One of the most important concepts of a society is the way people interact. We have to have community helpers in order to keep our society functioning. The students and I sat down and thought about our classroom society and which jobs were the most important.
We came up with a huge list:
Hall Monitor
Bathroom Monitors
Lunch Manager
Teacher Assistant
Messenger
Floor Board Inspectors (FBI)
Warehouse Manager
Supply Manager
Of course, in order to pay people for those jobs they do we have to have some government created jobs.
Treasurer
Three paymasters
Paper Printers/Cutters
We also discussed how people are responsible for doing things to help make the community a better place to live, work and play by completing simple tasks. They decided they would sharpen pencils in the morning, mark their lunch choices (two things we were continuing to have issues with throughout the day), and leave their areas clean each day. For these simple tasks they would be paid a small fee. This gave them two ways to earn money for the bigger things that lay ahead.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Scarcity
The most important concept in all of economics. How in the world do you teach it to third graders?
Well, I started out by passing out a bag of M&Ms. I didn't tell them how many to take or who to pass it to next. I just said take some and pass it on. So, of course, by the time it traveled to the other side of the room, those children has less M&Ms. Not a single one of them said a word. They just took the smaller amount and returned the empty bag. No complaining at all. Who gets such wonderful kids?? I am so blessed. Of course, these means teaching this concept that way wasn't going to work.
The next day, I took a desk out of the room. The student just simply went and found a place to sit at a nearby table. Again, not a single word. This wasn't working very well at all!!
The following day, I took two more desks out of the room. Now I am missing a total of three desks. Did they blink? Did it phase them? Nope. Not at all. They went and found other places to sit. I just have way too many small group areas in my room apparently. Not good!!
The following day, I took three more desks out of the room. Now I was missing six desks. Surely someone would act like they noticed. Nope. They all found another place to sit again. They were loving the freedom of not having to sit at the desk, but be able to move freely from small group area to small group area. Have I told you how 'go with the flow" my kids are?? They are amazing.
Finally, towards the very end of the day, a student asked me, "Is the teacher that borrowed our desks going to be bringing them back?" Hallelujah. Someone finally noticed!! I then spend some time talking about scarcity and how it was happening in the room. One of the other students finally chimed in, 'Oh that is just like not having enough M&Ms that first day. You have been trying to teach us by taking things away." My kids really understood it so much better because of the missing desks and the M&Ms.
Hard concept made simple!!
Well, I started out by passing out a bag of M&Ms. I didn't tell them how many to take or who to pass it to next. I just said take some and pass it on. So, of course, by the time it traveled to the other side of the room, those children has less M&Ms. Not a single one of them said a word. They just took the smaller amount and returned the empty bag. No complaining at all. Who gets such wonderful kids?? I am so blessed. Of course, these means teaching this concept that way wasn't going to work.
The next day, I took a desk out of the room. The student just simply went and found a place to sit at a nearby table. Again, not a single word. This wasn't working very well at all!!
The following day, I took two more desks out of the room. Now I am missing a total of three desks. Did they blink? Did it phase them? Nope. Not at all. They went and found other places to sit. I just have way too many small group areas in my room apparently. Not good!!
The following day, I took three more desks out of the room. Now I was missing six desks. Surely someone would act like they noticed. Nope. They all found another place to sit again. They were loving the freedom of not having to sit at the desk, but be able to move freely from small group area to small group area. Have I told you how 'go with the flow" my kids are?? They are amazing.
Finally, towards the very end of the day, a student asked me, "Is the teacher that borrowed our desks going to be bringing them back?" Hallelujah. Someone finally noticed!! I then spend some time talking about scarcity and how it was happening in the room. One of the other students finally chimed in, 'Oh that is just like not having enough M&Ms that first day. You have been trying to teach us by taking things away." My kids really understood it so much better because of the missing desks and the M&Ms.
Hard concept made simple!!
Mini-society creating a common goal
The first step in mini-society is truly creating a society. We spent a lot of time talking about why communities have rules, what happens when people follow the rules, and what happens when people don't follow the rules. We established our direct democracy to handle problems if and when they arose.
Once we had established that our classroom rules would be our society rules, we were ready to move onto the next phase of the plan. We gave our society a name. Eventually, we settled on Smartville. We are a gifted and talented class after all. Then we decided we would be called Smartvillians. These appealed to all of us. Both those who always wanted to be a hero or the villian in our own comic book.
Soon it was time to create the symbols of our society. We each designed a flag for our society. Once all the flags were displayed we voted (direct democracy in action) on which one would represent us. We had the artist recreate the flag on a huge poster that we hung in the hallway outside our door.
Next, we moved onto the currency. Every country has currency as its foundation of economics. We each designed our currency based on our society name and what we thought was important to be on the bills. Once again we all displayed our currency and we voted on the one we thought best suited for our society. Once we had the design we moved it into the printing phase. We designed it on the computer, giving it all of the added touches for real money.
With the formation of our society rules, name, flag, and monetary system in place, we were ready to head into the wonderful world of economics full steam ahead.
Once we had established that our classroom rules would be our society rules, we were ready to move onto the next phase of the plan. We gave our society a name. Eventually, we settled on Smartville. We are a gifted and talented class after all. Then we decided we would be called Smartvillians. These appealed to all of us. Both those who always wanted to be a hero or the villian in our own comic book.
Soon it was time to create the symbols of our society. We each designed a flag for our society. Once all the flags were displayed we voted (direct democracy in action) on which one would represent us. We had the artist recreate the flag on a huge poster that we hung in the hallway outside our door.
