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Explore creative and engaging seasonal activities for educators. Discover ideas and resources to make learning fun throughout the year.

Día de los Muertos Digital Breakout
Digital BreakoutSeasonal Activities

Día de los Muertos Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Looking for a meaningful way to bring cultural learning into your classroom? Día de los Muertos offers a unique opportunity for students to explore traditions that celebrate life, memory, and family. By integrating engaging activities like a digital breakout, you can deepen students’ understanding of this important holiday while fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and cultural appreciation.

What is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead?

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a vibrant and deeply meaningful Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. It is a time for families to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away, celebrating their lives with joy rather than mourning.

The Día de los Muertos Digital Breakout

Immerse your students in the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos with this engaging digital breakout activity. Designed to combine cultural learning with critical thinking, this interactive experience challenges students to solve puzzles and uncover clues while exploring the history and customs of this meaningful holiday. It’s a creative way to celebrate cultural diversity and strengthen problem-solving skills in the classroom.

Access the Día de los Muertos Digital Breakout

If you need assistance cracking the puzzle or want to share the breakout success of your students, feel free to drop me an email at preimers@tcea.org. I’m eager to hear from you and learn about the breakout achievements in your classroom!

If you’re unsure about how digital breakouts work, check out Digital Breakouts 101 for helpful tips and guidance.

More Free Digital Breakouts

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summer break
Summer Ideas

The Surprising Origins of Summer Break

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Across the U.S., students and educators are beginning the traditional summer break — though “break” may be too generous a term for many educators who often work through the summers. But as temperatures rise across the country and many events and activities continue to reopen, you might wonder: Why does summer break exist? 

Let’s explore the history of the summer break and see how it really came to be. Hint: It has less to do with farming than you might think.

Challenging Assumptions

Assuming a long break in schooling is a positive thing, allowing students and teachers to take a break, process, plan, and have fun, why is it during the hottest part of the year? 

For many years, people have claimed that the traditional agrarian economy of pre-industrial societies led to the demand for a summer break. In this version of events, children were needed to assist in farming activities over the summer, often a crucial period in the northern hemisphere, as producers prepare for fall harvests and winter’s subsequent chilling of activity. 

This is probably the origin you think of, if you ever think of the origins of summer break at all. It’s certainly what I had long presumed.

But that may not be the whole story. 

Urban Roots

So, if crops are planted in spring and harvested in the fall, why would a break in the summer be needed? Indeed, the agrarian idea of summer break begins to become questionable when you consider the realities of crop production. 

According to PBS, summer isn’t even a good time to get help on the farm:

Kids in rural, agricultural areas were most needed in the spring, when most crops had to be planted, and in the fall, when crops were harvested and sold. Historically, many attended school in the summer when there was comparatively less need for them on the farm.

PBS NewHour. “Agrarian roots? Think again. Debunking the myth of summer vacation’s origins”

The answer is likely more simple than farm schedules. In the days before air conditioning, summer was sweltering, and there was little relief. Cities in particular were boiling. Asphalt, glass, and metal all combine to make urban areas especially menacing during the summer. That made it an ideal time to take a break from steamy schoolhouses and all-day participation.

It turns out that it may have been the city, rather than the country, that made summer break a common practice.

Mental Floss points out that in the 19th century, when cities were growing and summer break beginning to become an established tradition, students weren’t even required to attend school. That means that when temperatures soared, many simply stayed home to avoid long, hot, and dusty days commuting and being active.

… as cities got denser, they got hotter. Endless lanes of brick and concrete transformed urban blocks into kilns, thanks to what was known as the “urban heat island effect.” That’s when America’s swelling middle and upper class families started hightailing it to the cooler countryside. And that caused a problem. School attendance wasn’t mandatory back then, and classrooms were being left half-empty each summer. Something had to give.

Mental Floss. “Why Do Students Get Summers Off?”

Making It Official

As the Industrial Age progressed, many changes to societal practices were becoming common, including worker protections and eight-hour workdays pushed for by progressive-era politicians and workers’ rights organizations, like unions. 

Legislators eventually accepted the fact that many pupils simply wouldn’t show up during the hottest months, and began instituting official summer breaks. Urban schools codified this first, followed by rural schools, a complete turn from the normal assumptions about farm work. 

