For the past 15 years, I have been doing a project in my classroom that tops all of the other projects I do. It is the type of project that comes up in any conversations I have with past students who are back for a visit. Years ago, my brain conceived this project and it has only gotten better with time! When I do it, we create an ACTUAL FISH TANK in our classroom. Other teachers have used the project as more of a Project Based Learning project where students … [Read more...]
Opinion Writing: Unleash Student Voice
Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying a long weekend. Our district has done away with February vacation, but we do get Presidents' Day off and Tuesday as well. Today I wanted to share an activity that I do with my students when it comes to opinion and persuasive writing. I thought it might be something you could put in your lesson plans too. I read my class The Three Little Pigs, while exploring the idea that different perspectives lead to … [Read more...]
Read Across America Week
This past week we celebrated Read Across America week like many elementary schools around the country. We put our own spin on it and included some really diverse texts. Some of the books we read were books on inclusion of others and kindness. We were also learning about different rights and responsibilities of citizens so we incorporated some deeper texts as well. We put out a flier for our students that included a week of simple activities that we would … [Read more...]
Balancing Equations and Solving for Variables: 3D Valentine
We have all been there. I was there last week. My students took a mid-year math assessment on the computer. It was only practice, but as I walked around, I realized that there were a LOT of questions that involved balancing equations and solving for a variable. It wasn't that we hadn't learned the skill, because we did. It was more like we had plowed through those math lessons without a lot of independent practice. Sometimes that happens. There is a … [Read more...]
Perimeter Person (with a FREEBIE)
We are [FRANTICALLY] trying to get through our math units before the SBAC testing begins in a few weeks! I don't know about you, but we have had 11 snow days this year! That is crazy and it has lead to very fragmented instruction. We just finished up our unit on perimeter and are just starting to dip our toes into the "fraction pool." We wanted to find a fun activity to have our students do for Maker's Monday this week, … [Read more...]
Maker’s Monday: Gingerbread House Fact Families
Maker's Monday this week was the perfect blend! Multiplication and division fact families, easy to assemble art work, and a quick holiday bulletin board made for a great morning. Normally Monday mornings bring in kids bummed that the weekend is over, but ever since instituting Maker's Monday, kids come bouncing in and immediately read the SmartBoard in order to find out what they will be making for morning work. They nearly … [Read more...]
