October a creative idea book for the elementary teacher

a creative idea book for the elementary teacher written and illustrated by Karen Sevaly © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book Reproduction of these materials for commercial resale or distribution to an entire school or school district is strictly prohibited Pages may be duplicated for one individual classroom set only Material may not be reproduced for other purposes without the prior written permission of the publisher Copyright © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company All rights reserved Printed in China ISBN-13 978-0-439-50378-5 ISBN-10 0-439-50378-7 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book This book is dedicated to teachers and children everywhere © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book Table of Contents MAKING THE MOST OF IT! What Is in This Book How to Use This Book Adding the Color Lamination Photocopies and Ditto Masters Monthly Organizers Bulletin Boards Lettering and Headings 10 11 11 12 CALENDAR - OCTOBER 13 October October October October Calendar and Activities Calendar Header Calendar Symbols - Blank Calendar 14 17 18 20 AUTUMN ACTIVITIES! 21 Autumn Activities Stand-Up Tree Autumn Patterns Autumn Booklet Cover Pumpkin Booklet Cover Pencil Toppers Autumn Bookmarks Certificate of Recognition Student of the Week Autumn Awards Crow Pattern Popcorn Activities 22 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 WHOOOO ME? 37 Owl Activities Owl Booklet Cover Stand-Up Owl Owl Mask Owl Pattern 38 39 40 41 42 DINOSAURS! 43 Dinosaur Activities Dinosaur Patterns Dinosaur Bones My Dinosaur Book Creative Writing Page © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 44 47 50 53 54 October Monthly Idea Book SPIDERS! 55 Spider Activities Spider Legs Spider Pattern Spider Web Pattern Spider Crafts My Spider Report 56 58 59 60 61 62 SKELETONS! 63 No Bones About It! Skeleton Match Mr Skeleton Skeleton Activities Skull Puppet 64 65 66 71 72 MASKS! 73 Masks Around the World Mexican Mask Mask Patterns Full Mask Pattern 74 77 78 82 COLUMBUS DAY! 83 Christopher Columbus Discovery Map Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria Columbus Hat Columbus Puppet Sailors Wanted! 84 85 86 88 89 90 FIRE SAFETY! 91 Fire Safety Activities Firefighter’s Hat and Certificate Fire Safety Plan My Fire Safety Check List Firefighter Fire Safety Booklet Cover Hot Topic Writing Page Fire Drill Rules Fire Safety Bulletin Board and Emergency Numbers © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 October Monthly Idea Book HALLOWEEN! 101 Halloween Halloween Poem Halloween Word Find Pumpkin and Ghost Matching Ghosts Halloween Finger Puppets Halloween Game Pumpkin Puppet Bat Pattern Ghost Wheel Scaredy Cats Halloween Safety Tips Movable Mr Pumpkin Spooky Activities 3-D Ghost 3-D Pumpkin Cat Tails Make A Monster Creative Writing Page 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 110 111 112 114 115 116 118 122 123 124 126 128 BULLETIN BOARDS AND MORE! 129 Bulletin Boards and More Witch and Pumpkin Face Patterns Fang-tastic Dracula Creative Writing Ghost Haunted House Pattern Tombstone Dinosaur Pattern Bare Tree Pattern Spider Feet 130 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 ANSWER KEY 144 © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book g n i k a M t s o m e th ! t i of © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book WHAT IS IN THIS BOOK: You will find the following in each monthly idea book from Teacher’s Friend Publications: A calendar listing every day of the month with a classroom idea, and mention of special holidays and events At least four student awards to be sent home to parents Three or more bookmarks that can be used in your school library or given to students by you as “Super Student Awards.” Numerous bulletin board ideas and patterns pertaining to the particular month and seasonal activity Easy to make craft ideas related to the monthly holidays and special days Dozens of activities emphasizing not only the obvious holidays but also the often forgotten celebrations such as: Fire Prevention Day, Columbus Day and Halloween Creative writing pages, crossword puzzles, word finds, booklet covers, games, paper bag puppets, literature lists and much more! Scores of classroom management techniques and proven methods to motivate your students to improve behavior and classroom work HOW TO USE THIS BOOK: Every page of this book may be duplicated for individual classroom use Some pages are meant to be copied or used as duplicating masters Other pages may be transferred onto construction paper or used as they are If you have access to a print shop, you will find that many pages work well when printed on index paper This type of paper takes crayons and felt markers well and is sturdy enough to last (Bookmarks work particularly well on index paper.) Lastly, some pages are meant to be enlarged