This led business to begin promoting “summer vacation” activities and, over time, the summer break we think of was born. 

While it’s a surprising origin, it perhaps speaks to something all educators, students, and guardians have often been reminded of during the trying recent months: Sometimes, you just need to take a break and cool off.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

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memorial day
Seasonal Activities

Learning Resources for Memorial Day 2021

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

This year Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 31 — that’s next Monday!

And while many people have a day off, educators may want to take the time to explore the holiday, its history, and its purpose. Here are some digital resources that can help you explain and commemorate Memorial Day with your students.

A Day of Memory

A federal holiday, meaning it is recognized as a holiday by the U.S. government, Memorial Day traditionally occurs on the last Monday of May. Unlike Veterans Day, which recognizes all those who have served in the military, Memorial Day is dedicated to those who have died in service to their country. Naturally, stories of military members can touch on a number of topics, from reading, English, and literature to history, civics, and other social studies topics. Moreover, science teachers might consider the technologies used in war. Of course, all teachers and students can learn from the history of conflict and from the lives of those who have fallen.

Digital Resources

A great place to start is the Department of Veterans Affairs website, which outlines the holiday’s circuitous history from local, unofficial celebrations to federal holiday. 

Resource-vetting site Edutopia shares multimedia links, classroom activities, and more ways to engage your students with the meaning of the holiday. You can find extensive, teacher-developed Memorial Day resources from Education World here. The Teacher’s Corner has collected many simple activities across grade levels with a focus on elementary grades. You can find elementary and secondary activities from the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) here. 

Looking for full lesson plans you can use right away? Check out these plans from Teachnology. The site also includes a teacher’s guide just for Memorial Day here. 

More from TechNotes

Photo via Pixabay

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earth day
Earth Day

Get Ready for Earth Day

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Next week marks the beginning of global celebrations around Earth Day, the annual event intended to build awareness of and support for environmental protection. For more than 50 years, people have remembered the day with a number of activities. After a year on lockdown across much of the world, Earth Day might also offer the chance to reconnect with the organic world.

The various events around the world can be a useful frame to teach students of all ages to integrate civic, scientific, mathematical, and other forms of reasoning, thinking, and learning. Here’s what you should know about Earth Day events happening April 20–22.

Participation Points

Looking to take part in activities already organized as part of the official celebrations? Check out Earth Day’s global events map here.

Official Earth Day resources also include the Education Resource Library with toolkits, simulation activities, and more, as well as ways for individuals to take action to protect our shared natural resources.

Of note, you can explore live and recorded webinars on a number of Earth-centric topics, like “Women in Leadership: Fighting the Climate Crisis Through Climate Literacy” and “Education to Change the World.”

For those looking to integrate Earth Day into classroom activities, my colleague Peggy Reimers’ Earth Day blog post is a great way to start. Further, you can find engaging Earth Day ideas from Edutopia and Project Learning Tree.

More Ways to Grow

If you’re looking to take the next step, you can even make your school an official Earth Day School and get access to exclusive resources. You can also dig into even more ways to learn and celebrate with these partner resources.

Then, be sure to check out these nature-focused resources from TechNotes:

Photo by Akil Mazumder from Pexels

More Earth Day Resources

Six Resources for Earth Day
Digital Resources for Earth Day
Resources to Celebrate Earth Day in Elementary
Earth Day Digital Breakout

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digital learning day
Seasonal Activities

How to Participate in Digital Learning Day

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Across the United States, February 25 marks Digital Learning Day, an occasion for educators to share ideas, tools, and encouragement around the use of digital learning tools which are vital to learning today.

More specifically, the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) is helping educators coordinate ideas for digital learning meant to “ensure that all students have access to high-quality learning everywhere, every day,” “grow, learn, collaborate, and share with one another,” and to “partner with educators from across the country.”

This year marks ten years of celebrating Digital Learning Day, and in recent years, #DLDay has become an active, online event meant to spur innovation, share new tools, and celebrate positive and proven ways to make digital, remote, and other tech-based learning possible.

The #DLDay Download

Overcoming adversity has been a challenge for all educators recently. For this year’s event, ways of learning from adversity are taking center stage. Here are some ways All4Ed suggests taking part:

Visit digitallearningday.org/join/ to join All4Ed’s FRS [Future Ready Schools] DLDay network. 

