Re: ELEM: New Ideas

[Anne C Oelke <acoelke@PEOPLES.NET>]

Karen,

I'm not sure just what kind of activities you are thinking of--structured
lessons or pick up and do sorts of unstructured activities,
but----------here's a couple of ideas I've used:

Word finds, crosswords or mazes related to libraries, books, authors etc.
There's computer software available to make them.

bookmarks with dot-to-dot pictures or pictures to be colored

Favorite Gr. 5 research project:
Fly High with Research:  Each student chooses a state.  Makes a kite from
construction paper (simple diamond shape) and puts state name, flag, bird,
flower, motto on the kite.  Then they find facts from different sources and
write the fact on a "tail" section for the kite (kind of a bow tie shape on
8 1/2 x 11" paper).  They also include all the bibliographic info for the
source.  Each different type of source (encyclopedia, almanac, atlas, book,
internet, CD etc) used a different color of paper.  Thus they have to use a
variety of types of sources to complete the project while working relatively
independently.  You can vary the subject matter (state, country, animal,
city, etc), and even the form you use.  Last year we had a rainforest
emphasis, so they made vines with different shapes of leaves (I couldn't
come up with 6 shades of green paper!!) and found rainforest facts.  I use
yarn to staple or tape the kite tales on, or as the vine.

Have fun, and post a collection of ideas you get.

Anne


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anne Oelke                     | "Some days are like that,
acoelke@peoples.net            |  even in Australia!"
Cambria-Friesland School Dst.  |  Judith Viorst in _Alexander
Cambria, WI                    | & the Terrible, Horrible,
                               | No Good, Very Bad Day_.