Boise Art Museum

Check out the photos from our trip to Boise Art Museum last week!

Students saw the work of artist Nick Cave, and then engaged in some art making of their own, using sound in their art just as Nick Cave does.

After we returned, students completed a Field Trip Reflection activity.

You can get a copy HERE.

Pumpkin Activities

Each year on Halloween, I get each of my students a mini-pumpkin (expensive, yes, but totally worth it!). We use the pumpkins throughout the day for various activities, and then we paint/decorate them during our party. I've prepared some new activities to do this year. I've put together a very simple pack- some language, math, and a compare/contrast. Check them out! :) Click on the pictures to get a copy.

 

 



Teacher vs. Student Responsibilities

During the first weeks of school, we had a lot of discussion about student and teacher responsibilities. One of the activities we did uses a Venn diagram that students build to communicate who is responsible for what in the classroom. Me and the kids LOVED this!

 I found this in the Lesson Plan SOS TPT store. The whole file is a little spendy but has A TON really great beginning of the year activities and resources. This is a great stand-alone activity, though, and could easily be reproduced to fit the needs of other classrooms without the entire pack. :)

Rolling for Ten (or 100)

Hello again! Third graders (should) have a strong knowledge of combinations to make ten. This year, we work hard at extending that knowledge to build combinations that equal 100 and 1,000. I found this fun activity, and I used it as a warm-up to a Combinations of 100 lesson. My kids loved it, and it really helped them grasp the concept that the combinations of 10 can extend to 100 and beyond.

You can get your copy HERE from Shelley Gray's TPT store. It isn't free, but this activity is just one of a packet of make ten activities. It's perfect for extending to combinations of 100 (or beyond) like I did, for younger grades, or as an intervention for older students. :)

Finally!

Well, I'm FINALLY finding the time to get some posts up. It has been a super busy start to the year, but I'm so excited to start sharing some pictures and activities that we've started! We've been engaged in a lot of review activities, goal setting, community building, and nailing down the procedures and expectations for all of our workshops (math, reading, and writing).

This goal setting activity was one of the first things we did in class. I love having my kids set goals for the year. This was a really fun and different way to set goals and integrate some art into it as well.

How great did these turn out? You can find the inspiration for this activity and the template provided for FREE from the amazing Art Projects for Kids blog. I get SO many ideas from her. :)

A Sweet Fractions Activity

I found the FUNNEST fractions activity that also has a data component. Two for one! And best of all, it's FREE, and you can find it HERE.

Thanks to Buzzing with Ms. B for this activity!

Tableau

Want to get your kids really engaged in reading comprehension? Tableau is a terrific way to incorporate kinesthetic movement and art into reading. After reading Rueben and the Fire, students broke up into groups and created a tableau of their favorite scene. Other groups had to guess which scene students were choosing to tableau.

Read more about Tableau in the classroom HERE.

Angry Verbs!

The most excited my students have EVER been to do a writing activity? You won't be surprised to hear it involved the characters in the game Angry Birds. This idea originated from a second grade blogger. We started by talking about the game Angry Birds. I had a YouTube video all ready to go, but every single student, I kid you not, already knew exactly what it was, and could tell me every single detail about the game. We started generating a word bank of verbs that describe the actions of the birds- dive, soar, fling, bomb, crash, tilt, etc. Once we got a massive list, students began their Angry Verbs writing.

Students developed an Angry Birds story that incorporated the verbs from our list, or others they generated on their own. Typically, with most writing activities, I have the same few students who have to sit and think for some time about how to get started. Not this time! Every student attacked this lesson immediately. Some students wrote a narrative story about the characters in the game, and others wrote a descriptive detailing of how the game works. They all turned out great! Once we did a brief edit/revision, students went through and highlighted their verbs. Add on the coloring page of a character of their choice, and tada!

You can find my Angry Verbs writing template HERE.

The linke for the coloring pages is HERE.

Fractions, Fractions, Fractions!

We've started math stations in class, and I have to say, we love it! I get so much more accomplished, and it's nice to be able to meet with all students in a small group each day. One of the stations is content related games. I've found some fantastic fractions games that we are using at the centers. I did NOT create these, just passing them along.

Go HERE for a FREE fantastic spring fraction sort.

Go HERE for a FREE fraction spin game, and a really great FREE fraction ordering activity.

