Best Virtual Field Trips for Your Elementary Classroom

Once upon a time, field trips meant loading up the bus and heading to a museum or park for the day. But with today's technology, "field trips" have taken on a whole new dimension! Virtual field trips offer an opportunity for teachers to bring unique experiences to their students from the comfort of their own classroom. 

Listed below are some of the best virtual field trips on the web that offer plenty of choices and directly align with multiple science or social studies standards.

If you are looking for a way to get your students responding to what they  experienced, grab this FREEBIE set of digital response templates. Read about them here.

Teachers can choose from 3 different responses that will fit any field trip chosen! These responses offer maximum versatility to reach every learner in your classroom. 

SCIENCE

Access Mars

The ultimate field trip- another planet! This engaging website allows students to explore the Red Planet as well as the rover, Curiosity.

Detroit Public TV Digital Adventures:

Great Lakes Now - Virtual Field Trips

360 Experiences Winged Creatures 

Grab a lesson plan and link (provided on the website) and take your students to various areas along the Great Lakes.

International Wolf Center

Whether you're seeking red or grey wolves, this website has you covered! The IWC offers a variety of distance learning opportunities as well as free or paid encounters. Click on the "programs" tab to see all of your options.

Lights Over Lapland

Click in and choose your frosty adventure! Stunning photos and beautifully edited videos give students a virtual experience from Sweden.

National Zoo Live Web Cams

Download the provided bingo cards and click through to some fun! 5 different webcams and 4 different bingo cards offer plenty of virtual fun for you and your students.

Nickelodeon - Slime in Space

This YouTube link will lead you and your students through slime experiments in space, vocabulary enrichment, as well as some Q & A.

San Diego Zoo Live Webcams

Choose your animal and click in to watch them live in their exhibit!

Son Doog Cave

Enjoy this amazing land structure in Vietam and enjoy the 360 degree view as well as the accompanying audio.

Stellarium Web

An interactive website that gives stydents options for exploring the night sky.

SOCIAL STUDIES

American Battlefield Trust 

Click and select a battlefield! These virtual tours of Civil War and American Revolution battlefields bring your students to historic spots and give them a 360 degree view.

Colonial Williamsburg Webcams

Explore eight different webcams and see what's happening at places like Market House or Raleigh Tavern.

Ellis Island

Walk the hallways that millions of immigrants moved through as they made their way to a new life in America. View the refurbished Great Hall as well as areas frozen in time such as the Hospital Wing and Staff Quarters. The 360 degree views, navigation map, and comment side bars will give your students a modern-day lens to a historic place in American history.

History View - American Revolution

Click in and watch reinactors demonstrate what happened at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Commentary and visuals help students get a comprehensive understanding of "The Shot Heard Around the World". See everything History View offers here --> HistoryView.org

Museum of the American Revolutionary War (Distance Learning Link)

Along with an impressive virtual tour, the AmRev Museum also offers paid, live experiences for classrooms. 

National Constitution Center - Virtual Tour Exhibits

Choose from four different exhibits that offer 360 degree viewing, audio commentary, and zoom options.

National Constitution Center - Interactive Constitution

A brilliant website that gives students an opportunity to explore the process of drafting the Constitution as well as a closer look at the Civil War Amendments and the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.

Monticello

See Thomas Jefferson's estate in all it's glory. Monticello teamed up with Google to bring users a truly museum-like experience. Use the map or tale of contents to explore every inch of the home and grounds (incuding the Hemmings Cabin).

Mount Vernon

Tour the estate of our first president, George Washington! The clickable links lead students to 360 degree views, short texts about specific artifacts, stories, and videos.

National WW2 Museum (K-12 Distance Learning Link)

Offering a range of experiences, the National WW2 Museum is sure to have something that will fit your needs and budget. Video archives, webinars, and virtual and electronic field trip experiences are just a sampling of what they offer. Teachers can even explore their own professional development!

US Census Bureau - Home and Distance Learning Activities

A plethora of activities designed around the Census and statistics. This website offers educators lesson plans written in a classic format that includes grade level, time needed, and the location on Bloom's Taxonomy!

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

A virtual version of every exhibit. Bookmark and come back for more and more!

The Statue of Liberty

See Lady Liberty in all her glory. Multiple links will bring you to every inch of her magnificence; including some spots not included in the ticketed tour!

