TBT: Pumpkin Week 2015

It's Thursday and I'm throwing it back to last year to our first ever Pumpkin Week! This year, I'll just be doing one day of pumpkin celebrations (on Halloween) because of other events going on, but I can't wait to do some pumpkin investigations with my kiddos in a couple weeks! Post is originally from Oct. 2015 We've had a busy week in 2nd grade this week! We had Pumpkin Week Monday through Thursday and then went on a field trip today.  So...this teacher is T.I.R.E.D but satisfied with all of the fun and learning we had this week! We started the Pumpkin Week fun last Friday.  We had an Early Release day so families could enjoy the NC State Fair without pulling their child from school, so after we finished up some things from our Spider unit, we "planted" pumpkin seeds to germinate.  The kids were so excited to see what would happen to their seeds.   We ended up having quite a few to germinate, so they got to take their seeds home yesterday to plant and try to grow a pumpkin.

I forgot to take "after" pictures, but here is a video clip of some excited kiddos checking out their seeds Wednesday morning - 5 days after "planting".

We did all of our pumpkin fun at the beginning of this week focused in Language Arts. We kicked Monday off with a nonfiction book called Pumpkin Circle about the life cycle of a Pumpkin.  The photographs in this book are awesome.

After reading Pumpkin Circle, we did an activity with Main Idea - a concept we did before track-out back in September - so it was time to cycle back to it again to jog their memory.  They did a good job coming up with the main idea and finding details to support the main idea. On Monday we also did a KWL about pumpkins as well as using adjectives to describe pumpkins by size, color, shape, and texture.  It was a full 40 minutes of Language Arts on Monday -we were almost late to specials! On Tuesday we read a book with one of my favorite characters - Splat the Cat! We read Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin Picking Plan to talk about author's purpose.

Obviously Rob Scotton writes all of his books to entertain his readers, but I made them come up with some details from the book as to what was entertaining.  We brainstormed together and worked on writing our details as a class.  Then they got to color (their favorite part) and put their pumpkin together!

Wednesday we read one other pumpkin fiction book called Pumpkin Town and retold the story using Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then.

We worked on the top chart together retelling the story.  I have used SWBST with some of my reading groups, but not everyone had used this retelling strategy before, so there was a good bit of guidance with them helping me fill in the boxes.  Then, I gave them time to transfer the information from the chart to their retelling paragraph.  Maybe this strategy will stick, but I'm sure I'll have to keep going back to it.

I only wish I had had time to read all of the pumpkin books I had - we had so much going on there wasn't time to touch even half of them unfortunately.  Note to self for next year - gotta read more of them :)

During our excel intervention time this week, we had a pumpkin twist - seems only right!

We made life cycle of a pumpkin flip books!

We did read a couple books with one of my groups that covered the life cycle a little more in addition the Pumpkin Circle we had read on Monday.  Most of my kids didn't know about the Green Pumpkin stage.

Then, came Thursday - the day - Pumpkin Day!

After a couple of assessments we had to complete, we finished our Pumpkin Diagrams that we started on Wednesday.  We have been talking about diagram and labels a lot recently between spiders and now pumpkins.  While they colored, I set up our Pumpkin Taste Test snack!

Mixed review on this picture of the inside of the pumpkin I had taken for them last weekend - some said "eeewww" and some said "cool!".  I love how it looks, so I'm with the "cool!" kids on this one!

I wish I hadn't been so busy passing out snack, doing our graphing, and dealing with a fire drill (of course!) to take pictures of all our pumpkin food.

Because we were doing some graphing of our favorite pumpkin treats, I made my kids take at least one taste of the following so they could pick their favorite:

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Pie

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Swirl Bread

Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The favorite was the swirl bread.  I have quite a few picky eaters this year, plus 7 and 8 year olds haven't all acquired a taste for pumpkin quite yet, but they loved this bread!

Then I let them choose if they wanted to try the following:

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts (MY FAVE!!!)

