Grandparents' Day Program 2014

Yesterday, we held our annual Grandparents' Day Program, and I wanted to share with you the skit that my 5th graders performed.

To read more about Grandparents' Day and view last year's skit, click HERE.

While my students set up their props on stage, I greeted the audience and introduced the skit.  I reminded the crowd, "If you have come to our Grandparents' Day Program in the past, you know that 5th grade usually performs some type of skit.  What you may not realize is that each skit is unique and different and reflects my current group of students' grandparents.  I gather my students together each year and ask them to share with me what they love most about their grandparents, what makes you all special, etc.  They answer my questions and tell stories about you, and based on that information, I write a script.  So today, as my students portray grandparents and grandchildren in this lighthearted skit, be aware that you may recognize yourself on stage!"

I must say, writing skits is not my forte, and I had a few stressful moments as we prepared for this event.  We had sound/microphone issues during rehearsals, and on the morning of the program, I learned that two students would be out sick.  Panic!  Thankfully, one of my students came up to me and said, "I know ______ isn't here today, but I memorized her lines last night and am ready to step in and play her part."  Relief!  I was SO impressed that this child had taken the initiative to memorize her friend's lines.  She saved the skit!!  We also rearranged a few more students in order to make up for the other child's absence.  I learned, "The show must go on!"     

Considering all we went through, the students did a fabulous job, and I am so proud of their flexibility, perseverance, and hard work.  I hope the grandparents were blessed! 

Mother's Day 2014

For several years, my students have done the same Mother's Day project--creating a Time magazine, showcasing the "Mother of the Year."  It's a great writing project, but it's a little time-consuming, so I decided to switch things up a bit this year.  I searched Pinterest and came across a grand idea that I tweaked for my students.  I followed the same instructions and used the same printables found HERE, but I downloaded the app "Make it Big" instead because it was free.  My students made picture magnets for their moms, and I think they turned out well.  I made the prints black and white because I liked the "classic" look.

I hope all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! 

Grandparent's Day 2013

Last Friday was Grandparent's Day--not the national holiday (that was in September), but a huge annual event that's held at our school to honor the grandparents of our students.  Grandparent's Day is one of the biggest events we have and we go all out for it!  The campus gets decorated beautifully and everything is "spiffed up" a bit.

Each year, the grandparents arrive at 9 a.m. and are greeted with a delicious breakfast and beautiful corsages (for the grandmothers).  At 10 a.m. they are seated in the sanctuary and the students perform songs, skits, and dances for their entertainment.  During this assembly, we have an awards ceremony for accomplishments like "The Grandparents Who've Been Married the Longest," "The Grandparents with the Most Grandchildren," etc. and these particular grandparents are given prizes.  After the program, the grandparents get to visit the classrooms and meet their grandchild's teacher.  On this day, school dismisses at 12 p.m. and the children get to spend the rest of the day with their families. 

This is such a special day, and 5th grade was asked to do something extra-special for this year's event.  For the past few years, my students have simply sung with the elementary chapel group on Grandparent's Day.  This year, however, we were asked to perform an original comedy skit.  This had been common practice years ago from a former 5th grade teacher who was extremely talented and creative.  I am not nearly as creative as Jeanne Thon, but I agreed to take on the challenge.

I called all 5th grade students together for a meeting and asked them to share with me what they enjoyed doing with their grandparents and what made their grandparents so special.  They shared ideas with me and I typed them up.  Over one weekend, I used these ideas to write a script.  I have never in my life written and directed a skit!  Without further ado, here's our comedy skit from Grandparent's Day 2013:

A few things to note:

• We discovered the day before the program that only ONE cordless mic was available, so we had to make do (we had planned on having two microphones).
• We put baby powder in the students' hair to make them look gray.
• There is a child in the skit who recites his lines incredibly fast.  We tried to slow him down during our practices. 

"Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.  The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.  Young people take pride in their strength, but the gray hairs of wisdom are even more beautiful."
Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 20:29 (NIV and Contemporary English Version)

Mother's Day Project

Each year, I have my students create a TIME Magazine for their moms as a Mother's Day gift.  We announce the "Mother-of-the-Year" and inside each issue, the kids write articles about their family, what they appreciate about their mom, etc.  I love this project, but it needed some updating.  Here's a photo of the previous cover:

The students would glue a picture (or draw one!) of their mom on the front.

