First Week of School Activities

The first week of school came and gone so quickly!  I had a fabulous time hanging out with students, getting to know them better, and letting them know my teaching expectations.  On the first day of school, I was busy putting away school supplies and only had time to focus primarily on explaining class rules, homework expectations, and hand signals.  Here are the activities that they did as part of the class orientation program.

After I spoke to students about the Bucket Filler program, I let them read a pledge together as a class.  They colored their own copy of the pledge while socializing with their table partners.  Students also shared and wrote down what kind of people are bucket fillers and bucket dippers.

On the second day of school, I explained how I expect students to keep their desks throughout the school year. (See the two top pieces of paper.)  Last year, I realized that some students were quite disorganized that left their desks messy all the time.  This year, I will post these signs inside the classroom as a constant reminder.

Students were allowed to work with a friend to create a Science Lab Safety Poster.  This year, I hope to incorporate more lab experiments in science to reinforce the concept of scientific method.  Before working on the posters, students had lots of fun demonstrating what NOT to do during science classes.

Although next week is still orientation week, I will plan for some form of assessment to check students' level of understanding in math and science.  I also plan to start them on setting up their math and science journals.  I am going to make use of their journals more often this year as part of the interactive notebook program.

How to Make a Volcano

Website: http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/how-to-make-a-volcano/

Materials:

• 10 ml of dish soap
• 100 ml of cold water
• 400 ml of white vinegar
• Food coloring
• Baking soda slurry (fill a cup about ½ with baking soda, then fill the rest of the way with water)
• Empty 2 liter soda bottle

Instructions:

NOTE: This should be done outside due to the mess.

1. Combine the vinegar, water, dish soap and 2 drops of food coloring into the empty soda bottle.
2. Use a spoon to mix the baking soda slurry until it is all a liquid.
3. Eruption time! … Pour the baking soda slurry into the soda bottle quickly and step back!

Extra Experiments:

1. Does the amount of vinegar change the eruption?
2. Does the amount of water change the eruption?
3. Does the amount of baking soda change the eruption?

Elephant Toothpaste

Website: http://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/elephants-toothpaste/

Materials:

• A clean 16 ounce plastic soda bottle or empty water bottle
• 1/2 cup 20-volume hydrogen peroxide liquid (20-volume is a 6% solution, ask an adult to get this from a beauty supply store or hair salon)
• 1 Tablespoon (one packet) of dry yeast
• 3 Tablespoons of warm water
• Liquid dish washing soap
• Food coloring
• Small cup
• Safety goggles

Instruction:s:

NOTE: Foam will overflow from the bottle, so be sure to do this experiment on a washable surface, or place the bottle on a tray.

1. Hydrogen peroxide can irritate skin and eyes, so put on those safety goggles and ask an adult to carefully pour the hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.
2. Add 8 drops of your favorite food coloring into the bottle.
3. Add about 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap into the bottle and swish the bottle around a bit to mix it.
4. In a separate small cup, combine the warm water and the yeast together and mix for about 30 seconds.
5. Now the adventure starts! Pour the yeast water mixture into the bottle (a funnel helps here) and watch the foaminess begin!

Extra Experiments:

1. Does the amount of yeast change the amount of foam produced?
2. Does the experiment work as well if you add the dry yeast without mixing it with water?
3. Does the size of the bottle affect the amount of foam produced?

Ways We Can Transit

• Deep breath for each step.
• Thumb Walk (twirling your thumbs while walking slowly)
• Stretch Walk
• Sun Dance
• Step Counting
• Slow Motion
• Skip Counting (2s, 3s, 4s, 5s etc.)
• Crab Walk

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8t__3Vu9I&list=PLD7163B00D4B478E0

Rockin' Paper Plate Speaker

Materials:
8 inch foam bowl
8 inch paper plate
8 round magnets
1 piece of printing paper
scissors
hot glue gun
wiring

How to Make a 3 Penny Battery

Materials:
3 pennies (made after 1982 because they contain 99.7% zinc)
cardboard pieces (cut to the size and shape of a penny)
aluminium foil
vinegar
wiring
calculator
LED bulb

How to Make Magic Mud - From Potatoes!

Cornstarch works well in this experiment too!

