Picture Review of our Year (PART 1)

Err...

11 months later.

Y'ALL. WHAT. A. YEAR. I can't even put into words all of the amazingness we experienced, so I'm just going to upload five kagillion photos and hopefully find the time to explain them throughout the first few weeks of summer (WHAT?!) break.

For your viewing pleasure...

READING OLYMPICS:

We enjoyed Reading Olympics, where students chose projects to create after each novel study. We then presented their projects and turned the room into a museum of student work, where the students could walk around and interact with each other's projects. 

GRAMMAR PROJECTS:

Students in 4th grade created projects to practice prepositions. This was called The ABC's of Prepositions. Each group had to create a prepositional phrase containing different prepositions and then provide an image, either on a poster board or on a power point. They created one prepositional phrase for every letter of the alphabet. It had to start with a noun and the object of the preposition had to start with the same letter. They had a BLAST! 

CINCO DE MAYO:

Fourth and fifth graders joined together to learn more about the history and culture of Mexico through a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Stations included: 

- expository power point and quiz

- library book scavenger hunt

- Mexican flower making

- Mexican vocabulary crosswords and word searches

- pinata

- chips, salsa, and queso

- authentic Mexican music

- an informational video

RUNNING CLUB:

In preparation for our 10k/5k/1k I led our first ever running club! The kids learned a lot about pacing, correct form, the importance of a running buddy, and just how to have fun while running and taking care of our bodies! 

MORE READING OLYMPIC PRESENTATIONS:

Check out my TpT store to access the pamphlets for each level of projects! 

TITANIC PROJECT:

We did a research project in teams about the wreck of the Titanic. Students broke up into groups to identify different issues that could have been changed to help prevent this terrible disaster. Each team was in charge of a different category: Passengers, Technology, Ship Building, and Passage. This group chose to display the answers to their questions in the form of an iPad, because they were the Technology group. SO COOL!!! You flip up every flap to see the typed answers underneath. They developed each "app" to represent the main idea of the answer or question. 

USA PROJECT:

Students completed a 4 part project on a state of their choice. The parts included:

- drawing of state map and flag

-alliteration booklet 

- research paper

- presentation day complete with a speech, costume, and food from their state

Head to my TpT store for this awesome project packet! 

FIELD TRIP TO CHARLESTON:

Yep! A two day, one night trip to wonderful Charleston! It was incredible! We study the Civil War, so this was the perfect place to check out Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the USS Yorktown, Magnolia Plantation, downtown Charleston, the Slave Mart, the Charleston Museum, Blackbeard's Cove, and soooo much more! 

June Currently

Hi there!

Sooo...I've joined up with my first Linky! I think that's what it's called...haha. Here's my June Currently, thanks to Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

I am joining a new community: bloglovin!!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12397309/?claim=wejfgwzmmxk">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Edible Landforms

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job? Today we did a culminating activity as an assessment for the students' landform unit, and it was so cool!

Students were given an assignment to create a "cookie island" including every landform we have studied this unit. Once they split up into groups, their first task was to plan out their island (where each landform would be located, what they would use for each item, etc.). Each group was given a cookie cake, mini donuts, chocolate chips, cookies, and three different colors of icing (green, brown, and blue). 

Once students came up with their plan, they began the creation of their cookie island. It was amazing to see how creative they could get with the materials they were given! 

After they created each part of the island, they placed a vocabulary flag on each landform.

Next, each student created a hand drawn map of the island, including every landform, a key, and compass rose. Once they drew their map, they colored it in. I am so impressed with how they turned out!!

Finally, once maps were drawn and messes were cleaned up, they presented their islands and then ate them! 

You can purchase this activity packet here! Just click the picture below to head to my TpT store. 

Reading Buddy Celebration

Oh, how I love my job! 

Throughout the year, we've been reading stories with our second grade buddies. This has been an amazing opportunity for the fifth graders to model fluency, expressive reading, and a love for reading. The second graders have love, love, loved reading with their fifth grade buddies and I've noticed incredible improvements in their attitude toward reading as well as their ability. 

To culminate the year, we had a Reading Buddy Celebration. During our celebration, the students made a little memory poster of their year together. The second graders filled out a sheet telling what they enjoyed about reading with their reading buddy and what they learned. The fifth graders' sheet was similar, but they discussed how they noticed their buddies grew as readers. As they created their posters, they enjoyed some yummy popcorn! 

They turned out really well! 

Happy teaching! 

Lia

Weather Forecasting

Happy Thursday!

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! We have been working through a unit on weather forecasting and the kids are loving it! Recently, we studied weather symbols and reading a weather map. As a culminating activity, the students each got a different weather map, and they had to write out a full-page forecast for their map, using lingo and tone of a meteorologist. Then, they delivered their forecasts with their map behind them on the SmartBoard.

They did an amazing job! I wish I could upload the videos of their presentations, because they ROCKED them!

Enjoy!

If you'd like the resources I used for this presentation, click on the picture below to head to my TpT store. :)

Mrs.Bush

Simple Machines, Motion and Forces...OH MY!

Happy Tuesday!

Much has been going on in our classroom lately. We've been working through a simple machines unit in science, and have just started a motion and forces unit. We did an experiment to test the mechanical advantage of each of the six simple machines (lever, screw, wheel & axle, pulley, inclined plane, and wedge) by following the scientific method. The kids really got into the projects, and so much learning was taking place! I love using the scientific method, because it really causes the students to THINK about what they're doing. They conduct each experiment with PURPOSE.

Here are the steps we took for each experiment:

1. We came up with a question we sought to answer about the mechanical advantage of the simple machine.
2. Each student wrote his or her own hypothesis.
3. We researched the simple machine (aka read about it in our science book/workbook).
4. Students designed an experiment to test the simple machine with a given list of materials.
5. Students tested the experiment in teams.
6. Students analyzed the results of the experiment.
7. We came up with a conclusion about how the simple machine made work easier and why.

We also practice the steps of the scientific method with this awesome resource made by Shari Beck. Lord knows our classroom loves task cards!! :)

Mrs.Bush