Lifeboat Engineering Challenge

This week, after learning about the Titanic...we did our FOSS lifeboat lesson. Why do we start it off with the Titanic? To make history connections with science and make it meaningful to why we are making lifeboats in science.

The book we read is from Epic books, but before the kiddos come in I meet them at the door and have them each pick a steering ticket. When they come in they go to a lifeboat that is numbered. The closest boats to me are first class, then second, and then finally third class.

We use the book to share the background. The students get an idea as to what happened and how the lifeboats were used or not used. Then, we use the video to continue the importance of why we are learning about lifeboats!

Now...time to build our lifeboats. We create a harbor for all of the boats that are created. Each table group is a Boat Company who has a company name. When their FOSS sheet is done, they can work on the engineering project!

I then prep them for the engineering part...I am a rich entrepenuer who has a business where we give boat tours. For every person that buys a ticket...I make MONEY! So, I want to comission each company to build me a boat that would fit the most passengers on it...capacity! The winning boat company will earn 100 Grand! (a candy bar!)

Here are some pictures of the events in class...

Using Tier 3 vocabulary words to get students more excited about making FOSS lifeboats helps them build experiences! Check out the boats in the harbor. We have a fleet of boats ready to go!

Students work as a team to finish their FOSS activity and graph...once done they get to engineer a boat for me (a rich business owner who wants to invest in a tourist cruise line. I would charge $100 dollars a ticket...so the more the tourists the more I will make!)

                             

Each group got only one piece of aluminum foil. The key to each getting paid $100,000 was that more tourists must fit in their boat compared to any other boat company! (100 Grand Candy Bar...FYI)

 Here is our Lifeboat Reflection Sheet Freebie that we used to wrap up our activity!

Happy Sailing!

Currently October...Pumpkins!

Hello, October! I do love fall. I love the warm days and cool nights...beautiful fall leaves...and campfires with s'mores...pumpkin carving and oh, yea...pumpkin pie! Let's not forget though...a great linky!

Currently...I am linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Currently...I am laying on the couch...trying to feel better. Every year, I get laryngitis, I doctored it all week, I didn't get it...but I got a cold instead. Yikes. All those little germs floating around. It sure is nice though to have a quiet night then to get ready for my presentation tomorrow!

I am headed to Green Bay to present to teachers at a Nature Convention. I am sharing a ton of ideas on how teachers can make science simple through bringing the outdoors in when it's cold, or using the outdoors with students to tie in science concepts! I am packed an pretty ready to go...

I spent my extra prep this week...our firsties went to our school forest for outdoor nature fun...by getting ready for the presentation. So, now Sunday looks like prepping for a busy week next week! Engineering boats for 5th graders...Using motors in 4th...learning about the scratch test in 3rd along with digging up fossils...2nd graders are learning about weather and clouds...1st graders are doing bird beak adaptation stations...and kinders are working with their sense of smell! I have this!

Have a great October! Wish me luck on my nature presentation!

Teaching Weather and Climate With M&M's

Some of my most challenging students are in second grade right now. With that being said...I have a very dry weather unit I need to teach. Granted FOSS has some great hands-on activities, but that only lasts so long and I have an hour with 5 different second grade classrooms!

I stumbled upon an idea for how to use M&M's to teach weather and climate. I created my own sheet and focused on primary vocabulary words...meteorologist...forecast...weather...and climate. I added assessments of the key vocabulary and a little art project!

Forecasting the weather can be fun! Connecting it with math is even better!

I love how the kids get so excited! The understanding of the vocabulary is spot on! Not going to lie...candy sure helps them make connections!

Understanding Climate vs. Weather can be fun! Check out this new pack on TPT!

Just a few of my favorites before we put them into a book for their classroom!

Wooly Willy Magnet Activity

This week, we are reviewing the magnet portion of our FOSS unit. We took a quick quiz and then we get to learn with iron filings. What if you took the same old lesson and twisted it so that you could use a toy to teach the same thing..."How do iron filings react with iron or steel?" This isn't just your paper plate inside a baggie with filings...take a look!