Materials:
a bottle of tonic water (contains quinine)
potato starch
wooden spoon
wooden bowl

How to Make Slime

Materials:
Borax
Clear Elmo school liquid glue
Green food coloring

How to Make Popsicle Catapult for Kids

Materials:
8 regular Popsicle sticks
2 jumbo Popsicle sticks (saw grooves on both sides at one end of the sticks)
3 rubber bands

How To Make A Paper Crossbow

Materials:
2 pieces of printing paper
2 long Popsicle sticks (saw gooves at both ends of the sticks)
2 rubber bands
straws (as ammunition)
tape
hot glue gun

Thinking Maps

http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2011/09/thinking-maps-and-black-book.html

Possible ways to use Thinking Map for Math:
1. Where we use math? (grocery, cooking, work, baking, construction, art etc.)
2. How we use math? (mental, calculator, computer, watch, clock, cell phone etc.)
3. Who uses math?

For Science:
1. Where we see science in action? (kitchen, factory, science lab etc.)
2. What jobs are associated with science? (Chemist, Pharmacist, Scientist, Chefs, Researchers etc.)
3. Common ingredients we can use for science experiments (salt, vinegar, sugar, oil, water, food coloring, cornstarch, penny, dime, baking soda, carbonated drinks etc.)

Class Anchor Chart: How to have a Conversation

Website: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teaching-your-students-conversation-allen-mendler

Each person must contribute to the discussion but take turns talking.  Ask each other,

1) "Would you like to add to my idea?"

2) "Can you tell us what you are thinking?"


Ask questions so that you understand each other's ideas.

1) "Can you tell me more about that?"

2) "Can you say that in another way?"

Instead of I Don't Know

http://pinterest.com/pin/252201647853378876/

Lesson Outline for "212: The Extra Degree"

Source: http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=31032

This lesson provided by: Author: Elaine Haskins System: Homewood City School: Homewood High School

Title:	You Can Do It!

Overview/Annotation: A great pep talk, this lesson will provide motivation and inspiration to students through a web-based video and group reflection time.  Students will discuss obstacles to reaching goals and ways in which to overcome those obstacles.  This brief lesson is rich with opportunity for a counselor or teacher to encourage high school students students.  Using this lesson when semester exams or other stressful times are approaching would be a good idea! Primary Learning Objective(s): Students will understand the meaning of being encouraged, ways to stick to a goal, the value of encouraging others, and the importance of overcoming obstacles. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to apply their understanding by reflecting on the "212 - The Extra Degree" video as a whole class.  In small groups, students will discuss their own experiences setting goals and struggling with obstacles to overcome and achieve. Finally, students will learn the importance and methods to motivate others to succeed. Approximate Duration of the Lesson: 31 to 60 Minutes  Materials and Equipment: Sample motivational quotes and sayings Motivational Corner Inspiration Quotes Daily Quotes Poster board or construction paper and markers Pre-planned list of small groups of students Slips of paper with questions to guide small group discussions Technology Resources Needed: Computer with Internet access and speakers; Digital projector and screen Background/Information: Counselor/facilitator prep - search for motivational quotes and sayings (or use the attached list as a reference).  Create a document to project listing the quotes students can include on their motivational poster/sign. View and cue ahead of time the "212 - The Extra Degree" video 212 The Extra Degree Arrange a table in the classroom with markers, poster board, construction paper or plain copy paper Use the class roster to divide students into small groups of 3-4, keeping in mind those students who are more forthcoming in talking about their experience; combine those talkers to students who may be considered shy or quiet. Reflect on and be prepared to share a personal "testimony" or experience about a time when you struggled to overcome a goal, obstacles you faced, people who motivated you, what you heard or saw from others that encouraged you, inward thoughts and feelings that helped you to overcome obstacles and achieve a goal.  Include the use of words like "diligence" and "perseverance" to teach students the meaning and application of those words. Procedure/Activities: Step 1 (5 minutes) Start the "212 - The Extra Degree" video Step 2 (10 minutes) Discuss and reflect on the video as a whole class Questions and prompts include: What keeps you from pusing through to the extra degree?  What do you need to hear or see to help get to "212 degrees"?  What or who has helped motivate and encourage you in the past?  What is success to you?  What does success look like to you now?  What do you think it will look like for you in 5 years?  10 years?  What people or stories in the media, in our community or at school motivate you?  Have you motivated or encouraged someone before?  What did you say or do that helped?  How do you know that person was motivated by you?  Why do you think it's important or valuable to know how to work hard and push yourself?  Do you think perseverance develops quickly or over time?  How does attitude affect your ability to overcome obstacles and achieve goals?  What do you tell yourself that helps keep you going?  What thoughts or feelings get in the way of your goals? Step 3 (10 minutes) Divide students into pre-arranged groups to discuss and reflect more on the questions listed in Step 3.  Give each student group the list of questions to discuss and reflect.  Ask each student in the group to identify the following: 1. a situation in which you needed motivation - who or what helped you?  what was said or done to encourage you? 2. thinking of the same situation - what obstacles got in the way?  what thoughts or feelings did you have when an obstacle got in the way? 3. think of a person that you encouraged - what did you say or do to help them achieve their goals?  What was it like for you to know that you helped someone else? Step 4 (10 minutes) Ask for volunteers to share what they talked about in their small groups.  Use the prompts in Step 3 to guide conversation in the large group. Step 5 (10-15 minutes) Ask students to get paper and markers from the table, and create a motivational poster or sign.  Display quotes and sayings on the interactive white board or screen that students can use on their poster/sign.  Motivational quotes can include those from the "212 - The Extra Degree" video or by searching online for "motivational quotes about perseverance." Step 6 (10 minutes) Ask students to share their motivational signs.  Post them in the classroom or in the hallway outside the classroom. Assessment Strategies: Verbal assessment - students share their personal experiences of overcoming obstacles and helping others by motivating and encouraging them to press forward. Written assessment - students share their motivational sign and post it as well. Remediation: Making the motivational sign - Give a cue to begin work; provide immediate reinforces and feedback; introduce assignments in sequential steps; check on progress; provide clear, concise directions; assign a peer helper Providing verbal responses to discussion/reflection questions - relate the information to the student's experiential base; use concrete examples of concepts before teaching the abstract; provide an overview of the lesson before beginning; require verbal responses to measure comprehension and understanding; assign a peer helper in the small group to encourage other students to respond to discussion/reflection prompts.

