Day 69: Symmetry, Snowflakes, and Other Geometry Stuff

We are finishing up our lessons in our geometry unit.  We did a project today that focused on symmetry.  I came up with the idea for a symmetry snowman.  The kids are partnered up to design their snowmen.  Each child draws one half of the snowman.  Then they switch papers and their partner has to copy the design and make it symmetrical.  I have a pic of the blank sheet I gave them; I will post one of the student pages after I have them up.



Snowman project

Two other projects I have done in the past are coffee-filter snowflakes and pipe cleaner snowflakes.  The coffee filter snowflakes are made the way we made snowflakes when we were little: fold the filter into a triangular shape and cut designs along the folds.  The second project is a pipe cleaner snowflake.  I give each student three pipe cleaners. (I like the iridescent ones, but you can use white or silver.)  We twist the pipe cleaners together and spread them out so that the arms are spread out evenly.  Then we thread beads along the arms to make a design/pattern. (I use blue, clear, and iridescent beads.)  Finally, we bend one of the ends over to make a loop and attach a ribbon.



This is the model I show my students.

 For both of the snowflake projects, I like to read the story Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.  The students really like learning about the snowflakes and are eager to try and make their own designs.

Other books I like to use for my geometry unit are Shape Up by David A. Adler and The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns.  Snowflakes in Photographs by W. A. Bentley is also a good one to look through.  (FYI: You can also use this one when talking about snow during your weather unit in science.)

I hope you can use some of these ideas.  And as always, if you have a neat idea, please share with the rest of us! Leave them in the comment box and I'll post them for you.

Until then, just think ahead to the holidays.  They (and Winter Break) are almost here!

Day 68: Transitions

We are all at the time of year when the students aren't quite as with us as we would like them to be.  Holiday breaks, school programs, cold weather and snow (if you are in a climate that has these), and who knows what else are all over the minds of our kiddos.

I have found that I am losing my students during transition times lately because something we have talked about or something they read or something someone said to them at recess or lunch has them wanting to talk and share at the wrong time.  So I have had to pull some old tricks out of my teacher hat.  Here are some tricks I have been using over the past week or so:
1. Math fact drills. I use this while we are lining up for special, lunch, or recess.  They have to answer a math fact to get in line and they cannot talk while in line or they have to sit back down and answer another fact.
2. Part of speech review.  I have flashcards with parts of speech on them.  We have been reviewing nouns.  I hold up a card with a picture of an object (or say the name of the object aloud to them) and they have to tell me if the object is a person, place, or thing.  I also have verb, adjective, and conjunction cards to add into the deck as we learn those.
3. Stretches.  I have them follow me through a set of stretches to wake them up and get them focused.  I have also used a quick game of Simon Says.
4. Riddle of the day.  While I was cleaning off my shelves during the two-hour delay, I found a book that has daily riddles in it.  Before we begin science each day, I ask them a riddle and they have a few minutes to think about and give an answer.  (This is especially helpful because my students have lunch and special right before science.)  The riddles aren't hard, but they make you think.  One of the ones we had last week was "What are some ways to melt an ice cube?"  (The answers ranged from stick it in the oven to send it to the Sun. You have to appreciate the imagination of little ones!) 
5. Clapping.  I clap a pattern out to make a little song and they repeat it back to me.
6. Music. I play classical and jazz during different parts of the day, but lately I have been playing all kinds of Christmas music (with parental permission, of course).  Today I played one by The Muppets and the students begged me to play during our transition to lunch and during our preparation for special.  (We have about 10 minutes between lunch and special each day, so we read during that time.)
7. One I'm going to try this week (after a brainstorm I had over the weekend) is something I call "stampede."  (My classroom has a safari theme, so this fits right in.)  I'm going to turn my head as if I'm listening for something and ask them if they hear it, too.  Then I'm going to yell, "Stampede!" and let the students drum their feet on the floor for a short time.  (There are no classes under mine, so I don't disturb anyone below me.)  I'll let you know how it goes.

How about you?  Do you have any creative transition ideas? Send them in a comment and I'll post them!

Day 67: Architects and Engineers

Friday, December 10 was day 67.  I decided to use the math period of that day to do some building with my students.  (The kids LOVED this activity!) 

We are in our geometry unit, and we were studying 2D and 3D shapes.  It's sometimes hard for little ones to distinguish between the two.  A few years ago I started having my students build their shapes.  While there are all sorts of K'Nex-type materials or magnetic building sets, I can't always afford a class set of materials for the projects.

