Departments : Your Green Pages :
Your Green Pages March 2007
By Elizabeth Swartz
55 Skill-Building Activities You Can Use Right Now!
For a downloadable version of the Green Pages click here. 
PDF 457KB
- Primary Grades
- Shapes and Shadows
Art Accompany your students to a sunny place either indoors or out. Give each child his or her own dark marker, a large piece of construction paper and an object to stand in the center of his or her paper. Use different-shaped objects – basketballs, juice cans, books, staplers, chalkboard erasers, etc. Have the kids trace the outline of the shadow on the paper. Later, put all the objects on a table and ask the children to match them to the correct shadows. - Matching Eggs
Math/Art Provide each student with a plastic egg to decorate with stickers and permanent markers. Once the eggs have dried, separate the egg halves and mix them all together in a basket. Have the children match and reattach the halves. - Leprechaun Fun
Drama Use the following finger play about leprechauns to teach your students a little skit. Then invite another class to come in and watch the performance. - Skipping Feet
Physical Education/Math Make several construction-paper footprints. Write one of the following instructions on each: walk, skip, hop, run, crawl. Lay down a "track" of tape on the floor of your classroom or playground. Let one student pick a footprint from the face-down pile while another child tosses a pair of dice. Then the class will do whatever was determined – for instance, three laps of skipping. Repeat this exercise throughout the day when switching from one sedentary activity to another. - Find the Page
Math Borrow a set of almanacs from the school library. Give one to each child. Call out a two- or three-digit number and see who can find the page first. The first student to find the page is the next to call out a new number. - Graphing Clouds
Science/Art Post a calendar for the month of March. Then have the children make several clouds – some white cotton-ball clouds, some gray felt clouds and some white felt clouds with an X over them, which represents a lack of clouds. Build a bar graph next to your daily calendar showing the number of days with white clouds, days with dark, stormy clouds and days with no clouds. Can the children predict what tomorrow might be like? - Happy Birthday, Ezra
Reading/Art Ezra Jack Keats was born on March 11, 1916, so this is a great day to read a selection of his books. After enjoying the stories, talk about the collage illustrations. Then provide the children with a pile of various weights and colors of paper. Encourage them to create collages of their own. - Apartment Living
Social Studies/Math/Art Collect several cardboard tea packages that hold approximately 20 tea bags. Remove the top and end flaps. Glue the boxes together to form a cross section of an apartment building. Assign each child an apartment to decorate and outfit. Use math skills for creating contents that are to scale. Turn one box on end to provide an elevator shaft. What else does an apartment building need? How could your students go about adding extra features? - Dear Leprechaun
Writing Write letters to that poor leprechaun who is always trying to find a good place to hide his gold. Kids are experts at finding good hiding places and they love to share their ideas. - Eating Green
Health/Nutrition March can be a confusing month, nutrition-wise, as it's both Dr. Seuss' birthday month (March 2) – a popular time to cook green eggs and ham – and National Nutrition Month. Have your students brainstorm the names of green things that can and should be eaten and green things that should not be eaten (or eaten only occasionally). Take some surveys about which green vegetables are the most popular in your room. Are there students who have never tried some green foods, like Brussels sprouts or kale? How many like green M&Ms? - My Favorite Breakfast
Art/Writing/Nutrition Have each child write and create illustrations of their favorite breakfast foods. Are certain breakfasts saved for a special day? (Sundays, birthdays, etc.) Do the students know that the word breakfast comes from a time to "break" your "fast" from overnight? Is having breakfast at school a good idea? Why or why not? - Colorful Coordinates
Math/Art When introducing grids and coordinates, give each student five one-inch strips of one color of paper, five one-inch strips of a contrasting color and several colorful mini pom-poms. Help the students make grids like the one pictured. Glue an eye at the (0,0) coordinate to remind them to always start at this position. Suggest coordinates at which to glue the pom-poms. They'll soon be ready to move on to graph paper and colored markers. - Exceptions to Rules
Reading/Writing Children have difficulty understanding rules that have exceptions, whether in phonics or life. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick Press, 2006) is a funny and beautifully illustrated story that tells of a time when a rule needed to be broken in order to provide help for someone who was injured. After reading the book aloud, invite children to talk about other rules that might need to be broken for a good reason. - Jelly Bean Math
Math Use jellybeans to learn about estimation and measurement. Challenge the children to guess how many jellybeans will be needed to fill a teaspoon, a tablespoon, one half cup and one cup. Fill the above measurements, then count and compare the actual results with the guesses. Can the students guess how many jelly beans they will need to place end to end to measure six inches? Twelve inches? Check to find out. - Spot It, Write It
Vocabulary/Reading Send your students on a mission to find assigned words that they know on TV, billboards, signs or in video games. Have them write the complete list and bring it to school to read aloud. Could they spot all the words on their list? Which words were the easiest to spot? Which seemed to be everywhere? Why? - Parent Activity