Spread the word and share your membership on Twitter and Facebook.

Share the digital learning strategies you use inside and outside your classroom on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtags #DLDay2021 and #DLDay.

Create a video for the DLDay film festival that highlights how your school or district demonstrates a growth mindset, perseverance, innovation, and collaborative leadership. All4Ed will feature the winning films on the DLDay website!

Plan a DLDay activity for February 25, 2021, and join thousands of educators celebrating nationwide.

Kristen Loschert, “Digital Learning Day Is Turning 10”. TechNotes.
digital learning day

PLN Growth

DLDay organizers also hope that educators will become of a part of their FRS professional learning network. Thousands of educators there are sharing their ideas to create personalized digital learning spaces, prepare students for future careers, and use research-based methods in a collaborative professional development environment.

Those who sign up to be a part of the network receive:

  • A digital badge for email
  • An Instagram social badge
  • A profile frame for Facebook
  • A social media slate to share your commitment

You can explore the network and sign up here.

How do you celebrate Digital Learning Day? What ways do use tech to create useful learning for every student? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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martin luther king
MLK DaySocial Studies

Teaching and Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

In the pantheon of individuals who have immediate name recognition in the United States, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is surely among the most well known. The national civil rights figure rose to prominence during the 1960s as a push for civil, political, and economic rights for minorities and, specifically African Americans, consumed the national conversation.

Perhaps best known for his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech delivered at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Southern Baptist preacher and organizer is today synonymous with the civil rights movement and is a continued inspiration for many Americans. Since his assassination in 1968, King has become a symbol of human and civil rights in the U.S. Indeed, more than 1,000 streets are named after him, in addition to a number of schools and other civic institutions.

Accordingly, Dr. King’s birthday has been celebrated as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United State since 1983. This year, the national MLK Day of Service celebration falls on January 18.  Here are some resources to help you teach and celebrate the occasion with your learners. 

Sources of Inspiration

Whether teaching in-person or remotely, you can explore Dr. King’s work and legacy with digital resources. 

Virtual Visits

Help students understand the context of King’s life with virtual tours of the MLK memorial in Washington, D.C. and King’s childhood home in Atlanta, GA.

Modern Reflections

Since last summer, civic and political discussions across the U.S. have focused on the ongoing protests against police brutality targeted at African Americans. These protests, centered on the Movement for Black Lives and inspired by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, have reminded many of the protests led by 1960s civil rights leaders, among them Dr. King. Last summer, we shared resources to help students and teachers make sense of our contemporary political moment in a historical context. You can find that post here. 

Beyond this, discussions of American politics in general have become both central and tense. When teaching current news and events, especially when these issues relate to history — as politics does — can be challenging. 

This week, students witnessed troubling scenes in the news. It’s difficult for adults to process these events, and it can be just as challenging, if not more so, for young people. Teachers looking to discuss today’s political events have much to consider.  For those looking to teach the MLK holiday in the context of today’s politics and current events, consider this collection of articles from Education Week.

More from TechNotes

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Digital BreakoutMLK DaySocial Studies

MLK Jr. Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Every third Monday in January is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a commemoration of the life of the civil rights leader on the occasion of his birthday. Signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, today it is a federal holiday celebrating the enduring power of the civil rights movement and one of its most prominent voices.

If you are looking for a supplemental activity to add to your exploration of this national celebration, try the MLK Digital Breakout.

Engage Your Students with a Digital Breakout

Digital breakouts are an interactive way for students to explore a variety of topics. The process involves using knowledge and reasoning to solve a series of clues that “unlock” digital locks, just as you might with a physical breakout box.

Screenshot of the digital breakout by author.

With this MLK-themed breakout, students can learn about Dr. King’s family and early life, his influences, and the achievements he gained over the course of his celebrated career. Give it a try yourself. You can find our MLK Breakout here.

If you have questions, please reach out to me.

More MLK Day Resources

Teaching MLK Day: Lessons, Ideas, and Resources

Five Martin Luther King, Jr. Activities and Templates for the Classroom

Digital Resources for MLK Day

Teaching and Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

More Free Digital Breakouts

Featured image designed by TCEA.

