Phonics Learning Puzzles

Many years ago, too many to count, I made these puzzles to use as one of my center activities on the last day before winter break, which I have used ever since. We have a fun day with pizza, pajamas, and lots of fun activities, so these puzzles are perfect. I like that the students have fun, but still continue to learn with a festive twist.

I used a Christmas theme, but these puzzles could, of course, be done using any theme you want. They are super easy to make and very relaxing if you like to color. If you don't like to color or don't have the time then you could always give the job to someone else.

I believe when I made my puzzles I found a website that had Christmas coloring pages and then I just copied them onto cardstock. Sorry, but since it was so long ago, I no longer remember the website. I have also used pages from a coloring book, which are great for other themes such as superheroes and other trendy themes. The drawback is that they are double sided and the paper is much thinner. You could try to copy them, but sometimes the shading of the coloring book paper makes them difficult to photocopy.

After you copy and color your pages then you can write the words that you want to use on them. I recommend sticking to one word family per puzzle and writing the words with one colored marker. This makes it easier to sort the puzzles when the pieces get mixed up.

Once you have finished getting the puzzles ready you can laminate them for durability. Cut the puzzle up any way you want, but don't make the pieces too small. I think mine are about 9 or 10 pieces. You would think that this would be too easy, but since many kids today don't spend much time doing puzzles it can still be a challenge for younger students. As you finish cutting apart each puzzle you can store them in zip-loc bags. Then they are ready for students to use.

Students love to work together on these puzzles and focus on completing them, but it is easy for them to forget to read the words as they are putting the puzzle together and/or when the puzzle is finished. Fortunately, students want to share the puzzle with you, so this is a good time for you to have them read the words to you.

I hope that you enjoy this learning puzzle activity. 

Merry Christmas! Anna

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Christmas Tree Sight Word Swat

I pulled out this large math whiteboard this morning and decided to draw a Christmas tree and turn it into a fun game using sight words that some of my struggling students are still having trouble reading/spelling. It was a bigger hit than I thought.

I drew the tree and added the words. Then I pulled my students' number sticks and had them come up and swat the word that I called out. I had three mini fly swatters, so I actually had three students come up at a time. This was good for supporting students who didn't really know where the word was. I had enough words on the board to give everyone a chance.

After we finished swatting the words I decided to push the activity a little bit further and have students come up and circle a word that I called out. I gave my students a choice of colored markers and told them that we were making Christmas bulbs, even though some of the bulbs wouldn't actually be on the tree. They enjoyed this activity as well.

I had also planned to have students point to the words using a laser pen, but we ran out of time. I plan on doing it tomorrow along with some more swatting.

This was such a fun activity. It is amazing how random ideas can sometimes be some of the best ideas. 

I hope that you are planning some fun Christmas activities for your classroom. Here are some other ideas that you may enjoy. Click on the links to see these blog posts. 

Christmas Phonics Puzzles

Handprint Christma Wreath

Christmas Wreath Art

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Classroom Christmas Tree

One of my favorite things to do for my class before the winter break is to set my classroom up to look like a Christmas tree. My students go absolutely wild over the change in the classroom and it truly adds to the holiday spirit.

I cut a large star out of yellow construction paper and sprinkle it with glitter, which is really the only prep that needs to be done. The rest is just organizing the desks into a Christmas tree formation and then laying out the green and brown paper. The gift bags that I have on each desk makes it look like Christmas decorations on the tree. 

I've done this for several years. I would have shared the idea sooner, but I was never able to get all the desks to fit in the picture. My class size used to be much larger. This year I was able to get it done, at least well enough for you to get the idea.

I do this two other times during the year. I do it at Halloween time when I turn my classroom desks into a large pumpkin. I also do it on Valentine's Day when I use the desks to form one really large heart. I've thought about doing it for St. Patrick's Day, but that is beyond my creative abilities. Anyways, I hope that you like the idea. I guarantee if you try this your students will LOVE  IT!

Merry Christmas!
Anna

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Native American Rice (Clay Pot) Art Project

This Native American Rice (Clay Pot) art project is a November project that we have done at my school for many years, probably for as long as I have been teaching. I'm not sure which one of my teacher friends came up with the idea, but I imagine it was Mrs. Reyes (the crafty one).

I love using this project as a way of helping students relate to the Native American way of life. I'm not sure what it is, but it just does for some reason. We of course read several books about the pilgrims and Native Americans during this time of the year, so I guess this helps, but anyways I love this project. It is a bit messy, with rice pieces landing on the floor, but it is worth it. I think when I taught kindergarten we did this as an outside center, but I'm in California so we can still get away with this in November most times.


