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Summer Learning With Project Based Learning

June 10, 2022 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers

Summer is officially here and it is one of my favorite times to pull out those project-based learning lessons! Creating a lemonade stand is a classic childhood activity that almost everyone has done at some point in their lives. It’s like a rite of passage! If you’re looking for the best project-based learning ideas, you’re going to love this one!

But first, let’s back up and talk about a common question I hear.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning, or PBL, is a dynamic teaching method that gets students fully engrossed in the project they’re working on. Students get hands-on practice planning and developing solutions to a problem. It is meant to increase students’ creativity and their ability to work through problems.

What are examples of project-based learning?

Great PBL project ideas include activities like having students come up with solutions to problems like endangered bees, having students come up with creative ways to get people to recycle more or combat pollution, or teaching them about business and the economy by having them start their own business. The possibilities are endless!

What are the benefits of project-based learning?

This type of learning teaches students to think creatively on their feet. It brings deeper engagement in learning, encourages critical thinking and problem solving, it improves teamwork, and improves communication skills. What’s not to love?

Ready to get started with project-based learning? Check out this Lemonade Stand Resource!

lemonade stand project based learning activity

This engaging PBL activity for kindergarten, first, or second grade students engages them as they learn about business, addition, and measurement. It also incorporates writing practice as well!

This fun two-week unit will walk students through the process of creating their own lemonade stand. They will learn math skills and teamwork as they build a model, design a lemonade stand, and end with a group presentation to entice investors to give them funding for their project.

project based learning lessons lemonade stand

Here’s what’s included:

Directions
Suggested Lesson Plans for a two-week PBL Unit
A 7 Page Journal
Planning Sheets
Design Printables
Vocabulary Poster
Money Posters
Teacher and Student Rubrics
Recipes
Extra Activities

Students are encouraged to do some research on their own about lemonade stand designs. For K students, you can do research together for the whole group.

Your students will love this PBL project- guaranteed!
Looking for more ideas for project-based learning? Check out my other PBL projects here and here!

Senior Memory Books

May 27, 2022 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

For seniors, the end of the year is so bittersweet. A huge stage of their life is coming to a close and a new chapter is beginning. They are stepping into a new phase of life where they are becoming adults and starting to make their own decisions about their future. Needless to say, this is huge!

The high school years are unforgettable. It shapes who we all become and for most, the memories we had there will be cherished forever. If you are looking for great memory book ideas or even high school senior gift ideas for the end of the year, you’re in the right place.

A senior year memory book is my favorite way to capture these memories in a fun and creative way. Seniors love having a book that they can come back to reminisce on the good times with their friends.

What is a senior year memory book?

A high school senior memory book is a place to put photos and memories from the last year of high school. Think of it as a senior year scrapbook.

What goes in a memory book?

Anything you want! You can include photos, notes, memories, hobbies, goals, plans, accomplishments, etc. You name it, you can add it to your memory book.

Ready to get started on creating memory books with your seniors? Check out this digital memory book resource!

I love this resource because it is so easy for students to make their own memory books digitally.

This end-of-the-year senior memory book is a great way to help students feel connected to each other and produce a great keepsake for years to come! This editable digital Google Classroom™ option and PDF make it easy for you to make paper copies for students or updates for the future.

Students who are participating in the digital option will have easy-to-identify text boxes to edit with directions. They can insert images, text, and even video if they want to save their memories digitally. They can add school colors, senior pictures, write their feelings about the end of the year, anything they may have missed from being out of school, and so much more! Students can print them out as a keepsake or just keep them digitally.

What is included?

33 Google Slides (with text boxes and directions and 4 slides at the end to personalize and edit for future years) to push out easily to students to edit on their own. 4 pages are decorative but blank to easily personalize with editing. Each slide has directions on the right side and edit boxes to add text.
38 PDF (same images, but easy to print file)
4 Pages PDF, with directions, terms, and credits

Topics Included on the pages:

Favorites
Accomplishments
Hobbies
Friends
Things They Miss
Next Year’s Goals
Next Year’s Plans
Vacation Wish List
I am Grateful
Quarantine Writing Pages
Top 3 Senior Moments
If I Could Change the World
One Word from friends and family to Describe You
All About Me
Homecoming
Prom ( Pages have directions on the side. If they missed prom, they can write about how the plans were changed or delete the page.)
I Feel Special
Graduation (add pictures of how they celebrated this important moment)
Autograph Page (digitally get Autographs from friends)

It’s so easy to get creative with these senior memory books. For more ideas, check out this blog post here!

What are your favorite senior activities? Let me know in the comments!

