First Week of School Activities

We had our first day of school with students Wednesday and I forgot how utterly exhausting and mind blowing that first day is! We did lots of rules, routines, and procedures but also made time for some fun first week things. 

Here is what we have been up to!

 You can purchase these Scholastic Order Form activities from Clutter Free Classroom HERE!

I also introduced the students to the Activ Expressions! They were literally asking me about them ALL week long and so Friday, we took a Multiple Intelligence Survey using the device! I adapted this activity from Laura Candler's printable survey which you can download free HERE! You can download the flipchart by clicking the image below.

Important Note: You must have Promethean Activ Inspire software installed on your computer to OPEN and use this file! Please do not download otherwise!

I also made some labels to go on my Activ Expression bins. You can download those by clicking the button below!

I have also decided to implement brain breaks into my classroom this year! We needed a little wake me up on Friday morning so we watched this HILARIOUS parody of I'm Sexy and I Know It, called I'm Elmo and I Know It! I am definitely adding this to my brain break file!

I plan on making some brain breaks sometime this week. Stay tuned to find out how I plan on incorporating this bad boy into my brain breaks!

I absolutely can't wait for it to get here!!

Rocks and Minerals

At the beginning of the year, we always do a unit on Rocks and Minerals. Last year, I wrote this post on some activities that we did. I have revamped the unit a little bit and wanted to share with you all! 


I also created the science notebook tape in to go along with the first lesson! You will notice there are two pages of the same thing and then the teacher resource page. When you print for your students, you want to print pages 1-2 only (not the teacher resource page) and choose the option multiple pages per sheet. It will then print both pages on one sheet so you can cut the in half and tape them into the journals.

Click the pictures to download the files.

I will be posting more of the resources soon, but this is a good start! If you need any of the flipcharts or have questions about the unit, please feel free to email me at glauren4556@gmail.com.

What's goin' on...

I know have I started that last 4 or 5 posts with, "I'm sorry it's been so long...," but I have just not had time to even dig a wedgie with all the work I have been up to my nose hairs in. This class has really been tough on me mentally with all the extra planning I've had to do to help cultivate this new crop. They are sweet as can be, but I have had and STILL have my work cut out for me!

We just started a fun little writing piece on "How to Make a Coke Float," since the kids have to know how to write a set of directions and use narrative transitions. I've modeled the steps of the writing process as we have progressed through and they have really enjoyed writing their pieces. We are in the revising and editing stages and they are so jazzed up to actually use their set of directions to make the coke floats!

We have been learning all about heat and matter in science. The day we talk about the three states of matter and how they change, we learn the Matter song to the tune of Three Blind Mice:

What is Matter? What is Matter?
Solid, liquid, or gas?
Solid, liquid, or gas?
It takes up space, it weighs something too!
It's everwhere that includes me and you!
Did you ever think such a thing could be true?
That is matter. That is matter.

Then we simulate what happens to matter when it changes from solid to liquid to gas. When particles heat up, they get faster and and spread out. When they get colder, they slow down and eventually can freeze if the temperature is cold enough. I have the students be the particles and we play a game. I call out a state of matter, and they have to do what the particles would do in that state. If they do the wrong thing, they are out and have to sit down.

We end the lesson with "The Particle Dance," which they love!

Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
Hey, hey it’s the particle dance

(Snap fingers)


I am solid I quiver and shake
Quiver and shake, quiver and shake
(put arms straight down by side and wiggle, a bit)


Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
(snap)


I am liquid I pour and flow
Pour and flow, pour and flow
(use hands and arm to make a flowing motion)


Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
(snap)


I am gas I pop and fly
Pop and fly, pop and fly
(tap shoulder and “fly” hands into the air)


Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
Hey, hey it’s the particle dance
(snap)

I will be posting some math multiplication activities soon! Stay tuned...

A little ditty...

about properties of minerals to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat written by yours truly:

Hardness, odor, color, taste,
Cleavage, luster, streak.
Identify a mineral
by its properties!

We just finished a unit on Earth's Materials (Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, and Soil) and we learned this little song to help us remember the properties for identifying minerals.

Other fun activities we did:

1) Made a fossil to learn the difference between casts, molds, and imprints. Give each child a piece of clay and sea shell. Have them put vaseline on the sea shell and press into the clay. Gently pull the shell out and discuss that they made an imprint. Then, have the class fill the imprint with glue. It will take a few days to dry. Once the glue is dry, have kids pull the hardened glue out and discuss that this is the cast and the space left in the "rock" or clay is called the mold.