A question was posed...can iron filings move with a temporary magnet? Well...let's find out!!! We could see induced magnetism! Our two vocabulary words from last week! Awesome connections!

Our own Wooly Willy toys were a real hit! We learned the same content, but in a fun way! Simple Science in action!

Apple Time in Science Class!

Our school is getting bigger next year. We are adding sections of Pre-K and 4 other classrooms onto our existing school building. We also purchases some land that will be used for a road for a new pick up system. The good thing is...we have five apple trees to use that is on the newly purchased land! The sad news...the trees will be cut down this year to make room for the road.

I am all for opportunities! I asked if I could take as many kids as I could over to the next lot to use the apple trees as a learning tool! My principal said yes! All Kindergartners and first graders have been able to learn about apples this week. I started off with some great freebies from TPT, but I needed to make it my own.

 I have one hour to teach a ton! I want every moment to count. My kinders are learning about the five senses....so I needed to get them to write or draw very simply!

 I want them all to do a taste test. I want them to all find treasures for our "treasure tray!"  This was a great idea to have the little put the fun things they found on the ground in one place and then share it all together inside!

Here are the sheets that I redid to work for my kiddos! Here is are the apple freebies for you!

I hope these ideas are "apple"ing to you! I also hope it helps you see how science can be simple! Grab a bag of apples...print a sheet...read a great book like Apples by Gail Gibbons...and you are all set to go! Make moments any time you can! ( I even snuck some new vocabulary in the mix...tart is a fun word to comprehend...just give them a Granny Smith...!)

Here is the whole Apple FREEBIE pack ready for you to download with even more activities!

Digging For Gold In Science

Funny thing is...I was a social studies minor. I never really had a great science teacher to get me excited about science. So...when I can take a social studies topic and combine it with a science I am golden! Here is an idea for your school garden...

Last year, my second graders planted potatoes. Little did they know they would be digging for gold...Yukon Gold to be exact. This little lesson is a great way to teach the gold rush, measurement,  and Earth Materials. Here is the Freebie Link For You!!

First...I had the kiddos come in and get them excited about digging for gold. I put the book Gold Rush on Epic books up on the Smartboard. I shared the book and compared what they would be doing outside. When the story was done I had each student pick a card: either I will get to California by boat or I will get to California by boat. They found a partner with the same card. (Just a fun way to find a new partner....) The boaters got to pick a tool at the mercantile...then they were off to stake their claim (using spoons with their names on them as their stakes.) Each spot was in a grid pattern.

Marking a grid in the potato patch...staking a claim...and digging for gold!

The students had a set time to dig for gold. The boaters got three extra minutes in the garden...finally the covered wagon crew. When they found gold...it was magic!

Look at that gold! This is a great way to start our FOSS Earth Materials unit! Digging in the Earth to find rocks and minerals!

Next, we needed to see who had the "mother lode"! We spend two weeks learning how to use a scale and measure in grams. Once again using a garden helps tie in social studies, science, and math!

Using a scale to measure how much each prospector was able to find was a great connection to math! 

Next, it is time to record our weights on our graph. Keeping record allows us to see which group out of 4 classes doing this activity actually hauls in the "mother lode". You can see some kiddos in the background even weighing their potatoes again!

How exciting for the kids to reap the benefits of what they planted in second grade in a great lesson about history!

Prep: gridding a potato patch, getting spoons ready with markers, setting out a mercantile with tools, printing sheets and cards up, letting them dig, having them measure, then reflecting on learning. A highly productive lesson to teach science...social studies...and math! I love that we could use our school garden in such a successful way. These potatoes will be our September Harvest of The Month!

Sunday Scoop

Good Morning Sunday! I have a day to finally take a breath and relax...but not for long! Thanks to some wonderful teachers over at the Teaching Trio I can share my Sunday Scoop!

Here is the Scoop of my week to come...Little planning...a little game watching....a little birthday celebrating!

It's that time of year when my kids start thinking Christmas. Finding ways to cut back to save a little extra is my goal this month. Any great cutting costs ideas out there?