April

== = = =**April Monthly Highlights**=

Thoughts..."The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." // -- American Humorist Mark Twain //


 * [|April Holiday and Special Days Resources] from Education World**


 * April is Poetry Month! Plenty resources from TeachersFirst! See more below!**

[[image:Screen Shot 2015-04-01 at 1.19.47 PM.png width="203" height="153" align="right"]]Easter Candy!

 * Yum! (Did you know that** **ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year? And according to 76% of American children, bunnies' ears should be eaten first.) Check out "[|Sweet Easter Facts]" to read more fun facts about Easter Candy.**
 * Put all 5 senses to work (Taste, Touch, Sight,** **Smell, Hear) and describe a Hershey's Kiss!**
 * Use a graphic organizer to record your thoughts.**


 * What's //your// favorite Easter Candy? __Survey__ students in your __class__!**
 * How many of each color jelly bean are in a jar? Let your class estimate and then count!**
 * A wonderful way to encourage skills in reading charts and graphs and gain experience using MS Excel.**
 * [[file:candy.xlsx]] (Excel file) This spreadsheet has 2 sheets - Favorite Easter Candy and Jelly Bean Tally**

[[image:Screen Shot 2015-04-01 at 1.10.53 PM.png width="111" height="109" align="left"]]Spring & Easter - 'Egg-cellent' egg resources and activities!

 * [|Easter and Spring Crafts] - from Enchanted Learning**
 * You might also want to check out the [|Primary Games Index]......includes Easter Egg match, sliding puzzle, word find, and more.**

[|**Faberge-Easter's Most Exquisite Eggs**] **- National Geographic Article**
 * [|ABC Teach Easter resources]** - **booklets, letter patterns, coloring pages, writing prompts, graphs and more.**

=**Which Came First - the Chicken or the Egg?**=
 * The [|Hatching Process] web site also has excellent photos!**
 * Watch a [|chick hatching in an incubator] (originally from Youtube, video link removed comments and other suggested videos using [|SafeShare TV]).**


 * [|Chicken Egg Development] background info and handouts (from Enchanted Learning)**
 * [|From Egg to Chick, An Embryology Unit], Grades 1 and 2; This is an EXCELLENT, FUN WebQuest!**

[|Chickscope Embryology -]**This Internet resource will take you on an exploration of the 21-day life cycle of the embryological chick. Older students will enjoy "[|Egg Math]", too!**
 * [|Egg to Chick Webquest]for Grades 3 and 4.**


 * 4-H Virtual Farm, [|Virtual Hatch Project]**
 * [|Incubation & Embryology] - Lesson plans, hands-on activities, and experiments related to eggs**
 * [|The Incredible Edible Egg]** **- The American Egg Board's Incredible Edible Egg site includes a wealth of recipe ideas, eggs facts, and an 'eggcyclopedia'**.
 * [|From Farm to Family]** - **Follow how an egg gets from the farm to your family's breakfast table!**

=**How Do You Like Your Eggs?**=

[|****A Brief History of Eggs****] **- Learn about some interesting Easter egg remedies, Egg-rolling contests, Easter wars, and the "Eggs-traordinary" coats of arms! Also, click [|here] to read "** **What's in an Egg?"**
 * Also, be sure to view the many learning areas of this [|Canadian Egg site] - Egg Recipes, All About Eggs, Resource Centre**
 * [|Cracking Eggs]: Cracking Eggs __offers__ a wealth of fun and inspiring resources, recipes, and eggy information for teachers, parents and students.**
 * [|Eggs - Enchanted Learning.com]- crafts, rhymes, printouts and more.**
 * [|Why all the EGGS-citement About Eggs] - Education World - activities, suggestions and links**

**Oviparous Animals**

 * What are they? Can you name examples? Students research to learn examples of insects, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals that are oviparous. **
 * Information is recorded using a graphic organizer.** **For an extended activity, students can research one specific oviparous animal and share facts with fellow class members. A wonderful way to learn about lots of animals!**


 * [|Cherry Trees of Washington] - Learn the history of these famous trees, the varieties of trees, and follow the estimated peak blooming time! Did you know there are approximately 3,750 cherry trees? You may want to use the Cherry Blossom Time! student worksheet from Education World with your class.**


 * [|Take Them Out to the Ballgame!] ** ** The lure of being outside calls with b **** aseball season ** ** and spring! Add that little spark of enthusiasm to your classroom by using some of these baseball-themed lessons from Education World. You will find lessons in math, history, art, science, geography, and more! **

=**April is National Poetry Month - Listen, Read, & Write!**=


 * Poetry from Scholastic** - Lots of grade level resources!


