Lesson Plans

Halloween 5th and 6th grade

For Halloween, I created a Powerpoint to teach students about Halloween and our traditions from the United States. It is designed for older students, specifically the 5th and 6th graders. We discussed some of their own traditions, as most families with younger children in Spain now celebrate Halloween. Our activity was a scavenger hunt, that was set up throughout the hallway. Students had to read short passages with rhyme and decide where to go next. At each step there were Halloween decorations like a fake spider, or eyeball or skeleton.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​
 

Thanksgiving 4th, 5th and 6th grade

For Thanksgiving, I also created a Powerpoint to teach students about the holiday in the United States. It’s designed for 4th-6th graders.  As you will see, there aren’t many words on the slides because it was mostly a visual aid, while I explained the significance to them. The lesson for each grade was the same - we discussed gratitude and what is means to be grateful and give thanks. I first had students think about what they’re grateful for in their daily lives. They each shared with the class. Then, we thought about why we’re grateful for each other. Students were given post-it notes and using the prompt “I’m grateful for you because…”, they wrote down something nice about each of their classmates. Then they stuck the post it note onto their classmates back. At the end, everyone was able to read the nice comments they received. It was an uplifting activity that allowed for students to reflect on what they appreciate about their peers while working on sentence structure.

​

​

​

 

 

Yoga with 5th graders 

As requested by the 5th grade teacher, on Friday’s I take small groups of students and practice yoga and mindfulness. Yoga is extremely beneficial for anyone at any age. I find it to be particularly beneficial with elementary students. They are constantly full of energy, which is normal for their age. Taking a moment to slow down and quiet their minds can be really powerful, ultimately leading to improved focus in the classroom, which is just one of the many benefits. In this class, I spent half the class period, just over 20 minutes with 6 students. We started off the session talking about the benefits of yoga and then eased into the practice with a few minutes of breath work. We began to stretch with simple movements, such as side bends and forward folds. I even taught them a few words in Sanskrit, which is an ancient language used in yoga classes to describe poses and postures. We transitioned into partner poses, seated forward folds, tree and chair were some poses we did with the assistance of others. Students spent a few minutes at the very end in the resting pose. Once we finished, we discussed the shift in their bodies and how differently they felt at the end of the practice in comparison to when they walked into class. Many said they felt much more calm and relaxed. Students spend so much of the day in their seats, so practicing yoga allows students to move their bodies while also de-stressing. In addition to the movement, students practice their listening skills in English, as they follow commands to move into the different postures. They also had to express their feelings as they shared with me how they felt after the practice.

 

​

​

Mindfulness with 3rd graders

In 3rd grade values class I work with students on mindfulness. I guide them in breath work and visualizations, which are essentially meditations. It’s very calming to the students. These third graders have just as much, if not more energy than my 5th graders. It’s become a really great tool to help them slow down. Some of the examples attached are what I base the guided visualizations on. Since the students don’t understand all the vocabulary words, I modify and simplify as I go. 

​

​

​

​

 

Science with 6th graders - 

This science experiment is designed for a 45 minute 6th grade science class. The first half of the class is used for discussion and hypothesizing. The second half is for the experiment and analysis. In this class, students first explore different foods and discuss sugars and starch as energy sources. They use the book Natural Sciences for grade 6 from Oxford Education.  They learn about the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates. First students make a Venn diagram to separate simple from complex carbohydrates. Then students form a hypothesis on which foods would be more fitting for an athlete, before and during a race. Then they conduct an experiment with water, food coloring, flour and sugar. The water and food coloring act as “blood.” In two different glasses, students pour some sugar and flour into the mixture and then observe which absorbs quicker. This allows them to see how the carbohydrates are absorbed in our bodies. 

​

​

​