Grouchy Ladybugs







One of the first things I do each day of insect week (or weeks) is go back to our class KWL chart.  We add anything to the L column that needs to be added.  Next, we look at our W column to see what information we should be looking for today.  Once again, I have informational picture books about ladybugs that I share with the class.  The students are usually surprised at the transformation ladybugs go through during their life cycle. 

Student Sample

Our next activity involves Eric Carle's book The Grouchy Ladybug.  I like to pull out the Judy Clock so we can review telling time as I read the story.  Since the text is repetitive, I allow the students to help me "read" the book (you have to have active involvement and keep them engaged).  After reading the book and reviewing telling time on the hour, I send the students back to their seats so we can make ladybug clocks.  I have all the pieces ready for the students and we complete the project step by step together.  First, the students cut out a black head (I have already drawn all the circles; they just have to cut neatly on the lines) and place it on the construction paper.  We don't glue anything until all the pieces are laid out.  Next, we cut out the red body, the clock face, and the clock hands and then lay them on the construction paper in the correct spot.  Then, we color spots on our last red circle and cut down the center line.  Next, we need 6 legs and 2 antennae.  After all the pieces are in place, I allow the students to glue the pieces down except for the clock hands and the wings.  I laminate the clock hands and wings separately from the rest.  I (or a wonderful parent volunteer) attach the hands and wings with brass brad fasteners so these pieces can be movable.  Finally, the students glue wiggly eyes onto the ladybugs.  This one can be a little time consuming so it may take us two days or we skip rest time and complete the project in one day. 

The next day I add a new activity to our center rotation.  I found these at Toys R Us, but my container includes pieces for ladybugs, ants, and butterflies.  The students put the manipulatives in the correct order and then draw each stage of the life cycle.  I created a page for the students to draw each stage of the life cycle- Ladybug Life Cycle .  I also created one for ants and butterflies and use those later in our unit.

Introducing Insects!

My insect unit is probably one of my most favorite!  I usually spend a few weeks on insects (including butterflies).  We kick our unit off with a KWL chart to see what my students already know about insects and what they would like to learn. 

I have a ton of insect books that I read to the students over the course of the few weeks.  The students also have access to these books.  I usually start with bees.  I read some informational picture books and our class dicusses what makes an insect an insect and the function of the different body parts of insects. 

Next, I read The Honeybee and the Robber by Eric Carle.


Finally, my students color and label the parts of a bee.  We add the book cover forThe  Honeybee and the Robber.  These pages are laminated and added to the Carle/Gibbons books.

Planting Flowers

There is nothing (most) kids like better than getting a little dirty.  My students love planting their own seeds.  I use the clear plastic punch cups.  This allows the students to see the seeds split open and the roots.  We plant our seeds in small groups.  I usually plant a few extras in case someone's does not sprout.  As we plant our seeds, we make predictions about our plants and complete the prediction portions of our data sheet. 

Plant Prediction Data Sheet  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MqIpEioyJnEIpffhJVM5XOT8TOkVq60uF3gJUgUWgfU/edit

I usually use zinnia seeds, but I revamped my data sheet so any seed can be used.  We put our plants in the window and water them with a spray bottle.  This helps the students prevent overwatering.  I keep the prediction data sheets until it is time to send the plants home.  The students complete the data sheets on the day their plants go home.  Keep the plants at school as little or as long as you like.  I find it is best to send them home sooner than later.

The Tiny Seed

School is out and my beach trip is over so that means I have lots of time to catch up on my blog.  Let me pick up where I left off...plants.  During plant week, I read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.  Our class discusses the different parts of the plant and what a plant needs to live.  I created an anchor chart to show plant parts as well as sun, water, and soil.  Finally, the students (with step by step directions from me) color, cut, and glue plant parts onto construction paper.  I laminate this page and add it to our ongoing Carle/Gibbons book. 

From Seed to Plant

I haven't done a very good job at keeping my blog updated, but I'm back on it and have tons to share. 

Let's talk plants!  I really enjoy our plant unit.  To begin the unit, the class and I create a KWL chart about plants.  I start the week off by reading From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons.



Next, the students complete another page for our Carle/Gibbons book. We discuss sequencing and the correct order a plant grows. The students start with this sequencing page. They color and cut out all the pictures. Then, the students put the pictures in the correct order. We use sequencing clue words such as first, next, then, and last. 

Here are two examples of the finished product.  Sometimes I make small changes to the pages from year to year (that's why my example is different from the student example).  After the students glue the pictures in the correct order, they add a picture of the book cover.  I laminate the pages and hold on to them to add to their Carle/Gibbons books.

Egg-cellent Addition

At this point in the school year, my students are pretty comfortable with addition.  First, we practice some addition problems whole group.  Then, I give each student a dry erase board and some unifix cubes.  The students practice writing an addition sentence and finding the answer for problems I give them.  Once they have had some practice, I have them create their own addition sentence and solve.  After I check their board (for accuracy), I give the students an egg page and a chick page and allow them to use their own addition problem to make an addition egg.  Use a brad fastener at the bottom (push it through both egg pieces and the chick).  This idea can be altered to fit your skill or theme (subtraction, multiplication, Who Am I, and whatever else you can think of).

It's Easter! Oh wait, I mean let's talk about animals that hatch...

