Field Day 2012

Thanks to the great organization of our P.E. Coach, the students had a great Field Day. They rotated through various stations including Tug-of-War, Shoe Fling, Ball Hug Race, Scooter Races, and more. Below are a few pictures from our fun day!

Author Study: Eric Carle

In reading we are studying various authors. One of the authors we are studying is Eric Carle - one of my favorites. Not only do I love his stories, I love his illustrations. As a part of our study, we read about Eric Carle and his accomplishments on his website. Our specials teachers also taught the students about his artwork by showing examples of his artwork and taking them on a virtual tour of his museum.

Garden Research Visual Displays

After spending a few weeks researching the garden habitat, the students created visual displays to share facts that they learned. Because this was this first time to create a visual display to share their research, I taught the students how to fold the paper to plan out how to space the drawings and writing on their displays. In the center of each flower, the students wrote a "Did you know?" fact based on their research findings. We also talked about what quality work looks like - neat, accurate, etc. Because of this, their displays are very similar, as you can see in the pictures below.

Measuring Area

We had several lessons on how to measure area using non-standard units. One way was to measure the area of square rectangles using the tiles on the floor. We marked off various squares and square rectangles with painting tape and then counted how many tiles it took to cover that shape. To reinforce that area measures the amount of surface that is covered, the students covered crackers in spreadable cheese making sure to cover the entire area. They also made various squares and square rectangles out of color tiles. They then recreated those shapes on construction paper with paper color tiles. They then counted how many tiles it took to create the shape and recorded it. They also cut out various shapes and layered them on top of one another to see which one covered the most surface. We discussed that when you layered two objects, if you could still see the outside edges of one of the shapes or if the shape covered the other shapes completely, then it had a larger area. Last but not least, the students created squares and square rectangles out of Cheez-Its. They then went on a gallery walk to compare the area of the various shapes they created. After comparing the areas, then of course they ate them!

Measuring Length

In math we have been learning to measure using non-standard units. In the computer lab, the students drew three lines of varying length in Kidspiration. They then used electronic color tiles to measure the length of each line. They then wrote comparative sentences to identify which line was the longest, which was the shortest, and which was the middle length.

Winner! Winner! Samson's Classroom

Congratulations to Miss Nelson from Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera for winning a year's subscription to Samson's Classroom. Thank you to those who entered the giveaway. Miss Nelson, check your email soon for login information. The winner was chosen using a Random Number Generator. The widget can be found at Random.Org.

Earth Day Book Swap and Donation

I recently coordinated an Earth Day Book Swap for our school as a way to promote recycling and reusing what we already have. Students were asked to bring in books to trade with their friends. For each book brought in, they received a ticket which was used to "purchase" a book someone else had brought in. The students swapped almost 600 books. As a part of the Book Swap and as a part of our committment to Rachel's Challenge, the students were also asked to donate books to a local charity. With the help of one of our district's middle schools who also donated books, we collected over 750 books to donate! I am so proud of our students!

Earth Day Art and Writing

During Social Studies, we talked about the importance of Earth Day and the need to take care of it not only on this special day but everyday. As we talked we reviewed how our planet is covered mostly in water. We reviewed the different bodies of water. We then discussed ways we can help the take care of the water and land on Earth. The students then created a fun, Pinterest-inspired artwork. The first drew landforms and water on a coffee filter with marker. They then sprayed the coffee filter with a water bottle causing the marker color to run and bleed onto one another. While we waited for the artwork to dry, we visited the computer lab so the students could type three ways they could help the Earth. They added their sentences to their artwork.

Life Cycle of Chickens

In science, the students have been learning about various life cycles. One of the life cycles was of a chicken. Below is an example of one of their diagrams:

Life Cycle of Frogs

The students created these cute life cycles of frogs on a pond. The printables for the life cycle can be found on DLTK Kids.

Tadpoles to Frogs

In our science lab we have been watching tadpoles as they change into frogs. It has been nice for the students to be able to see first-hand how the tadpoles begin to develop front and back legs and lose their tails.

Measuring With Non-Standard Units

Last week we learned to measure length with non-standard units. In one of our lessons, the students worked together to make predictions about the length of a craft sticks using non-standard units of paper clips, color tiles, and lima beans. As they made their predictions, we discussed which unit we would need to the most of when measuring the craft stick. We talked about that when measuring with a unit that is smaller, you need more of that unit and when measuring with a unit that is larger, you need less of that unit. After making their predictions about the length of the craft stick and recording them on construction paper, they measured the actual length. We talked about starting at the end of the craft stick because just like in a race, everyone needs to start in the same spot to be accurate and fair. After recording their actual measurements, the students compared their predictions to the results.

ZooZical

On our visit to the library on Friday our Instructional Media Specialist, Mrs. Thornton, surprised the class with a new read-aloud. She read ZooZical by Judy Sierra. The book is illustrated by Marc Brown. The story is very funny and the students loved it. It was a great way to end the week!

Plant Parts and Their Functions

In the computer lab, the students used Pixie 2 to create a plant diagram. They first used the paint bucket feature to create a cloud background. They then used the spray paint feature to create grass and soil. They used the shape tool to create a rectangular stem. Using the stickers feature, they added a flower and leaf. They used the paint brush to add roots. Finally, they used the text box feature to label each part of the plant and to write two functions of that plant part. Although this lesson could be done on paper by drawing, I find it very important to teach the students how to use as many of the features in Pixie 2 as possible because they transfer to so many other programs that they will need later in life. After the students created their diagrams, they exported them and then uploaded them to their KidBlog. I show the students how to do this step-by-step on the Promethean but the majority of the students are now able to do this independently after just a few lessons.