Here is how I do this project. First, I get the rice ready. This is super easy. You just need white rice, food coloring, rubbing alcohol, a bowl (I like using a metal bowl), a spoon and zip-loc bags.

Place some rice in a large bowl. I used about a pound and a half (3/4 of a two pound bag). Then add about 10 large drops of food coloring. Next add about a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. I don't actually measure. I just pour a little in the bowl and start mixing. If I need more color or alcohol I just add more. You just don't want to soak your rice. If you are doing it correctly it will dry almost immediately. Store your rice in zip-loc bags.Be careful when using the bowl for the next color. You will either need to clean the bowl or use colors that won't change the color you want.

Next you will want to make your clay pot pattern. Use a sharpie or black marker to draw a clay pot on a sheet of copy paper. This will be your master copy. You don't want to draw them all by hand unless you are only going to be doing one or two, or if you want them all to be different, which older students would be able to do. After you have drawn your clay pot make copies. The sample shown has been cut down to 8 1/2 X 11 in order to match it to a standard sheet of copy paper, but you could also make smaller versions if you wanted.
Provide students with a copy of their clay pot and have them write their names on back. They will also need a bottle of glue and small cups or bowls of rice. It works well to put out enough for a group and let them share.

Have students squeeze glue onto one section of the clay pot and then add the rice. Putting glue in a small container and using a cotton swab to spread the glue is another option, but the rice won't stick very well unless enough glue is applied. I think when we did this in kindergarten it was the parent helpers who put the glue on for the students.

After the glue is in place, students can then take pinches of rice with their fingers and place the rice onto their clay pot. They continue the process, alternating colors, until their pot is complete.

Once students are done with their clay pot it will need to sit for awhile to dry. After it has dried the clay pots will need to be turned over a tub or trash can, so that the loose pieces of rice don't end up on the floor.    

I did this as a whole class activity yesterday and it it worked out great.  My students worked quietly and took the project very seriously. They finished at different times, which worked out well for the clean up. I was able to hang the pots up before class. My students were excited to see their work.

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The Big Pumpkin

 I'm not sure if this pumpkin looks as big in a picture as it actually is in real life, but it is big. I should have taken a picture of it along side a regular pumpkin, but I didn't. I know that the construction paper measures 12 x 18, if that helps.

My friend Janet, who is now a retired teacher, has been wonderful enough to bring in these very large pumpkins for my class to enjoy for the past several years. She actually gets them from a pumpkin patch called, Bates Nut Farm, which is in Valley Center, CA.

My students had worked with smaller pumpkins for the first part of the day. Then I had them estimate how much they thought the large pumpkin weighed. I also had them decide whether they thought it would have more or less seeds than the smaller ones that they worked with.


Students then got to approach the pumpkin one at a time. They lifted the sheet of paper and peeked inside to see the seeds. They had to then decide if they wanted to keep or change their original thought about there being more or less seeds than the smaller pumpkins. It was amazing to see how patient each child was to have their turn at a peek inside the pumpkin.




After they all had a chance to peek inside the pumpkin, I had several students volunteer to once again approach the seedy mush to count the seeds. These seeds were much larger than the seeds in the smaller pumpkins. The smaller pumpkins that we used had 500-550 seeds,

How many seeds do you think this pumpkin had? Do you think it had more or less seeds than the smaller ones? How much do you think it weighed? Well, you are at a bit of a disadvantage since you can't actually see the pumpkin, so just take a guess.

Yes, the actual weight of the pumpkin was 103 pounds. There were 600 seeds, which was more than the smaller pumpkins. This was kind of surprising to me, because it is usually the other way around. In years past our smaller pumpkins have had more seeds than the larger one. 

Well, it was a lot of fun and I'm glad that my class enjoyed our Pumpkin Day along with the big and small pumpkins.

HAPPY PUMPKIN DAY!

Pumpkin Math Activities

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Apple Star

This week my class learned about apples. We learned how they grow and the parts of an apple. We read some books, watched the Johnny Apple Seed video on Brainpop Jr., graphed apples, read an apple poem, did some activity pages, and did an apple art project.

Of all of the activities we did, one of the class favorites was the story, The Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside. Have you ever heard it before? Well, don't feel bad if you haven't. I only heard about it last year. This is the reason I am sharing this post.

