The weather is finally starting to cool off, at least in the mornings. Fall doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks, but I am excited to start planning. I always start with apples, then go into leaves, scarecrow, and pumpkins. Are you looking for ways to bring in a little bit of fall into you classroom? I have a few ideas for you. I recommend you start with building students background knowledge. Depending on where you live, your class may not experience fall, so you have to work a little harder to bring it into your classroom.
Fall Vocabulary Words
I like to start off the season by tapping into students background knowledge. We make a fall anchor chart filled with fall words. We also use my Fall Read, Write, Build Simple Sentences to build our fall vocabulary.
Fall Books
There are so many fall books to choose from! These are a few of my favorites. Read Alouds are a great way to increase background knowledge. As we learn new vocabulary words, we add them to our anchor chart.
The Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves is one of my favorite books for building fall vocabulary and sequencing events. Once the kids have read a few of these books, they understand the retell pattern and will read it with you. Then, we sequence the story in a pocket chart. Finally, students sequence it independently at their tables. You can also expand the lesson by finding rhyming words in the book.
Fall Sensory Bin
Sensory bins are a great way to work on academic and social skills. Students have to communicate with one another, problem solve, and take turns. You can add in a specific academic skill for independent practice. For the base of the sensory bin, you can use dried beans, bird seed, pom-poms, or dried corn. Then, ass some extra goodies from the a dollar store of craft store, such as leaves, acorns, and pinecones. The centers above come from my Fall Math and Literacy centers.
Fall Centers
Seasonal centers are a great way to get students excited about centers. Centers provide students with an opportunity to independently work on skills that you have previously taught. During this time, you can walk around and see how students are working independently. Centers are also a great time to pull a group of students to work on a skill they need additional support with.
Fall Crafts
Crafts teach students fine motor skills, listening and following directions, as well as academic skills. Yes, you can tie academic skills to crafts. I do a craft every Wednesday. We alternate between math crafts and literacy crafts. Check out all of my Fall Math Crafts.
