Nature Inspirations

This year I have an amazing group of students. For the most part, they are well behaved, helpful, self-motivated, kind to each other, and respectful to all. I feel very lucky to be teaching such a great group of kids. When behavior isn't an issue, it's AMAZING what you can accomplish! I don't feel like a broken record and I feel more calm. I have been re-energized and reminded why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. Such a nice feeling.

With this group of kids, I'm finding myself wanting to incorporate more fun activities and lessons. It seems natural, right? You behave well, you get rewarded. You complete your work, you get rewarded. You're kind to others, you get rewarded. So why not have a fun little art project combined with the beauty of autumn's nature?

I gave each kids a piece of large yellow construction paper. We did a step-by-step drawing of a turkey body. We colored it, then went outside and collected the most beautifully colored leaves and used them to make the tail! So simple, and so adorable!

Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Having never taught first grade science before, I've come across the most challenging unit yet...Matter. I've found a few things on TPT about solids and liquids, but gases are a WHOLE OTHER STORY! 

Here's a little experiment my kiddos did today:

I had them fill out a chart for what they saw, what they predict, and what happened. They drew it, they wrote it....and they were super excited. They were even MORE excited to see that their teacher forgot that the sparkling water had fallen upon entering the classroom. Yeah...the foaming over was quite a sight to see, but also a teachable moment.

We also played a game yesterday. I put signs on four of my P.E. cones. I spread them out on the playground far enough where they would have to run between them. I called out a word and they had to run to the cone that they felt best described it. If there were kids at more than one cone, I'd ask them to explain WHY they chose that form of matter. Some of their answers were quite entertaining. The question mark was there for when they aren't sure. I gave an example of "kumquat". If they weren't sure what it was, they could go to that cone and I'd give them a clue. I told them, "A kumquat is a type of fruit." This helped them in their decision.

I did throw in a few to really get their brains going. Most kids picked blood as a liquid. Then I threw this one at them..."What is Mrs. Magallano?" Several kids picked solid, while the rest picked liquid. One kid picked gas and I secretly laughed. 

One of the students who picked liquid rationalized by saying, "Well, you said blood was a liquid, and there's blood inside you, so I think you're a liquid too!"

I love those moments!

In a few weeks we will be studying how these forms of matter can interact with each other. I can't wait to change some solids into liquids. I plan on bringing my juicer and letting the kids taste some veggie/fruit juice! OH I CAN'T WAIT!!!

If you have any great ideas about how to teach solids, liquids, and gases, please let me know! I'm always looking for good ideas!

Team Building Activity

So my students are probably getting sick of hearing my voice. I'm just guessing. What's the clue? I'm sick of hearing my voice.

I don't know if it's the recent warm weather, the amount of days we've been together, or it's just the normal course of the school year, but I'm tired of tattling, arguing, lack of respect, and lack of team work.

I borrowed several books from the school library to address these issues, and slowly but surely some of them (I hope) are waking up. I changed a few of their seats today, in hopes of calming the issues, and I think it slightly helped. But that doesn't change the fact that they need to work together as a team. In my class, some kids think that their team is their friend on the other side of the room, others think they are a team of one, and a few think they are on my team.

What sparked the activity I'm going to share with you today, was a story about a bundle of sticks. In the story, a teacher asked her students to paint a mural. The kids spent the entire time arguing about what should be on the mural. When the teacher returned, seeing nothing had been accomplished, she asked each of them to pick up a stick. She had one student break his stick. She asked if it was easy to break the stick. He replied yes. She then tied all the sticks together in a large bundle and asked him to break the bundle. When he couldn't, she told them they were like the sticks...together they are strong. She walked away, and when she returned, they had painted a mural of the bundle of sticks.

So today I gave the kids a short activity to see if they could actually act as a team. I had them get out their dry erase boards and turn them upside down. I showed them a series of numbers in the shape of a pyramid on the Promethean Board.

I then gave them 30 seconds to study the numbers. After the 30 seconds, I turned off the screen and had them turn over their dry erase boards. They wrote down the numbers in the correct order as best as they could. 

