Days to Celebrate in Class
There are a ton of "National Fill in the Blank" days that we tend to miss, and therefore miss the opportunity to celebrate in class. Check out what is coming in November:
11/3 - national stress awareness day
For some, this year may seem more stressful than last. This day was created to let you know that you are not doing yourself a favor by stressing over situations you cannot control. I know I certainly am guilty of stressing over things I cannot control (thanks Google 😂 ). Check out this site to see how you can observe the day and hopefully take some stress away. Encourage your students to do the same.
11/8 - SteAM/stem day
We know students are excel when they have strong science, technology, engineering, art and math skills. How do we cultivate those skills in all content areas and observe this special day? Check out this site here.
We have Jimmy Kimmel to thank for this day as he stated on his talk show in 2010 that 11/17 is National Unfriend Day. Perhaps you can use this day to think about your friends on social media and do a bit up cleaning up and encourage your students to do the same, so we can all continue to find joy in our lives.
On this Day the UN general assembly declared 11/21 World Television Day because they recognized television as having an impact on decision making. Television educates, informs, entertains and influences our decisions and opinions. Talk to your students about your favorite TV moment and have them share theirs, have a TV themed period in your class with an episode of something that relates to your unit, talk about the top 10 TVs shows today, do some research and have a debate to see if you agree or disagree with these choices. You can see what IMDB has to say here.
11/23 - Fibonacci day
You don't have to be a math teacher to enjoy this day. Check out this site and see what Fibonacci day is all about. You can look at this from a social studies, art, language and science perspective. The site also has some great activities to help celebrate the day.
11/28 - red planet day 🔴
On this day, we recognize the planet that has captivated humans for countless years, Mars. Do you think we will ever create a civilization there? Would you go there? Talk about this with your students, regardless of whether or not you teach science. Create a book about it with bookcreator in a different language, talk about what kind of civilization would be on mars in Social Studies or draw what you think it will look like in art. Watch "the Martian" and discuss the film. Check out this site here to read up more on this day and learn 5 facts that will blow your mind.
11/30 - national computer security day 💻
We spend so much time on the computer, do we trust that everything is secure? Our banking, shopping, sending sensitive emails, is it all secure? This is a great day to talk to our students about strong passwords (that they should have created in September), backing up data, pros and cons to joining any company's "free wifi", and more. Check out this site to learn more about this day as well as the worst email virus in history...
October dates:
Oct 17 - Clean Your virtual Desktop Day
We can all use a little tidying up on our home computers, chromebooks and perhaps even our phones. Take some time to trash items you've downloaded, move items you need to google drive or an external hard drive, organize your google drive, and maybe delete some of those apps you don't need/use on your phone.
OCt 18-22 Digital citizenship week
Being a good digital citizen means you are focused on using responsible, respectful, and ethical behavior when using technology.
Edpuzzle has some pre-made content about being good digital citizens, that you can look at with your students. Check out the info here.
Peardeck also has content called "Be Internet Awesome" for you to check out.
Oct 21 - Back to the future day!
Yes, the official date from the movie is 10/21/2015. Robert Zemeckis was able to predict a few things 30 years before they came out - biometric devices, drones, mobile payment, hands free gaming, wearable technology, video phones, waste fueled cars and more. On 10/21/15, the White House held online conversations around this amazing movie.
Ideas for this day:
Perhaps you can ask the students about what they might think will be around in 2045?
Can they design a better hoverboard?
Talk about the possibility of time travel
Talk about the future of women in STEAM
Have students write a letter to themselves, 30 years in the future
For Mole Day, chemists and science students around the world celebrate with themed events, chemistry experiments, and nerdy desserts. There are MOLEtiple ways to honor Avogadro’s discovery.
Past year's themes include:
2014 - Mole-O-Ween
2015 - May The Moles Be With You
2016 - Periodic Table of EleMoleMents
2017 - The MOLEVENGERS
2018 - Moley Pottee
Chemistry teachers, what will you come up with for 2021?
oct 29 national internet day
Mix up your passwords
It might seem like a boring way to celebrate, but the next time a giant bank gets hacked, you'll be able to rest just a tad easier. Hopefully.Make your own memes
Whether you're a photoshop wiz, or a computer klutz, making a meme is easy. Find a funny picture that you'd like to annotate (or start with a classic meme image), and get creative. Canva is a great tool with which to create.Unplug! Just for a day.
You wouldn't dare refrain from pizza on National Pizza Day, so why unplug from the web on National Internet Day? Well, because we can! Most of us use the internet everyday, and it can be easy to forget how much we depend on it. By taking a day off, we can appreciate the offline world as well.