The Vatican Museum

Breathtaking 360 degree exhibits; includes the Sistine Chapel

Google Field Trips

The Great Barrier Reef 

Harriet Tubman

Ford's Theater

Google Voyager

Google has an amazing "grid". So, it's no surprise they have some amazing tools that offer your students up close and personal experiences around the globe. I have done a handful of the experiences in Google Voyager and the students absolutely love them. The interactive component of moving around the globe blended with factoids, informational text, short videos, and artifacts give the students a truly museum-like experience.

No matter what your budget or subject area might be, there is something out there for you and your students. Keep using key terms to search for the latest and greatest offerings. And, if you come across some really spectactular finds, let me know. I'll gladly add them to this list!

Best Character Analysis Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Basic comprehension skills can be challenging enough. When teachers ask students to dig deeper into text and develop skills for character analysis, it can be even more so. It doesn't have to be. With just a few poignant strategies you can get your students digging deeper into text and having more than a cursory understanding of the most complex characters ever written.  

Characters Traits Mat

These might be my most favorite thing - ever! The basic set up involves presenting students with a character trait such as "bravery", "perseverance", or "clever" and then challenge them to find evidence in the text where a character demonstrates (through their words or actions) that trait. 

I often assign students a mat that has 3 spaces the size of a sticky note. They write text evidence (with page number) on the stickies and place them on the mat. As they move through the novel, they continue to place notes on the mat while determining which evidence is the strongest. When students have acquired more than 3 stickies, they must arrange their notes with the strongest evidence on the top.

I love the flexibility of these mats. They are especially useful when more than one character displays a character trait. The discussions are richer and more complex. It also leads to discussing motives behind words or actions; and we also discuss when a character demonstrates a trait, if that is a core trait of the character or is it done with a bigger purpose?

Character Traits Mats Completed on Paper with Sticky Notes

When we moved to remote instruction, I redesigned the mats to be computer- friendly. Instead of 3 spaces, students now had 4. In the example above, The Tale of Despereaux was a read aloud. When we completed the mat as a group, during remote instruction, students did not have the novel in their hands. Thus, page numbers were not cited. With a later novel, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, students had a novel in their hand and page numbers were expected.

Association Triangles

If you like Venn diagrams, you'll love Association Triangles. The main difference is that this organizer allows for the comparison of 3 characters (topics) and has a "sliding scale". Students cite text evidence that demonstrates a connection between the characters. If it applies to one character more than the other, the evidence will be closer to that character. If it applies to all three, the evidence is placed in the middle of the organizer.

Association Triangles Completed Digitally

I rarely expect students to cite page numbers for this response. Students are using a more global lens to consider the connections between characters/topics so pages numbers can be challenging. When appropriate, it's fun to place the students within the triangle (see Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing example) and offer them an opportunity to determine what, if any, similarities they have with the novel's characters.

FASTs

For deep character analysis, FASTs give students the direction to consider four different ways a single character presents themselves within a novel. 

F = Feelings

A = Actions

S = Saying

T = Thinking

Character Mats and Association Triangles have students exploring multiple characters at once. However, FASTs challenge students to hone in on a single character and develop a deeper understanding of that character's behaviors and motivations.

Students can start a FAST after the first chapter or two and build evidence as the novel progresses. They are an excellent tool and reference point for cumulative writing assignments at the end of a novel. They are especially helpful when students need to cite evidence while discussing or writing about characters. 

Character FASTs Completed on Paper
(Top: Because of Winn-Dixie, Bottom: The One and Only Ivan)

You can read about other strategies to use during your ELA instruction by clicking a link below:

Best Vocabulary Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Best Comprehension Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Grab your own set of editable character analysis activities (along with other reading responses) to use with your students from my TpT store here: Reading Response Worksheets or by clicking the image below.

Your download will include:

Google Slides

• Cover Slide

• 3 Vocabulary Slides

• 5 Comprehension and Character Study Slides

• 5 Author's Craft, Summary/Sequence Slides

• 3 Theme Written Response Slides

PDF Printables 

• Pre-Reading Activities

• Vocabulary

• Literary Devices

• Comprehension

• Character Analysis

• In-depth Analysis

• Summary & Sequence of Event Responses

• Theme Written Response

• Organizers & Rubrics

Best Comprehension Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

There are oodles of strategies teachers use to help their students comprehend text. Some educators have a particular list of strategies they use and present them in a sequencial order. Others use a mix and work their way in, out, and around various strategies. Oftentimes the skill set required for each approach can criss-cross to create a woven tapestry of understanding for our students. 