2) Brought in rocks from our neighborhood and sorted them based on their properties. i.e. smooth, rough, dark, light, shiny, dull, etc...

3) Mined raisins from cookies to model how rocks and minerals are mined from Earth's crust.

4) Drew sketches of rocks and minerals we observed in our science notebooks.

5) Learned about the three types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic) and made tableau's (frozen pictures) to represent each one. We also modeled each type of rock using play doh. Have them form their playdough into the shape of three flatish rocks and place them on top of each other. Explain that over time, the weight of the layers of sediment causes the sediment to turn into hard sedimentary rock. Then, have student apply pressure with their hands to smash the rock. Explain that when you apply heat and pressure to a rock, it turns into a metamorphic rock. Finally, to demonstrate how igenous rock is formed, I ask kids what happens to play doh when it's left out over night. They always say it dries out and hardens. Explain that this is how igneous rock is formed. It is lava that has cooled off and hardened into a rock.

6) We made hand motions to help us remember the three types of fossils (cast, mold, and preserved part)

7) We observed the different types of soils and how tested how well they retained water.

What ideas or activities do you use to teach about Earth's Materials?

Songs, Poems, and Place Value

I was visiting Sarah over at Confessions and she got me thinking about songs. I teach with tons of songs, chants, rhymes, and poems to help my kids learn about all kinds of things. I have shared several with you since I began this blog, but I wanted to share an idea that some of our teachers use. The kids keep a notebook or 3 pronged folder with any songs or poems we learn in it. We go through and we practice the songs so we truly learn and remember them! I will share more new songs that I have written soon!

So, I finally finished the place value game file that I have been working on for the last week! The link is the word file in the last sentence. I think some people were having trouble finding it. It has place value games for all ages in it and some of them are quite fun! I have used several of them and think they are wonderful tools for teaching place value.

Let me know what you think! I have an addition and subtraction games file coming soon, so stay tuned! Hope you all have a fabulous week!

What do plants need to grow?

If your students tell you they don't know, then teach them this little ditty.

Five Things Plants Need to Grow

(The the tune of BINGO)

There are five things plants need to grow
Each one is so important
Water, sunlight, space, food, air
Water, sunlight, space, food, air
Water sunlight, space, food, air
Each one is so important!

Anyone know any other cute songs to teach about plants??

Songs for Teaching Difficult Math Concepts

So, I know I have been horrible about posting lately! I have been going through some personal issues and therefore, blogging has been the LAST thing on my mind...

I gave our state standardized Math test today and it was a LONG, boring day! As I was walking around, I started thinking about songs. I have written several songs to teach math concepts this year and when a tune pops into my head, I just have to write it down. Here are a couple of I thought of today!

Relationships in Measurement

Tune: She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain


Kilometers and miles measure length, or distance!
Kilometers and miles measure length, or distance!
Kilometers and miles measure distance far and wide,
Kilometers and miles measure length!


Pounds and grams measure weight, or mass!
Pounds and grams measure weight, or mass!
Pounds and grams measure mass all around,
Pounds and grams measure weight!

Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!
Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!
Liters or quarts measure capacities of all sorts,
Liters or quarts measure liquid, or capacity!


Another song I wrote is helpful in teaching kids about the three types of lines. (Lines, line segments, and rays)

Types of Lines

Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It


A line has two arrows on the end. X X
A line has two arrows on the end. X X
A line has two arrows that keep going on forever.
A line has two arrows on the end. X X

A ray has an arrow and a point. X X
A ray has an arrow and a point. X X
A ray travels only in one direction
A ray has an arrow and a point. X X


A line segment has two end points. X X
A line segment has two end points. X X
A line segment stops, it only has two dots.
A line segment has two end points. X X

The X's mean clap.

I hope these songs are helpful. I like to put them in poweroints so the kids can easily learn the words as we sing along!

Tunes for Geography

So, I know how horrible I have been about posting lately, but before you give me a hard time, just know that I've been on Spring Break and my mind has been on nothing but reading and relaxing for nearly 7 days now. It has been so refreshing and I'm kind of having a hard time making myself do anything school related.

