Every teacher knows that spring fever is a real thing! And it always seems to show its face as soon as the calendar flips to March, and gets stronger and stronger until the end of the school year!
How can you cure spring fever in the upper elementary classroom? It's a simple equation to solve. Engage students with high interestest projects while also allowing them to have choice and independence. At this time of the year, kids are already excited for the next grade level. By giving them opportunities to shine with independent activities students are not only thankful but work harder to prove that they can do it...all on their own!
Wondering how to get started? I can help! Here are 5 tried and true ways to get spring fever under control and increase learning and critical thinking in your upper elementary classroom.
1. Head Outside to Learn
Grab these FREE reading, writing, and math spring activities to bring independent learning outside as the weather gets warmer.
With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of warm weather.
Nothing helps to beat spring fever than heading outside to learn. When the weather gets warmer, I invite students to bring in either a towel or a yoga mat from home so that they have something to sit on when we head outside for lessons. I also have a class set of clipboards, along with a bucket of pencils, that we bring outdoors. Not every task or activity can be completed outside, but many are perfect for outdoor learning. Remember to ask your building administrator if it is ok to head outside before you go! That way they know where you and the class are in case they need you.
Below are some ways to easily get in some outdoor time when spring rolls around.
Silent reading and reading review activities
Nature walks, seasonal observations, science activities
Peer editing and revising during writing time or writing tasks
Math practice/skill review and problem solving tasks
Use chalk for math practice and spelling practice
Anything that can be done on a clipboard with a pencil
2. Embrace the Season
If you have followed me for any time, you know that I truly believe that celebrating the seasons is a great way to engage students in authentic learning.
So when spring rolls around, embrace the change of seasons and align it to the
lessons you already have to teach for an easy way to increase student
engagement. When you combine spring topics with longer projects, students
become invested and look forward to working on the project each day or every
week.
- Use spring-themed picture books during reading lessons and read-aloud time.
- Tie together nonfiction reading and high-interest topics like insects, composting, and bees.
- Focus on spring-themed writing topics like How to Plant a Garden and Spring Persuasive Projects.
- Dive deep into spring-themed performance tasks like Building a Community Garden.
- Focus on spring holidays like April Fool’s Day, Earth Day, Easter, and Women’s History Month.
Brainstorm with your students what topics they are currently
interested in and build a project around their spring interests. This is a sure-fire
way to increase student engagement in authentic learning.
3. Start a Project
Kids love projects! Projects are a great way to provide students with choice within a structure assignment. When kids have choice there is buy in and they take ownership in their learning. The spring is a great time to start a high interest project that lasts for days or weeks, depending on how much time you have to devote to it.
One project that I love to do with students during the spring season is a research project focused on National Parks. After we read about different parks found in our area, we branch out and read about other famous National Parks. The National Parks website is a wealth of knowledge that kids love exploring.
Once our reading and discussions are done, the students complete a research project on a National Park of their choice. They love to select a park that they have either been to and know a lot about, or that they want to visit. I especially love this project because it provides students with choice, independence, and ties together reading and writing in an authentic way.
Other research projects that are perfect for spring:
- Endangered Species
- Biography Project
- Stop Pollution
- Ocean Animal Reports
- Debating Over Pranks in the Classroom
4. Kindness Challenge
With spring fever sometimes comes unwanted behavior in the classroom.
It can sometimes be hard to manage students during the spring when they are excited about the change of season and all that lies ahead of them. During this time, there can be disagreement, arguments, and negative attitudes that sometimes surface when families are together for long periods of time. Since our class community becomes our families, it is no wonder this begins to happen.
I love to give students an extra kindness challenge to combat this behavior. This challenge gives them a chance to show how kind they can be and helps strengthen our classroom community even during spring fever. Simply come up with a number of kind deeds that you think your students can do each day and challenge them to do it in authentic, meaningful ways. You can keep track with marbles in a jar, on the whiteboard with tally marks, or you can hold students accountable by having their own kindness form. This simple challenge truly works wonders in helping students fight spring fever and work together as a class.
Love this idea? Head to this blog post to read more ways that you can bring kindness into your classroom to fight spring fever or any time!
5. Kick-off Summer Reading
It is never too early to start talking with students about summer reading, especially when you present it in a fun and surprising way!
I love to kick off summer reading two to three months before the school year ends, which is just about when spring fever is beginning. This summer reading kickoff is simple and a great way to get students excited about books they have not read before. All you have to do is create a schedule that includes one open 20-minute block a week. Then invite parents to come in during that 20-minute block to read the first two chapters of a children's chapter book of their choice.
Reading
the first two chapters aloud makes the students hooked and always want to
finish the book over the summer. It is a great way to tease a new book that
they will want to finish over the summer. If you hold spring conferences, use
that time to sign parents up to read during a 20-minute slot. I love using the
last 20 minutes of Friday afternoon to have parents come in and read for this
program. It helps us end the day and the week in a calm, reading-focused way!
Love this idea? Head to this blog post to read more to put this summer reading kickoff program into action in your classroom and fight spring fever!
6. Get Coloring!
7. Whole Class Management System
It is as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Set up expectations students work towards. (suggestions included)
2. Decide on a whole class reward. (suggestions included)
3. Print the coloring page and color!
Each time students display one of the expectations you decided, color in a piece. Once the whole coloring page has been colored in, the class earns the reward.
You might be interested in reading:
Looking for meaningful spring activities that kids LOVE, like this color poem activity? Click HERE.
LOVE this post? Pin to save these ideas!
