MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH

Music is an amazing tool for learning. I4C has a really large list of resources on music education, including printables, worksheets, and audio's. Find music sheet templates, a glossary of music terms, musical theory, fraction bars, percussions, classicals, links to different symphonies, and name-that-tune song quizzes.  

YOUTH ART MONTH

Celebrate the arts with our arts topics page. Find links to resources on Dance, Theatre, Music, Museums, High School Art Lesson Plans, and General Art Activities and Projects. 

NATIONAL CRAFTS MONTH

There are craft projects and activities for almost every age on our site. Here are Pre-K arts and crafts. We also have a page designated to Kindergarten arts and crafts.  Use craft month to incorporate language arts standards, by teaching students how to follow directions while they complete art projects and activities.

Here are lesson plans, by grade level, on following instructions:

• First grade tools for following written directions 
• Second grade activities for following multi-step directions 
• Third grade lesson plans for following instructions 
• Fourth grade activities for following instructions 
• Fifth grade how-to projects while following instructions 
• Sixth grade projects that require following oral and written directions 
• Seventh grade instructions to completing projects and worksheets 
• Eighth grade how-to projects to do while following instructions 

DR. SEUSS' BIRTHDAY (3-2-1904)

With a timeless collection of books to enjoy, it's easy to celebrate Dr. Seuss. Learn about the life of Dr.Seuss himself.  Click number 1 on this page for Dr. Seuss lesson plans, activities, theme ideas, and more.  For grades K-2, click on number 13 for a list of classroom activities you can do for each Dr. Seuss book. Find a 2nd grade shared reading unit 3-day lesson plan on Dr. Seuss by clicking on number three.

FIRST PAPER MONEY WAS ISSUED (3-10-1862)

Practice counting money and coin values with these interactive SkillBuilders online math games by grade level:

• First grade counting coins and value interactive math games 
• Second grade counting coins, adding money, and making change in interactive math games 
• Third grade math games on counting money transactions, counting change, etc. 
• Fourth grade interactive math games on money, time, decimals, making change, etc.
• Fifth grade interactive math games illustrating consumer math at shops and malls. 

Find math processess standards resources using these money lesson plans, online quizzes, money and coin value worksheets, and much more all categorized by grade level:

• First grade counting coins 
• Second grade counting the value of a set of coins and change making 
• Third grade compare and order decimal amounts 
• Third grade counting coins and bills up to 5 dollars 
• Fourth grade decimals, money, and estimation 


DAYLIGHT SAVINGS (3-13)

The days of late sunsets are almost here. Find tons of time-related teacher resources on time zones, clocks, world times, and more. 

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S BIRTHDAY (3-14-1879)

Take a virtual field trip of Einstein's extraordinary life by clicking on number two.  Think you are smarter than Einstein? Test your math knowledge with this online genuis boxing game from MrNussbaum.  I4C has a large list of physics resources, including number two, which features Einstein's life with an overview, his accomplishments, images, and quotes.

POTATO CHIP DAY (3-14)

Did you know the potato chip was invented on accident? Read about how the potato chip got its start. We have a page dedicated to all kinds of timelines, including a food timeline in number 16. Do a keyword search from A-Z and discover the history of your favorite food. 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY (3-17)

Find everything you need for St. Patty's Day, including St. Patrick's Day lesson plans, activities, online games, and craft ideas.

FIRST DAY OF SPRING (3-20)

According to the groundhog, Spring will be here sooner rather than later. Don't forget about our science standards resources by grade level. We have tools for teaching the four seasons, including explaining the seasons in sixth grade science.

BIG BIRD'S BIRTHDAY (3-20)

Celebrate the Big Yellow Bird's ageless birthday with fun online educational games. Practice math with Big Bird's numbers game. Learn shapes and colors with this online Big Bird math game. Click on Number Six to play an alphabet game and learn your letters with Big Bird.

CHILDREN'S POETRY DAY (3-21)

We have a big selection of poetry resources for all ages.  Find Kindergarten rhyming words resources in our Language Arts Skill Builders section. There are Elementary poetry lesson plans. Explore an overview of poetry, how to understand and practice writing poetry, and take a poetry knowledge quiz in our Fifth Grade Literary Genres section.  For Middle and High School levels: find 180 poems to enjoy a poem a day throughout the school year; Take a virtual field trip to learn about the many types of poetry; and find 30 lesson plans and samples for "30 days of poetry." 

FIRST U.S. MAP WAS PUBLISHED (3-31-1784)

Here's a fun fact: Abel Buell's map of the United States was the first to be copyrighted in the U.S. and published six months after the ending of the Revolutionary War on March 31, 1784. It was recently given to the Library of Congress and will be displayed come Spring 2011, and will be available for the next 5 years. With GPS, googlemaps, and everything else in between, it's easy to forget the importance of what a map can provide. I4C has Geography resources, on maps in particular, covering interactive maps and printable maps.  Find Third Grade Social Studies map lessons and interactive practice and quizzes.  Explore online Fifth Grade Social Studies map skills, like longitude, latitude, and topographic symbols.

Tech Tip #1:  Quick Zoom - Want to make the text on your computer screen look bigger or smaller? For a PC, hold down the CTRL key and push the + (plus) sign to go bigger. Push the - (minus) sign to go smaller. The same applies to a MAC, but hold the Command key instead of CTRL.  *You can also roll the mouse scroll wheel up and down while holding down the CTRL key to get the same effect.

Tech Tip #2: Is Your Screen Upside Down?? - It's a frequent occurrence in school computer labs. The computer screen turns upside down. There is an easy fix! Hold down the CTRL key, the ALT key, and the up arrow. Wah lah.

Tech Tip #3: "Send Your Parents a Tech Support Care Package" - Teachparentstech.org is a site that provides video tutorials on basic computer skills to anyone who's just starting out with technology. Fill out the online form provided, selecting which computer skills you'd like to send, and enter in the recipient's email address. They will receive an emailed "care package" of links to simply click on and watch. You can also click on "view all videos" and take advantage of the tutorials yourself.

 This Month's Blog

This month we're talking about remembering why we became educators despite growing negativity within our educational system. Read A Reason to Teach.