In this post I will be describing two comprehension strategies that are suitable for any student and have a wide variety of applications.

Evidence Charts

Evidence charts are one of my favorite comprehension checks. They are a way for students to demonstrate their comprehension of the text without being limited to one correct response. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Evidence charts give students an opportunity to demonstrate some of the deepest and broadest thinking possible.

Students are presented with a statement. They are then tasked with finding evidence from the text that either supports the statement or refutes it. Depending on the statement, students can oftentimes find evidence for both.

The following are statements for Chapters 1-2 from my Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Literature Study resource:

• Fudge makes good decisions.
• Peter is polite.
• It was Fudge's fault Mr. Hatcher lost the Juicy-O account.

One way to keep the statements generic and open to interpretation is to use statements that are opinions. As we read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, the students did a great job finding evidence and applying it to the correct side of the chart. Finding and sharing evidence that can be used for both sides of the chart always leads to rich discussion and a deeper understanding of the text. 

Along with the text evidence, I also expect students to cite the page numbers. If evidence charts are done in a small group (or independently) and shared later, we have a reference point to use if we need to go back into the text. 

Digital Evidence Chart from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Much more rigorous than a multiple choice question, and oftentimes requiring inferring or synthesizing, evidence charts truly demonstrate if a student understands the text. Students cannot guess at the answer, nor can they fill in with "fluff". Plus, the page number citation keeps their answers concise.

The first few times we use evidence charts can be difficult if the student has never completed one. There is a learning curve. As with anything new, I model the first couple charts so the students have a clear understanding of the expectations. 

A positive byproduct of evidence charts is the practice students get with using quotation marks. We discuss the situations in which we should use quotation marks and how to punctuation them; we have even gone so far as to discuss the proper use of ellipses!

Summary Sheets

Summary sheets are a classic. Yet, the ability to summarize still eludes so many students. Regardless of how many times we teach or model summarizing, there remains confusion, over-simplification, or a plethora of unnecessary details. It's quite a challenge to get it "just right".

I have one summary sheet that I use the whole year. I use it every time I ask students to summarize. The only thing that might change is the clipart or borders. The response prompts stay the same.

Chapter/Summary Sheets (Printable on L, Digital on R) 

I sometimes ask students to summarize a single chapter (Chapter Summary). Other times I combine more than one chapter and call it a Section Summary. I do not have students fill one out every time we read a chapter. I use summary sheets during those times when I don't have a specific activity or response in mind or if I feel a need to check the students' understanding of the text.

My summary sheets are comprised of four sections:

• Section/Chapter
• What Happened
• My Thoughts
• My Prediction

The Section/Chapter is the easy section, right? So, minimally, students can complete one part of the response. When they move to the "What Happened" section I encourage them to write one event that happened at the beginning, one event from the middle, and one event from the end. This basic framework gives students a starting point for this section of the sheet. Over time, as they become more comfrotable with the format, they add more information and broaden their responses.

"My Thoughts" and "My Prediction" give me insight to what the students think about the events in the text. Although these sections are opinions and independent thoughts, students must be able to articulate their ideas, why they have them, and communicate the details in the text that led them to their ideas. These two sections usually offer some of the best discussion when they are shared in group settings.

For a more in-depth look at using summarizing strategies such as "5 Finger Method" and "SAAC" click HERE.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Evidence Charts and Summary Sheets are flexible enough to be used with either fiction or nonfiction. Students reading a science article or about a historical event can respond to statements (opinions) using the facts presented in the text. 

For example:

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch will always exist.

Benedict Arnold was smart. 

There are so many ways we can check students' understanding. Multiple choice responses are a quick way to do so. But if you are looking for tasks that have a more rigorous approach and give you greater insight into a student's comprehension, Evidence Charts and Summary Sheets are the better choice. 

You can read about other strategies to use during your ELA instruction by clicking a link below:

Best Vocabulary Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Best Character Analysis Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Grab your own set of editable comprehension activities (along with other reading responses) to use with your students from my TpT store here: Reading Response Worksheets or by clicking the image below.

