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

Dog vs Squirrel Math Game

Today my students were playing Dog vs Squirrel. They were working pretty quietly, considering it was a game, but then I heard them burst out in laughter. I started to get a little upset, thinking that they were playing around instead of working, but then realized someone had flipped over a squirrel and had to clear their board. The laughter was just them having fun, imagine that!

Dog vs Squirrel is a game in which students flip over cards to make addition and subtraction equations. The number cards are placed on the student's board and can be moved around until an equation is completed. At that point the equation is frozen. But students need to beware! If they flip over a squirrel then they need to clear their board. Once a squirrel has been found then it is removed from the game. Eventually, after all the squirrels have been taken out, the game can be completed without interruption.

What I like most about this game is that it challenges students to really think about the equations. For example, one student had made the equation 4 - 8 =. When I asked what number he was hoping to find in order to complete the equation, he realized that he had to switch the numbers around. Another student had worked to set up all of his equations, but hadn't realized that maybe some of those numbers could be used as the answer to the equations that he had on his board. Technically, he was probably using the better strategy by doing it his way, because none of his numbers were frozen.

Dog vs Squirrel is available at my teacher's store if you are interested. 

Dog vs Squirrel Math Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Dog-vs-Squirrel-Math-Game-1645519

Word Family Roll and Write

Today I needed a phonics activity for "au" and "aw," so I decided to use my Word Family Roll and Write activity. My students enjoy it, so I thought it would be perfect for our phonics practice. Since the packet didn't have these specific vowel teams I had to use the blank page.

I made the copies and forgot to write the word in the boxes ahead of time. This blunder ended up being a blessing. I had my students choose three "au" words and three "aw" words from our word sort page, which has the words we have been using this week. They wrote the words in pencil under the "read" column. Then I had them use a highlighter to write the words under the trace column. I told them that they had to write very neatly, because other students would be having to read their words. While my students were writing I passed out the dice.

Once students finished their writing I had them put their words in their plastic pockets (sheet protectors). They rolled their die, read the corresponding word, traced the word with whiteboard makers and then wrote the word again. As they finished with their page I had them trade pockets with someone else at their table group. It was a fun way for them to practice their words and kept them engaged. It also allowed me time to walk around the classroom and spot check students on the decoding of these words.

My Word Family Roll and Write is available for purchase if you are interested. It is actually a pretty extensive set. It includes 65 different word families and the blank pages. 

You can find this product at my TpT Store:

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Family-Roll-and-Write-1633200

 

Fun Learning with Splat Games

I received some positive feedback on one of my Splat Games today, and besides the fact that the feedback truly blessed my heart, it also reminded me of how much I like these games. It also prompted me to post a blog about these fun and interactive games.

Years ago, when I created the Splat Games, me and my husband would play them with our grandchildren. We always had a great time and laughed a lot! Having stronger reading skills then our grandchildren didn't ensure a win. We had to be quick on the Splats, which they were usually better at.

As I took these games into the classroom the Splat Games had the same effect on my students. They enjoyed playing the games and spent a lot time laughing. Even as they were having fun they still stayed focused on the words. They were learning without truly realizing that is what they were doing.

I have several Splat Games available at my teacher's store. I've included pictures of them and the links in case you are interested in checking them out.

Ending Blends "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ending-Blends-Splat-Phonics-Game-627198

ll & ck Ending "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ll-ck-Ending-Splat-Phonics-Game-627167

CVC "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/CVC-Splat-Phonics-Game-559974

CVCe "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/CVCe-Splat-Phonics-Game-560004

 Vowel Team "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vowel-Team-Splat-Phonics-Game-560113

Contraction "Splat" Phonics Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Contraction-Splat-Game-627220

Number Recognition "Splat" Game

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Number-Recognition-Splat-Game-565512

Magnetic Tape in the Classroom

The other day I pulled out some compound words that I've had for years. I usually put them in a pocket chart, but I have created so many of my own activities that I didn't really want to do that. Instead I decided that I would rather have them on my whiteboard. I wanted to be able to move them around and create the compound words with my students, so I attached some magnetic tape pieces to the back of the cards.

I love using this magnetic tape. I put it on the back of my smaller posters and it works great. I can move the posters over to revisit them without having to deal with the larger magnets. The magnetic pieces also allow me to store my posters without the bulk, so that I can use them again the following year. I purchased this roll of magnetic tape at Michael's Craft Store. They have a couple of different sizes. I think this large one was about $8.00, but I had a coupon, so I got it for a lot less.

This is what my compound word project looked like when I was done. It worked out well for what I wanted, but I don't think the tape works quite as well when the pieces are laminated. I have had a couple of cards come loose, but I was able to just push them back on.

I hope that you find this handy little tip helpful.

*Note: I did not create these compound words. I have had them so many years that I don't even remember where I got them from. I think that I got them from a friend. Sorry, I wish I had this resource available for you.

Anna Navarre's TpT Store 

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

Student Books with a Classic Story Plot

A couple of weeks ago I read The Three Little Pigs story from a classic fairy tale book that I have in my classroom. My students love these stories and are familiar with most of them, but after reading this story everyone seemed to have their own ideas for changing it. We decided that it would be fun to have everyone write their own version of The Three Little Pigs story. 

I already had the books ready to go. Some time ago I had a parent fold and staple three sheets of paper. These make great little books. I still had a class set left, so I pulled them out and everyone got right to work. Well almost, student actually created their organizer first. I wanted them to have a plan for their writing.

The assignment was that students were to create their own version of The Three Little Pigs. They could use whatever characters they wanted, but the plot had to basically be the same. They had to have a title, author/illustrator, and illustration for the front cover. They had to have a topic sentence page. They had to have a first, next, then and finally page. Then they had to have a concluding sentence page. The pages all had to have illustrations.

Students went to work on their books and took it very seriously. I gave them two writing times and then they continued with it on their own as they finished other work. The end result was amazing. I wish I could share them all with you. We had The Three Little Chicks, The Three Little Vampires, The Three Little Chinchillas, The Three Little Kittens, The Three Ponies, and many more.

These books are now displayed on the ledge of my classroom whiteboard and we have been reading each one. My students ask me to read the books as soon as we get to the carpet. As we go through them students are choosing to go back and add to their book. Some students only wrote their first name, so they want to add their last name. Some students are adding a synopsis to the back of their book. Some students are wanting to go back and add more writing or pictures. It is crazy the things that they are coming up with. They are already asking to write their next book. Amazing!!!

Please feel free to visit Anna Navarre's TpT Store.

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

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