Quote of the Week -- January 31, 2016

"You can never fail until you stop trying."
~Albert Einstein

Happy Friday,

Groundhog Predictions 2016

Next Tuesday is Groundhog Day and I wanted to share my Groundhog Predictions freebie.  Students make predictions and track the weather for six weeks from Groundhog Day to the First Day of Spring.  Students practice finding average temperatures for a week and creating a bar graph to display the information.

When I created Groundhog Predictions, I included a data collection page for Leap Year.  If your class is participating, you will need that page this year.

Groundhog Predictions is available for free in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Groundhog Predictions is also available in my Teacher's Notebook store.

Happy Friday!

 

Creature Features by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

If you are studying adaptations in animals, you have to get Creature Features by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.  Even if you aren't teaching a formal unit, your students will love this book.  Twenty-five animals describe their features and how they function in their environment.

To create mini animal reports, download my free trading card template here.  Each page makes six fact cards that may be glued to index cards for the illustrations.



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Historical Fiction for Upper Elementary

I read and review a book a week on this blog.  Currently I am creating book lists by genre so that teachers can find a list of resources I have read and reviewed.  This week I wanted to share some historical fiction books I enjoyed reading. If you have suggestions for me of books to read, please recommend them in the comments.

Note: I created a separate list for teaching early American history. You can read that post by clicking here.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

Hard Gold by Avi

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

The Secret School by Avi

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

Boston Jane by Jennifer L. Holm

Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus

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Quote of the Week -- January 24, 2016

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
~Mark Twain

Have a good week,

Favorite Lunch Graph

Most upper elementary students enjoy collecting data from their classmates and displaying that information in a graph or chart.  Here is a data collection activity where students survey their classmates about their favorite lunch and then create a bar graph with that information.

Students could use these forms to collect data in other classrooms and compare results.

To download the free printable forms for this activity, please visit my Google Drive here.

Happy Friday!

Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin

On Monday, I shared the value of having a buddy class.
Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin is about fears and the stories we tell ourselves about them.  I developed a buddy activity called Our Childhood Fears.

First the older students complete a page of the class book.

The next day, they older students help the younger students complete their page of the book.  I emphasize empathy with the older students.  I want them to remember what it was like to be a younger child and appreciate the fears that a younger child might have.


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Teaching Empathy with a Buddy Class

For the first half of my career I taught in the primary grades.  (Here in Washington State that means kindergarten through third grade.)  Some years we had a buddy class in the fourth, fifth or sixth grades.

One year there was a fifth grader who struggled at recess, so he became our permanent buddy during our station times.  He bonded with one of my first graders and time in our class kept both students calm.

Later I moved to fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.  I loved the independence of the older students, but I missed the constant light bulb moments of the younger students.  I made it a point to adopt a younger buddy class.  

I would teach the older class the lesson and have each student teach the same lesson to their younger buddy.  Only occasionally did I have an older student struggle to be a good role model in this setting.  (I'm talking three times in sixteen years.)  Usually the older child would remember what it was like to be younger and behave appropriately.

Quote of the Week -- January 17, 2016

"Don't count the things you do, do the things that count."
~Zig Ziglar

Have a good week,

Collecting Evidence to Support an Opinion

I have several activities where I want students to state an opinion and then collect evidence that supports their opinion from the texts they read.  I started with The Series of Unfortunate Events with the statement Count Olaf is evil.

Later I created this graphic organizer shown below.  To save copy paper, I can use plastic protectors, or teach students to create this organizer on notebook paper.  Next students can use what they have recorded in paragraph form.

To download Collecting Evidence organizer shown above, please click here.

Happy Friday!

A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz

A Boy and a Jaguar is a picture book that speaks to all ages.  Alan Rabinowitz stuttered as a child.  In his words he felt broken.  This autobiographical account explains how he found his passion and an ability to speak publicly.  (I needed tissue at the end.)



Me...Jane is another book about someone with a passion for animals: Dr. Jane Goodall.  Students could read both books and use the graphic organizer shown below to compare and contrast the two people.

 Click here for the free printable box and t-chart graphic organizer.
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I'm Back

Just a quick post to say that after an extended break I decided to go back to teaching.  I missed my colleagues, and I missed the students.  I had a chance to work in a different industry and gain perspective.

I am currently a substitute teacher in my former district.  Since we have a shortage of substitute teachers, I know I will work every day from now to the end of the year.

Quote of the Week -- January 10, 2016

"Most of us ask for advice when we know the answer but we want a different one." 
~ Ivern Ball

Have a good week,

What Will You Be Famous For? Writing Prompt

If everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame, what will you be famous for?

To download this free printable, click here.

Happy Friday!

The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma by Diane Fox

If you are studying fairy tales or fractured fairy tales, you may enjoy this book with your students.  The Cat, the Dog, Little Red, the Exploding Eggs, the Wolf, and Grandma is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.  Cat is trying to tell the story and Dog keeps interrupting.

If your students need practice writing dialogue, here is a one-page activity that may be used with this story.  To download Cat and Dog Conversation, please click here.


 
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Quote of the Week -- January 3, 2016

"The world will never be changed by the things you are going to later."
~Jon Acuff

Have a good week,

Four Ways to Solve a Conflict

I find that teaching directly some skills for resolving conflict help the learning climate in my classroom.  Most solutions fit into four categories: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive.  I want my students to learn to be assertive: telling the truth respectfully.

This is a printable copy of a larger anchor chart I create when teaching problem-solving skills in an upper elementary class.  I refer to this chart when discussing hypothetical situations and possible solutions.  I want students to realize that they have control over their responses to conflict and that some responses will be more effective than others.

To download Four Ways to Resolve Conflict, please click here.

Happy Friday!