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MLK DaySocial Studies

Digital Resources for MLK Day

by Peggy Reimers and Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Peggy Reimers and Dr. Bruce Ellis

The third Monday in January is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a commemoration of the life of the civil rights leader on the occasion of his birthday. Signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, today it is a federal holiday celebrating the enduring power of the civil rights movement and one of its most prominent voices.

For those looking to integrate this national celebration into the classroom, there are a number of great digital resources available. Let’s explore a few.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

A fliphunt is a type of activity, designed by Kathi Kersznowski, that creates a scavenger hunt using the Flipgrid app. It is a fun way of having your students get out of their seats, participate in the learning, and demonstrate their understanding and application.

Use this fliphunt to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate what he stood for. For each response, use the Task Title hashtag as the title of your video. For each task, students have up to 90 seconds to share your response.

An Engaging Digital Breakout

Digital breakouts are an interactive way for students to explore any number of topics. The process involves using knowledge and reasoning to solve a series of clues that “unlock” digital locks, just as you might with a physical breakout box.

With this MLK-themed breakout, students can learn about Dr. King’s family and early life, his influences, and the achievements he gained over the course of his celebrated career. Give it a try yourself. You can find our MLK Breakout here.

A Day of Service

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. The Corporation for National and Community Service has been charged to lead this national day of service. All Americans are encouraged to volunteer and spend the day improving their communities. The motto for MLK Day is “a day on, not a day off.”

If you are planning a classroom, campus, or district project to better your school or community, register your project here. 

Primary Lesson Plans from Scholastic

Explore Scholastic’s How Do You Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This page has several real teachers sharing their favorite ways to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. Geared for first, second, and third-grade students, the page includes craft projects, reading suggestions, posters and printables, and suggestions from other educators.

Free Printable Resources

Old-school printables are still valuable, and the internet provides endless opportunities to develop, share, and find handouts, worksheets, and other printables you may find useful in the classroom. Check out studenthandouts.com for free printable activities: biographic outline, crossword puzzle, geography map, word search, and more for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

MLK Videos 

Looking for videos to show to your class? Check out these listed below.

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by 88 brains

Martin Luther King Jr. by BrainPOP

martin luther king

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Biography for Kids by Educational Videos for Students

Looking for More?

Check out our list digital resources for teaching and learning about the U.S. civil rights movement here.

unsplash-logoPhoto: Brian Kraus
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one word
New Year

Forget Resolutions; Choose One Word

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

During my many years, I have made more than my fair share of New Year’s resolutions, most of them involving major changes that I wanted to make in my life. And, like most of the world, not long afterwards, my good intentions fell by the wayside. “According to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year’s resolutions is said to be about 80 percent, and most lose their resolve by mid-February.” (Source)

Psychologists don’t agree on why our resolutions tend to fail. It could be that we have unrealistic expectations or that our goals are unclear or that we word them negatively instead of in a positive light. Regardless of the reason, most of our very good intentions will end in wasted efforts and a big dose of guilt on our part for having failed again.

How to Really Encourage Change

If making resolutions don’t work, then what can we do to become better people? Melinda Gates recommends choosing a word of the year to fully embrace instead of making a resolution. This process provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus, just one word that centers on your character and creates a vision for your future.

For example, instead of making a resolution to lose weight or to quit smoking or to exercise more (some of the most common resolutions made each year), instead embrace one word that helps you focus on the next steps in your growth. You might select “consistent” to help you focus on eating well on a regular basis or “enough” to remind you that you don’t need too much. Some people who have tried this approach have selected the word “fearless” or “centered” or “peace” or “present.” There is no right or wrong word, only the word that will help you become a better you.

How to Select Your One Word

Step 1: Think about the kind of person you want to be one year from now. Be realistic and be kind to yourself.

Step 2: Identify the characteristics that the person you want to become would have. Is that person generous? Confident? Healthy? Unafraid? Happy? Write them all down.

Step 3: Once you have a list of words that describe the potential you, simply pick one of them to focus on this year. Don’t let yourself pick more than one; you need to commit to just one word.

Step 4: Embrace your word. Create reminders to yourself about it, perhaps by making a piece of art that will remind you of its meaning or by putting up sticky notes with the word on it around your work and home. Remind yourself positively about your one word on a regular basis, either as a mantra or a prayer or a statement or a song, whatever works for you.

