Favorite First Week of School Activities

A new school year is coming up and I thought I would share some of my favorite activities that I do in my classroom during the first week back.

Get to Know Your Classmates Task Cards

This is a great way for my students to get to know their classmates better in a relaxed atmosphere.  I partner them up (or make small groups) and together they rotate around the room to each of the task cards I have hanging up.  On each card there is a question or discussion prompt.  One person reads the card and then each person in the partnership/group gives their answer.  I love hearing the discussions that happen as the kids move around to each card!

Marshmallow Challenge

I love this challenge, and the kids LOVE this challenge!  C

lick on the photo to go to the website where there is a TED talk about this challenge and some further directions.

I give very basic directions for this activity, basically the three things you see on the graphic

1.  18 minutes

2.  teams of four

3.  tallest freestanding structure

This is a great problem solving and teamwork activity and it is so interesting to watch how students work together and who steps up as a positive leader.

Scientific Method and Candy Worms

Another favorite of my students!  This is a great activity to introduce/review the steps of the scientific method at the beginning of the year.  It is fun, hands on, and academic!  Kids make a hypothesis about what will happen to a candy work when it sits in water for 24 hours.  

I was really intrigued to hear some of the things my students thought would happen:  nothing, it will shrink, it will lose all the color, it will dissolve, it will become harder, it will fall apart...

There is a little experiment guide where the students can fill out information for each of the steps of the scientific method as they go through this experiment.  I love that this incorporates measurement, writing, making detailed lists, following directions, observation, and following a plan.  But, it is so fun the kids don't even realize how much work they are actually doing!

Name Art

Before school starts I use bulletin board paper to make a name sign for each student.  I printed out each letter of the alphabet (2 letters per page) and then used that to trace over for each students name sign.  The kids get to color these in however they want, patterns, illustrations, crayons, markers- be creative!  This is a great activity for when kids need a little down time that first week back and any students who don't finish can continue to work on it throughout the week when they finish other things early.

I hang these up around the top of my classroom and they are a great all year decoration that personalizes our space!

Do you have any great "first week" activities that have worked well for you, and that your students LOVE?  Leave me a comment- I would love to hear all about them!

Slope- Stained Glass Window Project

This past year I had a group of math students who really loved to be creative and especially loved to color!  

So, when we were learning about slope in class I wanted some kind of creative project for my students to do where they could show their knowledge in a way that was more creative than a worksheet or quiz!

I searched around on the internet and Pinterest, and saw several versions of the slope stained glass window project, but none of them really fit the specific needs I had for my class.  

So...I made my own version of this project so I could include everything I needed,  and it is now in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

In this project students had to choose several linear equations from a list and create a table of values that they plugged in to the equations to create x and y coordinates for each line.

They also determined the slope of each line, whether the slope was positive, negative, zero or undefined, and x and/or y intercepts.

Then they had to graph the lines on graph paper.  Each line needed to be labeled with the corresponding equation.

Bring on the colors!  I gave my students free range on what they used to add color to their design.  Crayons, colored pencils, markers, chalk....anything they wanted.  I encouraged them to put together a nice color scheme to make their final product visually appealing.

I created a 4 point rubric to grade the finished projects.  The kids had this rubric right away, so they knew exactly what they needed to do to get the highest grade.  I also a couple examples and had them use the rubric to determine a grade for each project.  I have found that giving the students a rubric and having them apply it to a sample project really helps them to see what high quality work looks like.

My class LOVED this project!  Here are some of their finished projects!

I love doing projects with my math students!  Giving students another way to show what they know and actually apply the skills to a project (not just a worksheet) really hooks my students interest!

If you like this project, it is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Fermi Math

Have you ever tried using Fermi problems in your math class?  I had not heard of this until a couple years ago, but now I am hooked!

Enrico Fermi was a scientist/mathematician who loved playing with numbers and was able to calculate seemingly impossible questions in his head.

Fermi math problems require
*estimation
*questioning
*research
*communication
*reasonable assumptions
*creativity
*flexibility
*number sense
*perseverance!

A couple of classic Fermi questions are:
How many water balloons would it take to fill your classroom?
How many jelly beans fill a one liter bottle?

