Bad Case of Stripes - Statue of Liberty

I don't think I have ever spent so much time on American Symbols, but my class and I are enjoying it.

Most of our reading during this unit has been informational text. This is a good thing, because we don't always get a lot of it, but my students are getting ready to take a literature assessment. Before they do that I wanted to review the elements of a story (setting, characters beginning, middle, and end). I decided to use the book A Bad Case of Stripes and this Statue of Liberty art project as a way of demonstrating the difference between the two types of texts. They got it and had fun in the process.

The project itself is very simple. I provided my students with a sharpie and a piece of white cardstock, construction paper would work too. I just wanted a thicker paper. I cut the cardstock down to, I believe, an 8x10 piece beforehand. This allowed for the black border. We did the drawing as a directed drawing. I've posted a picture of the steps, so you can get the idea. Since my students were using a sharpie, I gave them a work mat (construction paper), so that the sharpie would not get all over their desks.

After we finished the directed drawing my students used watercolors to paint their pictures. I showed students how to use the paint going all the way across their paper and making even stripes/lines. I told them they could use any color except for black. I also referred back to the story and discussed stripes not being the only options, but that it needed to be creative. I used the part of the story where Camilla says the Pledge of Allegiance and then looks like the American flag. Everyone did a really good job at making their own Statue of Liberty unique in their own way. While I used this as a Statue of Liberty art project it would work for really anything.

As I was planning to do this project, the night before, I thought I had this book, but of course, when I went to find it, I struck out. Luckily, with a quick call to the library, our librarian, Mrs. McGinnis, hand-delivered it to me. I liked the activity so much, that I decided to order a new copy of the book to always have on hand. 

I hope that you and your class have fun with this project. It really is a great way to not only make a connection to the Statue of Liberty (American Symbols), but also to literature. 

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Anna Navarre's TpT Store

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American Symbol Banner

This American Symbol Banner is an activity that I created to help jazz up my classroom for Open House. I am usually doing my Rain Forest Unit when we have Open House and it is much more colorful, so I felt my room needed something to liven it up. Hanging these banners from the ceiling seems to be a good solution to my problem.

It is a very simple project and other than a quick, inexpensive trip to Party City for the crepe paper streamers, it didn't really take much time to get it ready for my students.

If you are interested, I have made this American Symbol Banner project available as a Freebie on my TpT Store. It has complete instructions and the template for this banner. Along with the banner page, I have also included some American Symbol pictures in the packet that you might find helpful.

American Symbol Banner Freebie! - Link

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Symbol-Banner-1720991

I actually used the pictures to dress up a president display that I put up in my classroom. One of my students brought in some president cards and I thought it would be a good addition for Open House. We don't actually learn all the presidents in first grade, but my students have been trying to learn some of them on their own. I think the thing that is throwing them off is that so many of the presidents look alike to them.

I hope that you enjoy this American Symbol Freebie. Please feel free to visit my TpT Store to view my other products.

Anna Navarre's TpT Store

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre

George Washington Art Project

My class has been learning about American symbols and presidents. I wanted an art project for my students to do, so I decided on this one. It was perfect for our discussion about presidents and George Washington. I loved seeing how unique my students made their projects. 

My class really enjoyed making their pictures. They took the project very seriously. Some students went to the book rack to get a George Washington book as they did their work so that they could make their picture just right.

I originally found several versions of this project on Pinterest, but I still needed a template for it. I ended up creating a pretty simple one. I have made it available as a freebie at my TpT Store if you are interested in it. I also included a couple of writing pages with it.

After we did the art project, I had my students write about their favorite president. We are working on opinion writing, so this worked best, but I normally have my students write about what they would do if they were president. I thought you might like to have the choice, so I included both in the freebie packet.

George Washington Art Project - Freebie!

This project worked well for my first graders. It would also be great for preschool and kindergarten. I hope that you enjoy this project!

Please feel free to visit my TPT Store to see some of my other educational resources. You can also follow my TpT Store in order to get notifications of my new postings.

Anna Navarre's TpT Store

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Valentine's Day Card Folders

We are getting ready for Valentine's Day in our classroom. First, we did a Heart Art project (See blog post) and then I passed out a Valentine's card class list. My students are excited and have already been busy getting their cards ready to pass out next week.

The one thing we still need to do is make our Valentine's Day folders to put our cards in. This is another one of those projects I have done for years, but I guess it is because it is easy, students have fun with it, and it works.

I made my folder as a sample, but my students tend to be way more creative than I am. I usually use plain file folders, but I'm out, so I am going with the colored ones. I don't imagine it matters much, except that I think students probably spend more time on the plain ones in order to really jazz their folders up.

To prep for this project I get the folders ready by stapling the sides closed with three or four staples on each side. Then I use colored paper and a die cutter to pre-cut the heart shapes. Some years I have just made a heart template page and copied it onto colored construction paper. Then I either have students share their hearts, or I cut the hearts apart and let students choose from the different colors and sizes.