 * [|Read * Write * Think] - Classroom activities to celebrate poets and their craft - introduce your students to various poetry forms! **


 * [|30 Days of Poetry] - Lessons on writing many forms of poetry with examples **


 * [|Enchanted Learning Rhymes] - Many all time favorite rebus rhymes to read, rhymes to paint online, rhyming word activity sheets, and rhyme printouts to read and color**
 * [|Poetry Almanac] - Poetry themes and articles, links to find a poet, poems, and more. "365 days' worth of poetry highlights, activities, ideas, and history"**

[|**Poetry Everywhere**] **with Garrison Keillor. Be careful to select poets and poems that are age and content appropriate.**


 * [|Poetry Teachers] - various resources and links**


 * [|Rhyme Brain] - find rhymes for any word**

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 * Poetry Month Resources from Teachers First**

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 * Poetry Resources on Pinterest**

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 * Poetry Resources for Busy Teachers**


 * [|Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales]** **- Explore and learn!**
 * Find contributions from many authors in this resource for learning about and writing in these genres (ex. Myth Brainstorming Machine.) There is also an opportunity for live online discussions with several authors. They will discuss their work in these genres and answer questions from young writers working on creating their own tales!**



**Those Beautiful Butterflies!**

 * Learn more about a butterfly's life cycle, eating habits, and more.**


 * Discovery Education Streaming - Excite your students with "real-life" videos such as //World of Nature: Monarch Butterfly: Milkweed to Mexico//, //Insect Metamorphosis//, //The Caterpillar and the Polliwog,// //Exploring the Diversity of Life: Butterfly Garden//, and more! (Do a Discovery Streaming keyword search: butterfly)**


 * How Far Can Butterflies Fly? from Wonderopolis**


 * Additional Internet resources about butterflies!**
 * [|All About Butterflies] - from Enchanted Learning - A comprehensive on-line hypertext book that provides information**


 * [|Butterfly Life Cycle]** **- Photos of the life cycle of a butterfly**


 * [|Butterfly Life Cycle] - More photos**


 * [|Fun Butterfly Facts]**
 * [|Butterfly Games]**


 * Write a "Spring Cinquain"- a five line poem. Begin with words such as butterfly, caterpillar, daffodil, robin, etc. ([|Spring Cinquain PDF file])**

=**Plants & Gardening -** **A Time of New Growth!**=


 * [|The Great Plant Escape] - Journey into the world of plants - the life cycle of plants, parts of plants, soil, seeds, and more! This interactive site will excite interest in your student****.**


 * [|Plant Explorer] - Topics of discovery include Parts of a Plant, What Do Plants Need?, Find the Flower, Eating Plants, Plant Glossary, I Didn't Know I Ate That - Wonderful for younger students! **

[|Meet the Plant Parts] **- A quick interactive game identifying plant parts - Make a salad!**


 * [|Gardening in the Classroom] - Plant seeds, Design a Garden, Tour an Online Garden, Investigate a Worm's World, and more lesson ideas for learning **


 * [|Plants-In-Motion] - View time-lapse movies to see plants grow and change. Germination, General Growth, Root Growth, Wilting, Flowers are some of the categories. **
 * [|KinderGarden] - Children can interact with plants and the outdoors. Learn ideas for gardening with kids.**
 * [|My First Garden!] Basics for planning, maintaining journals, nurturing, and plotting growth of gardens**
 * [|The Gardening Launchpad] - Over 2,000 gardening related links alphabetically organized - tons of information!**


 * Discovery Education Streaming - Use these excellent multimedia video resources to bring your plant unit to life! In addition to the video clips, there are wonderful blackline masters available, as well as teacher guides. First grade teachers will especially like //Debbie Greenthumb: Plants Can Be Found Everywhere// and //The Structure of Plants//. Third grade teachers may be interested in the video clip //Venus Fly Trap// (a plant native to the Low Country of South Carolina) and //Debbie Greenthumb: The Importance of Plants To Our World// (food chains, photosynthesis). Other examples include //Plants: Green, Growing, Giving Life//, //Where Plants Come From//, //Plants and People,// and more. **

**Treat your students to the autobiography of Squirmin' Herman, the Worm** ** ! **


 * Learn all about the anatomy of worms and their function in our world.**


 * The Dirt on Soil - What's Really Going On Under the Ground** **- Explore and learn all about layers of soil and meet its tiny but helpful residents.**


 * [|The Adventures of Herman the Worm] - history, family tree, anatomy and more.**


 * [|Herman the Worm] - lyrics and sound file from songs for teaching.**

=**WONDERFUL WONDERFUL HUMMINGBIRDS!**= [|http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/spring2009/Update043009.html#news] (Teaching Materials & Lessons) [] (Student Materials) [] The Hummingbird Nest by Kristine O'Connell George [] (Reading some of the hummer poems aloud...)[] (Teacher's Guide) [] [|Time For Kids Special on Book] [] Egg to Fledgling Countdown: [|http://www.learner.org/jnorth/spring2001/species/humm/Update041201.html#Egg] Operation Ruby Throat: [] Photogallery of all kinds of hummers:[]
 * __Journey North__**


 * Life! **
 * [|Living Things]** **Main topics at this site include Individuals, Families, Neighborhoods, and The Circle of Life and branch off from there! Do take time to explore the wealth of information available!**
 * [|The Tree of Life] The "Tree of Life" provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their history, and characteristics.**
 * [|Classifying Critters] - interactive activities to group and classify animals.**

INSECTS!