I decided to use toothpicks and marshmallows to create the shapes.  After the first year, I realized that marshmallows are a little too soft and they fall apart after a few pokes with the toothpick.  So then I started using gumdrops.  This year, with food allergies in the room, I went with a snack that was safe for both of my kiddos: Welch's Fruit Snacks.  The kids loved it and had a good time being architects for the period.  Check out some of the designs below:




My models made with marshmallows a few years back.  The marhsmallows tend to get sticky and fall apart with the kids manipulating them.  The result is a hard-to-clean mess!



One of my student's models.  He was so proud!

I have the kids start with the 2D shape.  Then I ask them what the 3D equivalent would be.  (For example, a square would turn into a cube.)  I let them build squares, triangles, and rectangles.  We then turn those into cubes, square pyramids, three-sided pyramids, and rectangular prisms.  We also build prisms.  (By the way, I only help with the first shape to show them how to attach the snacks to the toothpicks.  After that, they have to work it out.  They are allowed to converse with a neighbor.) 

If you can use this idea, please go right ahead.  Send me a comment and let me know how it turned out!

Day 64: Me? Teacher Advisor?

I can say that today has been one of the most surreal days in my life.  One of those "I-can't-believe-this-is-really-happening-to-ME" days.  One of those days where you need to keep pinching yourself to make sure you aren't dreaming. 

What has me so worked up? 

Read on.

A few months ago, I applied to be on the Scholastic Teacher Advisor board.  For those of you who may not be aware of what this is, it is a board of 22 teachers who have been selected from a NATIONWIDE pool to work in conjunction with Scholastic to give feedback on materials, book selections used in classrooms, and suggestions for topics/genres to be added to Scholastic's offerings.
I am pretty psyched because I was called by the woman in charge of the program.  She shared that while the board has 22 members, they only selected five new teachers this year to join.  AND I WAS ONE OF THOSE TEACHERS!

So in February, I will be traveling to New York to attend a conference and meet the other board members.  We'll have some workshops to attend and...I'm not sure what else at this point. (The packet of info hasn't come yet.)  I can honestly say that I am really looking forward to the whole process!   Except for maybe the Visit.  I was told today that my classroom will be visited and observed by two Scholastic staff members at some point prior to my workshop in New York.  (I may be a bit of a ball of nerves the day before.  You know that feeling you get when you have your formal observation done?)

I was also told that Scholastic will cover my travel, lodging, and meals.  The company has us staying in SoHo at the SoHo Grand Hotel.  I've been to different parts of the Big Apple, but never there.  I would like to check out a few places while I'm in the area, but I have no idea of where to begin. 

Do you know of any eclectic/authentic/interesting eateries I should try out?  Or shops?  Or bookstores?  Or museums? Or anything that doesn't involve drinking or clubs?  (Sorry, those just aren't my thing.)  Don't be afraid to share a comment!

Day 62: Time to Celebrate!

I am bursting at the seams with excitement.  I simply cannot BELIEVE it!  If I weren't sitting down right now, I'd be doing a little happy dance all over my living room floor.  And who knows?  I just might cut a little rug after I finish this post!

What, you ask, am I SO DELIRIOUSLY HAPPY about?

Well...

Come closer...

Closer...

Lean in...

Good.  Listen...

MY PROJECT THAT WAS POSTED ON DONORS CHOOSE HAS BEEN FULLY FUNDED! HOORAY! 

I cannot tell you how excited I was to open the e-mail tonight and find out that my class set of Whisperphones is no longer a wish, but a dream come true!  One of the donors has children who formerly attended the school where I currently teach.  (I didn't have her children, though.)  She called it an early Christmas present.  That, I think, is the understatement of the year!

If you've never tried Donors Choose, I urge you to give it go. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Day 61: I Wish I Could Be a Fly on His Wall...

A few posts back, I told you all about a book I was reading by Rafe Esquith.  I have about a quarter of the book to go before I finish it, and I tell you, I will be reading more by this teacher/author.  You can find out more about him and his teaching at http://www.hobartshakespeareans.org/.

Simply put, I like the way this guy operates. Granted, I may not have all of the resources and time needed to do all of the things with my second graders that he does with his fifth graders (and some of them are not appropriate for children that young), but there are some really good ideas.

Mr. Esquith (or Rafe, as his students call him.  I don't know him so I'll call him Mr. Esquith.) does what all teachers are expected to do: he teaches skills with practical application to life.  Not just the "required-by-the-curriculum-and-used-by-such-and-such-method-because-administration-says-you-have-to" sort of teaching, but the teaching that adds in the "this-is-how-to-apply-what-you've-learned-to-other-areas-of-your-life-in-order-to-SURVIVE" kind of teaching. 