Your download will include:

Google Slides

• Cover Slide

• 3 Vocabulary Slides

• 5 Comprehension and Character Study Slides

• 5 Author's Craft, Summary/Sequence Slides

• 3 Theme Written Response Slides

PDF Printables 

• Pre-Reading Activities

• Vocabulary

• Literary Devices

• Comprehension

• Character Analysis

• In-depth Analysis

• Summary & Sequence of Event Responses

• Theme Written Response

• Organizers & Rubrics

Best Vocabulary Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Vocabulary can be so tricky. It can make or break a student's understanding of text; this is especially true when working with content-specific vocabulary. There are many ways to introduce, develop, and master vocabulary. 

In this post I will share with you 2 student-specific strategies, which work for any subject you teach, that will help your students master vocabulary.

Knowledge Rating

Knowledge ratings are a simple way to introduce words that students will encounter in upcoming lessons or text. Knowledge ratings can be used for any subject and with any number of terms you may need.

Students are presented with a given list of terms. For each term, the student will rank themselves on a 4-point scale. A score of 1 means the student has never seen or heard the word. A score of 4 means the student has mastered the word and can teach it to someone else.

Knowledge Rating Vocabulary Strategy

Once students have completed the individual scoring of each term, they add up the individual numbers and have their rating. When using a knowledge rating for a unit of study (social studies, science, math) have them keep the rating. At the end of the unit, ask them to rate themselves again. The goal will be for students to increase their rating. If using a knowledge rating for a novel study, break the terms up by chapter or section. Once students have completed the section, go back to the rating and rate once again.

Knowledge Ratings are a great way for students to consider their own level of understanding and mastery of upcoming vocabulary. Using a rating allows students to consider where they currently are with particular terms and gives them a focus for improvement throughout the upcoming lessons.

Vocabulary Card

Vocabulary Cards are basically 4-Square Organizers that give students a space to write words they find interesting. They are organized by part of speech. (I also arrange my Word Wall by Part of Speech.) As students read a novel or work through a unit of study, they can add words to the appropriate spot and refer back to them later on.

Vocabulary Card Strategy

When meeting in a small group, I will ask students to share words they have added to their cards. Where did they find them (page number)? What do they think the word means? What might be a synonym for the word?

Allocating 10-15 minutes to this discussion gives students an opportunity to steer the lesson in a direction they find interesting. 

Different from a glossary, in which particular words are given to the students, vocabulary cards give students the opportunity to create a collection of words they find interesting. It is very student-specific and helps keep students engaged in what might otherwise be a very bland topic of conversation.

For other ideas to develop vocabulary click a link below:

4 Steps to Building Vocabulary

Teaching Vocabulary with Mentor Texts

Developing Vocabulary in Social Studies

No matter what the subject is, vocabulary can be a tough obstacle to overcome. With a few student-driven vocabulary strategies, you can keep your students engaged and on their way to mastering vocabulary!

You can read about other strategies to use during your ELA instruction by clicking a link below:

Best Comprehension Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Best Character Analysis Strategies for Your Elementary Classroom

Grab your own set of editable vocabulary activities (along with other reading responses) to use with your students from my TpT store here: Reading Response Worksheets or by clicking the image below.

Your download will include:

Google Slides

• Cover Slide

• 3 Vocabulary Slides

• 5 Comprehension and Character Study Slides

• 5 Author's Craft, Summary/Sequence Slides

• 3 Theme Written Response Slides

PDF Printables 

• Pre-Reading Activities

• Vocabulary

• Literary Devices

• Comprehension

• Character Analysis

• In-depth Analysis

• Summary & Sequence of Event Responses

• Theme Written Response

• Organizers & Rubrics

Daffodil Dissection in the Elementary Classroom

Spring is here! And, what could be described as the longest winter ever experienced (figuratively), it is time for some color and life. I invite you to grab some daffodils and give you and your students a much needed hands-on experience that celebrates the spring, new life, and is content-driven too!

It seems like students have been learning about plants since they started school. But you can only grow bean plants or complete plant parts on a worksheet so many times. One year, I took the plunge and dissected real flowers! It was a simple and inexpensive way for the students to learn about the plant parts and their important roles.

I did this activity with my class working in pairs; so that cut down the amount of flowers I needed by half. Our school grounds are covered with perennial flowers that we were allowed to use for FREE! If you don’t have flowers at your disposal, then a local flower shop might provide flowers at a discount or as a donation. You could even plant some daffodil bulbs to be ready for next year!

We made a very simple chart that provided places for each of the dissected flower specimens and some notes. On each table I had a variety of tools for them to choose from. Their choices included tooth picks, tweezers, magnifying glasses, scissors, and clear tape.

