March is such a big month in the classroom! Test prep season is trickling in, and teachers are looking for ways to review with students – while also keeping things fun. There are also several holidays you might want to celebrate in March, while still managing to keep students on track to finish the school year strong. I wanted to compile a list of classroom activities in March that could be used to review, celebrate, and extend students’ knowledge! (Keep reading because I added a bonus 7th activity for March!)
#1 Women’s History Month Text
March is Women’s History Month, so I had to include that in my activities for March list! Sharing female scientists is one of my favorite ways to celebrate women’s history. By having conversations about these successful and inspiring female scientists, we can talk about history, introduce them to new careers, and show students that science is for everyone.
The Famous Female Scientists Bulletin Board resource is a great way to showcase many different famous scientists like Ada Byron Lovelace, Chien-Shiung Wu, Julia Bowman Robinson and more, while also decorating your classroom.
Each bulletin board poster gives a summary of the scientist’s achievements, a cartoon rendering of their image, as well as their years of life. You can use this resource during Women’s History Month by focusing on a different woman each day and adding them to the bulletin board as you go. This download also includes a recording sheet for students to interact with the bulletin board. Give the students a clipboard and they can jot down things they learned about women in science. You could even turn this into a science or ELA workstation, if you wanted!
At the end of the month, you’ll have a stunning bulletin board filled with inspiring female scientists. You can read about more ways to celebrate Women’s History Month in your classroom here.
#2 Women in STEM Passages
Like I said, I love activities in March that celebrate female scientists! You can take the Famous Female Scientists Bulletin Board a step further with the Women in STEM Passages. There 28 passages, each for a different female scientist (and they pair perfectly with the bulletin board). Plus, each passage contains reading comprehension questions.
These passages combine social studies, reading, and science into a high-interest text that will keep your students engaged. To incorporate these activities in March, use the passage during centers or morning work! The passages are no-prep, so it’s simple to add comprehension practice into your daily routine.
For more of a challenge, have students write about these incredible women in science with these Paired Passages Informative Writings Prompts. With the resource, students will read two different texts and then write an informative essay about how women have contributed to science.
#3 Daylight Savings Close Reading
Something you might not like to think about during March…daylight savings time! We may lose an hour, but your students can gain valuable practice with the Daylight Savings Time Close Reading passage.
Turn this into an engaging classroom discussion by having students debate whether daylight savings should still exist! It’s likely that your students have big opinions on losing an hour of sleep!
The Daylight Savings Time Close Reading passage includes a nonfiction passage on the history of Daylight Savings, comprehension questions, teacher tips and questions to ask students, and tons of graphic organizers! It’s perfect for guided reading groups or to leave for a sub.
#4 St. Patrick’s Day Experiments and Close Reading
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the best activities in March and possibly the entire school year, in my opinion! While there is historical significance to the holiday, it’s generally celebrated as a fun day of good fortune and harmless mischief. This makes it the perfect holiday to engage in fun investigations and experiments.
These St. Patrick’s Day Science Experiments use common household items, so they’re easy to prepare for your students and low budget. Students will love creating their own lava lamp, investigating the dissolve rate of Lucky Charm marshmallows, making slime, investigating rainbow milk, and experimenting with how many droplets of water they can fit on a coin.
After students have completed their experiments, switch gears to working on reading comprehension and critical thinking skills with the St. Patrick’s Day Close Reading Passage. This reading comprehension activity brings social studies and literacy instruction together. Students will be engaged in learning about the history of St. Patrick’s Day, and you’ll be able to review important reading comprehension skills ahead of state testing.
#5 March Basketball Math Activities
If you ask your students about their favorite activities in March, they may mention the big basketball tournament happening. It’s full of madness!
Engage your sports lovers with basketball-themed math activities. Get students up, moving, and engaged in solving math problems with the March Basketball Solve the Room activity. In a Solve the Room activity, students walk around the room looking for math problems, solving them, and then recording their answers on a recording sheet.
The problems in this resource cover twelve math topics, including fractions, decimals, multiplication, and more. There is even an activity to extend learning further by having students create a matching word problem.
#6 Spring Math Activities
Your activities in March don’t have to stay in March! Use them all spring long with the Spring Math Solve the Room bundle. Let students work with a partner or a group of three, or have them work alone as they find the problems around the room and solve them on their recording sheets.
With this bundle, you’ll be able to review twelve different math topics, including 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication, rounding both decimals and whole numbers, and adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Within the resource, you’ll even find tips for the teacher and an extension activity.
BONUS: #7 March Basketball Bracket Activities
Looking for a slam dunk way to get your students excited about math skills? Look no further than these March Basketball Brackets! It’s a resource that is designed to help your students practice 11 different math skills in a unique and exciting way.
Students will build important math skills while also having fun. It is the perfect addition to your classroom and can be used as a morning bell work, an early finisher activity, or during a math center. Why settle for a boring worksheet when you can bring the excitement of March Basketball into your classroom?
This spring, don’t let your students’ potentially short attention spans get you down! Use these six activities in March to embrace the excitement that spring holds, and use it to your advantage. Review the skills and have fun with your students while you’re at it.
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