Shell Advetures

I just got back from GYTO in Orlando.  We live in a small rural community 2 hours north of Chicago. So a warm weather getaway is just what my teach heart needed.  I attended with a great group of teacher that I am blessed to work with every day.  We decided to leave early and drive to St. Petersberg.  We spent a day on the beach.   

While walking on the beach one day, we saw SO many shells. We decided to collect shells to bring back for our students.  When I returned, I told my students that I  brought something back for each of them.  I had them play 20 questions to infer what I had brought back.  The students had some really good questions and they used the information they gained from my answers to drive their next questions.  By the end of the game, they figured out that I brought back shells. 

Next, I had my students buddy up and write adjectives that described their shells. 

While I was at the beach I also saw these adorable tiny shell creatures that would bury themselves into the sand after the waves would wash it away.  This reminded me of the Disney short film titled, Piper.  This is an adorable film of a little bird tries to get shells that bury themselves in the sand.   I showed this short video to my students then showed them my real life video.  We talked about how movie makers and writers use real life experiences to get ideas.  

Lastly, I showed my students a shell I found that had been broken.  We talked about what could have happened to this shell.  We visualized it what it might have looked like before it was broken.  I had my students write about the adventures the shell had been on to become broken and washed up on the beach.  Click the picture below for you FREE copy of this fun writing activity. 

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 6

We are having sooo much fun with Pumpkin Jack!  Click on my classroom blog link below to see picture of our Pumpkin Jack and read some of our Pumpkin Jack Observation Book entries.

If you would like to do the Pumpkin Jack Experiment with your class, I have uploaded the Pumpkin Jack Observation Book and directions for the experiment on my TPT store.

  

Cover

book pages

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 6:   Today is Day 6 of our Pumpkin Jack experiment, and boy has he changed!  We each took turns observing the pumpkin through the foggy, w...

SMART about 1.MD.1

As I have begun teaching first again...this time around with Common Core by my side, I eager to create fun SMART board lessons that are aligned to Common Core, but still engaging to the students. 

This week we were working on Common Core standard 1.MD.1.  This standard asks kids to arrange items from smallest to tallest, tallest to smallest, longest to shortest, and shortest to longest.  At first, I thought this was easy.  Then...dun dun dun...I came across this question.

 

Three friends compared how tall they are.  Sasha is taller than Lynn, but shorter than Dawn. Write the friends/ names in order from tallest to shortest.

 

WHAT?!?

 

 

We worked on it for a while, but I decided a SMART lesson was in order.

 

I  came up with this lesson called, Help Pack Billy's Backpack.  In this lesson, students have to choose which supplies go into Billy's backpack based upon clues that are given, similar to the problem above.  If they are correct, the supplies are sucked into Billy's backpack.  If they are wrong, the supplies bounce back out.  On the last slide of the lesson, there is a link to a free worksheet that I created to help assess students understanding.

 

 



A Summer to Spout About

What did your students do this summer?  Want to find out and make a cute project all at the same time?

Well...here is a project to spout about!

This summer I went to Mexico.

This summer I went to the zoo.

I went to Lego Land.

This summer I went to the movies.

 

Click the picture if you would like to do this project with your students!  ***Makes a cute bulletin board titled A Summer to Spout About!)

 

Borrowing Blues!

I love teaching math!  However, there is one unit that I dread teaching and that is subtraction with borrowing! Cue the dramatic music...dun dun dun!  Every year I have students that want to subtract up and forgo the borrowing all together!  I will probably go bald from pulling my hair out.
This year I have tried two different things with my students that seem to be helping them and my hair.
First, I make my students repeat over and over Bottom Bigger Borrow.  This reminds students that if the bottom number is bigger they have to borrow.  I even made a poster to help remind them.  You can click on the poster below to download it for FREE!

Secondly, I have shown my students the website National Library of Virtual Manipulative. (This website is FREE and great to use with interactive whiteboards.) On this website, there are virtual base ten blocks for students to subtract.  When they move the blocks over from the 100's or 10's column they will break apart!  The kids love the "magical" block change before their eyes.   This visual representation has really helped my students understand why we are borrowing.  (This website also offers virtual base ten blocks for addition, students lasso the blocks together to make a ten.)
I really hope these two things will help you, your students, and your hair. Please share any ideas that you may have as we we teachers must band together. :)

Falling for Word Sorts!

Well...Fall is here!  I love fall, it is my favorite season.  After working with a student who was struggling with the different sound of c and g, I was inspired to create two word sorts. 

Hard and Soft G tree....

Students take leaves that have words with hard and soft g sounds.  Students place the words on the appropriate tree.  (Either the Hard G or Soft G tree)  The best part about this center is there are three degrees a difficulty.  There are leaves where the sound is at the beginning.  There are leaves where the sound is at the middle and end. However, the leaves can be mixed and students can practice with all three types of words.

Hard and Soft C tree...
Is exactly like the Hard and Soft G tree.  It can be played three ways...just beginning sounds, with middle and ending sounds, or with all three sounds.

I also created a center to help students practice their basic addition facts.  Coming soon will be a center for basic subtraction, addition with regrouping, and possible subtraction with regrouping.

In this center students make the worms "eat" the apple by threading the worm through the slits on apple with the addition problem that matches the answer on the worm. 

While you are checking out these items, please check out the other items at the TPT store...Doodlebug's Dittos! 

Freebee Friday!

Yes...yes I know that it is not officially Friday yet, but close enough. Next week, my students are going to be doing some Earth Day activities.  Today, while planning for next week, I couldn't stop thinking about how my students really needed to brush up on some dictionary skills.  Specifically, using guide words and alphabetizing.  In wanting to stick to the Earth Day theme...I had some sudden inspiration!

 First I would laminate all the pages.  Then I would cut out each of the word cards.

Students then use the guide words at the top of each mat (5 total) to sort the word onto the correct page.  After all the words are on each page, student will put them into alphabetial order.

Well, I was pretty darn excited about my idea. So much so that it's 9:00pm on a Thursday night and I am posting this for all of you.  My restlessness is your gain.  I hope that you all enjoy this FREE resource. If you have time, take a look at the other items available at my TPT store.

The Purge Continues

I am slowing moving all my documents from the Teacher Web website to TPT.  All the documents will be FREE for download on TPT.  While you are there please check out the other items available at my store.

Shapes Island

Penny/Nickel Equations

Penny/Nickel Equations Part 2

Lucky Name Tags

Instead of using the desk plates for my student's "Irish" names, I made name tags they could wear. I made these in publisher so you can either write the names or type the names onto each tag.  Simply print the document onto Avery 5163 labels. 

Click on the image to download your FREE copy from my TPT store.  While you are there check out the other items available. 

FREE printable lessons

Well, I am deleting the Teacher Safari page off of my class website!  I have decided to merge everything with my blog and TPT.  All items that were Teacher Safari will be available for free on TPT.  While you are there please check out my store.

Below are all the literacy items that I had on my website. Click on the item name for your FREE download!

Introduction to Text to Text Connections

Christmas Text to Text Connection Lesson

Inferencing Suitcase

Introduction to Visualization

Main Idea Backpack

St. Patty's Day FUN!

Every year I give my students an Irish name for St. Patty's Day.  I simply add Mc or O' to their last names.  When they come into class on the morning of St. Patrick's Day, they are so excited, curious, and giddy to see that everyone, including me, has a new name for the day.  I go by Mrs. McWanke for the day.

If you would like to do this with your class, click on the image below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store for the FREE download! While you are there check out some of my other items at my store.  I am new to Teachers Pay Teachers, so check back often for new items.

Click picture for your FREE download from Teachers Pay Teacher!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!