Apples with Pumpkin Fluff (most just wanted the apples - okay - more fluff for me!)

Keebler Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies

Needless to say - they had tons of sugar - which probably explains part of their hyper-ness that came later in the day - I should have known better.  We also made pumpkin hats with facts about pumpkins - I let them loose on this one, no guidance at all - so it was interesting to read their facts!

After lunch, we became scientists and mathematicians!  We covered our tables and pulled out our pumpkins.  A couple had rotted, so I was glad I had extras so that each table could have one.

For each activity, they would estimate and then actually measure/count.

So we started by estimating the height of their pumpkins using unifix cubes, tens sticks, as well as inches.  Then they got to use the tools to measure.  We haven't covered measurement this year, so considering that, they did well with this activity.

I LOVED how this table decided to measure the height of their pumpkin with the unifix cubes - I hadn't thought about going across to make sure that they had the height right.

We also measured the circumference of our pumpkins and talked about the right tool to measure around the pumpkin - and guess who forgot to bring the right tool to school?!?!  This teacher!  So, we modified and I pulled some old Christmas curling ribbon out of the closet, they worked together to measure around the pumpkin, and then cut it, and then we laid it up against a yardstick (or 2!) to find their circumference.

After measuring the height and circumference, we moved on to weighing our pumpkins.  Unfortunately, but fortunately, the scale I ordered to weigh our pumpkins did arrive in time (it came today - ugh!).  BUT, since our school nurse is directly across the hall and she has a doctor's office scale in her room, she was nice enough to let us pull it in the hall to weigh our pumpkins and it actually turned out better!  So Nurse Sami for the win!!

After each group weighed their pumpkin we ranked them from lightest to heaviest.  Two groups were tied at 11 pounds, followed by an 19 pounder, and our biggest pumpkin at 22 pounds!

We then did a quick Sink or Float experiment with a big storage box full of water and one of the pumpkins.  Almost all of them thought it would sink, so it ended up being a good lesson about how the inside is hollow and the air keeps it from sinking below the surface.

Then, came the most time consuming, and loud part of our afternoon - cutting the pumpkins open and counting all the seeds.  As I carved each table's pumpkin open, I talked to them about strategies for counting their seeds.  They were going to put them in groups of ten, circle the ten, and then move on. That would help them when it came time for counting.

"YUCK!  Pumpkin guts!"

"This feels awesome!"

"Cool!!"

And the counting begins...

By the time it was all said and done, this table came in at the winner with 583 seeds!  Of course, it was the 22 pound pumpkin too!

Little tip for you - as I was helping this last group count their seeds, to make sure that we didn't count a group twice, as I helped them count, we moved 10 groups of 10 seeds into piles of 100.  Then once we had all the groups grouped and counted, it was easy to count the hundreds, tens, and ones.  Goes back to place value - wish I had thought of it WAY earlier to help the other groups count their seeds!

And that was our pumpkin week and day!

Did I get to everything I wanted to do?

No

Did I get to everything I made for my Punkin' Day unit?

Not even close!

Did my kids have fun?

Yes

Did my kids learning something?

Yes

And those last two are what matters most.  At the end of every special day like this, I always go "Why am I doing this to myself?"  But then I have to think about these two last questions.  If they learned something and they had fun, then it was worth it - messy floors and all.  Seeing their excitement this week over something has simple as sprouting pumpkin seeds made me realize why I went into teaching.  They were exploring something new and that was so exciting for them and me.

Where did I get all of these activities for Pumpkin Week from you ask?

You can find them in my It's Punkin' Day unit in my TPT Store!

Get Out & Vote! Election Classroom Resources 2016

Election season is upon us!  Are you sick of all the ads yet?  Me too!  
But, between now and November 8th, I know the topic is going to come up in my classroom, so it'll be the perfect opportunity to teach them about the election process, the candidates, and hold a "real" election so they can cast their vote!