Next, I turned the screen back on for 15 seconds and had them check their work.  I turned off the screen and asked them to erase their board and turn it back over upside down. They were then instructed to talk to their partner to create a strategy of how together they could get all the numbers correct and in the correct order.

I overheard one student say, "I'll copy you!" And then like wildfire, that was everyone's "strategy". I reminded them that copying isn't going to make the numbers magically appear correct on their dry erase boards. They were all out of ideas. I was shocked. But, I was curious how this would play out.

I repeated the 30 seconds of studying, followed by one minute of writing. They got farther this time, but not by much. I asked them which was easier, working alone, or working with a partner. They all agreed working with a partner.

After that round, I had them talk in their team (of four) to come up with a strategy to make it happen. I put up a new set of numbers, and miraculously, several teams were able to accomplish the task successfully.

If even for a few minutes, I feel that I was able to have my students work together as a team. I was happy. An hour later, I was once again tired of my own voice. *Le Sigh*

Spelling Chain

Since my school is a magnet school for art (among other things), we incorporate art into our units. Our current math unit is about geometry. They just learned about solid figures and plane shapes. This week they are learning about equal parts.

I got a sudden burst of inspiration as I was thinking up some fun activities for the kids to do with their spelling words when it hit me! Spelling chains! I'm surprised I hadn't done this with them yet this year. I guess with all the other things going on, I completely forgot the obvious, tried and trues I used to do.

But I also thought they need extra practice in getting along as well as using equal parts. So I got out two different colors of large construction paper. I gave all my Peanut Butters (one of my classroom management systems, which I can write about another time) one color, and Jellies another.

I told them to fold it into two equal parts (or half). Once they did that, I told them to fold it again, and then again. This created eight equal parts when unfolded.

They were to then cut out along the lines they made.

They then had to sort the strips of paper so that each partner got the SAME NUMBER of green and purple. I left this step pretty ambiguous so they could figure out their own way of making that happen. I was surprised that most kids understood what it meant. I was also surprised that one of my brightest/nosiest (not noisy, but nosey) student and his partner were not able to figure it out. The first time I walked over to them, they had basically swapped colors one strip at a time. The second time, they had most of the purple on her side, and he had most of the green. Quite comical.

Once they each had equal parts green and purple, they were to write their spelling words with one word on each strip in the middle of the strip and then make a pattern. I gave them two more strips beyond what their spelling words are so they could find two words with the skill for the week in their decodable reader (Super smart idea by the way! It kept the fast finishers busy letting the other catch up.).

They then linked the paper strips together to create a simple chain. I gave them the option of either taking their chain home, or donating it to our classroom for a spelling display above our Reading Wall. Many students donated and I couldn't have been more thrilled!

Here's the final product!

If you need the spelling cards (unit 3) that I have on my focus wall, check them out here on my TPT store.

Snacktivity

Who doesn't love a great tasting snack that's chocked full of sugar on the last day of school before Winter Break? I know I DO!!! And it's even better to give it to them RIGHT BEFORE THEY GO HOME!!! (Teacher's secret revenge, right?)

This year's snactivity was a build-your-own snowman treat! 

Ingredients:

• graham crackers (half of one for each student)
• large marshmallows (NOT the huge ones)
• pretzel sticks (two for each student)
• white frosting (two jars is more than enough)
• chocolate chips (the smaller the better*)
• paper plates (I had one plate for each pair of students)
• spoons 

How To:

PREP: I put on a quick movie for the kids to be occupied while I loaded up the plates with the ingredients. I know, I know, parent helpers should've helped...however, they ALL seemed to have something else to do!

Spread a layer of frosting on top of the graham cracker. Place one marshmallow on top of the frosting in the middle of the graham cracker. Spread a small amount of frosting on top of the marshmallow to act as a glue. Place another marshmallow on top of that one. Place more frosting on the front of the marshmallows and place the chocolate chips as buttons, eyes, nose and mouth. Put pretzel sticks in between the two marshmallows for the arms of the snowman.

Super easy, fast, fun, and delicious!!!

* The store didn't have the tiny chocolate chips

Hope everyone has a safe and happy week!