November: A Month of Friendship and Kindness

 When it comes to November, here in the U.S, we think of Thanksgiving and a big feast with family and friends.

But November can simply be a month for focusing on gratitude, friendship and kindness.  In fact, November 13th is World Kindness Day! World Kindness Day (originally launched in Tokyo as a movement in 1997) has been celebrated throughout the world since 1998. 

Lately, the world has been in crisis, and the children are the ones most helpless and affected. Of course, there are myriad ways we can help--and you may already have your charities, all of which are good.

Personally, I am always wondering what's the best way to show my gratitude. I have gone from one charity organization to another, but this year, I'm focusing on Save the Children. And what better time to do it. November's World Kindness Day is a start. 

Let's begin by rejecting war, politics, racism, hunger, socio-economic disparities ...and welcome peace, diversity, kindness, and sharing by celebrating World Kindness Day on November 13th. Of course, we can wish it all the negative away, but we can take part in World Kindness Day (and all year long, too). Let's go beyond the turkey and the fixings...and find ways to help others who need help.

Save the Children & World Kindness Day 2023

Click here for Ways to Help and Participate. 

These links are from Save the Children website.

When it comes to teaching, I have looked for activities that help encourage kindness in one way or another.  Not all schools include it in their curricula. As a reading teacher, I created a resource that I have used as a supplement to a reading or social skills lesson. It's a short readers theater that focuses on helping others in need. No politics, no religion...just a script for a classroom and a teacher who wants to read about friendship and human kindness. Perhaps it will give your third/fourth graders some ideas for volunteering during the holiday season. This resource is editable, so you can modify and adapt the text to suit your classroom needs. But you will have a complete script ready to go if you choose not to alter it. 

If you are interested, you'll find it here:

Readers Theater About Kindness: The Kindness Project

Thank you for stopping by! 

November Freebies! Reading and Writing Resources for Students K-3

Teachers, Parents and Caregivers,
Check out these free resources from Growing Smart Readers. Turkey Tales and The Fall Nature Trail Book may motivate your hesitant writers.

The Big Fat Turkey is a spin off from a familiar poem.  I have researched the author of the original, but have not been able to find it. Some have turned it into a song. You might say it has become a bit of child folklore. I have added simple actions to the lines--just to make it fun to recite. However, you may want to change all of that to suit your students' needs. They may also enjoy the coloring page included.

Simply click on the link for each cover. You can download any and all free digital educational resources once you sign up at Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT). No fee to sign up! If you find these work well with your children, please leave a review. Your input helps a great deal!

Turkey Tales (Narrative & Opinion Writing)

Nature Trail Book

A Big, Fat Turkey Action Poem

Halloween Sale!  HALLOWEEN SALE!  halloween sale!

20% Off for a limited time only

Catch the sale before it disappears.... OOOOOHHH!

         

 

Visit us at Growing Smart Readers Resources

Thanks for dropping in!

                                                                                                           Pumpkin by

 Happy October Howlin'

October is flying right before my eyes. Have you made some paper bats with your kids yet? Well, even if you don't have any kids....it's so much fun to cover your walls and ceilings--and windows with these critters. Below is an easy bat-making activity that I think you'll enjoy. I know my kids loved making these. You honestly can't make too many. Just be sure to stock up on black construction paper before you start! 

Here's how to make a simple bat...

Don't forget that bats are one of THE best topics for getting students (or your child) to write. Kids come up with the most awesome and imaginative stories when it comes to anything to do with Halloween. 

BUT even if you are not into Halloween (and not everyone is!), and you just want your kids to have fun learning about bats and their habitat, making paper bats is a fantastic springboard for fact-finding and both fiction or nonfiction writing.

If bats are your thing.... and you want to get kids jazzed up about these flying mammals, check out my TpT store and see if these batty resources interest you.  Lots of freebees are in store as well.  Don't miss my sale this week!  

Happy Howlin' to y'all!   And have fun!  

Karen :) By the way, yes---Halloween is almost here....but it's not too late to have some batty fun.

BAT WRITING & CRAFT

HALLOWEEN SHAPES ( a fun paper craft)

And here's some more spooktacular writing stuff:

HALLOWEEN SPOOKY TALE STARTERS

 Wishing You a Happy & Healthy New Year!  

Let's aim for a year of Compassion, Kindness, Good Health, and Extra Fun thrown in!  We all deserve it.

I have not posted in SO long, but I hope I haven't lost you all yet in the shuffle of life.  It does feel like a lifetime. The pandemic has changed the lens of how I view teaching, how I view myself as an educator, and how I empathize with my students and their inner and outer struggles. Since the beginning of 2020, my focus has changed (and still is changing) on how I spend my time with my family, and how I make the most of each day.  I must remind myself not to take each day for granted.

But here we are. And here you are. Stay healthy and make the most of each day with whomever you're with and wherever you are. 

Thank you for stopping by.
Karen

It's Spring! Baby Animals Accordion Books

It's another snowy day here today! We're expecting over 8 inches of snow. Where's Spring?!

But in the spirit of what is supposed to be springtime, I'm posting this freebie that you might be interested in if you have young readers who love animals.  The following is found in my store, but it is free! Just hop over to Growing Smart Readers and log in, or if you haven't already, create an account at TeachersPayTeachers. It's easy!

By the way, if you haven't discovered this marketplace for teachers yet, you will be surprised to see thousands of freebies. Even many thousands more priced resources are fun just to browse. If you teach on a shoestring as I do, you will enjoy grabbing some resources to fit the needs of your kids.

AND.... if you love the simplicity of an accordion book (at Makingbooks.com), you will enjoy my four little books--for free. (Options include one page informational text as well--just in case you're not interested in folding.) The cute animal graphics allow for coloring, too!

Click Here:  4 Baby Animals Accordion Books with Informational Text

TERMS: Please do not share on the internet. I'd appreciate it if you only offer the link to my store. This represents a lot of my time and I think you'll agree that people should go to my store link, rather than instantly download it from the internet. Thank you very much for your consideration and for observing copyright law.

Greetings!

It is a winter wonderland outside my window now, with blustery winds and blowing snow. Despite the weather, it's hard to believe another busy holiday season has arrived. I have to say that I did a lot of grumbling this morning as I teeter-tottered across my icy driveway.

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, so I thought I'd tell you a little about my new readers theater (I know...is it readers' theater or without the apostrophe? Nobody can agree.)  

This script is just right for intermediate and upper elementary kids. Briefly, it's a short story about a girl who seems ungrateful about her life, but finds new meaning in what it is to be kind. This file has a bonus editable version so that you can edit any part of the script, change any characters, and adapt it to your students' needs.

Readers theaters are such an effective tool, an interactive reading activity that gets your kids practicing fluency without realizing they are working and learning.

If you are interested, check this out in my store at Teachers Pay Teachers. I appreciate your interest, even if you are just checking it out! 

Readers Theater: The Kindness Project (Editable and PDF)

Back to winter....I know that having snow and cold is hardly anything that I should complain about with all the suffering and misfortune others are having in other parts of the country--with fires, tornadoes and hurricanes. So, I am truly grateful for my home and family. I sincerely hope that this post finds you well and in good health, and that you find kindness, peace and comfort in each day.