Just like in the real world - students have to register to vote before they can vote in our election at school.  Voting signs will be put up to keep our polling place quiet as they make important decisions!

After we hold our elections in the classroom, we will graph and analyze our data - integrating math and social studies!

I can't wait to use these non-fiction readers with my kiddos to teach them about the election process and how candidates become president as well as learning more about Hilary Clinton's and Donald Trump's background and their road to the White House!

Click on the photo to see the product in my TPT store

45 Vocabulary Word Cards with definitions, vocabulary activities and Vocabulary BINGO

Host your own election!  Have students complete their voter registration card and cast their ballot at their "local" polling place.  I Voted! stickers also included (suggest printing on full 8.5x11" label sheets).  Then host your own Exit Poll or use ballots to create a data anchor chart and analyze your student's voting data.

After the election, use the Red States Blue States map to show which candidate won which state's electoral votes.  6 writing prompts included and graphic organizers about election day, presidents, and the election process.

Read Aloud activity sheets for fiction books about elections and running for president.

Split The Cat For President - Beginning, Middle, and End

Grace For President - Somebody Wanted But So Then Summary (and writing paper)

Vote! - Cause & Effect

Duck For President - Asking & Answering Questions

Vote for ME! - Inferencing

If I Ran For President - Timeline/ordering of events

And then...learn all about the candidates background and their life outside of the road to the White House.  A nonfiction reader about the Election Process also outlines how candidates make their way all the way to Inauguration Day and moving into the White House!

Now...Get Out And Vote!!

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"Tweeter" of the Day - Dojo Style!

Hey friends!
I'm popping in tonight for a quick post about how I am using Class Dojo to share with families everything we are doing at school!
You may have heard of teachers having their class host a class Twitter or Instagram account.  There are a couple teachers at my school who have class Twitter accounts and their kiddos take turns tweeting.  I have started doing this - but only sharing the pictures with our families - on Class Dojo!
If you are a Class Dojo user, you have probably heard about Class Story.  Class Story is the easiest way to share classroom updates, moments, and announcements with parents.  Last year, I would use Class Story to post pictures of things we were doing, send reminders for hot lunch money or Scholastic orders, and other quick reminders I needed to send to parents.

BUT, a couple weeks ago, I started letting my kids take over our Class Story page!  Now, I do still post announcements, pictures, and reminders myself, but each day one child is our "Class Story Poster of the Day".  To keep it easy, I go in alphabetical order and I put their names on the monthly calendar that goes in their COLLEGE binder so they and their parent know when it is their day to share.

To keep from overloading my parents with notifications from Class Dojo, I only let the kids post one picture on their assigned day.  I make sure that their name is up on the whiteboard in the morning when they come in so that they don't forget it's their day to share.  Whenever they are ready to take their picture, they come to me and get my teacher iPad to take the picture.

After they take their picture, they write the caption and sign their name and we publish to our Class Story page.  Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!  I love that they are taking ownership over our Class Story page and the parents love seeing what their kids are doing each day - and it's something I don't have to remember to do!  If a kiddo forgets or decides not to take a picture on their day - it's kind of like a "lose your turn" thing.  Tough love - they'll get another turn the next month.

Here are a few pictures my kiddos have shared since we started.

You can see how many parents have viewed the pictures...

Parents can "like" the picture, just like on Facebook...

As well as leave a comment!

Now, we've just got to work on the photography skills - but part of this is me giving up a little of my Type A-ness and letting them do it!

Happy Tuesday Friends!  Have a marvelous week!

All About my Math Block!

