Thanks to a wonderful friend who happens to be a fossil enthusiast, we had more than enough fossils to review before our test. The only thing we were missing was a fossilized piece of amber with a mosquito in it or coprolite (fossilized poop).
Sometimes just looking around and talking to people can not only land you some of the most amazing friends, but wonderful resources to assist you in teaching concepts that are.... prehistoric.
We also have a wonderful fossil pit in our play ground where students can find shark's teeth. Now, they can find echinoids and fossilized stingray's teeth too. Love what you do! Happy weekend teaching friends.
You can play this amazing clip from Jurassic World in the background as you investigate these amazing finds from the past.
This is my second year doing this activity and I have absolutely fallen in love with it. I used a pre-reading activity to give the kids a good background knowledge of the basics of oil spills. There were multiple resources available on TeachersPayTeachers as well as national articles on the Exxon Valdez and more recent Santa Barbara Oil Spill. A venn diagram activity on the worksheet for your students to do a pre-reading activity comparing two different texts. This fits so nicely with any language arts standards of comparing across texts. Here is the link to the temporary freebie. I hope you enjoy this activity with your kids!!
I had the amazing opportunity to attend our state's Social Studies conference and I'm overflowing with ideas to share. I wish I had a full week to just write, blog, share and create new things that coordinate all the different things I learned. A few new tricks are always awesome, but I can't discount the benefits of hearing amazing teachers and professors affirm what I'm already doing in the classroom.
So here is one great class tool you can put in your teacher toolbox. :)
Have you always wanted a set of clickers but never had the extra G to drop on a set? Well you have stumbled across the right blog, here is a small town girl tutorial on how to get started on your Paper Clickers. Yep, plickers! (I love saying that!)
Plickers... Say it loud and say it proud.... PLICKERS!!!
Plick it up! Have you Plicked today? Plicking is so much plicking fun! LOL
If your students have never used the plicker system before give them a few minutes to say the name. It just sounds fun; so it has to be right? Absolutely!
Well if you thought the world was mac happy and you are a droid lover, here is an app for everyone.
So first, log-in to the webpage and sign up for free. Next, navigate the screen a little and become familiar with the interface. We go through almost a new program per year and I'll say this interface is super easy to navigate.
Print a set of cards. I would recommend the smaller set for third grade to adults. The larger, full page set I would use for Kinder kids to second grade. They do not recommend laminating them, but hey, I live in the world where I want them to last a full year so yes, I laminated them. They still work great. They also recommend printing them on white paper. Here you can see, yet again I have broken that rule and yep, you guessed it... they work great.
On the above card you will see a number in the corner. That number can be assigned to an individual kid if you would like to register their individual data. Of course you can keep the numbers and students random.
The arrows are pointing to the choices; A, B, C, D. These are somewhat small, but that encourages kids to stay honest as they hold up the card for you to scan. (aka they are less likely to cheat) You can also use the A, B,for true or false. The kids will turn the card facing you with their answer choice in the upwards direction.
You will then use your device to scan the room. To my surprise it was very quick (even on the first sweep) and easy. It will show you instantly which cards/ students are correct, and which are wrong. It took only a few tries to get students to keep their fingers off the corners, etc. They work very much like QR codes. Because I laminated my cards, I turn off one set of lights so there isn't much of a glare.
Additionally, you can make one or two sets of cards and share with other teachers. In our grade level we have two laminated sets and share.
If you have the plicker website displayed on your projector or smart board, you can refresh to show your students live data. How awesome is that?
Now, what are some ways you can use them in the class?
Obviously, pre-assessments
Quick formative assessments at the end of class or mini lesson
Review a unit, be sure to quickly move across the skills they mastered while covering the difficult questions more in-depth
Review homework quickly
Student interest survey
I have used these with my fifth graders and they absolutely loved getting instant data. We challenged our group to strive for higher percentages with each question. We would challenge our class to get the 50/50 answers out of the way. I'm excited to see how other teachers use this tool.
Okay, I have brainstormed a small list but I can't wait to read more about these bad boys this summer to get even more ideas.
Another snow day and another tomorrow. Of course the safety of our children is so important, but I'm going stir crazy. At least today we had the opportunity to sled a little. Now granted it was on boogie boards and in laundry baskets. But nonetheless, we went sledding.
Here is a flash freebie you can get for the next week. It's an ecosystem total review. You can print the notes pages or you can print the student pages for them to fill in as they learn. Such flexibility. I would love to hear your positive feedback on this product. Many times I put stuff out there and it takes about 200 downloads before I hear anything. I guess that's the life of teachers pay teachers. I'm sorry I haven't looked into a drop box to load this document. If you follow my tpt store I usually offer great (wink, wink) discounts when I first post items.
Also, I tried to come up with a creative name for this set of study sheets. T.O.P.P Test Opportunity Prep & Pass!!!!! I know I want my kids to have a comprehensive study guide before big tests and could never find anything. So ultimately I would write or type my own study guide. Please let me know how you like this product or how I can make it better. Thanks.
Hi Everyone, Are you so excited it's approaching summer? I am!!!! I'm working on getting a bunch of teaching activities out there I have been working on this past year. It has been a busy but wonderful year in fifth grade. I have had the best-est teachers to work with! They have embraced my mild ADHD (LOL, extreme), grammatically challenged, and hyper, laughing, nonsensical self. Here is a hereditary sort that you could use before teaching genetics or after to help them explain what they know.