Next, we moved onto the currency. Every country has currency as its foundation of economics. We each designed our currency based on our society name and what we thought was important to be on the bills. Once again we all displayed our currency and we voted on the one we thought best suited for our society. Once we had the design we moved it into the printing phase. We designed it on the computer, giving it all of the added touches for real money.
With the formation of our society rules, name, flag, and monetary system in place, we were ready to head into the wonderful world of economics full steam ahead.
Mini-society Training
As soon as Cupcake Wars were over and I was halfway through planning the next amazing adventure for my students, the real world came calling once again. I attended three days of training in order to implement Mini-society into my third grade class. It sounds wonderful. It looks like some interesting activities to get students to engaged in the world of economics. It also means more prep work for the teacher. It is okay though. I think the kids will like this adventure as much as they liked Cupcake Wars.
Mini-society will begin in the next two weeks and run through the first week in March. I will be working on in at least three times a week.
Mini-society information for those of you who are new to the idea (like I was):
http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/wq/nick/mini_society.htm
Mini-society will begin in the next two weeks and run through the first week in March. I will be working on in at least three times a week.
Mini-society information for those of you who are new to the idea (like I was):
http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/sse/wq/nick/mini_society.htm
Blogging who has the time??
I had such great plans to work on this blog every single week. To at least put in all the cool things we did that week and what amazing things I had running through my mind about what to do next. Well, as you can see, didn't happen. I hope to try and get some posts on for the month. I think I am going to go to a end of the month posting. There are going to be numerous posts all popping up on one day. I hope this works a bit better. I hope to really record the things that worked well so I can do them again.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Pumpkin Chunkin'
On Halloween, we did a really cute STEM activity in the classroom. My students are used to me just popping up and saying we are going to try something new. For our Science lesson today, we watched the preview for pumpkin chunkin' on youtube that I found from my high school alma mater. Love that my high school does a whole Mythbusters science class. How cool is that? Anyway, we also visited some websites about pumpkin chunkin and how to make catapults.
We reviewed some websites about Pumpkin Chunkin'
http://www.punkinchunkin.com/
http://science.discovery.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin_chunking
http://www.stormthecastle.com/catapult/popsiclestick-catapult.htm
http://teachingboys.net/2012/09/27/how-to-build-a-catapult-out-of-popsicle-sticks/
I then put the students in teams and gave them some materials and had them begin the process of making a popsicle stick catapult. They had to plan, draw, create, test, revise, and then be ready for pumpkin chunkin'
Materials:
Small popsicle sticks
Large popsicle sticks
Rubber bands
Water Bottles
Masking Tape
Duct Tape
Paperclips
Cardboard Boxes (I had been collecting my birchbox boxes for this activity)
Plan: They spent some time with their team talking about the catapults we had seen and how they could do that with the materials I provided.
Draw:
They had to draw the catapult and label it with the materials they would need. I gave them exactly what was listed as the materials they would need. If they needed different items they had to bring me an updated plan.
Create:
They had thirty minutes to create their catapult.
Test:
We went outside and did a test run with the catapults.
Rework:
The student then had 15 minutes to make adjustments to the catapults.
Pumpkin Chunkin':
We then went out and used our catapults to launch little candy pumpkins up the sidewalk. The students had a blast.
Writing:
The students came in and wrote about their pumpkin chunkin experience and what worked, what didn't work, and what they would do now. I think we might laugh easter eggs in the spring... so they will get to revist the catapult and put their revisions into action!
On a side note:
We aren't the only ones interested in pumpkin chunkin' apparently! This is a PTA video of a school doing some pumpkin chunkin'.
http://vimeo.com/78476466
We reviewed some websites about Pumpkin Chunkin'
http://www.punkinchunkin.com/
http://science.discovery.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin_chunking
http://www.stormthecastle.com/catapult/popsiclestick-catapult.htm
http://teachingboys.net/2012/09/27/how-to-build-a-catapult-out-of-popsicle-sticks/
I then put the students in teams and gave them some materials and had them begin the process of making a popsicle stick catapult. They had to plan, draw, create, test, revise, and then be ready for pumpkin chunkin'
Materials:
Small popsicle sticks
Large popsicle sticks
Rubber bands
Water Bottles
Masking Tape
Duct Tape
Paperclips
Cardboard Boxes (I had been collecting my birchbox boxes for this activity)
Plan: They spent some time with their team talking about the catapults we had seen and how they could do that with the materials I provided.
Draw:
They had to draw the catapult and label it with the materials they would need. I gave them exactly what was listed as the materials they would need. If they needed different items they had to bring me an updated plan.
Create:
They had thirty minutes to create their catapult.
Test:
We went outside and did a test run with the catapults.
Rework:
The student then had 15 minutes to make adjustments to the catapults.
Pumpkin Chunkin':
We then went out and used our catapults to launch little candy pumpkins up the sidewalk. The students had a blast.
Writing:
The students came in and wrote about their pumpkin chunkin experience and what worked, what didn't work, and what they would do now. I think we might laugh easter eggs in the spring... so they will get to revist the catapult and put their revisions into action!
