Timeline of Scientific Discoveries of the Solar System

In Virginia, we learn about how our understanding of the Solar System has changed immensely over the years.  We also focus on the scientists that made the discoveries that made those changes possible.

In this activity, students cut and glue the pictures and descriptions of the discoveries of Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Galileo in order to create a timeline. This is great for interactive notebooks!  You can pick up your copy at my TpT store by clicking here. 

Do you do any similar activities?  Do you use interactive notebooks in science?  I'd love to hear more!

Santa Research

I read the "Yes, Virginia" letter to them on this website. We talk about how she's much like them and has many questions about Santa.  Fourth graders are at an age where they are either questioning Santa's existence or they've already decided he doesn't exist.  Either way, this is an excellent time to approach Santa scientifically.  I've actually had kids change their mind and become believers because of this!

We then watch the short "Yes, Virginia" movie.

I start out by reading Santa Who? by Gail Gibbons.  This book is great for talking about where Santa actually came from and the different cultures and countries that celebrate his existence.

We then use the following websites to research his culture and origin of all his different names.
This website goes into detail about the culture of each country.
This is a blog that lists Santa's different names.

We then write a letter to a newspaper editor (can be real or imaginary).  This is an excellent opportunity for me to talk about the difference between friendly and business letters.

So, I have incorporated research, technology, multiculturalism and letters.  What do you do for the holidays that is fun, yet educational?

Winter Creative Writing Unit

Anytime I can get the kids writing and enjoying it, I feel a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.  I have found that kids really like writing about food, especially if I ask them to use their five senses to do so.  This is the third year I've used this writing unit, and it's been a hit each time.

This PowerPoint guides students to fill in an organizer with sensory details in a bakery setting and the foods within. Suggested mentor texts are included in the rest of the PowerPoint so that students can collect good sensory words as they listen.

You can pick up a free copy at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you use food to motivate students to write?  I'd love to hear how.

Thanksgiving Personification Writing

I had about a week before Thanksgiving break, and I didn't want to get into anything too involved.  So, I designed this short writing assignment to review figurative language (personification) and help students write a step-by-step narrative.  Since everyone loves food, I thought I'd capitalize on that.

This customizable PowerPoint has students writing about a chosen food's journey from farm to table at Thanksgiving. It includes an organizer that asks students to draw the steps before writing about them. It also includes an optional activity in which students will create a "Missing" poster for the food that was consumed.

You can get your free copy by clicking here.

Do you do anything special for your writing assignments during this time of year?

Great Fiction Read-Aloud to Talk About Primary Documents

I recently read a great historical fiction book that would work well as a read-aloud.

   
One minute, middle-schoolers Hannah, Jackie, and Nick are exploring an old cave, and the next they find themselves whisked through time to Texas, circa 1840. In this sixth book of the “Journey to” series, the teens find themselves in the middle of a war between the Comanche Indians and Texas Rangers. Hannah and Jackie are captured by the Comanche, who treat them as enemies. There only hope is to use Hannah’s magic ring that allows her to speak and understand the language of anyone she meets and convince the Comanche that she has powerful “puha”, or magic. Nick finds himself on the other side of the war, befriended by William “Bigfoot” Wallace, one of Texas’s most famous rangers. Will they find each other before someone gets seriously hurt? Will they ever make it back to their own time? It’s going to take a miracle! Teachers will find the historical facts tucked into the book useful to explore primary sources such as paintings, engravings, and maps of the Battle of Plum Creek. The book also begins with a mini biographical section on the major historical characters and a timeline of the events that occurred during this battle.  

I love it when a read-aloud ties in with other subjects!  How about you?

Jamestown Charters Cloze Activity

My students were having a hard time understanding what the charters that established the colony of Jamestown meant.  We read about them, we discussed them, and... still couldn't explain them in our own words.  Then I remembered an activity I had tried a few years ago. 

The complete document has the three charters written by King James I for the Virginia Company of London.  One set has blanks for students to fill in, and the second set has the answers filled in.  I use the second set not only as an answer key, but also to differentiate for students that are unable to copy notes from the board.  If you teach Virginia Studies or World History, these will really help students remember the details of these historical documents that were the basis for the establishment of Jamestown.

You can pick up a FREE copy at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you teach Virginia Studies or World History?  How about the charters?  What do you use for this?

Teaching Character Education with Read-Alouds

I am continuing my morning meeting time.  This is our chance to start the day off thinking about a positive character trait or by solving problems we've been having as a class. 

I often have students answer a journal prompt related to a good trait I want them to focus on, or have them brainstorm solutions to a problem we're having.  I them read a mentor text aloud that demonstrates the trait or solutions to the problem.  This is great for several reasons:

1. It gives them time to think critically and encourages problem solving
2. I can reinforce the writing curriculum by talking about answering prompts correctly and reminding students about proper capitalization, punctuation, and indentation.  Bonus:  I occasionally take this as a writing grade :)
3. Some students aren't willing to share their problems or solutions as a class, but I can read their responses aloud without anyone knowing who wrote the response.  This validates their point of view and builds confidence.
4. The mentor texts are a great tie-in to reading
5. You are never too old to be read to.  This kids love it!

Here are some of my favorite mentor texts I've read so far this year:

I did this early in the year to reinforce the "personal bubble" that everyone needs.  We practice with a piece of newspaper.  We "newspaper dance" and spread our arms to show the right amount of space for classroom activities.

 

 

We talk about how upsetting this is and how we can deal with people that act like this.

 

 

 

 

This is also one I read early.  We make a t-chart with "Tattling" on one side and "Emergency" on the other.  I introduce them to the "Tattling Turtle" after reading the book.  This is a poster where students can write a "tattle" on a sticky note and attach it to the poster.  I can then check the note later when I have time to respond to it and open a dialog with the student about the next steps.

 

 

Are there any other good mentor texts you use to teach good character traits?