Home > Lesson Planning Channel > Lesson Planning Archives > Holidays, Language Arts > Lesson Planning Article

So much to do! So little time! You can't afford to waste a minute. What do you do when every day is interrupted by at least a few transitions that never seem to fit into the natural rhythm of your lessons. Fill those minutes with real learning by introducing your students to one of these valuable mini lessons.

During a typical school day, from three to five transitions interrupt the normal flow of the day's lessons. If you're not careful, those transitions can eat up nearly an hour of actual learning time. If you're prepared, however, you can make use of that time by providing your students with valuable practice and extension activities. The activities below will keep your students busy, interested, and learning for every minute of the day.

Van Gogh's Family Tree
Students interpret clues referring to a word's sound and definition to learn new vocabulary words in this fun activity. (Grades 3-5 and 6-8)

A Bernoulli Levitator
Students suspend an object in the air by blowing down on it. (Grades 9-12)

Do You See What I See?
Students reproduce a drawing or work of art by following oral directions. (Grades 6-8 and 9-12)

Multiplication Bee
Students play a fun multiplication game. (Grades 3-5)

I Think Therefore
Students use logic to complete a statement by Charles Darwin. (Grades 9-12)

The Alphabet Game
Students use a set of alphabet cards to play a small-group spelling game. (Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8)

Crack the Energy Code
Students solve a cryptogram and learn about fossil fuels. (Grades 3-5 and 6-8)

Mime Rhymes
Students act out and identify word pairs in this charades game. (Grades K-2)

Pop Up a Card
Students make pop-up monster cards. (Grades 5-8 and 9-12)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Take Five
Teachnet provides a quick list of five-minute classroom activities.

Teaching Magic as a Math Topic in an Elementary Classroom
This site provides a number of activities for teaching math as magic.

Mystery Word
This site offers a number of mystery word puzzles. Each puzzle contains four clues to a mystery word.

Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World

Originally published 03/25/2005
Last updated 05/27/2008