On a side note:
We aren't the only ones interested in pumpkin chunkin' apparently! This is a PTA video of a school doing some pumpkin chunkin'.
http://vimeo.com/78476466
Cupcake Wars: Day 4
Day 4: September 27th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Displays for the Cupcake Wars – Advertisement,
Recipe, Paragraph
9:45 – 10:15 Chromatography Display
10:15 – 11:00 Writing
Assignment: Narrative/Informational on Cupcake Experience
11:00-– 11:45 LEAP
Time Activities: Math Games Bakery Style
Smart Exchange
Smart Exchange
11:45 – 12:15 Art Assignment: Cupcake Art – Manila
Paper
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Simply Cupcakes ~ Ms. June
2:00 – 2:15 Cupcake War Guest Judges: Dr. Brantley, Ms.
Conner, Mrs. Kendrick, Mrs. Jan Jacobsen
2:15 – 2:30 Celebration Time: Sharing our cupcakes with the other third grade classes
2:30 – 3:30 Who sent the Cake? Science Mystery. Scientific Method & Experiment
Created by Science For Kids
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Who-Sent-the-Cake-Using-Science-to-Solve-a-Mystery-431770
Created by Science For Kids
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Who-Sent-the-Cake-Using-Science-to-Solve-a-Mystery-431770
Cupcake Wars: Day 3
Day 3: September 20th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Baking Cupcakes and Making Frosting – Preparing
for the day
9:30– 10:15 Tour of School Cafeteria to experience a large
kitchen and prep area.
Interview with Ms. Ross the cafeteria manager.
Edmodo question posted to forum.
10:15 – 10:45 Have your Cake and Eat it to Inferring Activity (Partner Activity-
Creativity Activity)
Created by Christina Bainbridge
Created by Christina Bainbridge
10:45 – 11:15 Recipes for Chocolates
http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/chocolate-decorations-for-desserts/
http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/chocolate-decorations-for-desserts/
Making Chocolates & Decorations
for Desserts – Record in Folder
Preparing for Guest Speaker:
Questions
11:15 – 12:15 Looking
through Cupcake Books, Creating your Advertisement for Cupcakery – On Manila
Paper http://goo.gl/04NAxF
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Cheryl ~
Smallcakes
2:00 – 3:00 Making
Chocolate Designs & Decorations, Decorating Cupcakes
Cupcake Wars: Day 2
The students were so excited to come to school and see that we were still doing the Cupcake Wars. They didn't want to go to specials. They wanted to get started with the day. So, that is exactly what we did. We got right to work! They pulled out their purple folders and we were off to the Selph'ish' Delights Bakery!
Day 2: September 13th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Literature: We started by reviewing the Bake Shop Ghost trailer on youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6OrSYgs7VQ
Then we actually read the book. In the book, the main character says she will only go away and stop haunting the bakery if the new baker can bake her a cake like she would make. So the students and I stopped here and we did a Design a Cake Activity. We shared our cakes and then we finished the book. It was a wonderful activity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6OrSYgs7VQ
9:45 – 10:45 Animoto: Cupcakes Video: I made some animoto videos to go with each day of our cupcake experience. I showed one each of the four days as a kind of agenda of all the exciting things that we had to look forward to for the day. The kids loved them! We even sent the invitations to the cupcake wars through animoto.
Record: Making
Frosting ~ Recipes into Notebooks
We looked at some simple frosting recipes on Wilton.com and added them to our purple folders.
We looked at some simple frosting recipes on Wilton.com and added them to our purple folders.
Introduction to Frosting Tips &
Designs
We then took a trip through all of the pictures I had collected of decorated cupcakes (there are millions out there). I choose pictures that would show how different cupcake tips were used and what our cupcakes might look like when we finish these activities.
10:45 – 11:45 Making & Baking Cupcakes & Frosting
Tips Activity
We then got into our groups and made cupcake batter and frosting. We also prepped the decorating bags with the four main types of decorating tips. We baked the cupcakes super fast in the Babycakes cupcake maker. The students loved using it because it was so fast. On average, it was nine minutes to a perfect cupcake.
We then got into our groups and made cupcake batter and frosting. We also prepped the decorating bags with the four main types of decorating tips. We baked the cupcakes super fast in the Babycakes cupcake maker. The students loved using it because it was so fast. On average, it was nine minutes to a perfect cupcake.
BabyCakes Cupcake Maker
11:45 – 12:15 Social Studies Lesson on Resources: Natural, Human, Capital, &
Entrepreneurship
I did a quick lesson on the three types of resources every entrepreneur has to be aware of in order to run a successful business. The students created questions that had to do with the three resources and entrepreneurship. Each student came up with two questions and wrote them on index cards.
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Wendy Wilson from
Wilson’s Bakery
2:00 – 3:00 Decorating Practice & Cupcake Decorating
We practiced decorating our cupcakes while we watched an episode of Cupcake Wars on youtube.
We practiced decorating our cupcakes while we watched an episode of Cupcake Wars on youtube.
The students had to reflect in their purple folders about something they already knew about cupcakes, something new they had learned, and something they were still hoping to learn. They then wrote about something they loved about Wendy Wilson's visit and made her thank you cards.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Cupcake Wars: Day 1
Cupcake Wars Day 1: September 6th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Introduction to Enrichment Days,
Pass Out Purple Folders~ Decorate Folders with Cupcake Art & Names
9:45 – 10:45: Literature: Froggy Bakes a Cake ~ Froggy makes a cake by himself. He uses the basic ingredients that most cakes are made from. This lower level story is fun and engaging. It also helps students recognize the basic ingregients that are used to make cakes.