with an overhead or opaque projector When we say enlarge, we mean it! Think BIG! Three, four or even five feet is great! Try using colored butcher paper or poster board so you don’t spend all your time coloring © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book ADDING THE COLOR: Putting the color to finished items can be a real bother to teachers in a rush Try these ideas: On small areas, water color markers work great If your area is rather large, switch to crayons or even colored chalk or pastels (Don’t worry, lamination or a spray fixative will keep color on the work and off of you No laminator or fixative? That’s okay, a little hair spray will the trick.) The quickest method of coloring large items is to start with colored paper (Poster board, butcher paper or large construction paper work well.) Add a few dashes of a contrasting colored marker or crayon and you will have it made Try cutting character eyes, teeth, etc from white typing paper and gluing them in place These features will really stand out and make your bulletin boards come alive For special effects, add real buttons or lace Metallic paper looks great on stars and belt buckles, too LAMINATION: If you have access to a roll laminator then you already know how fortunate you are They are priceless when it comes to saving time and money Try these ideas: You can laminate more than just classroom posters and construction paper Try various kinds of fabric, wallpaper and gift wrapping You’ll be surprised at the great combinations you come up with Laminated classified ads can be used to cut a heading for current events bulletin boards Colorful gingham fabric makes terrific cut letters or bulletin board trim You might even try burlap! Bright foil gift wrapping paper will add a festive feeling to any bulletin board (You can even make professional looking bookmarks with laminated fabric or burlap They are great holiday gift ideas for mom or dad!) Felt markers and laminated paper or fabric can work as a team Just make sure the markers you use are permanent and not water-based Oops, make a mistake! That’s okay Put a little ditto fluid on a tissue, rub across the mark and presto, it’s gone! Also, dry transfer markers work great on lamination and can easily be wiped off © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company October Monthly Idea Book LAMINATION: (continued) Laminating cut-out characters can be tricky If you have it enlarged an illustration onto poster board, simply laminate first and then cut it out with scissors or an art knife (Just make sure the laminator is hot enough to create a good seal.) One problem may arise when you paste an illustration onto poster board and laminate the finished product If your pasteup is not 100% complete, your illustration and posterboard may separate after laminating To avoid this problem, paste your illustration onto poster board that measures slightly larger This way, the lamination will help hold down your paste-up When pasting up your illustration, always try to use either rubber cement, artist’s spray adhesive or a glue stick White glue, tape or paste does not laminate well because it can often be seen under your artwork Have you ever laminated student-made place mats, crayon shavings, tissue paper collages, or dried flowers? You’ll be amazed at the variety of creative things that can be laminated and used in the classroom or as take-home gifts PHOTOCOPIES AND DITTO MASTERS: Many of the pages in this book can be copied for use in the classroom Try some of these ideas for best results: If the print from the back side of your original comes through the front when making a photocopy or ditto master, slip a sheet of black construction paper behind the sheet This will mask the unwanted shadows and create a much better copy Several potential masters in this book contain instructions for the teacher Simply cover the type with correction fluid or a small slip of paper before duplicating When using a new ditto master, turn down the pressure on the duplicating machine As the copies become light, increase the pressure This will get longer wear out of both the master and the machine Trying to squeeze one more run out of that worn ditto master can be frustrating Try lightly spraying the inked side of the master with hair spray For some reason, this helps the master put out those few extra copies © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 10 October Monthly Idea Book Bulletin Boards and More! OUR READING PATCH Display a large orange pumpkin for each student on the class bulletin board As assignments are completed or stories read, the students add eyes, noses and mouths to their pumpkins, which quickly turn into jack-o-lanterns WHOOOOOOO KNOWS? Enlarge this "wise" owl onto poster board and display it in the center of a bulletin board Cut pictures of famous people and places from magazines and periodicals and arrange them around the owl