Nonetheless, I feel I owe you faithful friends something useful. I'm sharing two songs today because I am in a cheerful mood. These songs were written by one of my amazing colleagues. Seriously, I have used more of her curriculum materials this year than anything else and they have been so helpful starting out a year with a brand new curriculum.

The first is a song to teach younger children about what city, state, and country they live in. I am using where I live as the example in the song but you can adapt it to your needs.

Where Do We Live? (Tune: Adam's Family)

Where do we live? * *
Where do we live? * *
Where do we live? Where do we live?
Where do we live * *

Our continent's North America
The US is our country
Our state is South Carolina
Our city is Greenville!

That's where we live, * *
that's where we live, * *
that's where we live, that's where we live,
that's where we live. * *

Whenever you see a * it means snap your fingers

This next song teaches children the continents. I'm sure many of you may already know a song or chant for this, but I'm sharing anyway because it's different!

The Continent Song (Tune: Are You Sleeping?/Where is Thumpkin?)

North America, South America

Antarctica

Australia

Europe and Asia

Oops I forgot one!

Africa, Africa

I love both of these songs because they are so simple and easy to sing along with because of their familiar tunes. When I write my own songs, which I often do to go along with the content I teach, I often choose simple tunes that all of the kids know because it makes it so much easier when teaching them the song. I have plenty more songs where those came from but I'll save those for another day!

Fractions

I've been trying to plan a unit on fractions today and I scoured the internet looking for songs or chants to help teach my students how to remember what a fraction is, but to no avail.

So, I wrote my own song to the tune of "Three Blind Mice"

Fractions

Fractions are fun.
Fractions are fun.

Many parts of one.
Many parts of one.

The numerator's the top one.
The denominator's on bottom.

Fractions are fun.
Fractions are fun.

Do you guys know any other cute chants, songs, or ideas to help teach fractions? This tends to be a very difficult concept for children to grasp so any and all advice is welcome!

Rounding Round Up

I realized recently that my students have forgotten how to round since the beginning of the school year. Yay! Something else I get to go back and reteach!

I found a book called, Memory Tips for Math, by Donnalyn Yates. There is a plethora of information in here to help teach students to remember math concepts taught in class.

One idea to help students remember how to round is to draw the following picture:

A waved line resembling mountains on the board or a long piece of paper. Put 0, 10, 20, 30, etc in the valley depressions and 5, 15, 25, etc at the top of each peak. Write the numbers 1-4 up the left side of the mountain and 6-9 on the right. Use a magnet or interactive white board picture to simulate going on a trip over the mountain. Pick a number between 1-9. If the nubmer ends in 1-4, drive the car to that number, get out to look at the view and forget to put on the brake. Ask students what will happen to the car? Discuss whether it will roll up the hill to the next number or back down to the lower number. Talk about the fact that a car won't roll up a hill.

If the number ends in 6-9, repeat the process with the car and continue the discussion. This is so useful with your visual learners!

I used the Rounding Round Up song/chant to help me students remember when to round.

Another useful method for students who respond well to procedural methods is as follows:

What is 27 rounded to the nearest 10?

Underline the place value you need to round to. Circle the number to the right and ask is it larger or smaller than 5? If it's larger, round up the underlined number up one. If smaller, it stays the same and you replace the number in the ones with a 0.

You can use this method with the Rounding Round Up chant or the Rounding the Mountain picture.

Other chants and memory tricks I've seen:

1. 1 through 4, stay on the floor. 5-9 climb the vine!

2. Four or less, give it a rest. Five or above, give it a shove.

3. You tell a story about a criminal (the number to be rounded), a judge (the number that determines the rounding) andthe jury (the rest of the numbers. In order to find out whether or not the crimimal has to stay in jail he must go to the judge and ask. If the judge is a strict one (a number of 5-9)then he must stay in jail one more year. He goes up one number. Then the judge and the jury go to lunch and are replaced by zeros. If the judge is a weak one (number from 0-4) he or she says ahhh you can go and i won't make you change. Then he goes to lunch with the jury and the numbers are replaced with zeros. So in the number 457 - where 4 is the criminal, 5 is the judge and 7 is the jury. 5 is a strict judge and makes the 4 stay in jail one more year. The 4 becomes a 5 (because the judge is strict and makes hime change). Then the judge goes to lunch with the jury (the 7) and they are replaced by zeros. The number becomes 500.