Here's a photo of the cover I'm using this year:

Now, instead of the TIME Magazine, we are working on Mom's Gazette.  I found this cover on Pinterest, but click HERE for the link to Martha Stewart's site. 

Here are pictures of the inside pages, as well as a direction sheet.  I'm sorry that the pictures are a little dark and fuzzy.  If you wish to print these, I've attached the documents below.  Be warned--sometimes Google Drive changes my font and distorts my documents.  If you know why and can offer a solution, I'd love to hear your suggestions! 

For "Cover Story" download, CLICK HERE

 

 For the "Interview" sheet, CLICK HERE

 

 For the "Family" page, CLICK HERE

 

 For the "Sports" section, CLICK HERE

 

 For the "Personal Interests" page, CLICK HERE

 

For the "Famous Sayings" section, CLICK HERE



For the directions, CLICK HERE

 

Once the pages are complete, I bind them with a binding machine and they are nice and sturdy.  What are your favorite Mother's Day craft ideas/projects?  



Holy Week

Last week was very special because I had the opportunity to teach my 5th graders about Holy Week and the Easter story.  At the Christian school where I teach, every grade level focuses on the Easter story in some way.  For the past few years, I've shown the JESUS film during Holy Week, along with my lessons, and it's been quite powerful. 

The movie is kind of old (1979), but the kids enjoy it and we follow along in the book of Luke as the film is narrated.  The movie is two hours long, so we watched 30 minutes each day and then concluded with an Easter craft on Friday morning (we had a half-day).

Here are snapshots of the lessons I taught throughout the week:

Day 1 Lesson--The Triumphal Entry

• I reminded students that Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's arrival into Jerusalem.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 21:1-11
• Essential questions:  "What makes Jesus different from every other religious leader in history?"  "What makes him different from every other human being in history?"

Day 2 Lesson--The Last Supper

• We focused on the betrayal of Jesus and the last supper He and His disciples shared together.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:1-30 and John 13:1-20
• We discussed how, in John 13, Jesus's act of washing the disciples' feet during the supper was a great example of selfless service.  We, as Christians, are to remember this act and humble ourselves, giving generously to (and serving) others.

Day 3 Lesson--The Garden of Gethsemane (Jesus Prays)

• We read about how Jesus predicted Peter's denial as well as how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:31-46
• Discussion questions:  "In verse 39, is Jesus saying he doesn't want to die?  Why do you think He asked God to 'remove this cup from me'?"  "What does it mean, in verse 39, when Jesus says, 'Yet not as I will, but as you will'?  How is this a good model prayer for us?"

Day 4 Lesson--The Crucifixion

• We read about Judas's betrayal, Peter's denial, and Jesus's crucifixion.
• Scripture focus:  Matthew 26:47-27:66
• We discussed how the crucifixion of Jesus is a difficult thing to imagine.  Even though it makes us sad to think about, we can see from the scripture how much God loves us.  As Jesus died on the cross, He forgave those who were persecuting Him.  As Christians, we should forgive those who hurt us.

Day 5 Lesson--The Resurrection

• We read the best part of the story--how Jesus rose from the grave!
• Scripture focus: Matthew 28:1-20; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58
• We discussed how significant the resurrection is.  In no other religion has a "god" raised himself from the dead.  Jesus triumphed over sin and death and He has the power to take us to be with Him when we die. 

I do a different Easter craft each year and this year it was sand crosses from Oriental Trading.  ;) 

The students really liked this craft and I liked the fact that they could do it on their own with very little assistance from me!  They each turned out differently but they all looked great. 

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!  He is Risen!

Christmas Crafts

Each year, I guide my students in some sort of Christmas craft.  In years past, I've done elaborate and time-consuming crafts that required more effort from me than my students.  Forget that!  This year, I wanted to do something that was less work for me but still enjoyable for the kids.  I found this ornament decorating activity from Pinterest and it was a hit in my classroom.

First, I started with clear glass ornaments:

I removed the tops:

We squeezed drops of acrylic paint inside the bulb.  Be sure to cover the inside completely:

After some gentle swirling, we ended up with a marble effect:

I turned the ornaments upside down and placed them in Dixie cups so they could drain overnight:

I replaced the tops and we tied a piece of ribbon (not shown) on them:

Voila! 

My 5th graders loved the fact that this craft was customizable.  They selected their own colors and could choose as many colors as they wanted.  And I'm one happy teacher--this year I didn't have to pull out the glue gun or tie a million bows or twist a million paper clips.  Ahh!  I love student friendly crafts that are actually cute.