Reading/Math Get a 100-piece puzzle and help your child complete it. Important math and reading skills are developed in seeing these parts come together to form a whole. When this is complete, buy a larger puzzle. Glue the pieces to a cardboard backing and frame it. Hang it in your child's room so he or she can enjoy the satisfaction of completing a project. Keep getting bigger and bigger puzzles. Take a break in between them, but always have a new one handy for a lazy Sunday or bad-weather days. - Sharing a Magazine
Reading Request magazines from your school librarian. Ask your students to pair off and lend each pair one magazine. Allow time for shared reading of the magazines. Afterwards, have students share what they liked best about their magazines. Did any of them get to see magazines they had never seen before? - Inventions Galore
Science Get a set of scissors that cut in different patterns. Show the children how they work. Ask the children why such an invention might be important. Does it mean that regular scissors aren't good anymore? Explain how inventors try to take a product and make it better or try to find an easier way to do something. What kind of improvements can your students think of for everyday objects used in the classroom? - Frozen Foods
Science/Nutrition Talk to the food service director in your district and arrange for a class tour of the walk-in freezers in your school. Ask the director to give a short talk about the importance of frozen foods. - International Symbols
Social Studies/Health March is Red Cross Month. Visit www.redcross.org and discuss the types of programs carried out by the Red Cross. Discuss the importance of the Red Cross logo on tents, trucks and ambulances throughout the world in peace time or in war time. What other symbols are recognized internationally? How are symbols such as this like icons on computers or video games? - Worldwide Helpers
Social Studies/Health Continuing your study of the Red Cross from the previous activity, research just how much help the Red Cross provides on a global level. Place a large map of the world in the classroom on which students can mark the locations where the Red Cross is operating. - Energy Cops
Science/Environment Discuss how various forms of energy are wasted, such as water left running, lights on in an empty room, TVs or radios left on, cars left running, etc. Have your students be energy cops, asking them to list all the ways they see energy being wasted. Talk about energy-conserving changes they can make at home or school. Brainstorm a list of ideas and make enough copies for everyone to take one home. - Newspapers in Education
Reading The first week in March is set aside for Newspapers in Education. Invite someone from your local paper to do a presentation about how the paper is planned, produced and distributed. If possible, take a field trip to the newspaper's offices. - Poison Awareness
Science/Health The Internet Public Library has an informative site about poison at www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/poisonsafe/kjump.html You'll find answers to questions, clear warnings and activities for kids to practice poison-safety skills. - Reading with Purpose
Reading Collect a set of pages from magazines that are advertisements but look to the eye like articles. Give one to each student to read. What is the purpose of this piece of writing? Have students highlight the words that help them recognize this type of writing. Did they feel drawn to purchase the item? Would they know that this was an advertisement if it didn't say so at the top of the page? - Design a Track
Math/Phys. Ed/Health Depending upon your climate and facility, discuss with your principal a designated place where your students could measure and mark a walking track to use during the day, as time allows. Students should be able to walk a mile in 20 minutes or less. Can you find 20 minutes three times a week for your class to utilize the track? - Dandy Dragons
Art Take your class on an online trip to the National Gallery of Art for an up-close look at the painting St. George and the Dragon by Rogier van der Weyden. Clicking on different parts of the painting will open the door for folklore, history and art appreciation. www.nga.gov/kids/rogier/rogier1.htm - Plant Propagation
Science To help students realize that seeds aren't the only way to begin new plant life, give each student a leaf from an African violet, a cutting of a spider plant and a cutting of a geranium plant. Provide students with clear plastic cups of water and prepared sheets on which to record daily observations. Compare the length of time between seeing new roots on one plant versus on another. Once a group of roots has established itself, the plant can be put into soil and taken home. - Native American Study
Social Studies Show your students where various Native American tribes lived by going to the Scholastic site www.teacher.scholastic.com and clicking on each state on the interactive map. Continue your study by exploring the three Native American cultures described here. - March Winds
Science/Poetry Design a chart at the beginning of the month for documenting the speed and direction of the winds each day in March. Read the following poem and then ask your students to write poems on their thoughts about the wind. - Water Graph
Health/Nutrition/Math Encourage students to record how much water they tend to drink in one day. Provide paper cups in order to measure a typical water fountain drink. Are they getting the recommended six to eight 8 oz. glasses in a day? Make graphs and keep records for two weeks. Don't count other liquids in the survey. Are students able to increase their water intake? Do they notice any physical changes, such as an increase of energy, in doing so? - Parent Activity