I love Easter!  Since it is a religious holiday, it can be a touchy subject and sometimes Easter activities are skipped at school.  My way around that is to teach my "Animals that Hatch" Unit the week before Easter; that way, I still get to use Easter egg activities.  We spend the week talking about different animals that hatch. 

I begin the week's theme time by showing the students the cover of the "Where Do They Come From?" book. The students look at the different animals and eggs and try to predict which egg comes from which animal. Even though this is our cover, we complete this page last so the students have the chance to learn what each animal's eggs look like.

Each day, I choose one animal to focus on.  I read nonfiction books about that day's animal.  We complete KWL charts.  I have a special craft or activity for each animal.  The students also complete the page for the "Where Do They Come From?" book.  At the end of the week, we go back and finish the cover and I assemble the books so the students can take them home.  

Potato Math

St. Patrick's Day isn't just about shamrocks and leprechauns.  My students also learn about Ireland.  We learn about Ireland and its potatoe crop.  During the week, we complete our Potato Math books.  I integrate measurement, estimation, graphing, counting, nutrition, and social studies into this lesson. 

I go ahead and copy, cut, and staple the students' potato math books.  The students color the cover to their book.  I bring in a large bag of potatoes.  The students make a guess of how much the bag weighs and they record their guess in their book.  Next, we use scales to find out the actual weight of the bag and record that information in the book.

The students make and estimated guess of how many potatoes are in the bag.  After their guesses have been recorded, we count how many potatoes are in the bag and record that information.

Next, we guess how many unifix cubes tall our potatoes are.  We also measure the length and width of the potatoes.  I also have the students guess how many potatoes tall they are.  My plan is to add this page to the book, but I haven't done that yet.

Finally, the students complete the last page of the book.  They think of things that weigh more than or less than their potato.                                                                  

Once we have completed all the pages of our Potato Math book, the students write their name on a piece of aluminum foil and wrap their potato in it.  The potatoes go home with a room mom.  She bakes them for our class and brings them back on Friday afternoon.    Sometime before Friday, we make a large bar graph showing which toppings we like on a baked potato (butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits).  On Friday afternoon, we add the toppings to our potatoes and enjoy!

Eric Carle/Gail Gibbons Unit

I absolutely love when Spring comes along because that's when we begin our Living Things units.  I use Eric Carle and Gail Gibbons books to teach the students about living things.  For each topic (bees, butterflies, plants, ocean life, etc.), the students create a page to add to their own books.  I laminate all the pages and bind them together at the end of the year.  It's a great way to showcase the students' writing and artistic abilities.  We usually begin working on the books in March and keep adding to them until the end of the school year.

The first step is to make our book cover.  I show the students a video of Eric Carle explaining how he creates his illustrations.  The video can be found on Scholastic's website or YouTube.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/eric-carle-author-study

Next the students use small pieces of tissue paper to cover a piece of construction paper.  Then, the students glue on the title of our book and a picture of Eric Carle and Gail Gibbons.  (The first time I made these books, I only used Eric Carle.  I've since added Gail Gibbons.)  Finally, the students glue a Created by/Dedicated to sheet for the inside of the cover.

My example that I made a few years ago. 

A student example

Make a Difference

This year, I was the sponser for the Make a Difference Club at my school.  The students choose one big service project and this year they chose to collect items for children at an orphanage in Mexico.  The students collected coloring books, crayons, markers, and pencils for the children at Casa Hogar Alfa y Omega Orphanage.  I went on a mission trip to the orphanage in January and delivered these items during my trip.  It was such a humbling experience for the students and myself.  The children at Casa Hogar now hold a special place in my heart and I can't wait to go back to see mi familia mexicana.

Leprechaun on the Loose

I read several leprechaun books the week of St. Patrick's Day.  On St. Patrick's Day, I always read the book Leprechaun on the Loose.  It is a cute story about a mischievous leprechaun causing trouble in a classroom. 

While the students and I are out of the room (usually lunchtime), I have someone come in and make a mess in the classroom to make it look like a leprechaun visited.  My "leprechaun" moves chairs around, turns books upside down, messes up our calendar, spills crayons, and whatever else he feels like messing up. 

Jack the Leprechaun also left the students a letter and some "magic dust" for a special treat.  The letter says....

Hello my friends!

Now what do you think?

I was here and gone

As quick as a wink.

I've left you some magic dust,

Mix it with whip cream that's a must.

Add it to your cookie for a special treat.

Remember boys and girls,

Be very sweet!

Love,

Jack

The "magic dust" is Jello pistachio pudding mix.  It starts off white but turns green when you mix it with the whip cream.  The students love it!  They even enjoy cleaning up the mess Jack made.



Getting Organized

I absolutely love organization- labels, containers, color-coding, etc.  I originally had all my theme materials in file folders.  After seeing how a friend organized her materials, I just had to steal her idea.  I have a three-ring binder for each month.

I use pocketed, tabbed dividers labeled with each theme for that month.  Then I use clear page protectors to put my printables in for easy organization.  The pages can be copied through the page protector.  All my multiple copies are just slid in the page protector behind the original or in the divider pocket. 

This system works so much better for me than the file folders. 

A work in progress

This is certainly a work in progress but I'm excited about adding to my blog.  My plan is to add lots of new things during Spring Break.  Check back soon...to be continued....

Here we go!

This is my first blog.  I am excited about sharing ideas and thoughts about teaching!