Ask students to identify each picture and award the student with the most correct answers WHICH IS WITCH? Students will love studying homonyms with this clever bulletin board Display a large Halloween witch in one corner Write different homonyms on strips of colored paper and place them around the board Children can match up the words when work is completed © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 130 TF1000 October October MonthlyIdea IdeaBook Book Bulletin Boards and More! FANG-TASTIC Take the "bite" out of school work by displaying Dracula on the class bulletin board Cover the board with black paper Place Dracula's face and hands above the board, as shown Children will be eager to see their papers displayed in such a "fang-tastic!" way SPOOKY MURAL Everyone in class will love adding their own touches to this "spooky" mural Cover the board with black paper and have children cut haunted houses and flying ghosts from paper Colored chalk can be used to add details GHOST WRITERS Have students write "ghostly" stories on white paper ghost cutouts Display ghosts on the class bulletin board omitting each author's name Children will have fun guessing the identity of each "ghost" writer © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 131 TF1000 October October MonthlyIdea IdeaBook Book Bulletin Boards and More! BONE UP ON DINOSAURS Display dinosaur names on large paper bones cut from white construction paper Students can list dinosaur facts under the names, along with drawings of each dinosaur HARVEST OF GOOD WORK Children will enjoy collecting fall leaves for this autumn bulletin board Pin the actual leaves around the board or cut paper leaves for the good work papers (You may wish to laminate the leaves first.) Write the owners' names on the paper leaves with colored markers FIREPROOF YOUR HOME Instruct students on the value of fire prevention with the help of this fire safety bulletin board After the class discussion, list items that should be checked to insure a firesafe home Display this list on the board along with a cut-out paper match or fire extinguisher © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 132 TF1000 October October MonthlyIdea IdeaBook Book Bulletin Boards and More! WHOOOO AM I? Cut pictures from magazines and newspapers depicting historical places and heroic people Mount the pictures on the class board During free time, have your students use their research skills to identify the people and places in the pictures Students who can identify all of the pictures receive an award Change the pictures each week to continue your students' "wise" education LOOK WHAT'S POPPING! Display a cut paper pot and lid on the class bulletin board Give each student a large, paper popcorn kernel and have them write their name on it Display the kernels around the pot (Popcorn pattern shown on page 36.) Paste real popcorn kernels to each student's individual popped corn for completed work or improved behavior PUMPKIN PATCH! Cover the top of the board with black paper Add purple hills, yellow fields and a white picket fence Award orange paper pumpkins to students who complete specific tasks Change the scene by having students draw jack-o-lantern faces on their pumpkins Corn stalks, scarecrows, owls, bats and a moon can all be added as the season progresses After Halloween, remove the spooky characters and replace them with pilgrims and horns of plenty © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 133 October Monthly Idea Book Bulletin Boards and More! SPOOKY EPITAPHS! Inspire your students with this fun display depicting spooky epitaphs! Have children write silly epitaphs on the tombstone pattern contained in this unit and create a spooky graveyard scene on the class bulletin board Each epitaph should be written as a rhyme Using the ghost pattern, students can write ghost stories about the fictional character depicted on their tombstone! AUTUMN LEAVES Display a large, bare tree made from brown butcher paper on the class board Award students red, yellow and orange paper leaves when work is completed and behavior improved Write the date, task completed or each student's name on the awarded leaf Children will be eager to earn the leaves and pin them to the tree You may want to title the display "Autumn Awards!" DINO-MITE DINOSAURS! Give each student his or her own dinosaur pattern and ask them to display the patterns on the class board Children can earn dinosaur "scales" and paste them on to the back of the stegosaurus The dinosaur pattern can also be used to denote classroom monitors or reading groups Simply print the name of each group on the dinosaur and label the scales with the students' names Scales can be moved as kids move from group to group © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 134 October Monthly Idea Book Bulletin Boards and More! SPOOKY HEADINGS Tear letters from white paper for a "spooky” effect