Lesson Ideas For Teachers (INSPIRE Your Class!)

Teachers go above and beyond to create engaging lessons for their children. Our tried and tested ideas will provide you with the inspiration you need to make your classroom a creative hub for the children you work with. We aren't perfect teachers, but we are willing to try whatever it takes in order to provide our classes with opportunities to discover.

Check out our advice for some new, creative ways to inspire the children in your classroom!

Welcome to ForTeachers. We are two likeminded, positive thinking primary school teachers who have been working in the UK and internationally for the past 6 years. We aim to share our experiences and suggestions with the teaching community and create a positive space for educators to share their ideas. Please subscribe!
____________________________________________________

Follow us on social media:
Instagram: @ForTeachers

-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Want to see what "A Day in the Life of a Teacher" is like? Click here!
-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-

[jimgilbert]

Another great elementary school Science activity, this one for Classification (Animals):


EATING SPIDERS
Warn your class a week ahead of time that they're going to be eating spiders as part of Science. This will give them time to think about, to wonder if you're serious. (I was the "weird" teacher, so my students were half-convinced that they were really going to eat spiders, especially after I threw in a couple if references to the Bizarre Foods TV show starring Andrew Zimmern.)
The day of the activity, do a quick mini-review of the differences between arachnids and insects: 8 legs vs 6; 2 body parts vs 3; no wings vs wings; etc.
You will need large marshmallows (the kind covered in toasted coconut, as long as no one is allergic; the toasted coconut will look like the "hair" of a tarantula), gumdrops, thin pretzel sticks, and non-coated paper plates.
Each student gets a plate, one marshmallow, one gumdrop, and 4 pretzel sticks (which they will break in half, giving them 8 legs for their spiders).
The students will insert the sticks into the marshmallow, 4 on one side, 4 on the other, and place it on the plate (the salt on the sticks will give a "hairiness" to the legs). They will then place the gumdrop where the spider's head goes.
Using a pencil, they will trace around the spider, drawing it on the plate and labeling the body parts: legs, abdomen, and cephalothorax (head).
Then they get to eat their "spiders" (sweet & salty).
Review the differences between arachnids and insects again.
Besides the pencil marks, there should be some shiny "stuff" from the marshmallows left behind on the plates; they'll be able to tell their friends who won't do the activity that it's dried guts juice from the spider they ate as "proof" that they actually ate the spider.

[jimgilbert]

For Science, I have a great - but noisy - activity for teaching Sound:

SCREAMING CUPS

"Sound is caused by vibration. You can see this when you pluck a guitar string." (I had a student size guitar, and I would walk around strumming it, even occasionally letting a student pluck a string, too.) (I would also have rubber bands of 3 different widths, and for a younger grade, they would make Plastic Cup Guitars instead if Screaming Cups by stretching the rubber bands across the mouth if small plastic cups; I would also play the music video of "Rubber Band Man, " both before the activity and while the kids played with their new guitars, having a jam session with the video; I would also make sure to show them how to press on the rubber bands to change the sounds produced, just like a real guitar)
You will need large plastic party cups (like those from Solo), a poking tool, string, small cups or bowls, water, and paper towels.
First, use the poking tool to poke a tiny hole in the bottom of each cup. Next, cut the string into 2 foot lengths. Put water into the small cups/bowls.
Pass out the cups, strings, and paper towels.
Each student will push one end of his/her string through the hole in the cup. They will then tie a knot in that end of the string; they will need to do this over and over again to create a huge bundle if knots so that the string will not slip out of the cup.
Once everyone has done this, have the students hold their cups in one hand and gently run the fingers of the other hand along the string. The slight vibration of this action will be amplified by the cup, and they will hear a hissing noise.
Now for the fun part.
Demonstrate that the students will be getting their strings and fingers in the water. Now when the string is stroked between a couple of fingers, you'll get a LOUD sound like a goose honk or a really loud fart.
Place a cup/bowl of water with each group and let them try it for a few minutes.
Leave yourself enough time for the kids to use the paper towels to clean up.

Have fun!