Even with my second graders, I always relate how what they are learning will be useful to them in the future.  Not in the sense of knowing it for a quiz or test, but for the practical application to things.  From math skills to science, from social studies to writing in a complete sentence (that actually has a subject and predicate and makes sense!), my students know why and how these skills will help them in their everyday lives.  I challenge my students to challenge their parents through homework assignments from time to time, especially if we've had a particularly interesting (and sometimes animated!) discussion on a topic.  I see it as a growing experience for everyone.

One thing I can say I am a bit envious of is Mr. Esquith's permission(?) to teach for teaching's sake.  Not that he doesn't have requirements through his district like we all do, but for the way he is permitted to meet and exceed those requirements.  Let me explain:

In my current district, there is this idea to "teach the basics" and "Stick with the quarterly guidelines!  You MUST cover this and that in THIS time period!  Stay away from things that detract from learning."  (In some buildings, this includes informative academic assemblies!)  "Focus on math and language arts, and, if you find the time, cover science and social studies.  But-! If you don't get to science and social studies, that's okay; the kids will get it later." WHAT?????  My students cover every subject, every day.  There's no excuse not to cover them.  Yes, it may be a little harried some days, but we do it.  Yet I know I work with others in my district who don't get to those subjects on a regular basis, if at all.  And this is education?

In my former district/school, we really tried to have the children experience as much as possible through their learning.  We had the flexibility to move around units to mirror skills.  (Ex.: We had a unit in our science series that covered dinosaurs.  We also had a unit in our language arts series that covered dinosaurs.  We moved the science unit (by a whole quarter) so we could teach it during the dinosaur unit in language arts.  For math, we had measurement around that time, so we took dinosaur lengths from our science text and other supporting texts and measured them in the main hallway.  We wrote reports.  We made fossils.  We made models.  We learned and had FUN while doing it!)  My second graders (yes, even there!) learned so much about dinosaurs.  But they also learned processes, how to gather and organize data, teamwork, planning and organization, and a host of other skills.  My colleagues and I did this type of thing for every skill/unit we taught.  This kind of teaching was encouraged. 

Even if you may be faced with beaurocratic with roadblocks, there are ways to be creative with your students and help them along.  I use a lot of examples, projects, video clips, stories...basically anything I can get my hands on to help my students grasp the information I am sharing with them.  I know you all do, too.

So to you, I say, "Go on with your bad self and teach those children!" 

Be creative! Have fun! Be brilliant!

Day 60: Hanukkah/Chanukah

Happy Hanukkah to those of you who celebrate the holiday!  If you were not aware, Hanukkah began at sundown tonight. 

As part of my goal to introduce my students to as many cultures as possible, December is a big month for me in the realm of studying holidays from other cultures.  We learn about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Las Posadas. 

During the eight days in which Hanukkah is celebrated, I try to mirror the holiday by reading part of a story that focuses on each day.  I like to read the story Pearl's Eight Days of Chanukah by Jane Breskin Zalben.  The book focuses on a family that gets together over the holiday.  Through the reading of the story, the history, traditions, and symbols of Hanukkah are explained.  There are craft projects, recipes, and songs listed throughout the book as the characters in the story celebrate each night.  There is also a glossary of terms in the back of the book.

My classes have always loved the story and the activities.  (I don't get a chance to do all of the activities, but we do some of the simpler ones.  I also send home all of the recipes from the book.  My students always get excited over the one for jelly doughnuts!)

To further explain Hanukkah, my grade level does a "Hanukkah rotation."  It was started by a former colleague who is Jewish and thought it would be a good way to expose the children to another culture.  It's a busy sort of time slot, but it's a lot of fun.

We condense our six second grades into five classes (one class gets split among the others) and do a sort of walking tour from class to class.  Each second grade teacher is responsible for a "stop" on this tour.  One teacher will read a story about Hanukkah, another will have a craft, another will have a tasting of latkes and apple juice while viewing a short video on Hanukkah, another will have the dreidel game, and another is a room where the students can be part of a discussion about the holiday, complete with a menorah and other materials.  Each station is about 15 minutes long.  When the children get back to their homerooms, they are given a plastic dreidel to keep.  The children really enjoy the rotation and are able to "experience" a holiday they may not have had access to.

Our rotation is this Friday afternoon.  I don't cook the latkes; I buy them frozen from the store and heat them through the night before.  Then they just get reheated in the microwave in the afternoon and they're ready to go.  The juice is served in Dixie cups to cut down on spills and wasted juice.  Most children like to eat the latkes with their fingers, so napkins are usually a good way to go.

How do you share the holiday of Hanukkah with your class?  Feel free to add your ideas in the comment section and I'll post them to share with the rest of us!