Simple Note Sheet for Daffodil Dissection

This activity would be great as a teacher-led center but it ran smoothly working as a whole group too. We did this activity using an "I Do - You Do" format. This format gave students an opportunity to watch and listen before they attempted each step. The steps I used are outlined below.

Dissecting Daffodils

1. Discuss the Petals

    We discussed the role of the petals, counted and commented on the number of petals, and peeled off one of them. We carefully taped a petal to their dissection chart.

2. Discuss the Septal

    I asked studens to consider why the septal wasn't green. As I peeled off a piece I told them that this is the first part that forms. They then concluded why it was dried and I told them it helps the plant stay moist during its life. 

3. Examine the Stem

    Using the magnifying glass, I modeled where to examine the stem. I cut it at an angle and discussed the roles of the phloem and xylem.

4. Cut Around the Cup

    Once the first three parts were done and taped on the specimen chart, I had them cut around the cup (or corona) of the flower.

5. Remove the Stamen

    Now that the pistil and stamen were exposed, I had them take off the stamen specimens first. There was enough for each student to take a filament, an anther, and pollen grains for their chart.

6. Discuss the Role of Pollen

    We discussed the role of the pollen and the male parts of the plant. They noticed that the pollen is deep down into the flower parts.

7. Remove the Pistil

    The pistil was now ready to be taken off. Since there was only one, the student pairs split the style in half in order to have a portion for their chart. 

8. Cut the Ovary

    After the pistil was gone, they were very curious about what was inside the bump at the top of the stem. I had students cut the ovary in half so they could share and see the ovules inside. Many described it as looking inside a green pepper.

Once all of the specimens were taped, I had the student toss the rest of the flowers that remained. As we started taking notes on the important roles of each section of the plant, the students discussed what they noticed and still wondered. 

The students loved this hands-on learning! It made a huge impact on them but not on my wallet. In the days that followed we continued the daffodil fun with a directed drawing of our new favorite flower.

We followed the steps as described here: How to Draw a Daffodil

Instead of using just markers, crayons, or colored pencils to add color, the students had the option to go a step further and use watercolors. 

The results were beyond my expectations. I couldn't wait to get them up on the bulletin board for the whole building to enjoy. The students' work brought color and life to our hallway for quite some time. I eagerly await the opportunity to repeat this fun and hands-on classroom experience again!

Easy Lesson Plans

I've written thousands upon thousands of lesson plans during my career. I've been at this game so long that when I started teaching we didn't list actual standards within our plans; we simply stated the goals and objectives. Alphanumeric standards weren't required or included. That all changed with the implementation of the Common Core and teacher evaluation systems.

Lesson plans today have taken on a life of their own. Along with standards, teachers are sometimes expected to incorporate other detailed components for every lesson: minute-to-minute time stamps, dialog, specialized questioning, accommondations/modifications, etc... Some lesson plan templates introduced to teacher candidates are 10 pages long! No one working in the trenches has the time to write (or read) a 10 page lesson plan. 

To balance out the simplistic lesson planning I used once upon a time with the overly-rigorous plans being introduced today, I suggest using the 4Ts. If you focus on the four Ts, you will have planned for all the major components of what makes a great lesson.

The 4 Ts are:

• Target

• Text

• Task

• Talk

Target

What is the standard? What is the ultimate goal for this lesson? That is your target. 

Granted, lessons can be crafted that work toward more than one standard. However, keep your eye on the one standard that is most important. It will help you zero in on the most critical aspects of your lesson.

Keep in mind that mastery of all standards is expected at the end of the school year. Thus, if your students are unable to perform at the proficient level at the beginning of the year - that is expected. My expectations for R4.1 in September are vastly different than in June.

If your district has designated "priority" or "focus" standards, incorporate them into your plans often. Create lesson plans that move the focus standards in and out of the spotlight of the lesson. They may not always be the main component of your lesson, but are always being worked toward.

Text

What are the students going to read/watch/examine? What is going to be the vehicle for the learning? That is the "text". 

Most of the time we use fiction and nonfiction passages to guide student learning. But, we know that there is a vast array of choices now. Perhaps you will be watching a BrainPop video or moving students through a NearPod. 

Delivering content is no longer reduced to turning to page 73 in a text book.

Are you dissecting owl pellets? Examining slides under a microscope? Designing and building STEM roller coasters? Whatever you use to deliver the content, think of that as the "text". 

Task

What is the expected outcome of your lesson? What are students expected to produce? What will you be looking at in order to determine the next lesson? That is the task.