4. Rounding Rap


Find that place value, circle that digit.
Number to the right, underline, get it.
Four and under, circle stays the same.
Five and up, add one is the game.
Now flex your muscles like a hero,
Digits to the right turn to zero.
All other digits stay the same,
Wow, you're a winner in the rounding game.


5. CUBA method
C- Circle the number you are rounding
U- Underline the number to the right
B- Baby or Bully? Baby (0-4) stays the same Bully (5-9) round up
A- Add zeros to all the places behind the circled number


Hope these ideas are helpful. Anyone have something else they use to teach rounding that you found helpful for your students?

Regrouping with Addition

Sorry, today's post isn't going to be all that wonderful. I just bought the new Super Mario Brothers Wii and I've been addicted to it all day! I can only get to the castle on level 2 before I die and have to start World 2 all over again!

So, uh...regrouping. I made up this fun little song to go along with my lesson on teaching regrouping with addition. I have put the song in a powerpoint, so you will have to pardon my singing voice.

It goes to the tune of, "If You're Happy and You Know It"

When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap
When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap
When your number's over 9, you regroup to the next line.
When your number's over 9, you regroup. Clap Clap

You can just click on the powerpoint and pull it up on your Promethean, SMART board, or projector.

If you'll excuse me, I have more Mario to attend to!

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks!

I really enjoyed teaching a unit earlier this year on rocks and minerals. I taught my students the following song, and it really helped them remember the three types of rocks:

Rock Cycle Song (Tune: Row Row Row Your Boat)

Sedimentary rock
has been formed in layers
Often found near water sources
with fossils from decayers.

Then there's igneous rock
here since Earth was born
molten lava, cooled and hardened
that is how it's formed.

These two types of rocks
can also be transformed
with pressure, heat, and chemicals
metamorphic they'll become.

Visit this link for an awesome learning focused unit on rocks. You will have to scroll down a bit to find it. There are other great learning focused units there as well.

As an introduction to our unit, I gave each student a plastic bag and asked them to collect 5-6 small-medium sized rocks. I asked them to try to find and bring in rocks that looked different. On the first day, have students take out their rocks and list all characteristics of their rocks that they observe in their science journals and draw a sketch of them. Have several places around the room labeled with a different characteristic such as, heavy, shiny, dull, etc...and have your students sort them rocks into the most fitting category (some may fit in more than one place).

To end the unit, we made model rocks with sand, gravel, and white glue. Give each student a piece of newspaper and a piece of wax paper to put on top. Give each student a small plastic cup and fill it with a spoon full of sand. Then, give them a little spoon full of gravel. Have your students add a litte water to get their materials to stick together and then add white glue a little by little until the materials clump together. Pour the mixture on wax paper and let it dry for a couple of days! Voila! You have a rock!

Other activities we did:

1) To help students understand what rocks are made of, I give them a chocolate chip cookie. I explained that rocks are made of minerals or smaller pieces. The chocolate chips and nuts (depending on what type of cookie you use) are the minerals that make up the rock.

2) To reinforce each type of rock, we sampled three types of chocolate candy (kit kat-sedimentary rock, Snickers-metamorphic, and Musketeers-Igneous)

3) To demonstrate the rock cycle, give students two pieces of playdough. Have them form the sedimentary rock by making layers and putting them on top of each other. Then, have them press the playdough together with pressure (and heat) to make a metamorphic rock. To help them understand igneous, ask them what happens to play dough if you leave it out over night? This is how igneous rocks are formed. Lava cools off and becomes hard!

4) We observed properties of different types of rocks and minerals and recorded observations, sorted based on properties, and compared how they were alike and different in our science journals.

5) We also learned about different ways to identify minerals by using streak, luster, color, magnetism, and hardness tests. Then, we try to use those tests to identify a "mystery" mineral.

Do any of you study rocks and minerals in your classrooms? What sort of activities have you used?

Lines, angles, and rays! Oh My!

We have been studying geometry in Math this week. I have been up to my eyeballs in attributes of circles, lines, line segments, rays, angles, parallel, perpendicular, you-name-it! I've really enjoyed teaching these ideas and my students have had fun learning, mainly because I have taught tons of songs and played lots of Simon Says (as an assessment tool of course!)

Here are a few songs:

This song, to the tune of (Miss Suzy Had a Steamboat) Slightly inappropriate lyrics but you know the tune, teaches about lines and angles.

