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?

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!

 

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!)

 

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.

Leapin' Leap Year

For many of us who teach the younger grades, trying to explain why we have a leap year can be a daunting task.  A fellow co-worker shared with me a YouTube video that explains leap year.  I just could not resist sharing it with everyone else.  Please feel free to share any other great leap year resources or ideas.

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