The story is a very cute story about a boy who is tired of playing with his toys and is bored. He asks his mom what he should do and she sends him out to look for the house with no doors or windows and with a star inside. At the end of the story, you cut the apple and allow the students to see the star inside.

Here are a couple of links where you can find the story.
http://www.tooter4kids.com/Apples/Apple_Story.htm

https://www.ncagr.gov/agscool/commodities/redhouse.htm

You could of course always show the apple star without the story. My students usually go home and ask their parents to cut an apple so that they can show them the star.

Before you do this activity you, of course, need an apple. Any apple will do, but if I am reading the red apple story I make sure to purchase a red apple.



Don't forget the knife and a cutting board. I actually forgot the knife, because I was using the apple slicer for our apple tasting. Fortunately, my daughter works at my school, so she was able to bring me one.

Cut the apple on its side, which is an important tip to know. You won't see the star if you cut it the other way.



When I cut the apple in class I actually used a large cutting board, which I had placed on my lap. This allowed for everyone to see as I cut the apple.

My students were really excited to see the star. Some of my students were actually surprised by it because they had never seen it before.

After we saw the star, we went back and talked about the parts of an apple and discussed the apple in a more science-based way, but the story was a fun way to get students interested in learning more.

One of the resources that I used in my classroom to help my students learn about apples is my Apples, Apples, Apples packet. Here is the link if you are interested:

Apples, Apples, Apples

You might also be interested in my YouTube video. It is an adapted version of the apple story, "The Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside." Click the Link to view. 

The Little Red House

Using Data to Tell How Many More or Less

Using data to tell how many more or fewer (less) in a category is a common core standard for my first grade students. Even though I found some practice pages in our math workbook, it wasn't enough. I really needed more. I wanted additional pages, not just for classwork, but also for homework. 

Since I needed some extra practice sheets I created a packet and also a video that I posted to YouTube. In both of these resource I use a matching and circling strategy. I like having my students do this. They match the items in each category and then circle the extra. I found that this is a good strategy for helping students understand what I mean when I was ask for how many more or how many fewer. They can see that I am really asking for the difference between the two. For some reason this concept is really hard for them. They can tell that one category has more or less than the other, but they have a difficult time with the idea of comparing the two in order to answer the question of how many more or how many fewer. 

I think that students really begin to understand this as they continue to develop their number sense, so long term it probably isn't a concern, but since my students need to have this for their unit test I wanted to give them a helping hand and additional practice.

Besides using the practice pages and the video I also used manipulative in order for students to see how the items in each category could be matched. You can see my blog on Creating Story Problems for more information on how I did this. 

Here are the  links to the resources that I have talked about in case you are interested.   

Using Data to Tell How Many More or Less in a Category - Practice pages

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Using-Data-to-Tell-How-Many-More-or-Less-2092632

Using Data YouTube Video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0DEO8Nf-Es&feature=share

Creating Story Word Problems

http://anavarresteacherblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/creating-story-word-problems.html

Creating Story Word Problems

This week as part of my math centers I had my students work on story problems using dinosaurs. I wanted my students to have some hands on experience in creating their own story problems before I asked them to solve written word problems. I knew they needed this in order to really understand what a word problem is, so I got a little creative. I put a blank sheet of paper (green cardstock) in a sheet protector. Then I set out a tub of dinosaurs and some whiteboard markers. I asked students to draw their dinosaur environment/scenery and then create a story problem to go with it.

My students loved this. Some students seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much and were taking a little too long to draw their picture and/or to pick out their dinosaurs, but when I checked on them, they were doing these tasks with a purpose. They wanted specific things in their picture and they wanted specific dinosaurs for their story problem. They really took it seriously.

When I first introduced this activity I really only gave one example. It was very simple. Example: There were 6 dinosaurs in the grass and 3 more joined them. Now there are 9 dinosaurs. As I went around to have students tell me their story problems they were using the word "joined.". They also began trying to write out their story problem or were trying to set up their equation.  I even had one student ask if they could do a subtraction problem.

This very simple activity was really worth the time. I'm going to use it again next week, but this time I am going to have student use comparison word problems. Example: There are 8 red dinosaurs and 2 black ones. There are 6 more red than black and there are 6 fewer black than red.

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Barn Animal Phonics

I was going through some of my resources the other day and I pulled out this Barn Animal Phonics activity. It is a little too early in the year for me to use it with my first graders, but it is one of my favorite review activities.

