I'm linking up with the fantastic teachers at Secondary Smorgasbord for this post!
Seven more weeks (and counting) until that glorious time of year called summer break is upon us. Next week is my school system's Spring Break, so the excitement is palpable. And (minus this morning's torrential downpour) the weather is seductive.
If you've missed my Spring Survival Tips, Countdown to Summer Break, so far, check out #9 here and #8 here. They're technological in nature, but this week's tip is all about nature.
Being inside is torture when it's 70 degrees and sunny outside, and that's such a small window here in Georgia. By the time school's out, temperatures will be approaching 90 with humidity so thick that no one with air conditioning will want to go outside.
So it's important to give into the fleeting siren-call of spring while we still can and enjoy the outdoors.
Which leads me to Spring Survival Tip #7....
Give In and Go Outside!
Outside ventures lend themselves to low-tech lessons. Throughout my years as a secondary teacher, I have taught both English and social studies--both middle and high school. Here are five of my favorite outdoor activities.
Picture Nature Haikus decorated with clover and blades of grass, a cinquain composed on a five-petaled flower, Odes to Nature....You get the idea.
Play according to the rules of baseball, except they earn a turn at bat for a correct answer and score a point each time a player crosses home plate.
Do you ever have class outside? What are some things you do? Leave a comment below to let me know.
I'll be taking next week off for spring break, but be sure to check back in two weeks for Spring Survival Tip #6!
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ELA Buffet & Desktop Learning Adventures |

photo credit: PhoTones Works #4939 via photopin (license)
Leah, you're a teacher after my own heart. We made it a daily habit to go outside for a lap around the playground between math and ELA. Some ran, some walked, but to be outside was the best. It was hard to have class discussions outside- too noisy, but they loved to read out there. Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pamela! I always feel better outside, and so do the kidos.
ReplyDeleteLoved! Loved! Loved taking kids outside for class in the springtime! The spring air is so inspiring! Great ideas for organized play, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michele! I LOVE being outside as much as my students!
ReplyDeleteWe are studying figurative language right now, so the idea of taking the students outside to find examples is perfect! Plus, it gives me ideas for more crafty ideas! :)
ReplyDelete-Lisa
Mrs. Spangler in the Middle
Lisa, the outdoors lends itself to writing inspiration. :)
DeleteLeah,
ReplyDeleteThese are such a terrific ideas, especially the poetry one since poetry and nature are a go-to match made by Erato and Mother Nature .. Also Haikus and cinquains create such awesome word pictures.
Connie
Thanks, Connie! And Haikus and cinquains aren't intimidating for the kids.
DeleteLeah,
ReplyDeleteI love your list of activities to do outside! I used to have my students play a review kickball game much like your baseball game. It was always so much fun going outside:)
Kickball sounds like so much fun!
DeleteI love these ideas! Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elly!
Delete