Currently

Other bloggers fill out  monthly "currently"  pages like these. I've always wanted to, just never had the time! So, this might be my only one. :)

I chose 'now' as my one little word. I'm really (really, really) trying to stay in the 'now' this year. It's so easy to get caught up in the stress of what's coming up. I really want to slow down and enjoy the current moment. :)

Happy 2013!

Winter Snowmen

I love, love, LOVE Art Projects for Kids Blog. I get the majority of art projects from this site. This snowman created with oil pastels was a fun, fast, beautiful project.

Get the instructions HERE, or by clicking on the snowman above, and check out our work below!

December Activities

December is such a fun time to engage in some fun, holiday themed curricular activities. One of my favorites is a perspective writing that students complete: Dear Children, Love Santa.

This is an activity that requires students to think about the perspective of their writing; writing through Santa's eyes instead of through their own. The best part is the fun way that this writing gets published! Students draft their letters, do a quick self-edit, and then publish them on butcher paper hung in the wall for all other students to see. So fun!

This activity came from Lesson Plan SOS's Crazy for Christmas unit. It is FILLED with fantastic, fun, curricular December activities!

Best Bird Beak: Animal Adaptations

We've been conducting some fun investigations during our science unit on living systems. To introduce animal adaptations, students used a variety of tools to determine the best "bird beak". To begin, we discussed the types of foods that birds eat and drink, and students were challenged to think about how a bird's beak gives them an advantage over other animals that might eat and drink the same foods.

Students used some different tools to try to pick up sunflower seeds: chopsticks, a dropper, a strainer, and tweezers. Next, students used the same tools to try to get water (nectar) from a jar.

Students recorded their results on an activity sheet. To close, we discussed how the tweezers and the dropper (the overwhelming best tools to get food/water) are like a bird's beak, and how the shape of thier beak assists them in getting the types of food and water they require.

Check out some student work pictures below.

 

 

 

Schema Files

Happy Happy New Year!

We are beginning our unit on non-fiction text. To begin the unit, I like to do some lessons and practice with schema. As students read more informational text and gain new knowledge on a variety of topics, they will keep track of their growing schema.

Luckily, I found some FANTASTIC items on TPT to introduce schema to my students.

The first mini-lesson and activity centered around a Schema booklet.

For the mini-lesson, we discussed everything we knew about the topic of spiders. We defined schema as everything we already know about a topic- in this case, spiders. Then, we read a few informational texts about spiders. Students shared how their schema changed; how new information was added, and incorrect information was discarded. We recorded all of this on an anchor chart.

Next, students used their schema booklets to practice on their own. Informational texts were selected by each student. The first page of the book was used to record known information about the topic. The next page was new schema added about the topic, and the back page was information that was wrong and discarded.

Students loved this! You can find this awesome activity at The Teaching Reef TPT store, HERE.

The following day, students created their Schema File Folders that they will use throughout this entire non-fiction unit. They were super easy to construct, and best of all they are FREE on TPT! Students will use these folders to show how their schema increases and changes as they read about new information.

You can find the Schema File in A Teacher on a Mission's TPT HERE.





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.