Dear Teacher,

Valentine’s Day is coming up! Who couldn’t use our convenient conversation heart pattern in a dozen different ways? We’re sure you’ll put it to good use in your classroom. The same goes for the other great ideas we’ve included. Scroll down for more great learning resources you can use today!

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Todd E. Savelle
Newsletter Editor

PS: Special Olympics offers a free curriculum designed for general education classrooms. Teach respect and acceptance and show students how to be agents for change. Click here now!

Science
Erosion: The Great Race

Water, wind, or glacial—which type of erosion causes the biggest changes? To find out, set up three identical pans with firmly packed dirt as shown. Once a day for three days, when students are out of the room, perform the following actions: pan A—spray the dirt with five squirts of water; pan B—slide a piece of ice down the dirt pile five times; pan C—use a straw to blow across the soil five times. When the class returns each day, have students record their observations and predict which type of erosion is causing the most damage. At the end of the third day, have students make their final observations and conclusions. (Results may vary due to soil type and room temperature.) Then reveal the type of erosion demonstrated in each pan (A—water, B—glacial, C—wind).

Behavior Management
Anything Is Possible!

This tall display guarantees recognition of your students’ best work! Display on a wall colorful 24-inch-high construction paper letters that spell “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE”; then assign each student a letter. If you have more students than letters, have two students share a letter. As you grade papers, mark each one that shows a student’s very best work with “YDI,” meaning “You Did It!” Each time a child finds “YDI” on a graded paper, invite him to sign his name on the appropriate letter on the wall. When a student has signed the letter ten times, cross off his signatures and give him a small treat or reward!

Print-and-Use Pattern

100 Hearts

Mark the 100th day of school with this colorful jar of candy! Cut a giant jar shape from bulletin board paper and post it on a classroom wall. Then have students work together to color 100 paper candy conversation hearts using the conversation heart patterns. As each heart is finished, have a child tape it to the jar. When the jar is full, extend the math lesson by counting and comparing the number of hearts in each color.