Books that help us bake cakes: Introduce the 10 Recipe Books about Cupcakes
Reading Skills: Read a Basic Recipe
Record: Chocolate Cake Recipe in Purple Folder (Wilton.com)
Record: Vanilla Cake Recipe in Purple Folder (Wilton.com)
T-Chart comparison Recipe Books and Froggy Bakes a Cake
10:45 – 11:45 Comparison Activity: Box Cupcakes (Chocolate with vanilla frosting) & Bakery Cupcakes (Simply Cupcakes): Double Bubble Map & Opinion Paper
11:15 – 12:15 Cooking Safety: Cooking Safety Rules Chart
Cooking Safety: Tools Bakers Use
Video Trailer: The Bake Shop Ghost (youtube.com)
1:00 – 2:00 Measurement Practice: How many tsps? tbsps? Cups? Activity
2:00 – 3:00 Science Experiment: (Conduction, Convection, Radiation) Cake Baking in an Easy Bake Oven/Toaster Oven/Baby Cakes Cupcake Maker
3:00 – 3:30 Video: Cupcake Wars
Introduce Cupcake Wars Letter to Parents & Rubric for Cupcake Project
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Cupcake Wars: Guest Speakers
Part of Renzulli's ideology is that students learn best from first hand experience with the experts in the field of study. I happen to agree with this idea that we learn best when we have access to all the resources possible. With this in mind I contacted the local bakeries and cupcakeries to see if they would mind coming into the classroom and talking with the students or demonstrating some of the the techniques they use in their business.
The first Friday we didn't have a guest speaker. I concentrated on getting the students familiar with cupcakes, recipes, and tools for cooking.
The second Friday we had Wendy Wilson, the owner, from Wilson's Bakery.
1719 Watson Blvd, Warner Robins, GA(478) 922-9300
"For over 60 years, Wilson's Bakery in the Miller Hills shopping center on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins has provided generations of patrons with some of Middle Georgia's most renowned baked goods."
The third Friday we had Cheryl Kent, the owner, from Smallcakes.
206 Russell Parkway, Suite 200 Warner Robins, Georgia (478) 225-6418
https://www.facebook.com/Smallcakes.WR
The fourth Friday we had two of the staff members from Simply Cupcakes.
627 S Houston Lake Rd, Warner Robins, GA(478) 319-6891
http://www.wrcupcakes.com/index.html
The Questions that the students asked revolved around being entrepreneurship, skills, tools, and resources.
They had a great time asking questions and learning more about these small businesses and certainly learned a lot
about cupcakes.
The first Friday we didn't have a guest speaker. I concentrated on getting the students familiar with cupcakes, recipes, and tools for cooking.
The second Friday we had Wendy Wilson, the owner, from Wilson's Bakery.
1719 Watson Blvd, Warner Robins, GA(478) 922-9300
"For over 60 years, Wilson's Bakery in the Miller Hills shopping center on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins has provided generations of patrons with some of Middle Georgia's most renowned baked goods."
The third Friday we had Cheryl Kent, the owner, from Smallcakes.
206 Russell Parkway, Suite 200 Warner Robins, Georgia (478) 225-6418
https://www.facebook.com/Smallcakes.WR
The fourth Friday we had two of the staff members from Simply Cupcakes.
627 S Houston Lake Rd, Warner Robins, GA(478) 319-6891
http://www.wrcupcakes.com/index.html
The Questions that the students asked revolved around being entrepreneurship, skills, tools, and resources.
They had a great time asking questions and learning more about these small businesses and certainly learned a lot
about cupcakes.
Cupcake Wars: Creating the Plan
I started with a basic plan for what do I want the students to learn. How will I know when they have learned it? What things can I do to enrich the activities? What things will my students be able to do when they are done with the enrichment days? What final product will they create to show they have acquired some basic skills during the unit? Once I had some answers to these questions, it all just started to come together. This is what the plan looked like when I had put all the pieces in place.
Day 1: September 6th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Introduction to Enrichment Days,
Pass Out
Purple Folders~ Decorate Folders with Cupcake Art & Names
9:45 – 10:45: Literature: Froggy Bakes a Cake ~ Froggy makes a cake by himself. He uses the basic ingredients that most cakes are made from. This lower level story is fun and engaging. It also helps students recognize the basic ingregients that are used to make cakes.
Books that help us bake cakes: Introduce
the 10 Recipe Books about Cupcakes
Reading Skills: Read a Basic Recipe
Record: Chocolate
Cake Recipe in Purple Folder
Record:
Vanilla Cake Recipe in Purple Folder
Group
Venn diagram comparison Recipe Book and Froggy Bakes a Cake
10:45 – 11:45 Comparison Activity: Box Cupcakes (Chocolate with vanilla frosting) & Bakery Cupcakes (Simply Cupcakes): Double
Bubble Map & Opinion Paper
11:15 – 12:15 Cooking Safety: Cooking Safety Rules Chart
Cooking Safety: Tools Bakers Use
Video Trailer: The Bake Shop Ghost
1:00 – 2:00 Measurement
Practice: How many tsps? tbsps? Cups? Activity
2:00 – 3:00 Science Experiment: (Conduction, Convection, Radiation) Cake Baking in an Easy Bake
Oven/Toaster Oven/Baby Cakes Cupcake Maker
3:00 – 3:30 Video: Cupcake Wars
Introduce Cupcake Wars Letter to Parents &
Rubric for Cupcake Project
Day 2: September 13th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Literature: Bake Shop Ghost Reading and Design a Cake Activity/ Writing ~ Finish the Book
9:45 – 10:45 Animoto: Cupcakes Video
Record: Making
Frosting ~ Recipes into Notebooks
Introduction to Frosting Tips &
Designs (Article Review) – Record in
Notebook
10:45 – 11:45 Making & Baking Cupcakes & Frosting
Tips Activity
11:45 – 12:15 Social Studies Lesson on Resources: Natural, Human, Capital, &
Entrepreneurship
Create Questions to Ask the Guest Speaker that have to do with the three resources and entrepreneurship
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Wendy Wilson from
Wilson’s Bakery
2:00 – 3:00 Decorating Practice & Cupcake Decorating
3:00 -3:30 Clean Up & Ticket out the door writing assignment – In Notebook
Day 3: September 20th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Baking Cupcakes and Making Frosting – Preparing
for the day
9:30– 10:15 Tour of School Cafeteria to experience a large
kitchen and prep area.