[ForTeachersChannel]

We hope you enjoy our video as much as we enjoyed making it! Please share any exciting lessons you have tried wirh you class here. Shining moments or complete fails; we want to hear it all!

[georgiehaynes]

Some great ideas! This week I hid 5 objects outside and left an old battered letter in a bottle near the door. Some children found the letter and it was telling them that this mystery person had lost some treasures and he needs them back. The children then went on a hunt for the objects and they then created a story around the treasures and created a character who they belonged to was such a great lesson and they have been talking about it all week!

[erg]

Lovely ideas! I’m really enjoying your videos whilst I’m on my pgce. Just wondering what year you both teach? 😊

[StarbuckEducation]

I love QR code hunts! Both for links and text clues.

[PrimaryTeachingWithDom]

GREAT ideas, especially the QR codes, have never thought of that.
very informative :)

[ericarebel]

I love this quick video of tips and examples. I agree that kids love lessons with hidden items. I’ve used questions or clues under flaps and in envelopes. Classroom transformations are the best! My favorite was Text Features surgery and the kids enjoyed the mood setting music as well!

[jimgilbert]

For Math, I have a great activity for elementary school:

GUMMY BEAR MATH
Pair your students up (low level to high level, low to middle, middle to high).
Have them use just one piece of paper per pair.
Write a problem on the board. The problem could be review work or current work. Have the pairs work on the problem as you walk around, monitoring their work and making sure that both students in each pair contribute (you don't want just one of the students doing all of the work and the other doing nothing).
After a couple of minutes, call a halt. Have the pairs turn their paper over so other pairs near then can't get a peek.
Walk around with an open bag of gummy bears (I use the store brand; costs less, you get more in each bag, and the kids still like them). If a pair get the answer right, each student in the pair gets 1 bear (to eat now or save for the end of the activity). Check each pair. The pairs that don't have the correct answer don't get bears.
Give the pairs who didn't get it right the first time a second chance by giving them another minute or two to solve the problem. If they get it right, give them bears; if they got it wrong, they still get no bears.
Solve the problem on the board, even if everyone got it right (thus reinforcing the procedures for finding the right answer).
Write another problem on the board.
Repeat until the Math period is over.

I did this once a week. No surprise, I wouldn't have any absences on that day unless the kid was really sick at home.

You'd be amazed at how fast you can push your students along. In fact, one year the entire grade switched for Math time to give the students a taste of how other teachers handle Math. The other teachers were surprised by how well my kids solved the problems they presented to the students.

I even had a complaint from an instructional coach that I had exceeded the standards, even though I was told to challenge the kids. For example, for addition and subtraction, the 2nd grade standard stated that the students had to be able to subtract and add up to 1000 by the end of the year; my students were subtracting and adding up to 900, 000 by Spring Break.

I also loved it when a so-called low level student would get the chance to say "I told you so" to a high level student during this activity.

I couldn't help but smile at one class' actions. They would save their gummy bears to eat out in the hall; we had a restroom break right after Math period. To everyone that would pass by, especially the principal and assistant principals, they would proudly show off how many gummy bears they'd earned.😄

I was also gratified that this activity and others helped a girl who came to me from 1st grade and she couldn't add 7 +5, but she became my top Math student by the end of the year. It also warmed my heart when her mother thanked me and asked if I would be moving on to the next grade, as well, since she wanted me to continue being her daughter's teacher.❤

[DorkJedi]

Your channel is so helpful! I have an interview with SCITT next month and I have to give a fifteen minute lesson using an object I've brought in. I'm so worried that whatever I do, they'll either already know, or it'll just fail, especially when I've only got fifteen minutes to do it

[princessrockz]

I have an interview next week and it’s for a year 1 class and I have to take an object in for Literacy. It’s going to be 25 mins. Can anyone help please?

[shahidhussain]

nice ideas i share this on y group and i want share some ideas and tips

[learnteachrevise]

Wow - your students must adore you! I've used a treasure map activity before and it went really well - such a great way to get the kids engaged. We've just started a channel to share classroom activity ideas that are quick to prepare and fun to deliver - would love you to check it out!

[Snipersounds]

Ha ha haaa! Global warming! Great video!