click on either picture to download them both!

I like to play videos of different people preforming the song while the students fill in the blanks.  Youtube has many to choose from, but be careful of ads and strange suggestions in the sidebar!   If you would like to play them directly from Pinterest, you can access my board Teaching about the USA.  Play them from there, or repin them to your own account.

I've also made a paid product, a flip book that tells the story, teaches the vocabulary, lets students put the song into their own words, and has them draw the Star Spangled Banner.  Click on the picture to check it out.  It is appropriate for third through fifth grade.

Our school is having a HUGE event on to celebrate this 200th Birthday.  We'll be on the local news and everything =)  I'll post some pictures in a few days.

Happy Teaching,