A line has two arrows (arms out pointing in both directions)
It goes on and on.
A segment has two endpoints (arms out with balled fists)
A ray has only one. (one balled fist, one finger pointing)
When I make a muscle (duh, make a muscle!)
It's a right angle, too.
Look at my square corner, (point to elbow)
You can make it too!

Right! Acute! Obtuse! (Make each angle with arms)

The next song, to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" teaches the three pairs of lines:

Perpendicular, perpendicular.
Parallel, parallel.
Intersecting line, intersecting line.
All is well, all is well.

I have my students make each pair of lines with their arms as we sing.

After we learned about kinds of lines, angles, and pairs of lines, we played Simon Says! I've learned that 3rd graders are really BAD at this game! They can make all the hand motions all right but they can never remember to stay put if I don't say Simon Says first! I can get the whole class out in one full swoop!

Other activities I wanted to do, but didn't have time to do are listed below:

1. Musical Angles: Give each student a piece of string. With music playing, students move to the music. Stop the music and call out a different angle each time. Students must pair up to make the angle. If they don't have a partner or they make the wrong angle, they are out.

2. Line Collage: Give your students pipe cleaners, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, construction paper, crayons, markers, or just whatever else you choose to make a collage with parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines and let em' at it!

3. Angle "Tic Tac Toe": Click on this link for an assessment of right, obtuse, and acute angles.

4. United Streaming: If you have access to this site, you can have students watch the Math's Mansion: Learn Your Lines segment or Videomath: Lines.

What other activities, songs, or chants do you use to teach this concept in your classrooms?

The Action of Subtraction

I thought that I would have the hardest time teaching my students how to subtract with regrouping this year, but it went surprisingly well. There are a couple of little memory tricks I taught my students to help them remember when to borrow.

First, I used this flipchart when I introduced it to my students and they TOTALLY got it! (Warning: You may need to download the Promethean software to use this.)

You can also use the four B’s: Bigger Bottom, Better Borrow!

I recently saw a mnemonic for subtraction in a flow chart. With regrouping-”More on the floor, Go next door and get 10 more.” Without regrouping-”More on top, no need to stop!” I will probably make a poster with this for next year because I had fifth graders last year who would try to borrow when they didn’t need to. I think that once you teach regrouping, students think they need to do it all the time.


As a result, I began starting out each lesson by showing them a problem and asking them whether or not they needed to regroup. I think this really gets them thinking about it before they do other subtraction problems. Some kids just get lazy and don’t really stop and think about what they need to do. They just assume that since you’ve been learning regrouping, that you just regroup all the time. It’s very frustrating! You teach them a skill and they absolutely get it, but some of them can’t apply it only when it’s necessary.

Here are a couple of songs --

To the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"

If it's smaller on the top,
Take a ten.
If it's smaller on the top,
Take a ten,
If it's smaller on the top,
Take a ten and start again.
If it's smaller on the top,
Take a ten.

Subtraction Song powerpoint by yours truly. You'll have to excuse my singing voice. =)

I love rhymes and songs and I wish I had them for everything, but I’m just not that creative. If you know of any other subtraction memory tricks, please share!

What better way to start than with a song!

First of all, I absolutely love music, but I especially love teaching music to my students! I'm sure you all have already figured this out, but use your colleagues as resources! I have discovered so many wonderful teaching tools, songs, and activities just by asking co-workers. FYI--Always ask before you borrow someone else's teacher made materials and lesson resources. Some people get all persnickety about it.

We have a fabulous 2nd grade teacher at our school who taught 3rd grade last year so she has lots of goodies for me to steal. This song about Energy, to the tune of the song Father Abraham, is just adorable!

Energy

We know ENERGY
It causes change
Thermal energy moves the atoms
It moves from hot to cold
And that’s called heat
With electricity, rubbing, and burning.

Here is a lesson to go along with your new song!

Essential Question: What are some sources of heat and examples of how to produce heat?

Standard: 3-4.4 (This a South Carolina standard)
Activating Strategy: Read, “All About Heat,” by Lisa Trumbauer.
Teaching Strategy: Teach the “Energy” song. Ask students what are some things that produce heat? Guide students in a discussion on some ways to produce heat. Have students rub their hands together. This is friction which produces heat. Explain how fire and light also produce heat. Students fill in a lotus diagram with picture examples of sources of heat.
Summarizing Strategy: Ticket Out the Door – Students make a list of all sources of heat they learned on an index card.