Step 5: Share your word if you are comfortable doing so. A partner or friend can help support in your journey. Or, if you want a bigger support group, Tweet your word to #oneword.

My Word

one word

After going through all of these steps and spending some time thinking about my goals, I have chosen “balance” as my word. I struggle with having a very strong Type A personality, which means I tend to go overboard in lots of different areas in my life, from eating to working to feeling. This year, I will embrace the concept of balance to help me remember to keep the parts of my life in equal proportions to each other and to what I need. I believe that if I can remain focused on being balanced, I will be a healthier, happier, and gentler person by this time next December.

Final Advice

Let go of the resolution, must-do, don’t fail mentality. “It’s far more effective to gently focus on a word like ‘health’ than to command yourself to get to the gym. As you inspire yourself toward good health, it’s likely that you will find a way to achieve it. Make sure that your word feels good to you, not pushy and demanding.” (Source)

What will be your one word for the year? And how even more amazing will you be by the end of this next year after focusing on just that concept?

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resolutions
New Year

Three Tips to Make Your Ed Tech Integration Resolutions Stick in 2019

by Chance McKee
written by Chance McKee

Every year, without fail, the new year brings with it an air of melancholy for me. Often, as I look back on the past year, I wonder why I, like so many others, wasn’t able to keep my New Year’s resolutions. As a type-A person, that sentence hurts to even write! But perhaps you have felt the same?

One Step at a Time

Research shows that between 90 and 92 percent of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions. Many of these are due to a lack of setting specific goals that will still challenge you along the way. Some are also the result of a lack of persistence to keep your initiative moving.

For example, let’s say your goal is to learn Spanish between now and the end of the year. That’s great, but it’s not exactly specific. To make it specific and challenging, you should break your goal down into measurable chunks. For example: “In February, I will learn 30 words in Spanish.” This makes it a targeted goal that you can then break down even further. You can then take steps toward achieving something that is getting you closer to your goal every day. This keeps you motivated and more likely to follow through on a day-by-day basis.

Tackling Ed Tech Integration

The same principle of tackling a big project with slow, steady, measurable steps applies to integrating ed tech in a classroom. There are even more barriers to ed tech integration as a broader initiative that is campus- or district-wide. We all know what the research says, so why is there a lag when it comes to implementation?

Educators and administrators face many barriers to implementing instructional technology. These barriers include a lack of resources and training, inadequate knowledge and skills, and institutional barriers.

TCEA understands that although most educators and administrators believe in the benefits of ed tech, they may not be set up for success. That’s why we at TCEA have set an organizational resolution in 2019. Our goal is to educate even more campuses and districts on proven, research-based strategies for successful implementation.

As we work to bring these new research-based strategies to you in a broader, more impactful way, I will leave you with three tips for overcoming your problems with ed tech implementation.

1. Create a Shared Vision

Get your colleagues involved with ed tech. Help one person find one way of restructuring one aspect of their instruction to include technology. Work with your campus or district administrators. Help them understand the relationship between ed tech and student achievement. Involve others in creating an organizational resolution that focuses on ed tech implementation. After all, we are stronger together.

2. Overcome Limited Resources

Lack of resources or access to technology is the greatest barrier many in education face when it comes to implementation. Work to find creative ways of accessing technology (repurposing old technologies, for example) or utilize your students to help you learn a new technology. Provide them with an incentive for being involved and engaged in this way. Although the initial step of finding creative ways of implementing technology may take more time than desired, the benefits of setting the time aside now will be worth it for you and your students long term.

3. Meld Technology into the Curriculum

Implementing ed tech shouldn’t just be about cramming technology into the curriculum you’re already tasked with teaching. The use of technology should be to enhance instruction. By aligning the curriculum, standards, and technology, students will begin to truly benefit from your tech-integrated classroom.

As I begin my personal journey to better myself and the world around me in 2019, I hope these tips will help you do the same. Let’s keep our resolutions this year! Revisit your ed tech implementation plan to find something that works for you. More importantly, begin to work with those who surround you on a daily basis to help them realize that ed tech implementation can no longer be a lone-wolf effort. To truly implement something that will enhance instruction and provide for deeper learning, full campus or district involvement is key to success. I have full faith that 2019 can be the year you and I succeed at our resolutions and truly expand the use of educational technology, because with TCEA, we’ve got this!

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