Just as standards can move in and out of the "top spot" in lesson planning, so too can tasks. Realistically, there are several tasks we expect students to perfrom for any given lesson. Many expectations fall within executive function skills sets and oftentimes are not thought of at all. Organizational skills or computer savvy are sometimes taken for granted. 

However, if students do not have the organizational or computer skills required to fulfill the task, you may be setting up a scenario that leads to frustration for you and your students.

Build up the skill sets required for the ultimate task. Make certain you have explicitly taught your students how to move through a Nearpod before you expect them to navigate and respond to one independently. Ask yourself if your students know how to open and edit a Google Doc or Slide before you assign a task connected to using the technology.

Make a concerted effort to eliminate confusion about how to complete tasks before you expect independence with a task. We cannot expect students to demonstrate command of a standard if they are unable to navigate the tech to do so. A little planning and explicit teaching at the beginning will foster smoother and easier task completion later on.

Talk

Who will be doing the talking during your lesson? Who is sharing information? How will thoughts and ideas be communicated? What will the conversation look like? That is the talk. 

If the bulk of your plan involves only your voice, consider adding to the plan. As teachers we sometimes fall into the trap of being the only voice in a classroom. But, we know that students need time to speak to each other. Some of the best learning comes from their peers and the ability to flesh out their ideas as they learn new material and find ways to anchor their learning in their brains.

Aside from the usual speaking skills that educators typically think of when writing their plans, how else can your students "talk" with one another? In a digital world that might mean using Jamboards, polls, or shared Slides/Docs. Any vehicle that encourages students to share ideas with one another is a means for them to "talk"; the more vehicles for communicating, the better.

Make time in your lesson for students to communicate with each other. Move beyond the minimal "turn and talk" scenarios and truly consider how you can allocate a good chunk of the lesson to students digesting and discussing the material amongst themselves.

The Other Stuff

Within a 4T lesson plan are things such as the date, subject, materials, exit, etc... Those pieces are important too. However, if the bulk of your brain power is concentrated on the 4Ts you will have a carefully crafted lesson that will engage your learners and lead to mastery of the most challenging standards out there.

If you would like a free 4T lesson plan template click HERE.

Women's History Month in the Classroom

 

March.

Women's History Month. 

Do you do something extra special? Or, do you find ways to incorporate amazing women in history throughout your curriculum all year? I am in the "hit and miss" category. Some years I do something additional to recognize women during the month of March, other years I do not. 

But regardless if I cram March full of memorable women and their accomplishments, or sprinkle factoids and biographies throughout the school year, I always look forward to teaching about Women's Suffrage.

Here are some of the ways I celebrate women and the amazing movement that forever changed America.

Make a Collaborative Poster

I love Art with Jenny K. resources. They are a wonderful blend of left and right brain. Her collaborative posters are an absolute favorite! I especially love the dialog the students and I have during different points of crafting and assembly; but the best is when the posters are done and the students stand and stare at their collective creation. It's absolutely the best.

Women of History Collaboration Poster

By time March rolls around my students have usually completed a few of Jenny's posters. For the poster pictured above, I chose to print it on pink paper. I thought it would be a nice contrast to the Black History poster we had the month before. The students and the staff loved the switch!

You can find this amazing resource here along other Art with Jenny K resources for Women's History Month here.

Read "The Hope Chest"

Do you enjoy historical fiction? I had never heard of The Hope Chest until it popped up in my State's scope and sequence. Now, I am a forever fan. I would teach this novel whether it stays or go in the official curriculum. 

Author Karen Schwabach transports her readers to 1920 America as a young girl, Violet, seeks her older sister and finds herself unwittingly caught up in the fight for the 19th Amendment. Told in the first person through Violet's eyes, the reader experiences the cultural expectations and limitations for girls and women in the early twentieth century. The Hope Chest also gives readers an inside look at racial segregation, government policy, and lobbyists. 

The Hope Chest is jam-packed with historical references - big and small. Every year I teach it, I notice something new. I do teach quite a bit of background knowledge because rarely does a page turn where there isn't a "current event" being casually discussed between characters or jargon interspersed in the dialog. 

Suffrage Map, 1920

The artistry in Schwabach's words and craft is brilliantly woven throughout the novel but especially leaves the reader on the edge of their seat during the ratification vote in Nashville- despite knowing it passed! 

