Valentine’s Day

Here are several Valentine’s Day lesson plans for grades kindergarten through fifth in language arts and math written by teachers. If you would like to share your Valentine’s Day lessons, send them to me via email Isabel@MrWormBook.com .

Title – Valentine Cinquain Poems
Subject – Language Arts, Valentine’s Day
Grade Level 3-4

Objective: Learn to write a cinquain poem and enjoy creating a valentine for a loved one.

Distribute a handout with the steps of a cinquain delineated;

CINQUAIN POEM
Line 1: Write a noun.
Line 2: Write two adjectives describing the noun on Line 1;
Line 3: Write 3 words ending with “ing” (action words) that describe what the noun on Line 1 might do;
Line 4: Write a phrase describing the noun on Line 1; and
Line 5: Write a synonym of the word on Line 1.

Example: “My Wonderful Valentine”

Mother
kind, helpful
caring, loving, sharing
- a special person in my life
friend

1. Cut out a red-construction paper heart. Write the cinquain on white-lined paper and cut it out in the shape of a heart, a little smaller than the red-construction heart.
2. Glue the white-lined paper, with the poem on it, onto the red-construction paper heart.
3. To give the valentine some pizzazz, glue on a white, paper doily onto the back of the red-construction paper heart.
4. On the back, write the date, a closing, and signature.
By ~Sue Mo

Title – Count the hearts
Subject – Valentine’s Day
Grade Level – K-5
Children love this activity. I buy some cinnamon hearts or any Valentine candy and put them all in a jar. For the lower levels they must write their name and their guess to how many hearts are in the jar. The child closest to the correct number wins the jar and all the candy in it. For the higher levels they must write out the number correctly. Once more the child that is correct gets the jar and candy. This can be used in Math for estimation and in second languages to review number writing.
By ~Natalie Maltais

Title – Candy Heart Sentences
Subject – Art, Language Arts
Grade Level – 3rd – 4th
Objectives: Students will create sentence given one or two words (on a candy heart)

Materials Needed:
Writing Paper
Glue
Candy Message Hearts (be careful which kind you buy – you might want to pre-read them to make sure they are appropriate!!)

Procedure:
Have students make up sentences or paragraphs around the messages on the candy hearts. For example: “I do” want you to be my valentine! You are such a “sweet one!”

Have student glue the candies on in the proper places in the sentences (remind them that these candies ARE NOT for eating!)
They can even try to write whole paragraphs using the hearts.

These are also great for writing messages on valentine cards!
By ~Amanda Thompson

Title – Mend My Broken Heart
Subject – Math, Language Arts
Grade Level – 2-3
SET-UP: A few days prior to Valentine’s Day, cut out red &/or pink paper hearts. On each heart, write a math problem on half of it, and the answer on the other half. Then cut each heart in half (with zig-zag edges), mix them up, pass them out, and let the students “mend their broken hearts.” (This activity is also perfect for matching coins & their values, contractions with the words they correlate to, etc.)

INTRODUCTION: If reviewing addition/subtraction facts, introduce this activity by asking the students if they know what it means to have a “broken heart.” After a discussion & a review of addition/subtraction, I pass out the heart pieces and tell them to “mend their broken hearts” by finding their partners.

OBJECTIVES: The students will review addition/subtraction facts, or whatever skill they are working on at the time.

PRIOR BACKGROUND: Remind them how to add or subtract by oral explanation and demonstration.

“THE GAME”: After students are “matched up, they check each other. Then we play again, with each person starting with a different puzzle piece. This activity is a real winner in my classroom!
By ~Misty Lorenz

Title – Valentine Hearts Graph
Subject – Valentine’s Day, Math
Grade Level – 2nd-4th
Objectives: Students will create a class graph to show how many different color hearts are found.

Materials Needed:
Large Sheet of chart paper
Valentine Candy Hearts (one small box or bag for each student)
Crayons

Preparation:
On the chart paper, draw a large graph. Label the columns for each color of candy heart in the boxes you have.

Procedure:
1. Explain/review the concept of graphs with the class. Explain that everyone in the class is going to get a box of candy hearts, and we will graph how many there are of each color.
2. Give each child a box of candy hearts. Have the students make a prediction about which color there will be the most of and least of in the whole class. They can look at the box to make their guess.
3. Have each student open their box and group the hearts into colors (Remind them not to eat yet, or the count will not be accurate!)
4. Students count their candies and color the appropriate squares on the graph using the correct color crayon.
5. Talk about predictions and see which ones were correct.
By ~Amanda Thompson

Title – Valentine Battleship
Subject – Math, Valentine’s Day
Grade Level – 3-4

This activity can be used to teach latitude and longitude or just plotting coordinates. Use a 10×10 grid, labeling the lines up from the bottom starting with A, B, etc. On the horizontal axis, number from left to right starting with 1, 2, etc. on the lines. Kids pair up, each with a grid of their own and five conversation hearts. With a folder or barrier in between, they place their heart candies on the intersections of the lines. Each player takes turn calling out a coordinate to see if they’ve “hit” one of the conversation hearts on the other person’s chart. If they have, they take that heart. The object is to get all of your opponent’s hearts. Assure the kids that they will get other candies to eat after the game that have not been handled by so many hands.
By ~Mona Grayson

Title – HERSHEY KISS PARAGRAPH
Primary Subject – Language Arts
Secondary Subjects –
Grade Level – 2-3
Materials: Enough Hershey kisses for every student, two pieces of paper, and pencil or pen.

The purpose of this writing assignment is to teach the students to write about sensory details, and express their minds about the way they look at things. It’s a good idea to use on Valentine’s Day.

Directions:
1. Pass every student in your class a Hershey’s Kiss. Set the Kiss down on their desks, and tell the student’s not to touch the Kiss, to leave it exactly where you placed it.
2. Next tell the students to imagine that they have never seen the piece of candy before and have never heard of a Hershey’s Kiss before.
3. Then have the students “Free Write” about what the device sat on their desk looks like to them, except a piece of candy.
4. Next have the students to pick the object up, without opening it up, and on the same “free write” page, and ” free write” about what the object feels like to them.
5. Then have the students open the substance up and place it in their mouth and without writing “it tastes like chocolate” “free write” about what it felt like, and tasted like in their mouth.
6. On the next sheet of paper, have the students put their free writing into a paragraph, or essay.
7. After their paragraphs are written, go around the room and let the students share what they thought the object placed on their desks looked, felt, and tasted like to them.
By ~Seth Williams