President's Day fun!

My kids had absolutely no idea why they were getting the day off on Monday, so we really needed to discuss President's Day!

We read a bunch of read-alouds about who the president is, what the president does, and about major presidents of the past. "Abrum Lincoln" was our favorite! We couldn't quite say Abraham :)

After we read all of these stories, we discussed what qualities made up a good leader. We made a tree map of what a good leader is, has, and does. You can get a copy of it here.

Then we made a class book using the ideas from our tree map. We are working on the writing process, and I we are working on using a prewriting activity (like the tree map), so create a first draft. We are also working on knowing the difference between facts and opinions. The students will answer the prompt: A President is a good leader because.... You can get a copy of the class book template here!

Enjoy Mardi Gras weekend! Living in the second biggest Mardi Gras city in the US, I cannot wait for tomorrow! Going to bed early tonight!

Sarah

PS: Funny story of the day: Yesterday during inside recess, we watched a Magic School Bus video about underwater volcanoes and how they are what form islands and a lot of the land we see today.

So we are finishing up our President's Day book and talking about Abraham Lincoln and how we was trying to end slavery. I explained that the North and the South had different ideas on how slaves should be treated. I told them, eventually everyone agreed with Abraham Lincoln and all new states would be slave free!

So one of my little boys says, "Well, Miss Moellering, how do new states form?" And without missing a beat, another little boy says, "Well obviously by volcanoes." Completely serious. Straight faced. I had to put the book in front of my face so he would not see my laughing. I couldn't hold it together!