Hi friends!
It's so hard to believe that the last time I blogged was the weekend before school started and I'm now HALFWAY through the first nine weeks (almost...as of this coming Wednesday!).
There has been a lot of talk in several teacher Facebook groups I'm a part of about Engage NY math curriculum, guided math, and math centers.  Now, I'm no way an expert, but I wanted to share how I've made these things work in some way, some shape, some how in my classroom.  We also had a staff meeting/Engage NY session after our early release today at school and I was able to share with other teachers how I am using Zearn and math centers in my classroom, so a blog post was most certainly needed too!
To start with, this is our first year utilizing Engage NY curriculum for math, from the beginning of the year.  After the first week, I was SO overwhelmed and I felt like my kids were even more so.  Now that we are 4 weeks in, I am liking it and my kids are getting better at it - so PRAISE!
Now, how I structure my math block!
I have math from 12:30-1:50 each day, so it is RIGHT after lunch - which can be a good thing or a bad thing.  It has worked out well for us and I am such a stickler about time, that I try to get started right at 12:30 each day. 
Since we are utilizing Engage NY, I found this AWESOME (and FREE!!!) resource online that correlates with the program called Zearn!

Zearn can be used in several different ways and the creators of Zearn actually have set-up ideas and videos on their website of how to use Zearn most effectively.  I am very blessed to have a class set of iPads in my room, so my kids are able to utilize Zearn during our math centers.  During the first couple weeks of school we did Zearn whole group until they got the hang of it.

I use Zearn a little differently than prescribed on their website, but like with any curriculum or program, you have to find what works for you and your students, while also following the curriculum with fidelity - or it won't be effective.

The "concept development" part of the ENY lessons is my direct instruction.  For this, I am now utilizing the Math Chat/Learning Lab videos that Zearn provides on their website.  Each day, I have my students come to the carpet and Mr. Sawicki or one of the other awesome Zearn teachers guides u through the lesson.  I do preview the lesson WITH my ENY curriculum in front of me to make sure that it is aligning and if I need to add anything to my instruction, I can very easily pause the Zearn video and stop to explain, pose a question, etc.

I do also make sure to include the application problem in my lesson if it is not already included in the Zearn video.  Some videos have a warm-up problem to get the kids to review what they have already learned.

Another (FREE!) resource Zearn offers are Zearn notes that go along with the video.  Not every Zearn lesson has Zearn notes, but when they do, I have them copied into booklets for the week and we work through the problem together.  I will let my kids work on the problem independently at their seats, or on the carpet, and then we discuss our answers and input our answers into the Math Chat/Learning Lab and see how the students (or as they are called, Zearners) solved it.

After my direction instruction using the Math Chat/Learning Lab is over, my kids go back to their seats and we get ready for math centers.

This is my current set-up for math centers.  Kids are flexible - so I may change this at some point, but it is working for now!

Each "round" is approximately 15 minutes long.  Now, what are the kids doing during this time?

Work With Teacher - this is when my groups (5-6 students) come to my table and we work on the Problem Set from Engage NY.  This works so much better for me because I can easily watch 5-6 students as they are working rather than 22.  I can quickly spot errors and help students understand their mistakes in a smaller group.  If we don't finish the problem set, I don't stress myself.  The problems get harder has you work though the set, so I am going to try to have students work every other problem or fewer of the easier ones and more of the harder ones if the amount of problems is too many for our time together.

Zearn - this is when kids will get on their iPad, and complete the Zearn activities that went with today's lesson.  They will do the Number Gym.  "Number Gym builds flexibility and efficiency with numbers through short, fun and focused fluency activities."

After they have finished Number Gym, the Sprint will be unlocked.  If you use ENY, you no longer have to copy the Sprints!  They are built into Zearn for you! Sprints "build your accuracy and flexibility with recently learned concepts. Then try to beat your own score in the 2nd round!"

Next, the Math Chat/Learning Lab would be unlocked.  Because we have done this as a class already, I go into my settings and make it optional for my students to complete.  

You can make the Guided Practice (Math Chat/Learning Lab) optional by going to your "Classes" page, selecting all students (or those that you want the video to be optional for) and then click "Change Lesson".  Here you can select the topic you want everyone to be on and at the bottom, make sure that "Make Guided Practice Optional" is selected.