Students read the animal cards and put them in the barn if they can read the words or in the pasture if they can't. The set includes CVC, ll, ck, CVCe, and vowel team words. I like using it as a review activity because of the various phonics rules. It also works well for providing differentiation for students who are already reading. This activity is a good way for students to practice words and to help strengthen their overall reading fluency. 

I like using this set as a center activity. There are five different types of animal cards. I make two sets of each. I keep each set of cards in a plastic bag. Having the extra cards at the center gives students enough choices, so they are able to keep busy without having to wait on others. I encourage students to partner up with someone (a stronger reader) if they need support with some of the harder words. 

Another way I like using this activity is a resource for struggling readers. It is a good way for students to practice and help monitor their own progress. They can see how many more words are going in the barn vs the pasture as they learn to read the words. 

You can purchase this product and my TpT Store if you are interested. Here is the link:

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Desk Decorum

At the end of the first day of school, some of my students already had messy desks. I teach first grade, so my students have never had to be responsible for keeping their desks orderly before. I'm not quite sure that some students even know what this means. In order to help make my point a little more clear, I decided to take some pictures of some examples.

I first showed my class this student's desk and talked about this being pretty good, but that the bag of counting cubes could be placed in the pencil box. 

I then showed them this picture and asked my students what they thought about this one. They agreed that it was pretty organized. 

Next, I showed this picture. We again discussed what students thought about this desk and how it could be more organized. 

Lastly, I showed this picture in which we again discussed how this student's desk could be more organized. 

I didn't mention any names as I showed the pictures, and it wasn't done to make anyone feel bad, it was just a good way to help students realize what is being expected of them. One problem with the two unorganized desks would seem to be the lack of a

pencil box, everyone has one now, but that doesn't mean that things always get put back in the boxes, so the pictures are still helpful.

After showing students the pictures I gave them a couple minutes to make sure that their desk decorum was up to par, or basically that things weren't falling out of their desks. Then I introduced the idea of the Desk Fairy. I let them know that the Desk Fairy would be checking to make sure that they were keeping their desks organized. If the desks were not nice and neat then the Desk Fairy would be leaving a card on their desk as a reminder. 

This was just one of those Back to School lessons that needs to be done, but it was actually very helpful. I'v included the link to my Desk Fairy Freebie Cards if you are interested. I have found them to be a useful tool. 

FREEBIE! Desk Fairy - Clean Your Desk Notice

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Freebie-Desk-Fairy-Clean-Your-Desk-Notice-1955840

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Number Talks

Over the last few years, number talks, also known as math talks, have become an important part of our math program within my district. The emphasis has been placed on students being able to "think" about math and be able to explain this thinking. For first grade, I can say that in a way, number talks have always been the emphasis. You need to talk through everything to help these young learners begin to develop number sense. The difference between what I have done in the past and what I do today, is that before I was doing most of the talking and explaining. Now, students are doing more of that.

Number talks encourage all students to be active as a problem is presented. All students should be thinking about the problem and trying to mentally solve it. As students come up with the solution they indicate that they are ready by showing a thumbs up, which is held in front of their chest. After students have had some time to solve the problem students share how they came up with the solution. The teacher (or student) records the process on the board, clarifying as necessary, so that everyone can see how the problem was solved and the strategy that was used. The teacher continues to have other students share the different ways that they solved the problem. This allows students to see that there is more than one way to solve the problem. It gives them a better sense of how the numbers can be manipulated. Number talks are not meant to be a long lesson. They are short 8-10 minute talks that are intended to help students learn to manipulate numbers, learn more strategies, and build their overall fluency.

As I was visiting a website that was sent out by my district I came across a Number Talks Youtube video by Jo Boaler. It is a good video to help both teachers and parents understand how number talks work, not just how they are done, but the overall benefit and importance of the process and the effect.

Here is the link if you would like to check it out: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXNG6GKFhQM&list=PLE38FCD0E140F5113&index=10

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Benefits of Bedtime Reading

I just read an article, Bedtime Stories for Young Brains, by Perri Klass, M.D. There were some things that really stuck out to me, even though I was aware of the benefits of bedtime stories, this perspective made me stop and think about it a little more.

Yes, so we all know that spending time with our children and reading to them is a nice and lovely thing to do. It is a special time to enjoy with our children and to show them how much we love them. We also know that it is a good way for children to see patterns and learn sight words, but there is more to it than that. When kids hear a story they are able to mentally picture these images through their “mind’s eye.” The practice of developing these visual images will help them later to become better readers and to develop the comprehension that goes with it.