Classroom Cheers

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2004/06_june/06_2004_pdf.html

Lots of awesome ideas to motivate students!

Role on the Wall - Tableau

 

http://thinkingofteaching.blogspot.com/search/label/Drama

1. how the character feels about him/herself 
2. how the character feels about other people 
3. what other people think about the character 
4. his/her likes and dislikes 
5. his/her history 
6. his/her dreams or regrets

Last year I used this strategy as a pre-reading strategy with my grade 4s. We drew the outline of a Grade 4 student and did some brainstorming. We discussed how this person would feel on the first day of school and wrote down all their feelings on the inside of the body outline (nervous because they are at a new school, excited to see their friends again, sad that summer was over, etc). On the outside of the character we wrote down all things that influence how students feel on the first day (new school, new grade, new teacher, friend moved away, etc). Once we had done this we read "First Day Jitters" by Julie Danneberg.

It was great! The students were really excited that story had a twist at the end and we added new ideas to our chart. We then discussed how we can choose how we handle new situations and our excitement about school, etc!

Thinking about how I might use this strategy in the future I came up with the following ideas:
- character education- reading and discussing picture books related to the month's focus trait
i.e. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein- have the children brainstorm how the tree felt and what was causing the tree to feel that way
- cause and effect in a novel
- debates
- point of view

Morning Routine

Our Morning Routine

1. Take the following out of your bag:

• planner
• snack
• communication folder
• lunchbox (if you brought one)
• library book (if it is your library day)

2. Enter the classroom and walk directly to your seat.

3. Place your folder in the bin.

4. On library day, place your library book on top of the lockers.

5. Get a book from the library and begin reading silently before the nasheed ends.

Hand Signals for Group Time

http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/hand-signals-to-make-group-time-more.html

The letter I represents, "I have a question."

The letter A represents "answer."

The letter C represents "comment."

There are two benefits to this. The obvious is that I know what they are going to contribute and can call on someone with an answer vs a comment if I am looking for an answer. It also lets me know who has a legit question as opposed to who wants to tell me something that may or may not relate to the topic.

The other benefit is that it allows the students to identify what they want to say. It makes them aware and really cuts down on distraction and commentary that can set us off task. They don't just shoot their hand up. I've also found that it eliminates the raised hand followed by, "uuhhhh...I forget."

You know how a student will say something and 15 other hands shoot up because they make a connection? The "me too" sign allows those 15 youngsters to let you and everyone in the room know that they also did whatever the speaker did or that they also like whatever the speaker likes. It's a great way to keep everyone on task, yet it lets them "be heard."

