A Lesson Plan for the Inaugural Poem

Most people I know were stunned — in a good way — by the inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman. Her poise was astonishing for someone so young, and her words were stirring in just the way we needed in that moment.

Her poem is a great way to talk with kids about poetry, since she’s not much older than they are. PBS has released a lesson plan for kids from sixth to 12th grades using “The Hill We Climb” as a launching point for freewriting, connecting to other Black female inaugural poets, hunting for allusions in her work and writing memorials for people lost of covid, among other options.

This poem ties into English, history and social studies and is a great way to bring current events into the classroom.Or if your kids are at home you can watch the video together (if you didn’t see it live or want to watch it again it’s embedded in the PBS post) and talk about what it says to you as they share their reactions as well.

Next Plan Idea:

Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day

Learning about Hanukkah is important for people of all faiths as a reminder that December isn’t just about Christmas and that their are many other important holidays that happen during this time. Hanukkah unit studies can give you ideas for incorporating the holiday into your holiday studies that happen in December, or to use at home for learning about people of different faiths.

Homeschool Superfreak has a lot of basic ideas for how to build a Hanukkah unit study, as well as FAQs about what Hanukkah is and why it is celebrated. This list is a good stargint point but doesn’t include all the details you’ll need. For example it says you can play the dreidel game but doesn’t explain how to do that or why it’s important. (If you need that information, this post from Mama Smiles is a good source.)

Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great lesson plans and activities if you’re willing to pay a little bit to get some good content. Two I really like are this Hanukkah PowerPoint presentation from Shelia Melton, which provides a good overview of traditions, food and the history of Hanukkah; and a virtual field trip to Jerusalem from MagiCore, which includes lots of videos showing the city and activities like playing dreidel, drawing a menorah and making latkes. It’s a Google Drive folder and also includes writing activities and more for kids in second to fifth grade.

Kids Activities Blog has some simple printables with facts about Hanukkah and things kids can color in like a Star of David, sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts) and a menorah. These are great for learning the basics.

Homeschool Giveaways has a printable ebook about Hanukkah complete with questions kids can answer after they read. This would be a good one for older kids with good reading comprehension.

NurtureStore’s Hanukkah unit study includes a printable mini book, tons of crafts, as well as math and writing activities. I love the dominoes game that’s part of the unit.

And check out our previous posts for more Hanukkah crafts and learning activities!

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply