Author: teachersbrain

As elementary teachers, we all know that teaching our students the basics of reading and writing is a crucial component of their education. However, there’s one particular skill that often gets overlooked: distinguishing between fact and opinion.

In today’s world, where information is readily available at our fingertips, it’s more important than ever for our students to understand the difference between what is true and what is someone’s personal belief. 

By teaching our elementary students how to identify facts and opinions, we’re not only preparing them to become critical thinkers, but we’re also giving them the tools they need to navigate the vast amounts of information they’ll encounter throughout their lives!

If you’re looking for fact and opinion activities or fact and opinion worksheets for your elementary students, you’re in the right place. 

I brainstormed and came up with something that I knew students would love and be totally engaged with- Fact and Opinion Doctor Day! 

This Fact and Opinion Doctors resource was created to make pulling off this theme day a breeze. 

Students will be Fact Doctors for the day to weed out the facts from the opinion diagnosis for patients! They’ll get 7 cases with notes from witnesses and a medical case journal to write their facts and opinions. They’ll get the opportunity to sort facts from opinions while they read through their cases. You can share the vocabulary cards and the Opinion Sentence Starters poster prior to the activity to get them ready. 

This activity is so fun, students won’t even know they’re learning! You can even invite your students to dress up as doctors for school to make it extra fun. 

Here’s what’s included: 

• Directions and Suggestions
• Vocabulary Cards
• Opinion Sentence Starter Poster
• Station Labels (up to 7 plus a doctor hat station)
• 7 Patient Cases with 3 Notes that have witnesses’ facts and opinions. 
• 1 Example filled out to share with the class.
• A Medical Case Journal for them to write the facts, opinions, and diagnoses. (2 sizes included)
• A Rubric
• Certificates
• Craft Fact Doctor Hat
• 3 Signs for Decor
• Photos of my setup
• Credits

What do you think? Are you going to have a Fact and Opinion Doctor Day? Let me know in the comments!

For more theme day ideas, check out my post here!

Easter is just around the corner, and for elementary school teachers, it’s an opportunity to engage students in fun and educational activities that celebrate the season. 

From crafts and decorations to games and learning opportunities, there are countless ways to incorporate Easter into the classroom in a way that’s inclusive, respectful, and age-appropriate. 

Whether you’re looking for ideas for a classroom party or simply want to infuse a little Easter spirit into your everyday lessons, these Easter activities for school will be just what you need to celebrate this exciting time of the year! 

What are fun Easter activities? 

There are many Easter activities for kids that you can pull out this time of here. Here are some ideas to get you started! 

1. Bunny ears craft: Have students make their own bunny ears out of construction paper or felt, and then wear them during an Easter-themed party or activity. Check out my resource with everything you need here! 
2. Paper flowers: Teach students how to make paper flowers, such as daffodils or tulips, to celebrate the arrival of spring.
3. Easter baskets: Have students decorate their own Easter baskets using construction paper, stickers, or other materials, and then use them to collect eggs during an Easter egg hunt.
4. Easter egg decorating contest: While you may not want to bring in actual hard-boiled eggs to the classroom, paper eggs work just as well for decorating eggs with your students! Give each student a paper egg to decorate and then at the end, you can all vote as a class on your favorite eggs. 

How do I decorate my classroom for Easter?

When it comes to decorating your classroom for Easter, you can usually find some great, affordable options at Dollar Tree. You can also use your students’ Easter and Spring Crafts and display them around the classroom. 

Online Easter Activities for Kids 

If you’re looking for activities that don’t require quite so much prep or cleanup, then online activities are the way to go! I love that students get to get creative and have some fun without the need for several supplies. If you’re looking for the perfect digital Easter resource, I have you covered. 

This How To Catch The Easter Bunny Writing Activity is a great way for students to get creative and get plenty of writing practice in a fun and engaging way. 

These interactive, editable Google Slides make it easy for students to copy and paste movable parts to design their own Easter Bunny trap. Then, they will write a narrative, persuasive, or opinion paper about how they plan to catch the bunny.

What is in this download?

40 Google Slides with Titles, Edit Text Boxes, Directions, Movable Parts, and a Video Tutorial to help you and your students. 

• 12 background slides for students to choose from to begin designing.
• 4 slides with movable parts for students to use to design their own bunny trap. (You can edit some images, and remove or add images.)
• 6 slides for students to brainstorm, organize thoughts, and write a story about their trap.
• Black and white slides for students to digitally or handwrite stories. (narrative, persuasive, or opinion writing include)
• A Google Form to have a Favorite Trap Design Contest

Make it even more fun by adding all the student’s work to a new slide show with the music provided while in present mode to have a bunny trap design contest if you want to! 

You can print and display them in your room or make a slideshow with the student’s finished products to view virtually. I even provided music, audio, and a tutorial to help you get started! 

Want to do it with paper or send it home for students to do with their families? No problem! This resource is printable too! 

What do you think of these fun Easter activities for elementary? Are you using any of them this year? Let me know in the comments!

Spring break is right around the corner and it’s something teachers and students alike look forward to. Because let’s face it, the school year can get a little hectic and stressful and breaks give a much-needed reprieve for everyone! 

However, if you have any students, or parents, that are needing a little extra practice over break, spring break packets are the way to go. 

While it’s most important for students to get lots of rest and relaxation during spring break, it can be a great time to squeeze in a little extra practice without the pressure of regular school hours and daily learning. 

Here are some more benefits of using spring break packets for your elementary students. 

1. Keeps up the momentum from the regular day-to-day learning. It’s easy to forget a thing or two over spring break and a set of worksheets can be the perfect way to defeat that. 
2. Helps develop independence in learning. During the school day, students have teachers to tell them which activities to do and when. By assigning a packet for students to do over break, it gives them a chance to exercise their autonomy and independence with learning.
3. Boosts responsibility. Assigning a packet to your students and leaving it up to them to make sure it’s done is a great way to build responsibility. As they get into the upper elementary and middle school grades, this is an important skill to have as they will need to take more responsibility for their own learning outcomes. 

Needless to say, I highly recommend spring break packets or spring break worksheets for elementary students! 

If you’re looking for a spring break packet that you can assign to your elementary students, I have you covered! 

This Spring Break Packet resource includes engaging practice worksheets for students in pre-k up to 5th grade! 

These print-and-go packets are perfect for students to use for independent work, with their parents, or with a tutor. They include review for subjects like reading, writing, and math.  

Each packet is designed to help and encourage students to review skills over Spring Break. In order to make this a fun challenge, you will see I included several different covers to choose from while creating your classroom’s packet. I suggest telling students that this is not mandatory, but they will get something for completing the packet. It could be a homework pass, pizza party, trip to the library, or extra recess. This packet is their “TICKET” to the prize!

Pick and choose what works for your class to design your own packet. Our county only gets a week, so I would usually pick 15 to 25 printables to include for students to be able to complete without feeling like they are burdened with too much work. 

Here’s what’s included: 

* 7 Packets (downloads) for Pre-K, Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade.  Some of the packets do have a few printables that are the same as other packets if they meet the same standard. Most printables are new designs that hit standards required for the specific grade level.

* Each Packet has a reading log, grade-specific sight words, word banks for writing, comprehension activities, and math activities.

Don’t want the bundle? No problem! You can buy each packet individually as well if you prefer only your grade level.

For summer packets, you can check out my resource here! 

Are you assigning spring break packets? Let me know in the comments!