First, we viewed http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/human-body/heredity.htm, science, human body, then genetics or heredity. Then the students had to discuss each of the cards and decide if they were learned behaviors or inherited traits. Enjoy and have fun. Just a few more weeks and all teachers will be working on rejuvenating themselves for the next year.
I would love to hear you comments on what you like or think I should change.
Everyone who leaves a comment and or is a new follower in the next week (before 5/11), I will give you this unit for free when I post it on teachers pay teachers. It includes experiments, probes for introductory thinking, six human body systems, cell unit, and genetics. Each unit also comes with a multiple choice tests with answer keys that help prepare students for Common Core assessments in fifth grade science. Hope to hear from youz guyz soon!
Here are a few three story terrariums for our ecosystem unit we built in class. The idea originally came from a North Carolina Science Olympiad event years ago. I thought I would Tarrrra-fy it and put the project on steroids. So....
Originally the project calls for:
1. Students to build a two or three liter bottle biome.
2. Include things that represent that particular biome.
*There used to be a score sheet that was available to score the biomes and student journals on accuracy.
3. Take a station test where students answer questions about biomes.
I modified this project where the students had more hands on and more things to observe. Lessons were definitely learned on all sides.
What we did in class: 1. We collected a million two liter bottles. Not really, but it seemed like it. 2. Students cut the first bottle just under the nose of the top. 3. Then they put a water biome in the bottom (freshwater). 4. Next they cut the bottom off and put that bottle in nose down inside the water biome area. They used a coffee filter to stop the dirt and pulled the filter down so it would touch and absorb water from the bottom. This second area became our semi-moist humid environment. 5. Then we cut the bottom off the next bottle, inverted it nose down with a coffee filter so it would get some moisture, but not a lot. This became our semi-humid environment. Added a coffee filter with dirt. 6. The top area we did the same, but capped the bottle that went into the third layer. This became our desert environment. We initially put some moisture, but the water cycle would take place within the bottle biome to recirculate that. 7. Cap off the top with a nose piece from the bottom part.
(FYI) all the extra nose pieces make great recycled funnels if you need some. My friend had a pot overflowing with succulents and she was generous to lend me a lot of desert like plants. Our local community donated all the plant seeds for the different environments.
The student notes were amazing on this project. As we completed their ecosystem unit, you could see their knowledge really coming forward in response to this activity. Loved it. I would love to do this with three liter bottles, but DO NOT want to encourage drinking that much soda... yikes... what to do? Recycling facility... maybe?
Curse YOU GOOGLE DOCS!!! THAT'S RIGHT~ I'M SO MAD I HAVE MY CAPS LOCK ON!!!!!!!
On the other hand I have evaded you and found an alternate way to upload and direct other teachers to a document where they can use and tweak if needed. You may have to look for it on the webpage. My documents I post will be linked and directed to the part of my webpage where you can down load the file. IN WORD, so if you choose to change any of the material, feel free just don't be a bugar head and take credit for all my hard work, blah, blah, blah.... that's just uncool!!!!!
Here is a fantastic computer lesson where if you show the kids the link ahead of time they will have fun finding all the days, months and years on other planets then rounding to your mathematical choice.... I know a few fourth grade teachers that have used this too. So... now that the first two weeks of school are over....
Like Mase said..... I'm Back!
Select the pictures above and it will bring you to the webpage where the file is stored. This file is located under science technology and you can download and print. Hope you like.
Yes, I have a juke box that constantly plays in my head too.
Here is a toy..... ahhhhemmm.... educational tool that is fantastic for kids to play....use in class. Mine actually has a USB removable port where the kids can download their microscopic pictures to a computer and then use them in PowerPoint, etc.
EYE...hehehe actually use this for two units in my third grade class. I don't know if I have ever told you that I teach third grade...funny.
Anyhow.
1. Sand, Silt and clay..... BOY oh BOY can you see how itty-bitty clay is and how HUGE sand is. Also, sand tells you where it's been and where it's going. I have a small sand collection of about 30 samples all over the world and it is remarkable to see how different sand looks.
2. Pollination: Kids think people think insects really are not that important. When they realize the honeybee crisis in America and bees pollinate a majority of things we eat.... well, you get the picture. Pretty fascinating. Here are a few good pictures the kids took. It's harder for third graders to use them, but give them time. Like a cell phone, they'll be changin' your ring tone before you know it.
This is my favorite kind of sand... Sand that is made of coral reef. Normally this sand has beautiful, clear blue water that comes with it. And memories of my sweet Granny who loved the islands.
This is a close up of wood.
Sand from....hmmm, I'll have to get back with you
Not bright, but a honey bee buttox.
Honeybee wing with POLLEN...cool.
Butterfly wing... I know... Cool.
Hmmm, I don't think we were studying shirts that day, but here is one up close. Just so you know what it looks like.
In honor of the late Dr. George from India, here is a "Can't See Um" as we corrected him in class a No See'm
I
I really don't want you to be mad at me.... because I don't like confrontation and I don't know you, but I got these for...... wait for it, wait for it....
19.99 a toy!!!!!!! Yes, Walmart was clearing out their Christmas toys and well, 139.99 scientific toys were not on the hot list that year!!!!!! Can you believe it! I know you can't. Well, this toy did make toy of the year some time back and I must say it keeps getting better and better. Hope you like.
If you want to trade sand, I'm all about that too.
