Batty For YOU! Book Talk Time

This week in first grade...Bats are mammals, too! We have just covered what is a mammal and we are taking a little quiz to see what they know. Then, we will be reading Bat by Gail Gibbons. Who doesn't love Gail Gibbons?  I love this book so this is my feature book this week. Join Mrs. Jump's Class for Book Talk Tuesday.

Great non-fiction...just enough information for 1st graders to remember bat facts!

We will be using some of the activities in my new unit Bats: Bats Are Mammals, Too. I used the picture slides as a powerpoint to show the vocabulary words and then discuss what each word means. We then read the book, followed by the Bats can, have, are sentence starters fro the Bat Facts sheet. After the kiddos were done with the bat facts sheet, they could make a bat for our bat cave in the hall. They loved it. My teachers followed up with the other sheets and a follow up with Stellaluna.

I will be using the can, have, are sheet as I make a big one on the wall. We will follow up by understanding how bats are mammals, too. I am using the facts sheet as a group activity. Each person will fill out a sticky note to add to the sheet. As a group, each person will read their fact and then stick it on the sheet.  I will be passing on the Stellaluna to my classroom teachers to do the activity sheets. I gave them this great link from Storyline Online where you can find the reading of Stellaluna for free! This song is a cute beginning or end to compare birds and bats.

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Five For Friday and a Freebie!

It's my first time linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching because I never know if I have five things to share. Today, however I have fun stuff in the works! Here are my five fabulous treasures rolled up into one free pack! Blimey...there is some free bootie to be had!

TREASURE #1

TREASURE #2

TREASURE #3

TREASURE #4

TREASURE # 5...The Pirate TREASURE...The FREEBIE LINK!

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AHOY, Matey's...Freebies RRRRRR FUN!

Today is 'International Talk Like a Pirate Day'! To celebrate, I created a fun Pirate Science Stations freebie for you. Some of my blogger friends are also giving you a chance to find lots of pirate booty! Stop on by Mrs. Jump's Class to find some great freebies!
Each blog will have some different treasures for you to find! Here is what my freebie looks like...

Find My Freebie Here! X marks the spot for a treasure!

Don't forget to pillage some other bloggers buccaneer's posts for more great teaching treasures! 

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Bubbles...Bubbles...POP!

This week, our 2nd graders are working with bubbles to understand that air is there. We are starting out with this great Pop! A Book About Bubbles! Power Point...something great I found for free on TPT from Hollie Griffith. We then observed the skin of the bubble, bubble gum blowing, and how to hold a bubble to observe the colors and air inside. We proceeded to go outside to blow bubbles, but as we blew to think about our questions of the day: How can bubbles change direction? How can we make them change direction? How are bubbles act the same and different from each other? and What makes them pop?

Bubbles change directions because of the wind!

We see colors in the bubble and the skin on the outside.

We came back inside to write down our observations using sheets from my bubble pack. As they worked, they listened to the fun song from Doris Day. Soothing just like a bubble! We then shared our observations! Fun day in science!

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Metric Measuring with the Little Old Lady Who Swallowed A Shell

Okay, so let's just say my students are struggling with the introduction of metric measurement. Okay, measurement in general. So, I was searching for a fun way to tie in a good book to measuring in science. Wallah, who doesn't love this little old lady? Funny thing is we just got a huge shell donation from a neighbor of our school and let's just say the shells are incredible. I made these stations in hopes that a little fun with a little old lady will help them make metric measurement connections. Here are the stations in action...

TPT Metric Measurement Stations

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Build Your Wild Self

Book Talk Tuesday..

Mrs. Jump's Class. with I love, love, love these books. What great graphics and these books are helping me teach about mammals with my first graders. I will be using these books this next week as I introduce what makes a mammal a mammal and how animals of all kinds learn to survive and adapt. These books are great for common core such as CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of the text.

                           Check out the book for yourself!

Let's try a computer connection now! This site is a great link that allows students to Build Your Wild Self! from New York Zoos and Aquarium. Fun...Fun...Fun! One more fun thing...a freebie!

Animal Hair Freebie

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It's My Birthday...Let's Celebrate!

It's my birthday Tuesday. I am 40 something. The second number is getting way to scary. I can now round up. Yikes. I have been working hard to add some new items on TPT and was thinking why not have everyone celebrate with me on my big day. I am throwing a sale! Here is my newest addition... and the link to my store...http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Science-School-Yard

This one was made to go with the FOSS kit I have to use. I have used a ton of different variable activities and wanted to compile them. Here is what I put together...

Check out some of there castle catapults!

Try this fun STEM extension!

