A quick look at the calendar reveals many opportunities to incorporate holidays and observances into the curriculum.
Backpack Safety America Month
This observance was started to remind parents, teachers, and students about the proper way to choose a backpack, pack it, lift it, and carry it. The beginning of a school year provides the perfect time to stress the importance of backpack safety in an entertaining way.
Activity One: Students take on the role of the backpack or an item inside of it. Have them write as though they are being attacked by more items being shoved inside: a text book, notebook, or paper, for example.
Activity Two: Have students simply make a list of everything in their backpack. They can then sort the items into categories: school-related and personal.
Library Card Sign-Up Month
This observance began in 1987 and remains a goal of school and public libraries. Its belief is that all children should have a library card.
Activity One: Have students write as many benefits as possible about having a library card.
Activity Two: Give students a chance to show off their artistic talents. Let them design an advertisement or a poster promoting this event. Place the posters around the school campus when done.
National Play-Doh (R) Day, September 16
No matter what age they are, students will no doubt have great memories of Play-Doh (R). Make the bell work a fun, hands-on activity.
Activity One: Supply each student with a small amount of Play-Doh (R). Instruct them to make something out of it, then write about their creation. The creation may be a character or part of the setting of the story. Encourage students to share their stories when they are finished.
Activity Two: Play-Doh (R) is just one childhood favorite. Invite students to think of a special toy when they were growing up and write about it, explaining why it was so special.
National Punctuation Day, September 24
What better way to throw in a lesson on punctuation than National Punctuation Day? The official National Punctuation Day website says this is "a celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotation marks, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis."
Activity One: Provide each student with a copy of a paragraph void of any punctuation. Instruct them to provide the proper punctuation. To make it a little easier, let students know how many periods there are, as well as commas, quotation marks, and semicolons.
Activity Two: Display photographs of signs found around town or from the internet with punctuation errors. Have students see if they can spot the mistakes and correct them. This can be extended into a mini-lesson on punctuation.
There are plenty of other holidays and observances in the month of September that can be used for bell work. Choose the ones appropriate for the students' ages and curriculum. By moving away from correcting grammar or answering quiz-like answers, students get involved in the activity and are more likely to get ready to learn.
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Doris Keeler - Doris is an 8th grade language arts teacher who specializes in teaching students the art of writing. Under her direction, the writing plan ...
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