I love to create anchor charts with my students and have them contribute ideas using sticky notes. Whether working in small groups, pairs, or individually, sticky note anchor charts are a great way to gather information and determine if students are able to find text evidence to support their ideas.

Evidence Chart for Ch. 1-3

Character Traits

Character development is a key component of this novel. Readers get to watch the transformaiton of Violet from a more docile, obedient young girl to a more vocal, self-assured young lady. Schwabach gives students ample text evidence to demonstrate the tranformation in Violet through her "feelings", "actions", things she "says" and the way she "thinks". 

Using a character FAST helps students cite and discuss the specific text evidence of Violet's change.

Violet Character FAST

I also create a long anchor chart that tracks which characters are suffragists and which are anti-suffragists. It becomes most helpful toward the end of the novel when the characters are in Tennessee and there is a tremendous amount of dialog and back-and-forth with the mindsets of some of the characters. 

Again, we use page numbers to indicate where in the novel text evidence can be found to support the classification of an anti or a suff.

Anti/Suff Anchor Chart

There is no question that every reader will take away a broader knowledge about 1920 America after reading this novel. It is a must-read! You can find these and other ideas to engage with this novel here --> The Hope Chest Literature Study

If an entire novel is more than you can do, how about a picture book? I have a few faves that I use each year to give the students some insight to the times and struggles of women before the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.

I will usually pick one standard that we are working on, choose a picture book, and have the students focus on that single standard when responding to the text. Focusing on a single standard keeps the rigor up and makes the planning manageable. The bonus is that the students are getting a bit of history infused with the ELA- it's a win, win!

Read about my picture book faves and the "can't miss" reading responses.

QR Code Fun

If your students are anything like mine, they love anything that involves tech! To help get their interest piqued, I try and use QR Codes whenever possible; sometimes it's with scanning to websites and close reading information about individuals involved with the Women's Suffrage movement. Othertimes, I get them up and moving around with QR Code scavenger hunts.

Susan B. Anthony QR Code Activity

Find it fast by clicking below!

Susan B. Anthony QR Code Activity

Alice Paul QR Code Activity

Frederick Douglass QR Code Activity

Women's Suffrage QR Code Activity

Rosa Parks QR Code Activity

Women's Suffrage Folders

It's no secret that elementary teachers struggle to find time for social studies and science. Oftentimes, teachers will flip-flop a section of the day where they choose between the two subjects.

I wanted to find a way to give my students a broad overview of the Women's Suffrage Movement. But, I couldn't take "too long" to cover the information. So I created 5 folders chock full of factoids about key points in the movement:

• July 19-20, 1848: The 1st Women's Rights Convention
• November 5, 1972: Susan B. Anthony Voted
• March 3, 1913: Women Marched in Washington D.C.
• June 5, 1916: The National Woman's Party was Established
• August 18, 1920: The 19th Amendment was Ratified

Students get a range of information about women's suffrage starting with the First Women's Rights Convention in 1848 and ending with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Each event is broken down and explained using a sequence of events structure, incorporates vocabulary support, and offers discussion questions. Each folder can be used as a stand-alone resource.

I use these folders every year. I typically have students work in small groups and rotate through the five folders. When we were fully remote last spring, I added a digital component to them. 

You can sample the second folder in the sequence "Susan B. Anthony Voted" for free by clicking below:
Susan B. Anthony Voted DIGITAL

Susan B. Anthony Voted PRINTABLE

For all five events click here --> Women's Suffrage Digital and Printable Bundle

Make a Class Book or Bulletin Board

No matter the topic or time of year, a class book is always a winner. Have students choose a women to research and write a report about her contributions to the world. Collect all the reports and make a class book of amazing women!

I can remember once upon a time when I would ask the librarian to put together a collection the students could choose from. Over time, my own classroom collection grew and I didn't need to rely as much on the school library. 

Today's access to information is much easier. Students can now type a name into a search engine and have pages and pages on information at their fingertips. Students simply need to organize their information and share it out in their report.

I bought these Women's History Month Teach-Go Pennants from The Little Ladybug Shop last year. I love them! The simple design helps students determine the most important information to include in their research. I also love that I can choose to print them and create an amazing bulletin board or assign them on a digital platform.

I hope some of these ideas will get your juices flowing on how you can bring Women's History to life in your classroom. Whether your lesson plans are akin to a flash in the pan or a long drawn out slow-cooker event, celebrating women with your students will have long-lasting effects beyond the month of March.