Interview with Ms. Ross the cafeteria manager.
Edmodo question posted to forum.
10:15 – 10:45 Have your Cake and Eat it to Inferring Activity (Partner Activity-
Creativity Activity)
10:45 – 11:15 Recipes for Chocolates
Exploring the Website for The
Secret Chocolatier –
Making Chocolates & Decorations
for Desserts – Record in Folder
Preparing for Guest Speaker:
Questions
11:15 – 12:15 Looking
through Cupcake Books, Creating your Advertisement for Cupcakery – On Manila
Paper
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Cheryl ~
Smallcakes
2:00 – 3:00 Making
Chocolate Designs & Decorations, Decorating Cupcakes
3:00 -3:30 Writing
Assignment: Compare & Contrast Smallcakes & Wilson’s Bakery
Day 4: September 27th, 2013
8:45 – 9:45 Displays for the Cupcake Wars – Advertisement,
Recipe, Paragraph
9:45 – 10:15 Chromatopography Display
10:15 – 11:00 Writing
Assignment: Narrative/Informational on Cupcake Experience – Drafting Paper
11:00-– 11:45 LEAP
Time Activities: Math Games Bakery Style
11:45 – 12:15 Art Assignment: Cupcake Art – Manila
Paper
1:00 – 2:00 Guest Speaker: Bakery Owner ~ Simply Cupcakes ~ Ms. June
2:00 – 2:15 Cupcake War Guest Judges: Dr. Brantley, Ms.
Conner, Mrs. Kendrick, Mrs. Jan Jacobsen
2:15 – 2:30 Celebration Time: Sharing our cupcakes with the other third grade classes
2:30 – 3:30 Who sent the Cake? Science Mystery. Scientific Method & Experiment
Cupcake Wars: Planning Stages
I am currently doing a series of enrichment activities with my students. I have been learning a lot about Joe Renzulli and his School Wide Enrichment Model in my gifted classes. Since we only have one gifted classroom on each grade level this model isn't something that our school is picking up or developing. I have decided to try a few enrichment type classes with my students in order to see how it would work on a small scale. The drawback is that with the SEM the students get to choose based on their interests. This time we are doing one based on my interests. The only thing my principal asked me to do was to make sure that I could support my extension activity with the standards. It took some digging and some very thoughtful consideration to get all the pieces together in the manner that I wanted and still make it authentic and engaging for the students.
These are the standards that I decided to use to support my unit.
These are the standards that I decided to use to support my unit.
English/Language Arts:
ELACC3RL3
Key Ideas and Details:
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings)
and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
ELACC3RL10 Range of Reading
and Complexity of Text: 10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
ELACC3RI3 Key Ideas and
Details:
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific
ideas or
concepts, or steps in technical procedures
in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
ELACC3RI8 Integration of
Knowledge and Ideas: Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and
paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a
sequence).
ELACC3W2 Text Types and Purposes: Write
informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.
ELACC3W4 Production and Distribution of
Writing:
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development
and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
ELACC3W7 Research to Build and Present
Knowledge:
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
ELACC3L1 Conventions of
Standard English: Demonstrate command of
the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Mathematics
MCC3.NF.1
Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b
equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as
the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
MCC3.NF.3 Explain equivalence of fractions
in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size.
MCC3.MD.1 Tell and write time to the
nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes.
Physical
Science
S3P1. Students will investigate
how heat is produced and the effects of heating and cooling, and will
understand a change in temperature indicates a change in heat.
a. Categorize ways to produce
heat energy such as burning, rubbing (friction), and mixing one thing with
another.
b. Investigate how insulation
affects heating and cooling.
c. Investigate the transfer of
heat energy from the sun to various materials.
d. Use thermometers to measure
the changes in temperatures of water samples (hot, warm, cold) over time.
Economic
Understandings
SS3E1 The
student will describe the four types of productive resources:
a. Natural (land)
b. Human (labor)
c. Capital (capital goods)
d.
Entrepreneurship (used to create goods and services)
Websites:
Dates: September 6, 13, 20, 27
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Tic-Tac-Toe Boards, Menus, Choice Boards, and ILPs in the GTE Classroom
One of the hardest things about working with high achieving and gifted and talented students is making sure that you aren't giving them busy work just because they already know most, if not all, of the material. It can be a real catch-22 sometimes.
