ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.
Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.
Teacher Resources by Grade
|1st - 2nd||3rd - 4th|
|5th - 6th||7th - 8th|
|9th - 10th||11th - 12th|
A Getting-Acquainted Activity Using My Teacherís Secret Life
|Lesson Plan Type||Standard Lesson|
|Estimated Time||Two 60-minute sessions|
Children thrive in an environment where they are active participants in their learning. In this kindergarten activity, students listen to My Teacher's Secret Life, discuss the content, and make predictions about what the teacher and their peers do when they are away from school. After charting both student and teacher activities, the teacher models writing a book of his or her life outside school. Working at home with their parents, students draw glimpses of their personal lives on a planning sheet, and use it in the class to create stapleless books about their lives that they then share with their classmates.
Stapleless Book: Using this online tool, students can create an eight-page book just by folding and cutting.
The first days of school are crucial for setting a class atmosphere where children feel welcome. They will be meeting new people and discovering new things. Laying a foundation early for a community to grow in the classroom is vital for success throughout the school year. As Allen Koshewa notes in "Creating Harmony in the Classroom:" "In many ways, a classroom community is like an orchestra. The students all have different characteristics, but these overlap enough to allow for sections to emerge, groups with common interests and timbres." He goes on to note that the teacher is the conductor of this community. In this lesson, the teacher indeed plays a central role in conducting his or her class in sharing with each other.
Koshewa, Allen. "Creating Harmony in the Classroom." School Talk 5.4 (July 2000).
Fisher, Bobbi. 1995. Thinking and Learning Together: Curriculum and Community in a Primary Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.