Fermi problems emphasize the process of solving problems over getting the exact answer.  Fermi problems will not result in an exact answer (usually), and different kids may come to their answers using different strategies.  This is a great way to get kids talking about math and justifying how they came to their answers.

How do I use this in my class?  

This is a great activity for any time of the year, but I usually use Fermi questions as a fun break between units, as a fun project for kids to work on if they finish early, or at the end of the year when you have finished the "required" curriculum but still want to keep your class engaged in math.

At the end of this school year I had each kid come up with their own Fermi math question.  A typical question usually involves "how many ____" would it take to "fill/cover a _____".  The kids are instantly interested because they get to make up their question and get to include things that are interesting to them.

Some of my sports fans asked questions about how many footballs it would take to fill a specific stadium, how many hockey pucks would it take to cover the ice on a NHL rink.  A couple examples of questions involving candy are shown in the pictures below.

Once the kids have solved their question, I have them create a poster (12" x 18 " paper) to display their question, data, and conclusions on.

The kids are amazed with the huge numbers they usually get in their answers.

Have you ever tried using Fermi style problems in your math class?

Revolutionary War Battle Posters

Learning about the American Revolution is a big part of our 5th grade social studies curriculum.  Our textbook, however, barely even mentions the battles that took place during the Revolutionary War.

I noticed that my students were thinking that the Revolutionary War was simply one fight, and after that it was done.  Whoa!  Alright, time to delve more deeply into how long this war really lasted, how many people were involved, and how many battles actually took place during this time.

I gave my students a list of some of the battles that took place during the Revolutionary War.  I chose battles that I knew kids would be able to find information on.  Each student chose a battle and then did research to find the following information

• name of the battle
• date(s) of the battle
• location of the battle
• how many people fought on each side
• how many people were wounded or killed on each side
• how many people were captured on each side
• the weather conditions during the battle
• other information that you learn about the battle that you find interesting

I found a great website that neatly outlines most of this information.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION BATTLES DATA and INFORMATION

I let me students search a little before giving them this treasure trove of information!

Their assignment was to show the information about the battle they researched on a poster.  It had to be colorful, neat, and include all of the information I mentioned above.  

Here are some examples of the finished projects:

By researching the battles, making the posters, and sharing their posters with their classmates, my students really got a better understanding of the many people, locations, and battles that were a part of this war.

Book Project - Woods Runner

We recently finished reading the book Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen as a class.  I love reading this book as we study the American Revolution in Social Studies!  It is a great example of how the war impacted those who were not part of the main cities or those taking the side of Patriot/Loyalist.

Samuel and his family live in the woods and are pretty removed from the everyday activities taking place in the big cities in regards to the conflicts between the colonists and Britain.  Then his parents are taken and he is thrown into the world of war, danger and fear.  I really like this book because every chapter is followed by a non-fiction page that explains a topic that comes up in the story (weapons, Hessians, jails, disease and illnesses, war orphans etc...)


The kids LOVED this book! I gave the kids several projects to choose from as an end of book project.  My class loves "projects" and choices, so they loved this assignment.

Several kids made ABC books about Woods Runner.  They had to make a page for each letter of the alphabet that explained a part of the book that started with that letter.

Here is one of the examples:

 Cover

Inside the book

The books turned out so creative and I was impressed with the different ideas the kids came up with for each letter.  This project really gave them a chance to think back on many different parts of the book.

Several other kids chose to make a board game.  Requirements for this project were:  the game had to involve question cards related to parts of the book, it had to have written directions, it needed to be colorful, and they had to be able to explain it to their classmates so they could play the game.

Here are a couple of examples:

 In this game the players had to travel through the woods to try to get rescue Samuels parents.  Along the way they had to answer questions to avoid being captured by the British, the Hessians, or being delayed by weather, illness or other events.

This game had images of some famous artwork that shows events from the American Revolution (creative!).  On the red spaces they had to answer questions from the book about the British, on the blue spaces they had to answer questions from the book about the Patriots, and on the white spaces they had to answer a variety of trivia questions about the book.  I love how they connected the colors to the two sides!

One student chose to make a diorama.  

The diorama is showing Samuel in the woods as he is traveling to try to find his parents.  I love the trees!  They are made of circles of paper folded up and down then glued to real twigs.  How creative!