Hand Signals for Minimal Interruptions

http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/hand-signals-classroom-management.html

We use hand signals so we don't disturb our friends
1 - Bathroom
2 - Tissue
3 - Pencil
4 - Water
5 - Question

"I ask that they do not request to get a drink or use the bathroom (unless it is an emergency) during read alouds, whole group instruction, or when they are working in a small group with me so that they do not miss part of a lesson. It is important to discuss what an actual emergency entails or you will have your friends claiming that it is always an emergency. The majority of my instruction is done in the form of shorter mini-lessons so this is never a problem. 

By using the hand signals, students are able to let me know what they need by holding up a specific number of fingers. I am able to simply look at them and nod to acknowledge their request. I can do this without stopping what I am doing. This is important as I am frequently working with other students.

In the past I have experimented with simply allowing them to move around as needed, but there were always a few students who took advantage of that. They would get off task and wander the room to get a drink or a tissue to avoid working on something. This then distracted others from their work. The hand signals are an added step to prevent off task behaviors. Knowing that I am aware of their actions eliminates impulsive behaviors associated with wandering."

Idea for Math Workshop Schedule

Class Size: 20-22 students

Katie Lately: When the kids come in they grab a popsicle stick with a number on it. That is there number for the day. When we start Math Workshop, they go by the schedule of their number. (Ex. If I am a #2, I will go to At your desk first, then Math facts, then Hands on, then Teachers Chair) Basically its their schedule for the class. In each station I give them choices on what they can do. They are similar things but some may be a high level than others to hit all my learners. So no, they may not do the same activity but it was the same concept. I have the kids work independently in their own seat...it isn't group work even though they may be traveling for the day as a group. I think the various assignments also helps get that point across. 

5-10 minutes: Homework Review

5-10 minutes: Daily Data / Math Read Aloud

5-10 minutes: Whole Class Instruction

MATH Rotations
=======
15 minutes - Rotation 1 (Math facts) = Below-On Level

• Flash Cards, Beat the Calculator, Online Games, Mountain Math, Enrichment Worksheets
• Looks like: paying attention, thinking, focused, work the whole time
• Sounds like:  Voice level 1 and 2

15 minutes - Rotation 2 (At your desk) = On-Above Level

• Independent Practice, Word Problems Practice, Daily Moose, Mathematical Definitions
• Looks like: stay on task, no cheating, work the whole time
• Sounds like: Voice level 0

15 minutes - Rotation 3 (Teacher's Choice) = Below Level

• Teacher (Model concepts with Math Manipulatives, Practice math concepts with whiteboards, Remediate and Accelerate as needed, Small group or one on one testing if needed.)
• Looks like: paying attention, stay focused, work the whole time
• Sounds like: Voice level 3

15 minutes - Rotation 4 (Hands on) = On-Above Level

• Math 4 Corner (Fact Games, Number Games, Strategy Games and Paper Practice)
• Looks like: listen to partner, follow the rules, work the whole time
• Sounds like: Voice level 1 and 2

http://mathworkshopadventures.blogspot.jp/2012/01/4-stations.html

http://www.dots-n-spots.com/?p=1466

mathworkshopadventures.blogspot.jp/2012/01/4-stations.html

This Math Station Sheet cuts down on copies and holds students accountable for the work completed at each station. 

At the start of math workshop, we display the teacher's copy of the sheet on the document camera (ELMO).  We fill in the titles for each station together.  Students also decide on the appropriate voice level for each station and write it in the boxes.

As students go to each station, they record information from that station.  For example, today at Fact Practice, students played Bingo Facts.  As they drew cards out of the basket, they recorded the answers on their Math Station Sheet under the Fact Practice station. 

To encourage us as teachers to always have a closure , we included it on the sheet as well. :)  The closure today in Chloe's class was: "I have 6 vertices, and all of my sides are equal in length.  What am I?" In Tabitha's class, students were told to write two attributes of a hexagon.

For the magic rectangle in the top-left corner, students rate their behavior according to the math workshop norms.  They write a 1-5 (1=many improvements needed, 5=keep it up!).

To keep grading simple, we assign a point for each box on the sheet=10 points (1 for the name!)

Reference:
http://www.mswinston.com/Math%20Workshop%203.html
http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-math-workshop-rotation-board-setting.html
http://katielately1.blogspot.com/2011/09/math-worksho.html