SPRING WRITING IDEAS – HOOK THEM WITH JOKES!

There’s a monkey on your head!  You shoe is untied!  Knock, knock…!!! You guessed it.  April Fools day is a comin’ to the primary classroom and the kids are going to be dishin’ out all sorts of high quality jokes.  With this said, why not turn the tables on our little babes and play the greatest classroom joke of all? Let’s slip in some quality learning without them even knowing it!  April Fools Day just so happens to lend itself perfectly to writing.   

I have been running with joke writing and silly stories during the beginning of April for quite a few years now.  The level of work you receive will absolutely blow your mind and your sweeties will be ALL smiles the whole time. That’s what I call a #teachervictory.  

Here are some ideas for April Fools Day learning.  I have all packet ready to go for this, but you can easily run with these ideas on your own as well.  

AMIMAL JOKES
This is a classic center writing station.  I picked up this idea a few years back from a Pat (an awesome Kindergarten teacher in my wing).  Brainstorm various animals and list them on the board.  Talk about things these animals can do and one very outlandish thing they can’t do.  If you teach first or second, you may choose to break out some non-fiction animal books and turn this into a fact finding ditty too.  Once they have their animal selected and a few facts in mind, set up the following outline on the board . . . 

A ________ can __________.
A ________ can __________.

This one was about a dog. He can run fast. He can chase cats. He can do a hand stand. (She explained . . .  when I hold his paws). But, he can’t cross his eyes and stick out his tongue. #classickid

Even your shy guys will get up and knock your socks off. He was all about his crazy monkey. Man, I miss this kid.

  
GROUCHO-STYLE CENTER
Get yo-self to the dollar store and pick up a small group set of the Groucho Marx glasses this weekend.  I promise that the few dollars spent will come back in spades!  Pin spelling words, vocab, sight words, parts of speech, math facts, fact families around the room.  Explain it like any other hunt and record activity. Then, bring out those glasses.  I have been doing this one for years and the class always erupts when they catch that first glimpse of these silly things.  I know what you’re thinking . . . a few reservations, perhaps??!!  It may have crossed your mind . . . they aren’t going to work with those things on . . . they are just going to dink around during the hunt.  Ironically, it’s just the opposite.  They WANT to wear those glasses . . . it makes it novel for them.  If you frontload this one before they get going, you will have them working harder than ever on the center hunt.  No joke 🙂

They always get so serious during the hunt. I can’t help but quietly giggle from my teacher table.

The share out is EPIC. The kids giggle for days.