Letters can also be cut from rolled cotton or crumpled pieces of plastic wrap ROAD MAP LETTERS Large letters cut from old road maps will add interest to a bulletin board on mapping skills NAME THAT TUNE Cut headline letters from old sheet music or pages from discarded song books STYROFOAM HEADLINES Cut letters form styrofoam sheets This is a great way to announce the coming of winter or a unit on Alaska CURRENT EVENTS Get students' attention by displaying headlines cut from real newspaper headlines or from classified ad pages FEATHERED FRIENDS A bulletin board announcing a unit on birds will literally jump off the wall with the letters written in real feathers RED, WHITE AND BLUE Celebrate patriotic themes by cutting letters from red, white and blue striped wrapping paper © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 135 October Monthly Idea Book Witch Pattern Pumpkin Face Patterns © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 136 October Monthly Idea Book Fang-tastic Dracula This Dracula pattern can also be given to each student Mounted and colored on a large sheet of construction paper, it can display spooky stories in a dramatic way Enlarge Dracula for a "fang"-tastic, over the top bulletin board display © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 137 October Monthly Idea Book Creative Writing Ghost © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 138 October Monthly Idea Book Haunted House Pattern Enlarge this haunted house for a spooky bulletin board display Children can add the finishing touches, including pumpkins, ghosts and other scary characters at the windows © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 139 October Monthly Idea Book Tombstone R.I.P IN - PEA ST CE E R - Write a funny epitaph © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 140 October Monthly Idea Book Name Dinosaur Pattern © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 141 October Monthly Idea Book Bare Tree Pattern Give each student his or her own tree pattern and have them glue on their own autumn colored, tissue-paper leaves © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 142 October Monthly Idea Book Spider Feet Students can collect the spider's legs and feet as they accomplish goals Name Cut eight legs and eight shoes Have students assemble the spider and glue it to a sheet of colored paper © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company 143 October Monthly Idea Book Answer Key! ACTIVITY CRANIUM FIBULA PATELLA ULNA AND RADIUS SCAPULA STERNUM HUMERUS FEMUR TIBIA CLAVICLE PELVIS METACARPALS/METATARSALS PHALANGES CARPALS TARSALS Collar Bone Kneecap Hand and Foot Bones Shoulder Blade Calf Bone Thigh Bone Breastbone Shin Bone Finger and Toe Bones Hip Bone Ankle Bones Skull Wrist Bones Upper Arm Bone Lower Arm Bones ACTIVITY D V C O W E Z C C F S C A M Ñ E S W B G W E Q U D C D N F B S D S R B L R V G V E S E T R E V E V F V H U T F R B T A T Y T F G W C G B Y M G G T G Y N Y U G T H W D T N U B Y T B F F T G J D G B O S Y M J U H H N D E A H H V H G R A H K K S P A I N B M U F F K F L N U J O S D S F R C A I G H I V D S J G L E C W R T D R J T F N F F A N F M R V R T Y R I K V T G D T L B D Ñ T B T Y H W A Y B R F S E V V N H G Q U E E N I S A B E L L A C I G Y S F D C Q F D M W R S F D X Ñ V H E G R O X V R E T D R R O Z A B U R H Y L C B T R Y I T T R D S H J T Y H K V G Y I U N G Y F R E F K Y U J I T T E C P A Y G T T F R I U J P I N T A A I N T F Y G Y T L I M S N H D V T B D R R H D H Y P P N Q G U R F U N R E E U R O ACTIVITY W E W Q E J F O W U Z M S S M A J J Q © Teacher’s Friend, a Scholastic Company P S P O O K Y C A N D Y D E A C A A C U F T S F R E T C S T X R R S V C W B M T Y K G C D O F R R C F T D F K C G P Y H E T S F B T C I V B Y R T O V T K U A L Y W R E Y O C G H U F H L B R I H L E H E T R U S K H G J G N A H F N J L T J R G G I T O Y T N T J N Y E K K O O U T B T J U R J R H D U T U S S W W N K H V Y H M T K D B V T E N C D Y E M A S K H N E R R C F G G R M F 144 F R E X W Y R H M V E F X R R N N K T G V N D E O E J K G A B A T S B C L H H H T R T R T M L Y T N W S C F F H W Y I U T Y A G N P H V B E W V E R U I T K N Y U N H I O N G W Q E B R W Y T G O J H I G Y U N M Y E X V N T T R C R Y L P HU J G OH EO J S OT BD J U NH T R V B BN L Q A V C E KW HM October Monthly Idea Book ... or burlap They are great holiday gift ideas for mom or dad!) Felt markers and laminated paper or fabric can work as a team Just make sure the markers you use are permanent and not water-based Oops,... JOB! Name Name Was “Bewitching” Today! Date Teacher Teacher BOO! Date Name Was A “Huge” Success Today! Teacher MUCH BETTER! Date Name Teacher © Teacher? ??s Friend, a Scholastic Company Date 34 October. .. illustration © Teacher? ??s Friend, a Scholastic Company 47 October Monthly Idea Book Ankylosaurus Parasaurlophus Anatosaurus © Teacher? ??s Friend, a Scholastic Company 48 October Monthly Idea Book