Geometry Printable #1 & Giveaway

I’ve been focused on geometry in my classroom lately.  I have been trying to align curriculum with Common Core and I am ending up writing my own lessons.  For the next four Fridays, I am sharing some one page freebies I'm using to teach geometry to my fourth graders.

Geometry Printable #1 is called Odd One Out.  Click here for a Google Doc of the page below.

This page will give you two sessions of the activity.  I put my students in groups of three or four and gave them half of the printable above.  They needed to discuss which shape they would leave out of the group of four and justify their answers.  They listed the shape they left out and their reasons why on a sheet of notebook paper.  Then they discussed why another shape in the group might be the odd one out.

For example, in the group of quadrilaterals, a student might say that the rectangle is the odd one out because it is the only one that has right angles.

Students get to use their geometry vocabulary and reasoning skills in this activity. 


Update: these are available in my 22 page paid product at TPT and TN.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

I had this book on my list of must reads and then I watched one of my students devour it in a couple of days.
The author was a refugee from Viet Nam during the fall of Saigon.  She ends up in the deep south.  She describes her journey in a lyrical style that hooked me from the opening page.  My husband also read it cover to cover in about a day. (So it isn't just a girl's book.)

Thanhha Lai noticed that the generation of her family who grew up in America didn't understand this time period, so she recorded her experiences.  I would consider this an excellent read aloud.

For an explanation of my rating scale, click here

The Case of the Missing Snowman Revisited

 

"You build a snowman and come inside for some cocoa.  While you are warming up, you are looking out the window when you see your snowman come to life.  Write what happens next."

 

Last year, we were invited to decorate our doors as a contest and I had my students create snow people characters out of construction paper first.  Then I had them fill out the missing poster based on the character they created.  Here is what our display looked like:

 

We started with the prompt which led readers to study the Missing Posters.

This led to the door where the snow people were having a party.

I have no idea why one is sideways.

I had several students stop by and try to match the missing poster with the snowman in the scene.  The writing assignment and the interactive bulletin board were a hit.

Caution: the year I taught sixth grade, the snowmen became characters out of a horror movie.  I had to set strict limits on writing assignments for school.

To download The Case of the Missing Snowman at my Teachers pay Teachers Store, click here.

To download The Case of the Missing Snowman at my Teachers Notebook Store, click here.

Quote of the Week -- January 5, 2014

 

"The great end of education is to discipline rather than to furnish the mind; to train it to the use of its own powers rather than to fill it with the accumulation of others." -- Tyron Edwards

Artifact Analysis Form

 

I took this picture a couple of summers ago at the British Museum in London.  While we were there I observed school groups having their end of term trips.  I have to say I was a little jealous of the opportunities these schools have with all of the amazing museums to visit.

A little closer to home, my teammate has rented two trunks from the Museum of History and Industry (in Seattle) to share this year.  My students have had the chance to observe and handle artifacts from local Native American tribes and explorers without leaving our classroom.

I looked for some Artifact Analysis forms that my students could use to make detailed observations and inferences.  I combined some of the questions I found and made the boxes large enough for fourth grade handwriting.

Here is a Google Doc version of my Artifact Analysis form.  This could be used for trunks that you borrow or to study at an actual museum.

Happy 2014 -- It's January Currently

Hello all,
I'm enjoying a slow, quiet morning to start off 2014.  All too soon life will get busy again.

Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade is hosting her monthly blog party.  I'd love for you to join us.

 

Currently, I'm listening to the Oldies station.  They have a marathon of 500 songs A to Z.

I'm loving the time with friends we have spent this break.

I'm thinking about where I want to go for my walk today.  I've been walking every day of break and I want to keep it up into 2014.

I want and need nothing today.  I am so content with my life right now.

We have Christmas Eve at our house because that is when my stepdaughter is available.  It was a nice time with extended family.

 

So how about you?  What are you doing on this first day of 2014?

The Ordinary Boy Series by William Boniface

Imagine living in a town of superheroes and being the only one without any super powers.  Meet Ordinary Boy, the protagonist of this series by William Boniface.

I am constantly looking for books that encourage reluctant readers.  Superheroes are popular right now and my students can identify with trying to figure out their gifts and talents.

Click here for a related writing activity called Heroes and Villains.  Students create one of each and use them in their own story.

For an explanation of my rating scale, click here.