Bring The Beach to the Classroom With These Beach Activities

May 20, 2022 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers

As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to think of some fun end-of-the-year activities to close out the year with a bang. This is usually the time when I would pull out my most exciting activities to give students something to remember me by. After all of their hard work during the school year, those students deserve it!

For many, summer break means beach vacations, so why not bring those summer vibes into the classroom? I love incorporating beach-themed classroom activities because it feels so perfect this time of the year. Who doesn’t love sunny days at the ocean?

How do you celebrate the end of the year with a beach theme?

Have a beach party! This is a great theme for your last day of school. Pull out some beach classroom decor and beach-themed activities and have some fun! Here are a few tips for setting the beachy scene.

Have students dress up! Have some lei necklaces available to wear all day. These are usually pretty affordable and can be found at the dollar store or party supply stores. Invite students to wear their favorite pair of sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts.
Play some Hawaiian music in the background. Find a playlist on Spotify with some relaxing beach music to listen to during your party.
Pull up a video of the ocean on YouTube to display during your party so you can feel like you’re at the beach!

Now that the scene is set, it’s time to pull out those classroom beach activities! Here are a couple of my favorites.

Virtual Beach Field Trip.

Virtual Field trips are a great way engage students in learning. Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts, learn about beach safety, ocean life, what to bring to the beach and so much more! Students will love these beach field trip activities.

Beach Party Escape Room.

Use these step-by-step instructions to guarantee student engagement while they practice addition, writing, and reading skills to solve a classroom mystery and save the stolen sea turtle eggs. With a little prep, your students will work as a team to break into a box, which breaks them out of the classroom as they beat the clock! This Escape Room involves a missing turtle egg mystery that leads your students to a beach party outside with beach balls, towels, and a snack!

Beach Day Activities.

This resource is packed with beach-themed activities including Build A Boat, Make a Hawaiian Lei, Underwater Handprint Art, I Spy Beach Words, Write The Room, a Beach Day hat, and so much more!

I hope you love these classroom beach activities! If you want some beach classroom decor, check out my post here!

Let me know your favorite beach activity in the comments!

Summer Packets To Prevent The Summer Slide

May 13, 2022 teachersbrain education, Math, Reading, Sight Words, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Summer is just around the corner! This is one of the best times of the year because not only do you get a much-needed break, but you get to see all of the progress your students have made throughout the year and celebrate them for it. Seeing how far they have come in their reading levels or math skills is just wonderful. Even better, it’s amazing to see how their confidence has grown throughout the year!

With the long relaxing break, however, comes one not-so-fun thing. The summer slide.

What is the summer slide?

This is the tendency of students to lose some of the achievement gains that they made during the school year and regress academically. This is especially prevalent in low-income areas.

How do you beat the summer slide?

I know, the last thing you want is for your students to go backward. But what can you do? One of the best ways to keep that knowledge fresh is to assign some educational activities for students to complete during summer break. Another idea is to keep them reading with some fun reading summer challenges. You could send home a reading log for students to fill in with everything they read on their own during the summer and if they bring it back completed they get to go to an ice cream party.

For more reasons to keep students learning during summer break, check out my post here!

How do you engage students over the summer?

You’ll want activities that are engaging enough that they will stick to it and be excited to do. Need summer activities for students? Don’t worry, I have you covered!

These summer packets for 1st grade are all you need!

I love these packets because they are completely digital. This means that you don’t need to print out a bunch of packets and spend time putting them together. Students can complete it all online!

This is designed with Google Slides. It includes a parent letter, physical and oral suggestions, a reading log, and a review of math and language arts activities. Students do not need to have Google Classroom to participate.

Here’s what’s included:

How to use this packet and Parent Tips
Oral and physical activity suggestions
Reading Log
Sight Word List
Sight Word Sort Review Activities
Word Families
ABC Order Printables
Correcting Sentences
(Nouns, Verbs, Proper Nouns, Long and Short Vowels)
WRITING – Narrative, Opinion, Creative (Some printable to encourage handwriting)
Comprehension & Fluency
MATH Number Bonds, Addition, Subtraction, Shapes, measurement, 10 More 10 Less

Check out the summer packets for 1st grade video tutorial here!

If you love this summer packet, make sure to check out the packet for each grade in elementary school!

These are perfect no matter what grade you teach. The activities can be explained by the adult, but on most pages, it should not be necessary since it is a review. Children should be able to complete most activities independently.

I recommend setting a 20 to 30-minute block of time for the student daily to work on these activities. They should enhance their vacation! Each packet includes a summer journal, sight words, reading logs, math, and LA printables.

Do you assign summer activity packets? Let me know in the comments!