Because it is optional, the Tower of Power will unlock next for them to complete.  Tower of Power has students "Demonstrate what you've learned to get to the next level. Confused? Don't worry — you'll get a boost in the form of re-learning opportunities precisely when and where you need them."

Sumdog - Another iPad app my students use is SumDog and oh my, do they LOVE it!  Sumdog provides students a fun and engaging way to practice math skills where they need it.  Sumdog meets each individual student's needs right where they are through adaptive learning.  Students in the same class with polar opposite ability levels can be competing in each other in the SAME GAME but each student is answering questions that are tailored for THEM!  I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes last school year.  Two students in my class were competing with each other on a game - one was working on place value, and the other was working on telling time.  The questions are custom made just for them!  You can read more about it on Sumdog's teacher page.

The last center my kids work through is Math Center.  Each day, I have a new math center from one of my monthly math center sets that students use task cards to complete.  Since it is August and the Olympics have been going on the past two weeks, August's math centers were all about the Olympics!  

I have the task cards in a labeled quart sized ziplock bag and the response sheets.  I give quick directions and kids work on the sheet, trying to answer all of the questions.  

My math centers are aligned with 2nd Grade CCSS and gradually get more difficult and cover pretty much all of the 2nd Grade Math CCSS by the end of the year.  The concepts spiral - so addition at the beginning of the year is basic addition and should be a review of first grade concepts, but addition at the end of the year is 3-Digit Addition with Regrouping.  By the end of the year, the kids know the directions for the centers, the tasks have just gotten harder.  

My students have LOVED these and they love that they can color the clipart when they finish - that's always a bonus for them!  I like that they are continuing to review skills that they have already learned even after we have learned it.  So many times they will forget a concept because they are not consistently using it every day, but these centers require them to think back to a concept they have learned.

You can grab my math centers individually by month or bundled together August-December and January-May. Please note - these are not aligned to Engage NY.  I have used these for the past 2 school years with different curriculums.  

How do you prep and store my math centers?

I keep the math centers cards in quart sized ziplock bags, as mentioned above.  I use standard 1x2 5/8" Avery Labels to write the titles of the centers on the bags.  Some of my first sets even have the CCSS listed on the label, just for a reference.  I keep all of the center card bags in a gallon sized ziplock bag so it is easy to pull out at the beginning of each month.

At the end of math centers, the bag of math center cards is stored away so that those who did not finish their center can come back to it later by just grabbing the bag of cards and finishing!  The cards are kept in the bottom bucket of the metal storage unit hanging on the wall.  This is right beside our "Math Center" table and my kiddos have been really good about putting the extra response sheets and task cards away each afternoon!

Prepping response sheets - I keep all my response sheets in a binder, in sheet protectors.  Since it is nearing the end of August, I will go to my binder and pull out my September sheets.  I will go ahead and copy ALL of my September response sheets before the month begins so I have them each Friday afternoon.  On Friday afternoons when I am prepping for the next week, I go to my classroom closet, pick out the centers I want my kids to complete, find the bag of task cards and then sort in my Monday-Friday buckets and I'm ready to go!

Getting the task cards prepped initially is the most time consuming part of prepping my math centers.  I print my task cards on cardstock and laminate them so they will last.  Once this is done - math centers in future years just require copying response sheets - easy peasy!

Need help with getting cards prepped?!?!

Download this awesome freebie from What The Teacher Wants!

I make Help From Home Bags to send home with directions and things I need done - it could be sorting construction paper, cutting out brag tags, or even cutting out math task cards!  Parents want to help you, but can't always make it to the classroom - so let them help you from home!

That's how math works in my classroom!  I hope you took away something you can use in your classroom! But remember - find what works for YOU and your students!

Have a great weekend friends!

I've got a birthday coming up on Sunday - stay tuned to my Facebook page for some exciting news Sunday morning!

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