Christmas Tree S.T.E.M

Every December I dread...I mean D-R-E-A-D putting up my classroom Christmas tree.  I hate sorting the branches, attaching them to the pole, fluffing, etc, etc, etc!  

Now, before you call me the Grinch, I LOVE Christmas time!  I love decorating my house and my REAL tree. I love sitting next to the tree with only the Christmas tree lights on.

Last year as I was dragging my Christmas decor and tree out of storage, it hit me!  I am  not going to put the tree up this year, my students will as a S.T.E.M  challenge!

This week I started math time by throwing all the parts to the Christmas tree down on the floor.  (Yes very dramatic like!)  I had students visualize the shape of the Christmas tree.  And share with them their challenge.  

Groups rotated to this as a station during our Guided Math time.   It took them a bit to figure it out and at times our tree looked a little funny! 

However, at the end of Guided Math, the tree only had 2 miss places branches. 

This activity taught my students...

1. The importance of  developing a plan first

2. How to listen to every one's ideas

3. How to effectively communicate our ideas

4. We shouldn't all do our own thing.

5. How to work as a team.

I will NEVER put together another class Christmas tree again!  The learning benefits are amazing and as an added bonus, I don't have to put the tree together!  Now, how do I make beginning of the year classroom set up a S.T.E.M activity?

Spring Break Trivia

How do you use Remind 101? Like most of us to send reminders to your student and/or parents.  Well as I was sitting and enjoying my morning coffee on the first day of Spring Break, I thought I wish I could do a trivia contest with my students while on break.  Then it hit me….Remind 101 Spring Break Trivia contest.

Here is how it works.

I sent a Remind 101 text out to my second graders (their parents get the text) explaining that every day I will send one or two questions.  They need to log into their Google account and Google Chat the answer to me.  The first person with the correct answer gets the point.  The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will get a prize when we return.

The best think with Remind 101 is I was able to schedule out all of my questions for the week!  NO EXTRA work and NO REMEMBERING to do the trivia each day!

The kids have been having so much fun with this.  Parents have been giving me some real positive feedback too!

Tonight at 6:00 I am sending out a text with a Kahoot code.  We will start a Kahoot quiz, that I designed with 3 questions, at 6:10.  I think this will be  a lot of fun!

Kinda Golden

Well today is my birthday and I am not ashamed to say that I am 33.  Since, I don't remember turning 3 on my golden birthday, I am designating today as my golden birthday.  Boy have my students made it something to remember and it is only 9:00.

Some of my sweet little firsties came in this morning with gifts. 

I love handmade cards...they are the BEST!

I even got a hand wrapped gift plus a handmade card.

Love reading their precious words.

Love what was inside!

I think it is safe to say that my students really know me well!  Chocolate is the way to an A in our room.  Thank you Wonderful Whales for making me feel super special!

Now on to my trouble making colleague and friend. She convinced my students that I am really 38 today.  She told them that I just did not want them to really know how old I am. Her plot started yesterday.  To support her story, she sent up some of her students with a gift for me.  Noticed what she wrote on the card!

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Welcome Back!

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Welcome Back!: We had a little bit of SNOW and some Pumpkin Jack to start our Monday off! Today we played in the "SNOW!"  Mrs. Wanke gave us so...

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 18

We love our Pumpkin Jack!

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 18: Well the decomposing of Pumpkin Jack has begun!  One pumpkin is completely flat and the other pumpkin is white and "furry."  YU...

 Do Pumpkin Jack with your students!

 

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...

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 1

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Pumpkin Jack: Day 1:   Pumpkin Jack Experiment Day 1 Here is our Pumpkin Jack experiment box.    We placed two Jack-O-Lanterns into the b...

Strategic Thinkin' in 1st

 

 

I am in LOVE with this FREE game that I found on TPT!

My class and I had so many good discussions about strategy and probability from one adorable little game.  I was amazed at the thinking my students did...and they are ONLY first graders!

If you want to see what my Wonderful Whales and I did with this game, click on the link below to read my classroom blog: www.wankeswonderfulwhales.blogspot.com 

 

 

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: "Sum" Halloween Fun: Yesterday we played a Halloween Addition game. We had to roll a dice. Move that number of spaces, in any direction, on the game board. ...

 

 

 

Click on the picture below to download your free copy and begin strategizing with your firsties! 

 

The Candy Corn Bandit!

 

I have recently fallen in love with the blog, The Inspired Apple!



   

Through her blog and her awesome TPT store, I found this amazing activity that teaches making predictions.

 

 

My students and I had so much fun with this activity!  Here is the entry off my classroom blog. 

 

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The Candy Corn Bandit stole Mrs. Wanke's candy!  Mrs. Wanke was very excited to share her jar of Candy Corns with us.  However, when we came back from lunch it was gone!  It it's places...

 

 

  was a letter on our SMART board from the Candy Corn Bandit...

 

 

a Candy Corn Bandit booklets for each of us, a prediction poster, and a clue!

 

 

Before we read the clue, we read the Prediction poster.  We learned that a prediction is a guess you make about the way something might be in the future.

 

Then, we looked at the Candy Corn booklets. On the inside we had to draw what we predicted the Candy Corn Bandit to look like. 

Then, we had to predict three places we thought the candy corns might be.

 

 

Finally it was time to read the first clue!

 

 

 

We made a prediction based upon what we read in clue one.  we predicted the candy would be in the lunch room!

 

When we got to the lunch room...all we found was another clue.  After reading that clue, we predicted that we would find the candy in the gym.

 

When we got to the gym, all we found was another clue.  After reading that clue, we predicted we would find the candy on the play ground.

 

When we got outside, all we found was ANOTHER clue!  After reading that clue, we predicted we would find the candy in the library.

    

 

But, when we got the the library, all we found was ANOTHER clue! Boy oh boy this Candy Corn bandit was causing some trouble!

 

After reading the clue, we predicted we would find the candy in the classroom.

 

When we got to the classroom...what do YOU predict we found?

 

You got it...the CANDY and another clue!

 

 

 

This activity was great for making predictions.  Not only did we predict where the candy would be, we also made predictions about how the bandit was able to pull off this crime, did the bandit have an accomplice, how big was the bandit, and what was the bandits motive. 

 

When we got back to the class, Mrs. Wanke had a light bulb moment.  She said that we could use predictions when we read!  WOW...she is right.  Tomorrow, Mrs. Wanke is going to show us how we can make predictions when we read and how this will help us comprehend what we are reading!

 

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.

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. 

Lucky Money

My students and I have been working on counting money.  I created a SMART file where student's pulled gold coins out of the pot o' gold.  Each gold coin had a value written on it.  Students would make the value with their coins. 

Click on the image to get this file from my TPT store.  (Doodle Bugs Ditto's)

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!