You have to know that they understand the material and the concepts. You also want to differentiate the material for their learning styles or even their interests. Many times I do this by offering the students a Tic-Tac-Toe choice board. Because whenever you offer your students choices, you are differentiating the process of learning and the product that will be produced. The means the students are leading their own learning and you are just providing the tools. You still have to be very careful about the assignments that are on the Tic-Tac-Toe. You have to make sure the choices will help the students have a deeper understanding of the standards you are teaching. If they are just going to know what they already know, then you aren't helping them grow. You really are providing busy work.
The easiest place to work with Tic-Tac-Toe boards is in the Science and Social Studies units. You can match each of the choices directly to the standards. You can offer a bit of extension on those standards. You can even choose a variety of activities to match students interests.
I have already used a TTT for Paul Revere, Adaptations, & Habitats so far this year. I am trying to use them only in one subject at a time. If I use it in Social Studies, I am using a menu in Science. If I am using it in Science I might be using an Individual Learning Plan for Social Studies. It just depends on how much I need to teach. If there is a lot of teaching, I am using an ILP. If there is just a bit of teaching I am probably using a menu. If there is practically no teaching, I am using a choice board. But be aware that if you use just the TTT over and over they can be tedious to the students. They many not offer the same choices or even be on the same material but the students begin to not like the TTT boards. That just means you have to change it up a bit! That is why I try to rotate which items I am using and offer the students lots of choices. It means a bit more work on my side at the beginning and in the grading, however, it benefits my students the most.
Example of Spelling Choice Board: These are choice boards. The students can choose any of the squares on the board. It does not have to be a tic-tac-toe. I have these categories set up in a 3 by 3 grid.
1. Word Scramblers: Have mom or dad take your words and scramble them up. See if you can solve them.
2. Secret Codes: Take 10 of your words and create a secret code to put them in. Write the words in the secret code and provide the key to your secret code.
3. Poetry writing: Take at least 8 of your words and use them in a poem. Make sure you write down the rhyming pattern of your poem.
4. Hangman: Play hangman with your parents using your spelling words. Ask them 10 of your words and have them ask you ten of them.
5. Student Choice with Teacher Approval
6. Word Origin: Look up the origin of 6 of your words. Where did it come from?
7. Crossword Puzzle: Create a crossword puzzle with 10 of your words.
8. Word Search: Create a word search on the computer with your words. Print it. Solve it!
9. Word Cubes: Make a word cube for 3 of your hardest words. It should include word, definition, etymology, part of speech, drawing, and use of the word in a sentence.
Example of a Menu:
Tier 2 (Choose 1) - Enrichment
1. Create a skit that illustrates the steps that the people in the United States use to nominate and elect its leaders. Explain how this process is similar and different than the processes.
2. Create a rap, a poem, or a song that describes what happens when societies are not allowed to choose their leaders. (Research countries like N. Korea, China, and Cuba)
Individual Learning Plan: When I have a lot of material to teach, I most often use an ILP. These come from Carolyn Coil and Pieces of Learning.
You have to know that they understand the material and the concepts. You also want to differentiate the material for their learning styles or even their interests. Many times I do this by offering the students a Tic-Tac-Toe choice board. Because whenever you offer your students choices, you are differentiating the process of learning and the product that will be produced. The means the students are leading their own learning and you are just providing the tools. You still have to be very careful about the assignments that are on the Tic-Tac-Toe. You have to make sure the choices will help the students have a deeper understanding of the standards you are teaching. If they are just going to know what they already know, then you aren't helping them grow. You really are providing busy work.
The easiest place to work with Tic-Tac-Toe boards is in the Science and Social Studies units. You can match each of the choices directly to the standards. You can offer a bit of extension on those standards. You can even choose a variety of activities to match students interests.
I have already used a TTT for Paul Revere, Adaptations, & Habitats so far this year. I am trying to use them only in one subject at a time. If I use it in Social Studies, I am using a menu in Science. If I am using it in Science I might be using an Individual Learning Plan for Social Studies. It just depends on how much I need to teach. If there is a lot of teaching, I am using an ILP. If there is just a bit of teaching I am probably using a menu. If there is practically no teaching, I am using a choice board. But be aware that if you use just the TTT over and over they can be tedious to the students. They many not offer the same choices or even be on the same material but the students begin to not like the TTT boards. That just means you have to change it up a bit! That is why I try to rotate which items I am using and offer the students lots of choices. It means a bit more work on my side at the beginning and in the grading, however, it benefits my students the most.
Example of Spelling Choice Board: These are choice boards. The students can choose any of the squares on the board. It does not have to be a tic-tac-toe. I have these categories set up in a 3 by 3 grid.
1. Word Scramblers: Have mom or dad take your words and scramble them up. See if you can solve them.
2. Secret Codes: Take 10 of your words and create a secret code to put them in. Write the words in the secret code and provide the key to your secret code.
3. Poetry writing: Take at least 8 of your words and use them in a poem. Make sure you write down the rhyming pattern of your poem.
4. Hangman: Play hangman with your parents using your spelling words. Ask them 10 of your words and have them ask you ten of them.
5. Student Choice with Teacher Approval
6. Word Origin: Look up the origin of 6 of your words. Where did it come from?
7. Crossword Puzzle: Create a crossword puzzle with 10 of your words.
8. Word Search: Create a word search on the computer with your words. Print it. Solve it!
9. Word Cubes: Make a word cube for 3 of your hardest words. It should include word, definition, etymology, part of speech, drawing, and use of the word in a sentence.
