Thinking Like Scientists

 If you've followed my blog for a few years, you may remember my post "Power of the Pod" where I shared an idea about naming your tables or pods after material you wish for students to remember. Read more on that blog here.  

To kick off the year, I decided to create new table names for each of my groups. This year, we're starting our year with units of measurement. In 5th grade, we hit the metric system in science and math and this is an area where my kids struggle. They can remember the various tools we use in science (balance scales, thermometers, meter sticks, etc.), but struggle to remember the unit they are measured with. I'm hoping the repetition of the terms will help students remember the units. 

If you wish to download a copy of the posters to hang in your classroom, click here! You can access the docs via Google Drive. If you do use these posters in your classroom, I would love to see photographs! Please email me a picture and I'll post them on my blog as well. 

Power of the Pod

Happy Friday! This week I wasn't able to figure out what each day "felt" like, so today I am just confused.

During my student teaching year, I observed classrooms K-5. In a first grade classroom that I observed, a teacher named her pods after things she wanted the students to memorize. At the time, her pods were named after the coins. Then, she was constantly referring to the "quarters", "nickels" and the kids were using the names frequently as well. BRILLIANT!

Last year, I had my kiddos in pods that were the 7 continents. In 2nd grade, students are required to name the 7 continents and 4 oceans, so I gave it a whirl! It was quite humorous at the beginning of the year when they were trying to figure out what group they were in. I only had five pods, so I made my desk North America and our safe seat was Antarctica.. a place to "chill out".

By the end of the year, we were practically professionals at the continents.

This year, I wanted to apply the same theory in my 5th grade room. One of our first units this year was science tools. I found a neato-skeeto bulletin board set with pictures of science tools. I glued them onto cricut made puzzle pieces and viola! I had new pods made into science tools.

Microscopes.. Line up!

Maybe it's "new-teacheritus", but I love decorating my classroom and changing out bulletin boards and whatnot frequently. It's a disease! So naturally, when a new unit (with intense vocab) was on the horizon... I knew it was time for a change.

Next up: weather! Woo hoo! I'm so excited to be teaching the who kit and kaboodle of weather. One of the many aspects of this unit are CLOUDS and types of clouds. YIKES! Do I know the types of clouds? Nadda.  Then a lightbulb went off! I knew what my new pods should be.

Inspired by The Inspired Apple's cutesy clouds, I decided to recreate my own!

The Inspired Apple

When my students return on Monday, they will find schnazzy-new cloud pods! It will be tongue twister lining them up.. but by golly! We will be learning the types of clouds in NO TIME.

Since clouds are taking over my brain, here are some fun cloudy things I've found on the web:

Good Reads

First Grade Alacarte

Take a Cloud Walk FREE BOOK!

How strange, it was sunny on my drive home and now the clouds have rolled in. Eesh! I'll post about sunshine next time.