Teach the Teacher Activity

This is a fun end of the school year idea for older kids who have some good reading and writing skills.

Editors note: The original link from More than a Worksheet has now expired as the domain is no longer there. However the free printable was still available via the linked resource and we have updated the link below with this copy.

The teach the teacher printable from More than a Worksheet asks kids to come up with something they can teach their teacher how to do and write about how to do it.

She says she usually gives kids a couple of weeks to plan and prepare their lessons (which gives them an idea of how tough it is for their teachers to plan lessons every day!) but you could also let kids team up to come up with a quick lesson like how to tie your shoes, how to do a yoga pose or a gymnastics move.

Of course this would be more meaningful if the kids choose something they know how to do that not everyone else already knows.

There’s even an evaluation for so the teacher or other students can grade the presentation and the lesson plan. It’s such a fun idea for those kids who love doing reports and presentations.

[Photo: More than a Worksheet.]

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Fun End of the School Year Activities for the Classroom

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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