May Lesson Plans

Biographer's Day Lesson Plans

Mother's Day

Memorial Day

Awesome Math Day

National Spelling Bee

Rubric and Organizer Resources

Rubrics Makers

International Reading Lesson Plans

Graphing Week Lesson Plans

Be Kind To Animals Week

May Teaching Ideas for Your Classroom

The end of the school year is right around the corner, and we are sure you have loads to do which is why we are here to help. In this article, you will find some fun and engaging teaching ideas for May to keep your students focused and ready to learn. A great way to teach is by incorporating special events and days occurring in May in your lesson plans. We have put together the best teaching activities for your classroom. Read on to find out.

Here are some great May teaching ideas for your classroom to celebrate the end of the school year while learning some new things:

1. Celebrate Teachers Appreciation Week

Teachers appreciation week begins on the 1st of May and ends on the 5th of May. This is your week, a week where the efforts of teachers are appreciated and celebrated. Teacher's appreciation week is the perfect opportunity for the students to express their love and appreciation to the teachers, thanking them for all their hard work. You may find it odd to incorporate this in your lesson plans, but students will be expecting it regardless, so it is best to use this as an opportunity to enhance students' learning and educate them about the role that teachers play in their lives.

One of our favorite activities for teacher's week is writing a letter of appreciation to their favorite teachers. Teach your students a friendly letter format to get started. Brainstorm ideas with your class about things they would like to discuss in their letter. You can also provide them with a letter-writing template to get started.

2. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Your Students

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on the 5th of May and is a great opportunity for you to dive into the Mexican culture with your students and celebrate the Mexican heritage. Cinco de Mayo marks the victory of the Mexican military in the Battle of Puebla fought in 1862 against the French army.

One of our favorite Cinco de Mayo activities for school is creating a Piñata with your students. Here is what you will need:

- Sturdy cardboard
- Empty box of cereal
- Craft Scissors
- Colorful tissue paper
- Masking tape
- Craft glue
- String

Instructions:

1. To set start on your Piñata project, draw the desired shape of your Piñata and cut out two identical shapes from your cardboard. The shape and dimension are entirely up to you.

2. In the next step, join the two identical shapes with strips cut out of your cereal box. For example, if your Piñata is around 18 inches tall, you must cut out 3-ich strips.

3. Use masking tape to join the identical cardboard pieces and cereal box sides. Ensure that you have matched the edges of the Piñata neatly and it is fully closed. The masking tape will reinforce the shape of the Piñata and hold it together.

4. Next, take the colored tissue papers, fold them and place them together, and use scissors to cut 2-inch wide strips. Don't make the cuts all the way to the top. Leave some space to attach the fringed tissue to the Piñata. You can repeat this step to create as many colored layers of the Piñata as you like.

5. Once you have created the layers, it is time to start pasting. Paste the first tissue layer at the top with glue. While adding the second layers, you must ensure that the tissues overlap so that only the fringe shows.

6. Hand the Piñata using a string.

7. To make things interesting, you can add candies, chocolate bars, lollipops, and fruit snacks to your Piñata.

3. Plan Mother's Day Activities

Mother's day is celebrated on the 8th of May, and it is a great idea to incorporate some Mother's Day activities into your teaching plans. Mother's Day is special for all students and mothers as it is a day that celebrates a beautiful and everlasting bond. Mothers are the backbone of the family, and they deserve a lot of appreciation. Here are some Mother's Day activities for your classroom:

1. Design a mother's day card with your students. Give them ideas for the text to include in the card and brainstorm decorating ideas with your class.

2. Design a t-shirt for mother's day with your students –the mothers would love it.

3. Read mother's day books and poems.

4. Write a poem with your students dedicating it to their mothers.

5. Write a thank you letter for mother's day.

4. Design Picture Memory Books

The school year is about to end and is the best time to preserve memories by designing a memory book. Memory books serve as a way to help the students reflect on the past school year. You can leave a space in the memory book for autographs so that the students can get their teachers and friends to write personalized notes.

You can also dedicate a section in the memory book where each student writes about what they have learned in the past year. School pictures of events and trips also make a great addition to the memory books.

You can also add some goal-setting pages to allow students to create learning goals for the summer. Students can review these goals with their parents, who can help support them.

5. Invite a Guest Speaker

Inviting a guest to speak to address your class and motivate you is a great way to wrap up the school year with inspirational words. A guest speaker session can help offer a new perspective to your lessons by adding some insider knowledge. These informative sessions also improve students' active listening skills and teach them how to interact with people in a formal setting. This is an essential skill for all students to learn.

6. End-of-the-Year Class Field Trip

Organize a fun and educational field trip for your class to end the school year in a fun way. Here are some suggestions:

- Art Museum
- Aquarium
- Botanical Gardens
- Zoo
- Farm
- TV Station

Wrapping Up

Don't feel overwhelmed if your May lesson plans overlap with end-of-the-year preparations. These May teaching ideas will take a lot of stress off your plate and allow you to wrap up the year with fun and engaging learning activities.