Reading/Writing/Study Skills Get an 11" x 18" piece of paper upon which to help your child draw review boxes. In each box, list the skill items to be learned: spelling words, states and capitals, etc. Illustrate the paper using symbols that are related to the material. Cover it with clear contact paper and have your child use it as a place mat for dinner or a work mat at his or her desk. When that material has been learned, make a new mat. - Historical Fiction
Social Studies/Reading Read aloud Malian's Song by Marge Bruchac (Vermont Folklife Center, 2005), a book based on the true story of the Rogers' Raid on the Abenaki Indian community in 1759 outside of Montreal. The author is a modern-day Abenaki Indian, and this story was passed down through the Abenaki oral tradition and carefully researched, including all known visual references that were used to illustrate the story. After reading the book, ask your class to describe family and community life for the Abenaki people as it's portrayed by the story and illustrations. - Cool European Recipes
Health/Nutrition The site www.coolfoodplanet.org/gb/home.htm was developed in Brussels by the European Food Information Council and emphasizes eating right. It also provides great activities and printable recipes. Have your students find Belgium on the map and prepare some of these recipes in class. Make some in the classroom to get everyone excited. Make sure everyone can find Belgium on the map, too. - Daily Decimal Detective
Math Make a set of cards with each one having a number including a decimal. At the beginning of your math class, select a detective to come to the front, select a card, write the number on the board or the overhead and explain the meaning of the decimal in that number. Let that student select the next detective until four or five kids have had a turn. Repeat successive days. - Dear Dr. Seuss
Writing For Read Across America Day, have your students write letters to Dr. Seuss. Have samples of his books in the room to help them get started. If Dr. Seuss were alive, what could they tell him about how books have changed in 50 years? What's new in the world? What might he include in his books today? Do you see cell phones in his books? Do his books make sounds or light up? - Shamrock Stories
Reading/Listening Get some books on tape or CD from your library for use during read-aloud time. Make or ask your students to create several paper shamrocks. Write a purpose on each one. One might ask for the story beginning, middle and end. Another might ask for three characters, or three things learned about the setting, three different types of sounds heard, etc. After listening to the story and filling out the shamrocks, go over the answers together. Marvel at how much was gleaned from one story. - Is Your Food Safe?
Health/Nutrition Let your students take the quiz from the Food and Drug Administration at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/html/wash__hands.htm This will help them learn that the safety of their food depends largely on keeping their hands, counters and lunchboxes clean, as well as keeping food at the correct temperature. - Eragon Magic
Reading With the release of the movie Eragon, students will be more interested than ever in dragons. Take them to this website with an annotated bibliography, "Dragons in Children's Literature," at www.ferrum.edu/thanlon/dragons There are also several links to related pages and to authors' websites. - Daylight Saving Time
Science Most of the United States will begin Daylight Saving Time earlier this year than in the past. Visit the site www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html with your students to research the history of Daylight Saving Time and the reason for the change. Gather necessary information for preparing informational posters or a PowerPoint presentation to set up in the school lobby, lunchroom or library for others to enjoy. - Fluency Development
Reading Help students having trouble with fluency by providing books on tape or CD from your library and time to read along with the audio version. Students at any age may need a bookmark to help them adapt to the pace of another reader. Earphones or a special set-apart place for a small group makes this an extra-special treat for any level of reader in your class. - Fight Bac(k)
Health Fight Bac is a website designed for students in grades 4-8 to teach them the dangers of food-borne illnesses. Visit www.fightbac.org, where students can go to the Scrub Club to complete activities, stay on the home page to read about how overuse of antibiotics can become a food problem and read updates on recent food-related problems. - Poison, Stay Away
Health/Art The third week in March is Poison Prevention Week and a great time for older students to make warning posters for younger siblings and students in your district. Ideas for their posters and reminders about where different types of poisons are found is available at www.poisonprevention.org Your students might even be interested in entering the poster contest this year. - Something's Cooking
Science/Nutrition This site was designed for preteens by the Exploratorium Museum of San Francisco and highlights the science involved in cooking: www.exploratorium.edu Students can get great recipes as well as explanations for things like why bread rises. The Kitchen Labs include online quizzes and activities. Have each student select one recipe to use for a class demonstration, including the nutritional value of the recipe along with its directions. - Cultural Stereotypes
Social Studies Students can engage in a discussion of how different groups are stereotyped by visiting this site created by The University of California at Berkeley: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/nativeamericans/portrayals.html The site features an in-depth study of how Native Americans have been portrayed. - Diabetes Survey