Go HERE for a FREE word fraction activity- a way to incorporate math and word work.

And HERE for a FREE activity- fraction avenue.

Enjoy!

Leprechaun Traps!

Things have been busy busy! To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and to tie in with our third grade simple machines unit, students created Leprechaun Traps! The requirements for the project were that the machines include two of the six simple machines, and that they be workable! Here are some of the finished products:

This project is so motivating to students, and a perfect way to culminate the simple machines unit. This project is completed at home. You can find the instructions for the project HERE.

Simple Machines Project

Please check out these sites for information on the six simple machines, along with some inspiration for your leprechaun traps. Have fun!

http://www.mikids.com/Smachines.htm

http://www.neok12.com/Simple-Machines.htm

http://atlantis.coe.uh.edu/archive/science/science_lessons/scienceles1/finalhome.htm

http://physics.about.com/od/physicsintherealworld/p/simplemachines.htm

http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight3/

Leprechaun Trap Inspiration:

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/to-catch-a-leprechaun-710897/

http://polsellikindergarten.tripod.com/Leprechaun%20Traps/Leprechaun%20Traps%202004/Leprechaun%20Traps.htm

Timelines

We've been working on Non-Fiction characteristics of text in class. One of our focus skills has been on sequencing events. For a project tie-in, students completed picture timelines. Students re-capped significant events in their lives on poster board, included photos and captions, and presented their timelines to class. So fun! Check out photos below. This fantastic idea came from Ashleigh.

Here is a copy of my parent letter home, and the student checklist I used for assessment.

Book Making & Harris Burdick

We've been doing a fabulous project in class. In an effort to integrate some art and creative writing, I used prints from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg to inspire student stories. I mean, what better images are there to spark ideas? If you haven't seen these images or read this book, click HERE to preview this book at Amazon. I've never had students so excited about writing!

After reading the story and discussing the images, students chose one image to write a story about. To incorporate a fun way of publishing, students are making mini books to write their stories. Fun! Check out our work and resources below.

Have you seen this yet? Well-known authors wrote a story to accompany one of the images from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. My students loved reading the story from Kate Dicamillo. Check it out HERE.

Anchor Text

Our display of the Harris Burdick images. Students did a silent art walk, and then we discussed each print and read the book.

Students working on their story.

Instructions on making the boxes:

Start with two rectangles, 8 1/2 by 5 1/2. Turn paper so that short edges are on top and bottom. Draw an X with a ruler, connecting diagonal corner to corner.

Find the center of the X. Fold up one edge to the center.

Turn paper and fold up the other edge to center. It should like like this when both edges are folded to the center.

Turn paper so that long edge is now on top and fold up long edge to center. Contine with the other side.

It should look like this once you've done all the folds. You should have four smaller rectangles, made by the folds, in each corner.

Now, make a cut on all four corners on the fold line, up to the top fold line. You'll see my scissors on the left. That's the line you cut on, and also where you end the cut.

Repeat on all four corners. It should like like this when all four corners have been cut.

Now take the two outer flaps that you've created from the cuts. You'll glue these together first.

Add glue to one of the flaps...

And paste the two strips together, so that the box maintains its shape with the fold lines.

Now, take the last piece hanging out, add glue, and fold it up and bend it over the edge of the two tabs.

One more side to go!

Your box is complete!

Repeat with another piece of paper the same size. You have a top and bottom for the box.

Now, for the inside strips. Start with two strips of paper, 11" x 4"

Fold the paper in half.

Now, fold one part of the half toward you, meeting the bottom edge of the fold.

Turn it over and repeat. Pull the remaining half toward you down to the edge of the fold.

This is what it should look like once you've unfolded.

Repeat so that you have two completely folded strips.

Glue the end panel on one of the strips.

Place the ending panel on the other strip on top to seal together.

Completed, glued strip.

Write, draw, etc.

Now, take the top of your box, and add a lot of glue.

Add the first page of your strip, and push to seal.

Take the bottom of the box, and repeat, gluing the last panel of the strip.

Ta Da!

Carefully fold up the strip inside of the box, and place top and bottom together (you'll need to do some "fedangling" to get them to fit together).

Add a title to the top, and cover art if desired. Open at any time to reveal inside of book!

One more image of how students are publishing their stories on their strips.

Finished student books to come!