Day 151: Project Update!

My students finished their projects on The Wartville Wizard.  Here are some of their finished drawings:



I love the look on his face.




Stylish, even when covered in trash.




Trash as hair accessory and earrings.  Priceless.




So much trash that it floats above him.

 The students really enjoyed this project!  I think they were surprised to find out how much trash they make, even as little children.  They also learned how they can cut down on the amount of trash they generate and how to properly recycle/reuse/dispose of everything.

A good lesson for anyone.

Day 149: Earth Day Projects

I usually dedicate a whole week to Earth Day stuff, but since this week was a short week due to the Easter holiday, I had to cut back a bit.

Monday, we read about our human footprints in National Geographic's Human Footprint.  The students couldn't believe the amount of stuff ONE person uses in a lifetime.  On Wednesday we read The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden. (Tuesday was when we did our egg project because that's when my class was scheduled for computer lab.) Thursday, I had the children pretend they were a resident of Wartville and draw what they would look like with trash all over with them.  (This after we brainstormed what type of trash they would produce as children: straws, candy wrappers, gogurt containers, etc.) I'll post those pictures in a few days.

We also watched School House Rock Earth.  The children loved the video and some of them were still singing the songs as they were dismissed.  If you get the classroom edition, you will get bonus content to use with the students as well as a teacher's guide. 

Another thing I like to do to supplement my Earth Day lessons is show pictures/share articles from National Geographic. I think pictures really make the issues real to the children.

Happy Earth Day!

Day 148: Egg Update

Here are some of the students' egg projects I referenced in Day 147.

Nature-themed

Another nature theme

Day 147: Easter/Spring Project

With the Easter holiday upon us, I know many teachers like to read the story Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco.  In the story, the eggs are decorated in the Ukranian style called pysanky.*  (She also shows the style in the story Chicken Sunday.) 

*For those of you who aren't aware, Patricia Polacco's grandmother was of Russian descent and showed Patricia how to decorate the eggs Ukranian style. 

As an activity, I read Chicken Sunday to my students as part of our study on Patricia Polacco.  Once we read about the part of the characters decorating the eggs, I stop and explain the process to the students before finishing the story.  Once the story is finished, I take the students to the computer lab to view a site about pysanky and see a clip online. (We don't have Smartboards or laptop projectors for every room, so the easiest way for me to do it is to take the children to the lab and use the projector there.  You do whatever works for you.) 

Anyhow, we visit Eve's Eggs, a site of egg artist Eve Butterly.  Her site covers the history of pysanky, the different styles/techniques used for decorating, and features a gallery of eggs that she has done for occasions from weddings to baptisms. There is also a link on her homepage that will take you to a videoclip of her creating one of the eggs featured in her gallery.  She does a very good job of demonstrating and explaining the process as she goes along.

(FYI: If you can find a video clip from Reading Rainbow Program Episode #84 (the one that features Rechenka's Eggs), Patricia Polacco herself will demonstrate the process.  That's actually the first place I saw it years ago, but I can't seem to find the whole clip online. If you find it, please send me the link in the comment box and I'll share it!)

Anyhow, after we visit the sites and watch the videos, I allow the students to create their own version of the pysanky egg.  I provide each student with a sheet of white drawing paper and a tracer of an egg large enough to fill the space.  I also give them guidelines as to what types of shapes and colors should be used on the eggs.  Past that, I allow them to create their own.  We began the project today; I will post some of the final designs tomorrow.  They are coming along great!

Stay tuned!

Day 146: Service Projects Update!

Today we got our updates for our service projects.  Our project to raise money for Japan raised nearly $2,000 to send overseas.  Our project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Pennies for Patients) raised over $5,400 for the organization.  Yay!

Day 145: Thundercake!

Today saw my class finishing up the story Thundercake in our anthology.  I love this story, written by Patricia Polacco.  If you are not familiar, the story is about a little girl (Patricia) who learns not to be afraid of thunder while helping her grandmother gather ingredients for a "thundercake."

My students love this story and are especially excited to learn that the recipe for thundercake (which belonged to Patricia's grandmother) is in the back of the book (and on the website linked above).  Every year I have students who are surprised to learn that you can use tomatoes in a cake, but they get over it.  Mostly because I bake a thundercake (or rather, thunder cupcakes) for my classes every year and share it as a surprise snack.  (Truth be told, you don't even taste the tomatoes through all the chocolate and strawberries!) 

If you've never made a thundercake for yourself (or anyone else), I encourage you to do so.  You will not be disappointed.  (And it doesn't even have to be a thunderstorm for you to enjoy it!)

Day 144: Cows, Cows, Cows!

Day 144 was our field trip for the year.  Due to budget cuts, each grade level in the district is restricted to one field trip a year.  In years past we have gone on two to three--to a local zoo, a museum, or a wildlife center/nature park.  This year we went to a dairy.

Since our grade level is so large (six classrooms), we have to divide our field trips over two days.  One half of the grade level goes one day; the other half goes the next day.  Fortunately for us this year, we went on a nice sunny day.  The group that went the day before us had to tour in the rain. Ugh.  (Did that one year.  Not fun.)