 * These creepy crawlies are from the Arthropod group of animals. Do you know the characteristics of all insects?** **Sample lesson plans and activities are available!** Discovery Education Streaming ** - Explore videos such as //The Incredible World of Insects, Junior Zoologist: Insects//,//Those Amazing Arthropods!//, //World of Nature: Insect Disguises//, //Insects: Facts and Folklore//, and more! (Do a Discovery Streaming keyword search: insects) **


 * [[image:Butterfly.png width="34" height="33" align="left"]]"[|Butterflies & Bugs]" = Web Hunts for Grades 2-3**
 * "[|Lady Bugs]" = Activities for Grades K-1[[image:ladybug.jpg width="32" height="36"]]**


 * "[|Praying Mantis Activities] for PreK-2**


 * [[image:darkling%20beetle.jpg width="38" height="32" align="left"]]"[|Darkling Beetles]" = Education really gets off to the races with gentle darkling beetles. Improving math skills can be fun and exciting!**


 * [[image:hornworms_11.jpg width="41" height="28"]]"[|Oozing Slime]" = Activities for Grades 3-5**

[|**Hornworm Activities**] **for Grades 2-4**
 * Experiment For PreK-1 = [|Do your bessbugs like dark or light habitat?] Find out!**

= Earth Day Resources (April 22) = (Graphic courtesy of: http://destinationgreen.com/newsletter/2007/DG0307/pics/Earthday.jpg)

***[|Earth Day for Kids]** - resource from Smartboard goodies *[|Teacher Planet - Earth Day]* = **Explore the Lessons and Units (and Worksheets) on this excellent Earth Day web site by clicking on links like: "Water Day Theme Page, Happy Earthday Coloring Book, K-12 Lessons for Earthday, The 3 R's, Earthday Network Lesson Plans, and Discovery's Earth Science Lessons."** *[|Education World - Earth Day] ** * = Check out some of the great Earth Day resources on this site, like:** [|****Best Lessons on Earth (Day)****] [|**EPA Earth Day site**] **- includes podcasts and Environment Tip of the Day** [|**Teacher Vision**] **: Earth Day Printables, Lessons and Activities**
 * Five lesson plans to engage students in creating maps of an astronaut's view of Earth, exploring issues of junk mail and hazardous household waste, and learning about endangered species;** [|****Activities to Celebrate Earth Day!****]**Two dozen across-the-grades activities for a big Earth Day celebration;** [|****"101 Amazing Earth Facts" Game****] **Play this Jeopardy-like game on Earth Day, or anytime. (Grades 3-12)**

**Earth Day Project - Explore a Rainforest** http://discover-nature.wikispaces.com/2009+Earth+Day+Tour// "Beginning April 4th, and lasting for nine days, we invite you to join a group of students as they travel across Costa Rica studying the geology, meteorology, and ecology of this magnificent region of our Planet. We will be traveling from the Caribbean Ocean, across majestic inland regions filled with exotic plants and animals, to the Pacific coast. Along our journey, we will conduct scientific research and compile many exciting experiences." //Read more details....[]

**Ecological Footprint Quiz -** The Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates the area of land and ocean required to support your consumption of food, goods, services, housing, and energy and assimilate your wastes. How do YOU rate?? __ [] __ **Earth Day Groceries Project -** An easy, simple way to encourage environmental awareness among students and the local community.... []  http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=earth day
 * Meet the Greens - Fun Animated Episodes! **[]
 * **Earth Day - Pinterest Search**

@http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/04/ten-activities-and-videos-for-earth-day.html
 * **10 Activities and Videos for Earth Day (preview – some more secondary)**

@http://edtechideas.com/2012/04/18/7-earth-day-sites-you-didnt-know-about/
 * **7 Earth Day Sites You Didn’t Know About**

**__ Fly a kite during National Kite Month __ ! ** == **Kites are a perfect teaching tool, Check out this [|great site], which offers lessons in science, mathematics, history, recreation, culture, geography and lots of fun! ** == == **[|Soar Into Spring with Kites] - information and links from Education World ** == == **[|Kites]- Links for Educators - great resources and websites ** ==

=Keep America Beautiful Month=
 * [|Keep America Beautiful] website - includes Great American Cleanup Link (March 1-May 31), [|Kids Zone], [|Clean Sweep USA] (Keep America Beautiful Community), [|Lessons for Teachers] (Waste Management, Litter Prevention and Beautification) and more.**


 * Additional Resources:**

[|**Sudoku Puzzles**] **(from Education World) Build critical thinking skills! Print several sudoku puzzles for your students -- perfect for extra credit, homework, before school, recess, or anytime!**
 * [|Operation Math] - A Year of Puzzles - Each puzzle contains 4 equations for students to solve. They have to replace the asterix with a mathematical operation. Also check out [|Speed Math Deluxe] online mathematical operations game. You can also limit it to addition/subtraction, multiplication/division or inequalities.**
 * [|Anagrams] - a year of puzzles by Education World.**
 * [|It All Adds Up] (recommended for grades 3 -8) - Rows, columns, and diagonals must add to the numbers listed outside of the box. You can print these or record your thinking on your SMARTboard.**