I have a book of fairy tales in my classroom. It is a book that my husband gave me when I first started teaching. Every class that I have ever had has loved when I read from this book. It doesn’t have many pictures, and I don’t show the pictures until after I have read the page. My students always try to sneak a peek, but I encourage them to use their imagination first. This book is a great way for students to begin using their visual imagination.

Besides spending precious time with our children at bedtime, and helping them strengthen their visual imagery, there is an additional benefit to reading with our children. This is the benefit of building vocabulary. As a teacher I definitely have seen the benefits of this. The books that we read in class provide students with exposure to words that don’t normally come up in everyday conversation… that is until we have read/heard it from a book and discussed it. Students initially overuse the words and not always in the correct context, but eventually many of these words become part of their verbal/written vocabulary.

When my children were young they often had other kids comment on their vocabulary. It was hard for my husband and I to understand why this was, it was just the way we spoke. Now that I have grand kids, I’m able to see it much more clearly. My grand kids use vocabulary that sometimes surprises me, and they use it naturally. Since a very young age, my granddaughter has used the word, “adorable,” to comment on cute puppies and babies. It isn’t that we spend time drilling our grand kids on vocabulary; it is just what they have been exposed to through books, conversations, and experiences.

With the school year beginning and many of my first graders not yet being readers, I definitely want to remind my families of the importance of spending time reading together. There are just so many benefits to it. 

If you are interested in reading the article, Bedtime Stories for Young Brains,you can click on the link.   Bedtime Stories Link 

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Teaching Inference

Teaching inferencing to young readers can be difficult, yet as students are being asked to read at higher levels, the teaching of inferencing becomes greater. Students need to have inferencing in order to help with the comprehension of  these higher level books.

The major obstacle with inferencing is that young readers just don’t have enough life experience (background knowledge). In order to help them with this we need to help them learn how to use clues from the text along with what they know about a situation to help them understand how to pick up on inferences.  

As young readers are reading books or as we read to them, it is common for us to focus on the retelling of a story and making prediction. Very little time, if any, is spent on making inferences. You may even be unclear about what the differences are between predictions and inferences. Maybe this will help to clear it up.  

Inferences and Predictions: In both inferences and predictions you use the text to support your ideas. You also use your background knowledge (life experiences) to help support these ideas.

Prediction: A prediction is a guess about what we think will happen in the future. It is almost always confirmed.

Inference: An inference is made about things that have happened in the past or at the current time. Inferences are rarely confirmed, but they are logical based on what we have learned (text) and what we know (background knowledge). 

It really doesn’t take a lot of explaining, but it does take practice to really begin to understand what an inference is. The first step is to be conscious of the need for it. As you read with your students either whole class or in a group, be sure to take the time for students to make inferences. I like to support my students in this way, but I also like to have something that holds them a little more accountable than just a partner share. This was one of my main reasons for created a Daily Inference booklet. It is a resource that I have made available at my TpT Store if you are interested in checking it out.

Daily Inference Book

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Inference-Book-1924917

Science Readers

It is difficult to find science readers for the primary grades. Usually, the text in the books is either too hard or too easy. I always seem to make it work by either summarizing the text or supplementing during our discussion, but I needed something more. 

In order to help meet my need, and hopefully the needs of others, I made my own readers. The text is still a little challenging, but I wanted the books to have sufficient content for my first graders. I still provide more information as we go through the pages, but the books provide enough information that students can continue to refer back to them to remember what they have learned.

One thing that I have found with readers is that anytime my students have their own personal reader, they always seem to learn the words or at least remember what the pages say. As they revisit the books over and over (independently, with a partner, or with family) they become more proficient with the words in the book. Even my non-reading students seem to gain confidence in reading these books.

The science readers include sample discussion ideas for the teacher. The books vary in length but are about 7-10 pages. There are two copies per page, which makes printing and assembling the books easy. 

I have made these science readers available at my TpT Store. I've included the links below if you are interested in them. The books are available individually or as a bundle. I also have a YouTube video for the bat reader if you would like to check that out. 

Science Reader - Animal Habitats

Science Reader - Bats

Science Reader - Bats Video

Science Reader - Earth

Science Reader - Plants

Science Reader - Spiders

Father's Day Gift Idea

This is a Father's Day gift idea that I used with my class this year. It might not be something that you want to do for your whole class, but you might want the idea for your family. I actually ended up having my grandchildren do one for their dads as well. Anyways, I thought I would share the idea with you in case you were looking for something different.