Health March 27 is The American Diabetes Alert, an annual one-day call-to-action for people to find out if they are at risk for diabetes. Encourage your students to survey their families; what percentage of students have relatives with the disease? What percentage have the disease in their immediate family? Visit www.diabetes.org to find out what the disease is, how it is treated and how students can prevent its development in their own bodies. Have them each prepare a trifold informational pamphlet for their family. - Stop Diabetes
Persuasive Writing/Informational Writing Produce a health newsletter for distribution in your school. Provide information about what diabetes is and how people get it. Add persuasive articles aimed at getting preteens to pay attention to their own health and stop the spread of diabetes among young people. - Favorite Crafts
Art/Public Speaking Many adults and children enjoy crafts of various kinds. Use that interest and involvement to help your students practice public speaking. Students can put on demonstrations of how-to, the history of or different ways to do crafts. They could invite another family member to be part of their demonstration. Have students take digital photos of one another and put them together in a scrapbook. - Stepping Out
Physical Education/ Nutrition Get a couple of pedometers for your class. Have each student wear one for a whole day, beginning in the morning at home and using it for a 24-hour period. Have each student record the number of steps taken. What was the average number of steps? What were the highs and lows? Doctors recommend that adults aim for 10,000 steps a day to remain healthy. Are your students close? Over? Under? How could they increase their number of steps? Why would they want to increase their number of steps? - Everyday Masters
Social Studies During Youth Art Month, show students this book about regular people who are masters of traditional arts today. Extraordinary Ordinary People by Alan Govenar (Candlewick, 2006) is a beautiful collection of photographs and interviews with present-day artisans such as: weavers, corona makers, boat builders, Beijing Opera Performers and a professional Mardi Gras Indian. - Parent Activity
History/Spatial Relations Get a 3D puzzle of a historical spot to put together with your child. The fine motor coordination involved and the need for good spatial relationships will make the task harder than it seems at first. When the puzzle is completed, spray the finished product with a laminate to keep it in its original shape and easy to clean. Have your child do some research on the actual building. Attach an information card to the puzzle and donate it to a children's hospital or local library. - A Nation of Immigrants
Social Studies Use St. Patrick's Day as an introduction to a study of immigration. Divide the class into groups and assign a different immigrant nationality to each group. Help the groups research the dates that people of certain nationalities first immigrated to the United States and reasons for immigration. - Say What?
Listening/Writing Provide every student in your class with individual foam ear plugs. Plan your day so that the ear plugs will be worn for at least an hour. Write necessary directions on the board and encourage lip reading. After the designated time is up, have everyone write what it was like to be unable to hear. How different did the world seem? How did they cope? Does this change their understanding about hearing impairments? - Important Words
Spelling/Poetry Share the fun poem below and talk about the importance of being able to spell correctly. Make a list of favorite foods together as a class. Encourage your students to write food-related poems. - Where Is That?
Geography It's now time for the state and local levels of the National Geographic Bee to get started for 2007. See if anyone in your area is involved. Plan a school event or a class program for following the excitement all the way to the finals. Check it often at www.nationalgeographic.com/geographicbee
Follow the Leprechaun
by Jacqueline Schiff
It's raining on the leprechaun,
(raise hands over head and wiggle
fingers down)
I like this rain a lot!
(pantomime clapping hands)
I followed in his muddy tracks,
(walk fingers across one arm, from elbow to wrist)
They led me to his pot.
(join fingertips to form a pot)
It's raining on the leprechaun,
(repeat rain motion)
His footprints led me to the gold
(point to feet)
That he hid inside his pot.
(cup left hand and cover it with
right hand)
Middle Grades
March Winds
by Martin Shaw
They blow about from
day to day.
For, that is just the
March Winds' way.
They whistle through
the stately trees,
and rattle branches when
they please.
They scatter leaves about
the ground,
they're known to make a
howling sound.
But, best of all, they do
not last,
for when it's April, they've all passed.
Intermediate Grades
Hunger Spell
by Heidi Bee Roemer
I hadn't eaten breakfast
the morning of the "bee."
Hungrily I spelled,
soufflé,
crêpe, and
fricassée.
My last word was
tortilla.
I could see it, taste it, smell it
Its size and shape I knew so well –
Too bad I couldn't spell it.
For a downloadable version of the Green Pages click here. PDF 457KB
ABOUT THE GREEN PAGES: Green Pages activities are for use in teaching grades PreK through 8. Activities are labeled according to basic skill areas.
THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTIONS:
Sherry Timberman, Kennebunk, ME, #2, #23; Marie Cecchini, West Dundee, IL, #14; Joan Macey, Binghamton, NY, #28.
POETRY: "Follow the Leprechaun" by Jacqueline Schiff, Moline, IL. "March Winds" by Martin Shaw, Bronxville, NY. "Hunger Spell" by Heidi Bee Roemer, Orland Park, IL.
Illustrations by H. Robert Loomis.
March, 2007, Vol.37, No.6
