Activities from our readers

Instructor, Jan-Feb, 2004

Win a $50 Scholastic gift certificate!

Do you have an innovative classroom activity or super organizing tip that you'd like to share? Mail it to Instructor Activities, c/o Scholastic Inc., P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10013-0711. If we publish your idea, you'll receive a $50 Scholastic gift certificate with our thanks!

Edible Snowflakes (Symmetry) I like to keep learning fun with my second-, third-, and fourth-grade students by making edible snowflakes on a wintry day. During lessons on symmetry, we fold plain flour tortillas as if making paper snowflakes, and carefully cut out the patterns. Then I fry the "snowflakes" in hot oil and drain on paper towels as students complete a related activity, such as a symmetry worksheet. Once our "snowflakes" have cooled, we sprinkle them with powdered sugar (or plain sugar and cinnamon) and enjoy our lesson.--Janice Lynch, Nokomis, IL

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Valentine's Day Matching Game (Addition & Subtraction)

Bring some seasonal fun to your math lesson with a Valentine's Day Matching Game. First, make a class-sized set of construction-paper hearts. Cut each heart in half, and write "matching" addition and subtraction problems on both halves, such as 2 + 4 and 11 - 5 or 12 - 6 and 9 - 3. Distribute one half of a heart to each student. Then ask students, on your signal, to search for a classmate holding a problem that yields the same answer as the one they have. When all students find their partners, have the pairs line up so the class can determine if the heart halves are matched correctly. Then redistribute the cutouts for another round of play.--Cynthia Holcomb, San Angelo, TX

Missing Mittens (Descriptive Paragraphs)

Writing paragraphs was never so much fun in our primary classrooms until we decided to use The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg (Puffin, 2002) as a prompt. After reading the book aloud, we ask students in both classes to design a matching pair of mittens. We share "lost and found" ads from our local newspaper and talk about what kind of information the ads include. Then students write descriptive paragraphs to serve as "lost and found" ads for one of their mittens. After the ads are completed, students exchange mittens. We ask each ad writer to read his or her description aloud. Can the student holding that person's mitten recognize it from the description? Later, we create a newsletter featuring each mitten and ad.--Janis Bounds & Heather Barrow, Nederland, TX

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

100th Day Cake

Celebrate the 100th day in your classroom with a yummy treat shaped like the number 100. Make two round layer cakes and cut a square out of the center of each to make the zeros. Then put the two squares together to make the "1." Have students help you frost and decorate the cakes with 100 goodies, such as M & M's, gummy bears, or Skittles. Admire it, then eat!

--Jacqueline Waite, Wantagh, NY

Smarty Snowmen

Encourage good work habits when winter doldrums come with these motivational snowmen. For each snowman you will need three large marshmallows, two toothpicks (for arms), five chocolate chips (for eyes and buttons), one small licorice piece (for the mouth), and a black paper hat. Each time a student completes an assignment satisfactorily, he or she earns one part of the snowman. When the snowman is complete, the student may take it home. Encourage children to achieve their snowmen within the week.

--Evelyn Behrens, Ovid, MI

Party Hat Resolutions

Add sparkle to New Year's resolutions with an eye-catching bulletin board. First, talk with students about what the word resolution means. Next, ask them to reflect on the past year. Is there anything they would have done differently? Then have students each choose a goal for the new year. Invite them to write these resolutions on construction-paper balloon shapes, and add yarn for the tails. Next, give each student a chance to share his or her resolution with the class. Distribute shiny gift wrap and a triangle pattern for students to trace and cut out a party-hat shape. Supply tree garland (on sale after Christmas) to use as trim, and curly ribbon for the tassels. Scatter the balloons and hats around the bulletin board for a festive party effect.

--Amy Talbot, New York, NY

Vocabulary Mail

Bring interesting visitors into your classroom with a combination vocabulary/current events activity. Each week, ask students to read articles in the local paper and circle new and unfamiliar words. Together, the class can compile a vocabulary list, complete with definitions. Encourage students to use the new words to write letters to the subjects of the articles, inviting them to visit your class. We've had visits from artists, chefs, zoo workers, and even a federal judge!

--Lee Stayer, Birmingham, AL

Real-World Geometry

If your students are having trouble remembering the names of geometric solids, jog their memories with this post-holiday project. For share time, ask students to bring in presents they received that correspond to the shapes you are studying. For example, a board game is a rectangular solid, a baseball is a sphere, and a gel pen is a cylinder. If your school has a digital camera, you could take pictures of the items and post them for students to use as a reference when test time approaches.