I used the Wordle website to create the actual picture. Wordle is a website that allows you to enter words and then it mixes them up for you to create neat projects. Creating projects on Wordle may not be unique to you, but if it is you might want to check out the website when you get a chance. I like using it for word families and sight words.

When I first came up with this idea I realized that my problem was finding a way for my students to communicate to me the words that they wanted to use to describe their dads. I also wanted to provide them with a variety of choices/vocabulary. In order to accomplish this I created a page in which we were able to go through the words together and students were able to highlight the words that best described their dads. This was pretty fun. My students took this job very seriously.

Once I had the words I was able to enter them into the Wordle program and create the page. Students helped to choose the layout, font, and color. I then put the pages in a frame.

If you are interested in more complete instructions on how to do this project I have made them available along with the student pages as a "Freebie" on my TpT Store.

Father's Day Gift Idea - Freebie!

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I Spy Fruity Addition

My class enjoys playing the I Spy Fruity Addition game. I usually have them play in small groups of about 5-6 students, but this week they played the game with a partner. It is funny how they make themselves so comfortable as they play this game.

This game is a fun and easy way for students to practice their addition facts to 20. It can actually be used for subtraction as well as long as students understand that they need to subtract the lower number from the larger number.

The game is played by having students find the combination of cards that equal the sum that another player calls out. The game is very easy to prep and play. The students seem to get the hang of it quickly and work to challenge each other.

The thing I like most about this game is that it is a good brain break activity. There are days when my students are tired of listening/sitting and need to be involved in something more interactive. I have four sets of cards prepped and bagged (not laminated). I divide the class into four groups, give each group a set of cards, and let them play. I gave instructions of how to play the game the first 1-2 times, but after that they were on their own. It does get a little loud, but students are on task, learning, and having fun.

  

The I Spy Fruity Addition Game is available at my TpT Store if you are interested.

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Yea!!! It's Experiment Day

 In a few days my class will be starting our ABC Countdown, which is the last 26 days of school. It is hard to believe. This year has gone so fast. The ABC Countdown is an idea our first grade team got a few years ago from a fellow teacher. She had gotten the idea from another teacher. Anyways, what I am saying is that I can't take credit for it, or even give proper credit, but I am very thankful for the idea.

One of the days is of course, "E" Day. It is our Experiment Day, and it is the #1 best day of the whole countdown. My students always love this day and so do I. We have lots of fun and lots of learning is being done. It is so hands on and everyone is engaged.

I've always had a time of the year when I do science experiments, but I used to take a week or two. Now, with this ABC Countdown, I do it all in one day. It is a lot! In order to get this done I have to start gathering up everything that I will need ahead of time, which is why this is on my mind right now. Most of the supplies I already have, so I don't usually need to purchase too much, but I'm double checking to be sure.

A couple of years ago I put together a Science Experiment Day packet with my favorite experiments. This made it easier for me to get everything together without having to put too much thought into which experiments I wanted to do and what materials I would need. I also included the actual experiments, so that they could be projected in order for my class to make predictions and to allow us to have class discussions. I then wanted to have my students do the experiments and record their findings in a science journal. I've included all of these pieces in my first packet and then because I love doing science experiments I created a Science Experiment Day #2 packet. Both are available at my TpT store if you are interested.

Science Experiment Day #1

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-Experiment-Day-1245181

 Science Experiment Day #2

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Science-Experiment-Day-2-1520756

Insect Exploration Table

It is insect time! I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to fit this unit into my schedule this year, which would have been disappointing. My students always enjoy it, especially since I bring in live critters. Although, I did conserve in this area a bit this year.

One thing that I do when I teach insects is to have my exploration table set up. This year the only live critters I have are crickets and ladybugs. I usually include meal worms and then I normally borrow ants and butterflies from my friend, but she has retired, so I don't have those this year. Along with the live insects, I have insect cards, books, puzzles, plastic insects, insects encased in glass, and other activities. I like to give my students a chance to visit this area everyday, even if it is only for 5 minutes. It is fun to listen to them as they make their observations and do the activities.

We have 1-1 iPads in our classroom and our research project for the next couple of weeks is insects. Bringing the realia into the classroom really helps to build the students' interest and to direct their research. Besides using the exploration table my students use books, videos, Brainpop Jr. and information they have learned from class for their research. They also use my classroom webpage. They do this by clicking on appropriate links that I have set up for them.

I must admit setting up an exploration table in the classroom does take some work, but after I get it all set up I always feel that it is worth it. 

Please feel free to visit Anna Navarre's TpT Store

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Anna-Navarre