Do your students want Punxsutawney Phil to see his shadow on Groundhog Day?

With this “Ground Hog Day” writing activity students use their persuasive writing to convince Punxsutawney Phil why he should or should not see his shadow on Groundhog Day.

Activity:

Have each child write a letter to Phil that includes three reasons why he/she does or does not want the animal to see his shadow. When the letters are finished, the teacher pretends to be Phil. Read each letter aloud and appear to give each writer's arguments serious thought. To repeat this activity at other holidays, just adapt the writing purpose and the role that the teacher assumes.

Do your students want Punxsutawney Phil to see his shadow on Groundhog Day? To find out, have each child write a letter to Phil that includes three reasons why he does or does not want the animal to see his shadow. When the letters are finished, pretend to be Phil. Read each letter aloud and appear to give each writer's arguments serious thought. To repeat this activity at other holidays, just adapt the writing purpose and the role that you assume. - See more at: http://www.themailbox.com/magazines/editorial/to-see-or-not-to-see#sthash.CDuNpYKk.dpuf

Great Greeting Cards

Descriptive sentences are in the cards with this fun center idea! Collect a supply of used greeting cards from various holidays. Cut off the front of each card. On the back of each card, draw a blank for a student’s name and the number 1-5 with blanks. Laminate the cards, and then place them in a decorated box or folder. Place the box and several wipe-off markers at the center. 

Direct each student visiting the center to use a marker to label any five cards with his/her name. Then have him/her fill in each blank with a different adjective describing the scent in the card’s picture. Finally, direct the student to use four of the adjectives on one card to write a brief paragraph about the card's picture.

Prints O’ Green

Your little leprechauns will be leaping with joy when you set up this fun art center in your classroom! Cut a supply of nine-inch, white construction-paper squares. Write the directions below on an index card. Place the paper squares and student directions at a designated table in your classroom along with pencils, black markers, scissors, glue, rulers, black construction paper, and a green-ink stamp pad.

Student directions:

1.   Select a construction-paper square.

2.  Use a ruler and pencil to draw gird lines that divide the square into nine equal boxes.

3.  Trace over the gird lines with a black marker.

4.  Press your thumb or fingertip on the ink pad; then make one fingerprint in each of the nine boxes.

5. Use a black marker to turn each fingerprint into a leprechaun or a St. Patrick’s Day symbol.

6. Mount your completed designs on a ten-inch square of black construction paper.

Lookin’ for Leprechauns!!

For St. Patrick’s Day, cut out several shamrocks, along with several gold paper coins. Attach a leprechaun sticker on the back of eight cutouts. Post the shamrocks and coins (so stickers are hidden) around a large pot. Each day your class meets a goal, remove a cutout. If a sticker is on the back, the class earns a letter-written on the pot with white chalk-in “Lucky You”. When all stickers have been found, reward the class with a special treat.

March

March Fun Facts

The Romans called this month Martius in honor of Mars, the Roman god of war. It’s time for the NCAA Basketball Championship! Last year ‘s NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship was the most watched NCAA tournament, averaging 11.3 million total viewers.

Dates to Know

1 World Compliment Day

2 Dr. Seuss’s birthday (1904)

4 National Grammar Day

8 National Proofreading Day

13 Daylight Saving Time Begins

14 Pi Day

17 St. Patrick’s Day

20 Spring Begins

21 World Poetry Day

22 National Goof-Off Day

27 Easter