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. 

Civil War

Happy May! I cannot believe that school is winding down. Someone will have to grab me a box of tissues if I keep thinking about it. Since state testing is over for the year (wahoo!), we're able to go back to having fun in the classroom again. On Monday, we kicked off our Civil War unit. Instead of using our social studies time for this unit, I'm using my Communication Arts block because we're tying in so many reading strategies and skills.  I decided early on that I wanted my students to participate in the Civil War simulation by Scholastic. Side bar: it's currently $5.00 as an e-book!!! 

Have you done a simulation before? This will be my first attempt, but I'm really excited to get the students talking and writing about Civil War experiences. Before diving into the simulation, I wanted my kids to have a little background on what caused the war, important people, and common vocabulary. 

To begin, I divided my classroom into the North and the South. The simulation has students assume a roll of a Union or Confederate solider - I decided to tie in a little geography as well. 

I assigned each table a region of the United States. I know what you're thinking! Yes, we used a modern map to assemble our regions. Considering many states nowadays were not states in the 1860's, this led to a great conversation! 

As a small group, students had to cut out the states in their region and assemble them like a puzzle. I put three regions on the northern side and two on the south. I needed the Union to have more students, so the west was flexible. :)

Region... Assemble!

After small groups assembled their region, I laminated and hung them above their tables. If you've been a follower of my blog, you know about my pods. You can read about those here.  In short, I like to name my pods, or groups, terms that I want the students to remember for-ev-er. 

Now, we have 5 regions of the United States hanging in our classroom and we made a HUGE red, white, and blue paper chain that cuts the classroom right down the middle. The picture below was taken during M.A.P. testing and prior to the regions hanging. Trust me, the classroom is a more cheerful place now. 

Pre-Regions Hanging - During MAP testing, yuck!

Whew! Are you still with me? 

The paper chain thoroughly intrigued my students and they were DYING to know if they were in the North or South. I was mean and made them wait through Spring Break before I told them. 

This week, we have been A Classroom Divided Against Itself. Well, for an hour and half every day then things go back to normal. :) Our week, prior to the simulation, has consisted of these activities:

• Jigsaw of important and influential people from the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Frederick Douglas, etc. 
• Video of the causes of the Civil War, afterwards we completed an Cause & Effect diagram
• Mapping out the union and confederate states on a map

I've also read aloud a few picture books about the Civil War. I LOVE reading aloud to my students and now I feel like we have the time available. Some of the titles we've read and plan to read are:

The Silent Witness

Pink & Say

Abe's Honest Words

On Monday, we are going to put together our Civil War journals for the simulation. Look for an update next week complete with fun pictures and feedback from my students. 

What have you done in your classroom to study the Civil War? Do share! 

Over the Moon!

I'm fairly certain that I am not the only teacher on the block "secretly" counting down until Thanksgiving break. Right? Anyway, until that time arrives I'll do my best to plug in some Thanksgiving cheer in my classroom! 

While browsing blogland, I found an idea to "Gobble Up Similes and Metaphors", but similes and metaphors weren't on our menu, so I racked my brain to think of a way to gobble SOMETHING in 5th grade.  Then, I remembered that we could always use a little refresher with vocabulary. Plus, we were working hard on using context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words. So, one day we gobbled up great vocabulary!

Pardon my poor photographs, we'll blame it on the fact that I've dropped my phone several times and it's not in the prime condition it once was. 

Gobble! Gobble!

Each student received a plate and was instructed to pick two vocabulary words from any content area. Then, they had to use the word in a sentence on their plate. We went over proper sentences that would help our readers figure out the meaning of our vocabulary words.

For example: "I can survive." was not an acceptable sentence!

Yum! I'm stuffed.

At the end of September, I posted "Power of the Pod" (click here to refresh your memory) where I shared an idea to name your pods after content you want your kiddos to memorize. Sounds sneaky right? 

Today was the grand debut of the moon phases in room 52! I have five pods in my room and I have 5 moon phases represented to give the students a visual when memorizing the oh-so-wonderful phases. 

Full Moon in the HOUSE!

I bet you didn't know the surface of the moon was made from construction paper, did you? See! You can learn something new everyday. 

Watch our for Werewolves

Needless to say, today was confusing. I called the "Cumulus" group to line up then realized they were now the "Waxing Gibbous" group. Yikes! I should have studied a little more. 

Ready.. Set.. Memorize!

This morning, I asked my students, "do you notice anything different?" This is one of my favorite games to play. Simply because they not only notice what I want them to find, but they also sometimes mention things I've misplaced in the room or things I didn't mean to change. Which helps me out tremendously! They always keep me on my toes. 

For example, this morning the "game" (I'm noticing I use that term very loosely nowadays, there was no actual gaming occurring in my room) went like this..

"Notice anything different in our room, kids?" -Me

"Your desk is clean!" - Student

"Yes........................... anything else? Look up." -Me

"Are we studying space!?!" -Student

This went on for awhile. Great Monday morning conversation! 

Happy Monday!

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.