Example of a Menu:
Social Studies Unit 2
SS3H1 The student will explain the political roots of our
modern democracy in the U.S
a. Greek architecture, law, and Olympics
b. Ancient Athenian idea that the society should choose its own leaders
c. Compare and contrast Athens & US (direct and representative democracies)
a. Greek architecture, law, and Olympics
b. Ancient Athenian idea that the society should choose its own leaders
c. Compare and contrast Athens & US (direct and representative democracies)
Tier 1 (Choose 2) - Initial
1. Make a collage of famous American buildings that show the influence of Greek Architecture. Label the Greek features for each of the buildings. Your collage should contain at least ten different buildings.
2. Use a double bubble map to compare ancient Greek Olympics to the modern day Olympics. Make sure that your double bubble map has at least 3 defining characteristics in each area.
3. Create a Social Studies mini-book that will help explain the differences between direct and representative democracies to your classmates. This book should be at least 8 pages and include illustrations, diagrams, pictures, and thoughtful descriptions.
1. Make a collage of famous American buildings that show the influence of Greek Architecture. Label the Greek features for each of the buildings. Your collage should contain at least ten different buildings.
2. Use a double bubble map to compare ancient Greek Olympics to the modern day Olympics. Make sure that your double bubble map has at least 3 defining characteristics in each area.
3. Create a Social Studies mini-book that will help explain the differences between direct and representative democracies to your classmates. This book should be at least 8 pages and include illustrations, diagrams, pictures, and thoughtful descriptions.
Tier 2 (Choose 1) - Enrichment
1. Create a skit that illustrates the steps that the people in the United States use to nominate and elect its leaders. Explain how this process is similar and different than the processes.
2. Create a rap, a poem, or a song that describes what happens when societies are not allowed to choose their leaders. (Research countries like N. Korea, China, and Cuba)
Tier 3 (Choose 1)- Extension
1. Create a Powerpoint that compares the strengths and weaknesses of the government in Ancient Greece and the strengths and weaknesses of the United States government.
2. Write an informational blog that describes how the United States modeled our government after the Ancient Greek Government in Athens, Greece. Your paper must be at least one full page and include examples, details, and facts that support your thinking. Please no skipped lines.
Example Tic-Tac-Toe Board: This one was used for an end of the year review for the students. It helped them remember all the things that they had learned throughout the year. The activities were ones that were not offered during the units. 1. Create a Powerpoint that compares the strengths and weaknesses of the government in Ancient Greece and the strengths and weaknesses of the United States government.
2. Write an informational blog that describes how the United States modeled our government after the Ancient Greek Government in Athens, Greece. Your paper must be at least one full page and include examples, details, and facts that support your thinking. Please no skipped lines.
Tic –Tac – Toe
Select and complete
activities from the choice board in a tic-tac-toe design. When you complete the
activities in a row you may decide to be finished or you may decide to keep
going and complete more activities.
Starburst Rocks-
Create all three types of rocks using starburst candies. Take a picture
and record your observations in your science journal.
|
Habitats-
Using Powerpoint
design a Georgia habitat and all of the animals that live there.
|
Magnets-
Select 25
classroom objects and investigate how they react with magnets.
|
Pollution-
Create a
poster that advertises the three types of pollution and how we can help
prevent each type.
|
Heating/Cooling-
Describe the three
ways thermal energy moves. Draw a picture that illustrates each way.
|
Rocks & Fossils –
Illustrate how an
animal becomes a fossil.
|
Habits of Mind –
Create a
manual that explains the scientific method and tools scientist use.
|
Rock Cycle-
Diagram and Label
the Rock Cycle. Write a paragraph that describes how rock can change from one
type of rock to another.
|
Dependence-
Select 3 plants from
each region of Georgia: identify
features of green plants that allow them to live and thrive in different
regions of Georgia.
|
Individual Learning Plan: When I have a lot of material to teach, I most often use an ILP. These come from Carolyn Coil and Pieces of Learning.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Homework in the GTE Classroom
Homework... yes, that dreaded word. We hate it, the students hate it and the parents hate it too. It is made of two four letter words, so I guess it really should be considered a four letter word. :-)
I have done a couple of things to make this process easier for me this year.
#1 - I assign all homework on Monday. It is not due until Friday. This gives everyone time to get it done around all of the other activities that the students need to do during the week.
#2 - I don't grade math homework. I do check it to make the students are getting the concepts. It is for practice purposes. I pull strategy groups if I have a few struggling with the same concept.
#3- I do grade the spelling as a participation grade. Each spelling activity counts as 25 points for a possible 100 points.
#4- Science/ Social Studies is graded occasionally. It is usually end of lesson practice and we just go over it in class. Projects are sent home well in advance and guidelines and rubrics go with them.
Traditionally, students practice their spelling words in different fashions during the week and take a test on them on Friday. The work is repetitious and usually doesn't have them do anything exciting or interesting with the words. It is mainly just a time filler.
To make it a bit more interesting, I have created a tic-tac-toe choice board for the students to do with their spelling words. The students do one choice each day from Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday nights, they take a practice test.
1. Word Scramble with your words
2. Create Poetry with your words
3. Hangman with 10 of your words
4. Secret Codes with your words
5. Student Choice with teacher approval
6. Word Cube with 3 of your words
7. Etymology of 10 of your words
8. Crossword puzzle with 10 of your words
9. Word Search with all of your words
Homework is one of those things that can get away from you very easily. You spend time having to talk to parents about it more than anything else. You need to have a system that is easy for you to keep up with (grading) and easy for parents to understand.
I have done a couple of things to make this process easier for me this year.