Anyhow, we toured a local dairy farm and they shared with the children how milk gets from cow to table.  They also told how milk used to be delivered to your house in glass bottles (so amazing to the children!).  We had a chance to peek into the factory where the milk is pasteurized, homogenized, and bottled for distribution.  (This with the help of a window cut between the wall of the lecture room and the factory.)  The children really enjoyed watching the bottles come down the conveyor to be filled, washed off, and whisked away again.

After the peek into the factory, we went on a walking tour throughout the farm.  The children had a chance to pet some newborn calves and goats.  (The cow liked to lick that day and some of the students had their hands, shoes, and/or pants tasted!)  They learned how much a cow needs to eat each day to produce milk.  They also learned about milking, the difference between Guernsey and Holstein cows, and had a party in one of the antique barns on the property, complete with ice cream made with the milk from the cows on the farm.

Hungry anyone?

That's a lot of milk!

When we left, the dairy sent us away with coloring books and stuffed cows for the children.  In all, the children had a great trip and learned a lot.  

Mmmmmmoooooooo!

Day 142: Pennies for Patients Update

We started our campaign for Pennies for Patients over a week. Our school goal is $3,000.  As of Tuesday, April 12, we raised over $2,600.  Can't wait to find out the final total!

Day 140: Board Game Party!

Friday, April 8 was Day 140.  This day saw us complete our spelling and comprehension quizzes, writing workshop, recess, independent reading time, a tasty lunch (thanks to the International Days food tasting), special, and board games.

Board games, you ask?  Yes.  Board games.

Friday afternoon was my class reward party for good behavior.  I keep a marble jar on the filing cabinet, and it is the students' job to fill it by meeting behavior expectations (no one moving their clip for poor choices, walking quietly in the hallway, being extra considerate of others, etc.).  When they fill the jar, there is a reward party.  Depending on the time of year, that reward may be extra recess, a movie, ice cream/Popsicles, or a board game party.  I allow the students to vote on the kind of reward they will have.

I asked the students to vote on Tuesday, and they overwhelmingly voted for board games.  So I told them to bring in their favorite board game on Friday, and we would play those instead of doing social studies or math.  I provided snacks and music, and they provided the entertainment.  In all, it was a success.  The children monitored themselves, games were shared, no pieces were lost or broken, and I even got a chance to play a game or two.

After that,the students had recess.  Then we packed up to go home.

It was the perfect way to start the weekend.

Day 139: Animal Report Update!

Animal reports are finally finished and displayed!  My students did a lot of interesting animals this year, from white peacocks, panthers, and cobras to hermit crabs, coconut octopus, and elephants.  Here are two examples of what the projects look like once they are finished:

This is a student's report on the snowshoe hare.

Another student's report on the white peacock.

Once all of the organizers were done, the students drafted the information they had.  After drafting, students conferenced with me and wrote their final drafts.  Regarding the pictures, two sessions in the computer lab allowed me time to let the students find the pictures they liked.  Many of the pictures could be found through the clip art feature on Windows, but some had to be found on the Internet through Bing images.  After the pictures were printed, I coordinated the paper to match the pictures for the final display.  The students are very proud of what they've done and couldn't wait to see the final products, which range in length from one to four pages.  They can't believe they actually did "all that work"!

I, of course, knew they could.  It's just nice to know that they realize it for themselves!

Day 138: Ahh, Italia!

Wednesday, April 6 began our school's International Days.  Every year, we study a country as a school-wide effort for three to four days.  We have speakers, singers/dancers, food tastings, cultural trivia, and the school is turned into a mini version of the country of focus.  Over the past few years, we have studied China, Switzerland, Ireland, and Mexico. 

This year, we journeyed to Italy.  We learned about the country, listened to the Italian national anthem in the morning, made venetian masks, listened to (and sang along with) a group of Italian singers, enjoyed a presentation on the culture of Italy, and had a tasting at lunch, complete with an accordion player and tablecloths in the cafeteria.  The students tasted fresh mozzarella, Italian bread with olive oil, garlic bread with bruschetta, and pizzelles.

Some of the masks my students made for the occasion.

The PTA does a wonderful job of setting things up.  All of the halls are decorated according to theme, and the artwork displayed is done by the students of that particular hallway.  The students make giant (read: adult-sized) pictures of things that represent the country we are studying.  This year, the kindergarten hall way displayed pasta bowls, the first and second grade hall was gelato cones and pizza, the third grade hall was an olive tree orchard, the fourth grade hall was churches/cathedrals, and the fifth grade hallway was full of gondolas. All of the hallways had words related to the theme suspended from the ceiling. 

One of the signs on the first/second-grade hallway.  Other signs said "Delicious" and "Sweet."

In the specials hallway, there was a scene from Italy, complete with mosaics created by the children.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (outside our school library)!

The Coliseum.

A bridge into another part of Italy.



Some of the mosaics done by the students.  The entire specials hallway is decorated with them. All kinds of materials were used: noodles, beans, paper, buttons, foam shapes, tile, sequins, pasta, cereal, rocks, and string.

Ciao, Italia!

Day 135: Helping Japan

A few days ago, I posted about my school's project to help Japan. Well the deadline came and went.  My class raised $85 to help the victims of the earthquakes and tsunamis by doing chores/jobs around the house to "earn" five dollars. 

I'm not sure what the final building total is yet, but I will let you know when I find out!