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The Sunday Scoop

I love peace and quiet some days. Today, while my family is watching the Packer Game, I get the computer, a quiet room, and time to just blog and hop. I have  The Crayon Box Learning Blog as one of my favorites and as I was visiting her new post I came across a fun new linky for me! The Teaching Trio has this fun Sunday linky when I have a bit of time to play along. Yea!

So here goes...The Sunday Scoop!

Scoop 3: I have so many things to do to get ready for me week. In my district, we have day 1-5, not Monday-Friday. It can be confusing. So, Monday, is a day 5 and my prep day. Seeing over 400 K-5 kiddos is awesome, but to prep...time consuming. I need to get the stations and sheets ready for groups that need some review or easier activities to show me what they know.  After blogging, I will need to get down to business.

Scoop 2: I was so good this summer, I made over 12 new products on TPT. I have a few more to finish up on that I really need to finish so that I can use them. I started testing some of the sheets on my first grade kiddos and I noticed they aren't quite ready to write sentences or follow too many directions. Scale it down...is on my list, but the new NGSS science standards are not easy by any means. Is anyone else out there using the Teach Scape model of evaluation? Yikes. SLO's, PPG's, Rating scales using 4 domains. Entering evidence. OMG. TMI. Too many acronyms.  I can't keep up. I have to do that today to. I am putting that off. Let me know if you are also under the same model. I won't feel so alone.

Scoop 3: I have been running all week. I wanted to just sit. I got the chance today! I am happy to do that. I only was bothered two times by two different kiddos. They are working on their Christmas lists and wanted to share. I guess I have to start on Scoop 3 and 2 pretty soon. TTYL.

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Peek at My Week...9/15/14

Time for Peek at My Week hosted by Mrs. Laffin's Laughings.


K=Kinders will learn the five senses... we will focus on learning all five (through song, and focus on sight this week). Using the smartboard document helped focus on the review...The 5 Senses Smartboard Activity

using SMARTBOARD exchange. For each sense I had an activity. For example: smell we passed around a scented candle to guess the smell and then vote if we liked it or not. For sight I put 8 items on a tray of various colors and shapes and we looked at them and then I covered the tray. I also revealed pictures for them to make the sound of what they saw. We made the sound of drums, frogs, baby chicks, a phone, and fire truck. After that, I passed around objects for the kiddos to feel. I passed around dear antlers, a teddy bear, pumpkins, a ball, and a cucumber. We wrote down descriptive words to share. Last, but not least we tried cucumbers from our school garden. We talked about how they tasted. We made a graph to show if we liked it, didn't care for it, or were not sure.

1st=Students will be introduced to the five vertebrate. We will learn what a mammal is and compare us to other mammals. I started my lessons with what would happen if all the baby animals got out of their cages away from their mothers? We described what the mother would look like it it was: a panda bear, a bat, a snake, a turtle, a frog, and a flamingo. We then made a chart to classify them. Hair or fur, shell (which is a type of scale), scales, moist skin, wings, and feathers. Even though bats have wings, they have fur, so we put it with the panda. I read the book, 

I challenged them to think about how they look like their family members and how we could fit into one of the groups we listed before. We made the connection that we are  mammals which was really hard for some to grasp. We drew our favorite animals and played a riddle game after listing the 5 vertebrate along with other clues. We then hung up the pictures under our categories to start making connections. We finished by playing the Animal Characteristics Game that we will play each week until our unit is done.

2nd= Students will learn about air through bubble experiments and answer the question, "How do we know air is there." We used the FOSS unit and the scientific process to prove that Air is there, Air is matter, Air takes up  space, and Air can be captured. Kids love water. Kids love amazing discoveries. Kids don't always like to write and reflect. We are working on that one.

3rd= Students will demonstrate the use of  the metric system to measure length, weight, and volume.
Students in third grade have not measured too much so far. When I asked them to recall what tool I would use to measure my weight, three out of the four classes replied, "a ruler." I was worried. However, after setting up stations for volume, mass, and length it got a bit better. Here is a freebie for you to use that I made to remind them of tools to use... We used this Measurement Flip Book to help us write down the definitions and tools inside the book.

We then completed stations that I placed on the smartboard. Here are some of the ideas: length and weight of the scissors and marker at your table. The length and weight of the block at your table. Show me the following volumes with your syringe: 17 ml, and 35 ml. We finished up with this free worksheet I found on line at math salamanders

4th= Students will answer the question, "what objects are attracted to magnets" and determine a pattern. Students will be introduced to new vocabulary that coincides with answering the question. We used the FOSS lesson to help us go through the scientific process. We finished up with our vocabulary reflections in our science notebooks: discoveries, observations, and vocabulary.