I like to give my kids alternative ways to show what they know or to wrap up a book or unit.  5th graders love to be creative and come up with such great ideas!

What kinds of projects have you had your class do at the end of a book?

American Revolution A to Z - Project

To wrap up our big unit on the American Revolution I had my students work on a poster showing people, places, or things related to the American Revolution for each letter of the alphabet.

I pre-drew the boxes on 11 x 17 paper and made copies ahead of time.  I wanted the kids to focus on the content, not how to successfully get enough boxes onto the paper :)

 The requirements were:
     You must have something for each letter
     You must include at least 12 images
     Each box needs to have a definition
          or description of the item
     Project must have a title
     Needs to be colorful
     Must be your best work
   

The kids were able to use their social studies textbook, non-fiction books and magazines in our class library and the internet to help them gather ideas and words for each letter.

 I was VERY impressed with the attention to detail and the quality of my students work on this project!    They were able to come up with a wide variety of ideas for each letter and I loved their illustrations!

 I really feel like this project (while it seems simple at first) gave my kids a chance to review the material they had learned about the American Revolution, learn some new facts and information and be creative (which is always a plus!).

I am always trying to come up with new,  creative projects that allow my students to show what they know in ways other than the same old assessments.

What projects have you done with your students that have been a great display of student learning?

Monday Made It

It's time for Monday Made It!  Today I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics Monday Made It to share something fun (and easy) I made for my classroom over the weekend.

Classroom Memory Jar

Supplies:

1 clear paint bucket (I got mine at Michaels.  They are normally about $7, but I used my 50% off coupon and got it for around $3.50

1 roll wrapping paper- I found this fun pattern at Michael's for $1.50

Glitter ribbon- yep, another find at Michael's, I think it was $1.00

Tape

Printer

Glue

Total Spent = about $6.00

This project was SO easy, I think it only took about 30 minutes start to finish.

First I cut the wrapping paper to fit the inside of the can, leaving a little overlap to seal the ends together.

Then I hopped on my computer and typed up the "Memory Jar" label.  I found a fun font, changed the colors to match my flower paper design, and printed it out on white card stock.

Now it is time to put all the pieces together:

Cut and glue the green glitter ribbon around the edges of the "Memory Jar" label.

Use double sided tape to tape the label onto the wrapping paper, then slip the wrapping paper inside the paint can.  

Put some double sided tape on the overlapping edge of the wrapping paper to seal it shut.

My memory jar!

My students saw it sitting on my desk today, and when I went over the days schedule, and asked if anyone had any questions about the schedule, someone raised their hand and asked "what is that memory jar on your desk for?".

I plan to write down daily class memories as they happen (and have the kids jot down memories too) on small slips of paper and put them into the jar.  On the last day of school I will open up the jar and read all of the memories together with the class.  I think it will be a fun way to look back on our year together and remember some of the things we may have forgotten about.  Next year I will have this memory jar ready for the start of the year, so we can start collecting memories on day 1!

What do you do to remember little memories with your class at the end of the year?  I would love to hear about your last day of school traditions and special things you do with your class!

For even more Monday Made It ideas, head on over to 4th Grade Frolics!

Lines and Angles Unit Project - Angle City

I am always looking for a way to add some art and creativity into my math class, my class this year LOVES to draw so I knew they would love an opportunity to draw and be creative in math class.

We just finished a unit on angles and lines. We studied all the classifications of angles (acute, straight, right, obtuse, reflex) and worked with measures of complementary angles, supplementary angles, angles formed when parallel lines are cut by a transversal, angles around a point and more!

For their end of unit project they had to create their own city map using a variety of angles.  I gave the kids a checklist with everything they needed to include.  They had to plan where to place the specifics I laid out in the project:  the types and amount of angles formed by the roads, what buildings needed to be located on different angle intersections, all the buildings that they must include, etc..

First I had them sketch out a rough draft so they could easily move streets/buildings around to get everything to meet the exact specifications required.

Once they were happy with their draft they transferred their map to a 11 x 17 piece of white paper.  For their final copy they had to include color, a city name, the city population, street names, building labels, and it needed to be neat and organized.  