As students make their folders they glue the hearts onto their folders and use markers to write their names and decorate them. Students can also sprinkle glitter on their folders as a final touch if they want.

On Valentine's Day or whatever day it is that we are passing out cards, I arrange all of the desks into a heart shape and lay red construction paper on each desk. Then I tape the students' folders to the front of their desks, which is actually the inside of the heart. This makes passing out cards a little easier and a little more fun.

Here is a picture of my heart-shaped desks. This was a year that I used my heart project and stapled them onto a white bag for Valentine's Day cards. 

If you have never tried this with the desks, I recommend giving it a shot. My students always love it! 

Please feel free to visit my TPT Store to view my TPT Store. 

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American Flag Art

We are learning about American symbols right now and I wanted a simple art project for my students. I decided on this American Flag art project. My class enjoyed it and it was so easy that I thought I would share it with you. It is kind of funny, but my students especially liked that they got to paint the stars instead of just using a crayon to draw them onto their art project. The simple things in life make them so happy. 

Before we did this project in class, I got all of the pieces ready. It wasn't too bad and I was able to do it quickly the afternoon before. Here is a list of what I prepped for each flag.
- white construction paper 5"x 7"
- blue construction paper 2 1/2" x 3"
- 6 red strips 7" x 1/2"
I  also needed glue sticks, Elmer's glue, white paint, and popsicle sticks.

In order to do this project with my class I provided students with the paper supplies and showed them how to glue on all of the pieces, making sure that they started with a red strip on the top of the flag and ended with a red one. They then tried to evenly place the other strips.

As students completed their flag they got a popsicle stick and used Elmer's glue to attach it to the back of their flag. You will want to show them which side the stick goes on when their paper is turned over. After students glued on their sticks, I had them paint on their stars. I told students that they could paint the 50 dots first and then kind of make them look like stars. It is funny how students have a way of making their art projects unique in their own way.

This project really helped them to connect to our study of American Symbols. The flag that hangs in the classroom every day took on a whole new identity. Students developed an appreciation for the flag and what it stands for, which of course, was my goal.  

Please feel free to visit my TPT Store to view my teaching resources. 

Mrs. Navarre's TPT Store

You might also be interested in this George Washington or my American Banner FREEBIES. 

George Washington Art Project

American Symbol Banner

Valentine Art Project

This is a Valentine's art project that I decided to do with my class this year. These little heart creatures are very cute and it is fun to have them hanging around the classroom. This is an easy project. Students can use their imagination to make each heart different in their own way.

The first thing I did was to get everything ready. I started off by making a heart template and then making copies on colored construction paper. I've included a picture below so that you can get an idea of everything you will need. I cut strips of paper about 3/4 of an inch wide and 9 inches long. Each student needs 3 strips.  I also purchased googly eyes.

You can see that I also used markers, a hole punch, yarn, and two types of glue. The students use the glue sticks to assemble the heart creature, but Elmer's glue is better for the googly eyes.

Before students did any cutting I had them take one of the strips, fold it in half, and cut it in two. These shorter pieces are for the arms. Then I showed them how to accordion fold their strips by folding over the paper forwards and backwards. Next, the students cut out all of the heart pieces, They began assembling their heart creatures once all of their pieces were ready. Students traded the small hearts in order to have a different color for the nose. They glued on the eyes and then used markers to make the mouth, eyelashes, and anything else they wanted to add. When they were finished I hole-punched the heart and attached the yarn.


One thing that I like to do on the day that we are celebrating Valentine's Day in the classroom is to arrange my students' desks in a heart shape formation. This is super fun and students really enjoy it. One year I used this Heart Art idea to decorate students' Valentine bags. I thought I would share a picture so that you can get an idea of how I did this. 

I hope that you have a Happy Valentine's Day!

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The Alarm Clock Story

I was at my grandson's basketball game yesterday morning and my daughter and I were talking about how early we had to get up on a Saturday morning. This prompted my granddaughter to share a classroom story. It was so great that I decided to share it with you.

My granddaughter told me that there is a boy in her 4th grade class who is always late to school. When the teacher had asked him about it he said that his mom won't wake him up and that he didn't have an alarm clock. I don't know how accurate this version of my granddaughter's story is, but I thought it was very sad. 

My granddaughter continued with her story and said that because the boy had continued to get to school late, the teacher bought him an alarm clock. It was described as one of those big, loud ones. The teacher gave it to the boy and told him that he no longer had an excuse to be late. I loved this!!!

I love that this teacher not only took that extra simple step to make a difference, but for the example she set for the rest of the class. They saw that they could do little things to help, but they also saw that now this student had to except the responsibility to be on time to class. I give a BIG shout out to Mrs. Yeo for making a difference. 

Okay, so the big question is....did the alarm clock work? My granddaughter didn't know yet, because it had just happened on Friday. But, even if it doesn't work perfectly for this boy, it worked for me. It was a great example of what good teachers/people do.

Anna Navarre's TpT Store

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