5th=Students will learn the difference between dependent, independent, and controlled variables through experimentation and demonstration. I started off by asking them what is a variable. No one knew. I then proceeded to have them follow the directions to make a paper airplane. I continued to use the words variable and control in context as kids struggled with the directions. When we were all finished I once again asked what a variable and control is. They got it. I defined the three types. Then I asked the students how can we change the airplane? We had to remember only change one thing and then test it. We practiced on my model airplane and found we could determine a dependent variable, an independent variable, and the controls. I showed them a power point of pictures of pendulums. I asked what they had in common and to define pendulum. I showed them a bird bobber, swing set, perpetual motion balls, a hypnotist's necklace, and a grandfather clock. I told them they were now in clock repair school because time flies when your having fun in science. My clock was going way to fast and I needed help fixing it. We first had to build a control which was this week. We build our controlled pendulum and then tested it. We all got the same results. Wallah, a control. We wrote in our science notebooks once again to wrap up.

Take a look at my littles building...measuring...and sharing!

Stay tuned for next's weeks...peek at my week!

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Measuring Up In The Garden

It is that time of year, harvest time and a bit of frost coming our way, however that doesn't stop us from getting out in the garden with kids. Today, our third graders practiced measuring in the garden after...OMG...first off learning that a ruler isn't for weighing things. Yes...my friends...starting from ground level ZERO. Well, I guess all we can do is go up from there. I first created stations for the indoors. Did I tell you that I have a smartboard! I put up the stations on the smartboard and they wrote their answers down after checking their partner's work.

Station 1: Length...measuring with a ruler, measuring with the metric system, and practicing measuring scissors, markers, and our pencil box.

Station 2: Weight...measuring in grams the scissors, markers, and an item that fits in the cup.

Station 3: Volume...measuring in ml 25 ml, 50 ml, and 32 ml.

Now, out to the garden to practice length, weight, and volume.

length...the circumference of our pumpkins and tomatoes.

Tomatoes...our September Harvest of the Month

weight...10 cherry tomatoes in grams








Volume...40 ml of water to water a plant.


A garden of knowledge was happening today! Measuring up is our goal. Next week, a quick quiz and then back to our garden. Active learning is where it is at. You can not believe the retention of information in our outdoor classroom!

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Peek At My Week

Well, another year has successfully started! I am excited about the new and endless possiblilities with my new Encore staff members. We have to PLC with our "specialists" in music, PE, art, science, and library and we have two new ladies that joined our team! How exciting to get to plan new events and share ideas! Here is a peek at my week thanks to Mrs. Laffin's Laughings...



This week in Kindergarten...

Kindergarten in the garden...being scientists!

I am teaching what is science. Really, they do not know. The are so little. We read the book and then went outside in the school garden to observe and be scientists with hand lenses. We shared what we could learn on our chart. With only 30 minutes it goes by quickly.


1st graders...
Are learning what a scientist is. We read Everyone Is A Scientist and shared the power point from Kindergarten, Kindergarten which is a great first start. We also made a web to show what scientists could learn, went out in

the garden to investigate, and then finished with a picture of what we would want to study as a scientist. Next week, being zoologists.

Firsties finding animals in the garden...animal unit to follow next week...

2nd graders...
We started off with learning about air with our FOSS unit so we started talking about science is all around us even if we can't see it. We discussed what scientists do to learn...by asking questions, forming a hypothesis (I think), conducting experiments, making observations, and then coming to a conclusion. We used the FOSS air bags to test how air takes up space and air moves things. We finished off with a balloon send off.

Air is matter. Air takes up space. Air moves things. 

3rd graders...
We started off our year with measurement so that they will be ready for our Earth Materials unit. We started off with a smartboard presentation on measurement in customary standard unit. Then, we worked on why scientists use the metric system. We practiced using a ruler and measuring in cm. We finished off with a sheet from the Science Penguin that shares how scientists use tools that keep them safe, help them observe, and help them measure. We followed that sheet with a decimeter scavenger hunt in our garden.

4th and 5th graders...
We started off with discussing the scientific process and what that would look like now that they are "big" kids at school. We practiced the process by teams working together to save Fred. I got this great idea from Smart Chick on Teachers Pay Teachers. The kids love this! As they finish up they work on the sheet that is included and then the scientific process science notebook sheet. Great start to the new school year!

Saving Fred! Working as a team! Learning the Scientific Process!

Fred just might be saved! 

It has been a great first week so far. Now, if it could stop raining so we can get outside tomorrow...life would be perfect!

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