They totally got into this project!  It was so fun to see them figuring out how to make the roads meet to form obtuse angles, and where to place buildings.  Many of them also got very creative and based their city name and street names around a theme (space, the ocean etc..)

I was very impressed with the final projects they turned in!  Here are some pictures of some of their finished designs.

Do you do any fun and creative projects in your math class?  I would love to hear about them!

Health - First Aid

Whenever I tell my 5th graders that we will be starting a new health unit, they groan and look away in dread.  To them, health equals "that unit", the one they all want to ignore and never get to.....human growth and development.

So, they were pleasantly surprised when I told them that we wouldn't be doing "that unit" but that we would be learning about first aid.

We started by discussing why it is important for them to know basic first aid skills.  I told them that how now that they are getting older they might be given more independence and more responsibilities.  They might babysit younger siblings and/or neighbors.  They may even go for bike rides or walks further from their homes than they were allowed when they were younger.  (By now they are all feeling like VERY mature and independent 5th graders!)

We acted out several scenarios, going through the steps they would take if it was a real situation.  We discussed all the possible options they had for different first aid situations and how to make a decision about what the best option is.

I wanted to have them create something that would be useful, so I had them each make a small poster that included 10 first aid situations they may encounter and the steps they should take for each.



I told them that when their posters were complete, they should take them home and put them in a spot where their family keeps first Aid supplies.  Then, if needed, the steps to take are right there with the supplies needed.  They thought this was pretty cool.

All of the posters were SO different, and showed the kids personalities.  They took this project very seriously, and wanted their poster to be neat and clear so that if it was ever needed it would be easy to use.

My 5th graders LOVED the first aid unit!  They gained practical skills and created an end project that can be used as a resource for their whole family!

Biomes Poster Project

We wrapped up our study of biomes this week by creating biome posters.

The kids worked in groups to gather more in depth information about the biome that was assigned to them.  They would need to share/present this information on a large poster.

Some of the requirements of things they had to show on their poster included:

     name of the biome (title)

     temperature/climate

     a description of the landforms in the biome

     plants and animals found in the biome

     a food web from the biome

     at least 2 plant adaptaions

     at least 2 animal adaptations

   

The kids loved this project!  I really think it gave them the time to really go in depth learning about one biome, and I could tell they better understood why plants/animals had certain adaptations and how they helped them survive.

On the final day each group had to present their poster to the class and explain the information they learned.  I was really impressed by the quality of their posters and the work they put in to presenting to the class.
   

Animal Adaptations

I love teaching about animal adaptations!  Kids always seem to love to learn anything about animals, so they were engaged right from the start when we started this topic a couple weeks ago.

We talked about the six biomes (tundra, taiga, savanna, rainforest, deciduous forest and desert) and the features of each environment.  I then showed the class many photos of plants and animals from all over the world and we discussed the adaptations each plant or animal has made to survive and thrive in its environment.

Many of my kids had never really stopped to think about why a birds beak may be shaped a certain way, why an animals ears are small or large, or why some animals in the desert burrow underground.  They could not stop talking and sharing there new insights into the structures and behaviors of all kinds of plants and animals.

I then showed two short video clips from StudyJams.   They have a great video on plant adaptations and another one on animal adaptations.  I don't know about your students, but I can show a video once and they will remember every word, jingle, or idea that is in it.

Then I introduced their project.  (I have a very arts and crafty class this year, so they are always up for a project).  I gave each kid a short scenario with details about an imaginary environment.  Their job was to create their own animal that would be able to survive in its environment.  They could make their animal as realistic or imaginary as they wanted to, but they had to include at least five adaptations on their animal that would allow them to survive (hunt food, stay warm/cool, stay safe from predators etc...).  They had to label each adaptation explaining what purpose it served.

student created animal with adaptations for its environment

close up of the labeled adaptation

The kids LOVED this project.  They could not stop talking about how they were going to design their animal, what features it would have, what it would eat.......  I knew they would enjoy the project, but I was not prepared for this much excitement!  It was great to see them so excited to apply what they had learned about adaptations.


Here are a few more student samples:

As you can see, the kids came up with some really creative animals and some great adaptations that would help their animals survive.  These are definitely going up in the hallway for conferences!