#1 - I assign all homework on Monday. It is not due until Friday. This gives everyone time to get it done around all of the other activities that the students need to do during the week.
#2 - I don't grade math homework. I do check it to make the students are getting the concepts. It is for practice purposes. I pull strategy groups if I have a few struggling with the same concept.
#3- I do grade the spelling as a participation grade. Each spelling activity counts as 25 points for a possible 100 points.
#4- Science/ Social Studies is graded occasionally. It is usually end of lesson practice and we just go over it in class. Projects are sent home well in advance and guidelines and rubrics go with them.
Traditionally, students practice their spelling words in different fashions during the week and take a test on them on Friday. The work is repetitious and usually doesn't have them do anything exciting or interesting with the words. It is mainly just a time filler.
To make it a bit more interesting, I have created a tic-tac-toe choice board for the students to do with their spelling words. The students do one choice each day from Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday nights, they take a practice test.
1. Word Scramble with your words
2. Create Poetry with your words
3. Hangman with 10 of your words
4. Secret Codes with your words
5. Student Choice with teacher approval
6. Word Cube with 3 of your words
7. Etymology of 10 of your words
8. Crossword puzzle with 10 of your words
9. Word Search with all of your words
Homework is one of those things that can get away from you very easily. You spend time having to talk to parents about it more than anything else. You need to have a system that is easy for you to keep up with (grading) and easy for parents to understand.
Homework! Oh, Homework!
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fits.
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fits.
I'd rather take baths
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.
Homework! Oh, homework!
you're last on my list,
I simply can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!
you're last on my list,
I simply can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!
Jack Prelutsky
Boggle in the Classroom
As you may be aware of, my classroom has a 'game' theme this year. The behavior clip chart is one that I created using a UNO theme. I have the SET game and the Boggle game on another magnetic bulletin board. I have two chess boards out and we are learning to play 'pawn chess' right now. I also have backgammon available during the day for follow on. So, as you can see we are working on games that enhance our vocabulary skills, thinking skills, and problem-solving skills.
Pretty soon the kids were monitoring each other and explaining why the words would work or why they wouldn't work. I love it when they take over and I can just step back and watch and listen.
On my magnetic bulletin board I have Boggle. My plan is to switch the letters each week and have the kids do Boggle as one of their extension activities. This will help with some word building skills. I put it up two weeks ago and just casually mentioned it as a follow on activity. This past week, I moved the letters to the board and we worked through it together. I had the kids focus on making three letter words to start off. We talked about how the letters connect and how to make words on the board. The kids did a fabulous job making three letter words. They even managed to find quite a few four letter words. I had a few find five letter words even. Not bad for our very first time doing the activity. 
Pretty soon the kids were monitoring each other and explaining why the words would work or why they wouldn't work. I love it when they take over and I can just step back and watch and listen.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Word Ladders
One my of goals this year is to increase vocabulary skills in my classroom. I have noticed as I watch game shows like Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy that if you have a good grasp of vocabulary you are better at solving the clues. I also noticed that some of the most popular word games like Words with Friends and Word Drop are also influenced by a strong background with vocabulary.
More and more people are watching these shows and downloading these apps. I was thinking these games could help me increase vocabulary skills in the classroom, which will help improve reading levels and writing proficiency. So, while I am going to be including some of those games into my classroom. I am also going to work on other activities that build vocabulary.
One of these activities is the Word Ladder. If you have ever been to http://www.sporcle.com you will notice an abundance of word ladder quizzes. I think that is very interesting that even as adults we like word ladders. It made me go back and pull out my word ladder books from a few years back. You may be asking what is a word ladder. If you are really interested, here is the history of the word ladder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_ladder
The word ladder basically starts with one word and that word changes by one letter at a time to become a completely new word.
CORD --- CARD ---CARE ---FARE---FATE---RATE
There are many variations of the word ladder. When we do it in class, we use the Word Ladders published by Scholastic and developed by Timothy Rasinski. I think this is the one I am currently using. It is the 4th - 6th grade book.
http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/reading/fluency/daily-word-ladders-grades-4-6-mkt9765
You can get them in different grade level ranges. They are all excellent for building vocabulary skills.
More and more people are watching these shows and downloading these apps. I was thinking these games could help me increase vocabulary skills in the classroom, which will help improve reading levels and writing proficiency. So, while I am going to be including some of those games into my classroom. I am also going to work on other activities that build vocabulary.
One of these activities is the Word Ladder. If you have ever been to http://www.sporcle.com you will notice an abundance of word ladder quizzes. I think that is very interesting that even as adults we like word ladders. It made me go back and pull out my word ladder books from a few years back. You may be asking what is a word ladder. If you are really interested, here is the history of the word ladder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_ladder
The word ladder basically starts with one word and that word changes by one letter at a time to become a completely new word.
CORD --- CARD ---CARE ---FARE---FATE---RATE
There are many variations of the word ladder. When we do it in class, we use the Word Ladders published by Scholastic and developed by Timothy Rasinski. I think this is the one I am currently using. It is the 4th - 6th grade book.
http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/reading/fluency/daily-word-ladders-grades-4-6-mkt9765
You can get them in different grade level ranges. They are all excellent for building vocabulary skills.
You can also find some activities online for word ladders.
I use these as part of my morning work at least twice a week. It is helping the students look at words more critically and it is exposing them to new words they have never seen. It also helps them work with synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meaning words. I think it is a great addition to my morning work. I can't wait to see them use some of the words we are learning in their writing!
TGT
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