FREEBIE Floor Plan Fun Activity

Today I did a great little activity that I created for my kids for our review

math stations.  It was designed to have students practice finding area and perimeter in a simple format. And the best part about this?  I made it FREE for you to grab for your class too!

In a nutshell, the idea is for students to create seven rooms for their house floor plan.  Each room has a specific color attached to it, which is there to let students know what color they should draw the room on the graph paper.  In order to determine the dimensions of each room, the students draw chips.  I got these chips from an old board game, Rummikub, which I didn't have all the pieces for, but in typical teacher fashion I couldn't bear to throw it out in case I needed them for something.  Well thank goodness for my teacher hoarding intuition. I now found a reason to use them.  However, if you don't have a set of these chips you can easily use those fancy dice that have numbers that range higher than 6 or even a set of playing cards and you pull out two sets of numbers 2-10.  Worse case scenario, you can print out the set of cards I provide in here. I just like to save paper where I can. :-)

The students choose two of the numbers randomly and put them down for the dimensions of that particular room.  After doing that, they find the perimeter and area of the room as well.  (Sometimes that room dimensions don't necessarily make sense, for example a kitchen that is 2x2 ft but this provides a great extension activity for students to identify and discuss which ones are and aren't realistic.

After that, they draw the floor plan using the dimensions they had picked for each room on the graph paper.  Inside the rooms, they write the dimensions as well.  I tell students I want them to logically think about the layout of the house and try to create it as realistically as possible.

This activity is quick but a great review for area and perimeter.  It took about 25 minutes for them to complete from start to finish.

Head on over to my TpT store and pick up your copy.  Please don't forget to leave me some feedback love. :-) I hope you enjoy it!

Katie

I Am Poems

Ahhh....Back to School. The time of year when the walls are bare waiting to be filled with student work.  The supplies are fresh and the students and teachers are energized ready to learn and teach.  Quite frankly, it is my absolute favorite time of the school year.  I always look forward to getting to know who my students are and what makes them tick.  One way I learn about them is through my yearly project of I Am Poems.

I didn't create the poem itself but was given a copy of it many many years ago during my first year of teaching.  And each year, I look forward to having the students complete it.  Plus it always makes for a fabulous first project to hang up each year.

First, I always give my students a sample poem I wrote so they understand how the poem is written.  We talk about the overall theme of my poem, which is about me being a teacher.  As a class, we brainstorm different themes they could write about.  They always come up with a ton....being a friend, students, son/daughter, baseball player, volleyball player, etc. The list goes on and on.  I always try to make them focus perhaps on a hobby that is important to them.

Download the Poem Outline and Sample here. 

Once the students have identified the "theme" of their poem, they complete their rough draft.  This also allows me to catch a glimpse of their overall writing.  Once editing is done, I have my students type up their poem with the title "I Am Poem".  However, I don't have them put their name on it.

While students are working on their poems, I take a profile picture of each child.  I print the picture out in black and white on 8.5x11 sheets of paper and carefully cut out their profiles.  I then trace the profiles onto black construction paper and cut those out.  Their shadows are then glued onto white construction paper.  In years past, I've actually had the students do all the cutting and tracing.  By 5th grade, I think they are pretty good at it. I used to have the students sit in a chair and use my overhead projector light to cast their shadow behind them onto paper which I would trace. But more often than not the students would move and it was difficult.

Once the poems are typed, I print them out and we attach them to the bottom of each profile.  The students love to guess who wrote the poem and look at all the profiles.  Many times it's quite easy to figure out who is who by just looking at the shadows! This is one of the first projects I hang up in the hallway in time for Back To School Night.  The parents LOVE coming and trying to find their child's work.  I also snap pictures for their Artsonia portfolio so parents can purchase items if they wish with their child's shadow on them. 

What Back to School project do you do every year? Share below!

A Lenten Activity: Stations of the Cross Dioramas

As we enter the season of Lent, one of my favorite activities that my students do every year is our Stations of the Cross Dioramas.  Instead of sending this project home, my students take a couple of weeks during Religion class to work on their chosen station.  They are required to bring in a shoe box (of course I have extras for those who don't have one) and any materials they want to make their 3-D scene.  In addition, I open up my art closet and they can use any supplies (paint, construction paper, etc. that I have).  We talk about what makes a diorama unique and after each student chooses a station they want to work on, they are let loose to create.  The only requirement I have when they choose stations is that each of the 14 must be represented. 

Prior to working on the project, we review the different stations and I enjoy showing them this Puppet movie on the Stations of the Cross that I located on YouTube.

After the students have created their diorama they then are required to complete a writing assignment on it.  They discuss in detail what is happening in their diorama scene and reflect upon why the station is important.  This project is always a favorite of the students and what I love most about it is that they are ALL student created (no parental help).  I'm amazed at the creativity that the students display.  Since they do such an amazing job, I find it important that we share our work so we invite the rest of the school to stop by during a certain time to view the different stations. 

Here are some examples from this year's class:

Interested in doing this project with your class?  You can check it out in my TpT store here.

Quadrilateral project with the Geoboard app (and a AWESOME Giveaway!)

In math class my students are learning how to identify different types of quadrilaterals and the characteristics that make them all up.  In order to assist them, I created this little handout which they put in their math notebook so they have an easy reference.

Since we have the iPads, I also created a little Quadrilateral booklet project for them to work on.  The project requires the students to create the shapes using the Geoboard app AND be able to identify these shapes in real life and explain how they are use. The students were thrilled to be able to play with the Geoboard app as we've had it on our iPads for sometime but never used it.  Just like if they were using real Geoboards, they have the ability to pick different color rubber bands but unlike the real Geoboards they can also fill in their shapes.  Best part about this app......it's FREE!

The possibilities for using it are practically endless!  Students can represents fractions, figure out area and perimeter, and so on.  It's really easy to use too.  A win win all around. 

You can get a copy of both my free handout and booklet project at my store.  Hopefully your students will enjoy it as much as mine are!



Also, in case you haven't heard or seen it already, my friend, Krystal Mills, over at Lessons from the Middle is having her First Bloggy Birthday!  A bunch of us fellow bloggers got together and donated TONS of products for her to give away ranging in all grade levels.  Head over and enter to win some awesome prize packs whose total worth IS $500!

And don't forget to download the Geoboard App for some virtual rubberband fun! ;-)

Enjoy! 

A Simulation - Exploring New Worlds!

Available roles to choose from.

Prior to studying the 13 colonies and the American Revolution, we first cover the early explorers in 5th grade.  I love ending the unit each year with a simulation created by Scholastic called Easy Simulations: Explorers.  This book contains everything you need to have a fun and imaginative adventure with your students.

I begin the simulation each year by going through a Keynote with my kids explaining what a simulation is and the basics of the one we are going to do.  This is where students are first introduced to the "characters" they can play and the ins and outs.  I put them into groups of 4-6 (depending on the number of students I have in my class that year) and their first job is to create a name for their boat and design a flag for that boat.  Here is an example from the past:

 

Once students have created their flag and have decided upon their "role" in the simulation, I hand out hats that I purchased relatively cheap.  I have the Navigator wear a bandana instead of a regular sailor cap.  This is the person who is the spokesperson for their ship and crew and bandana allows me to easily know who it is.  Additionally, I purchase quills and ink sets for the students to take turns writing in their journal (see regarding journals below) at least once using an old fashion quill and ink. They LOVE THIS!!  And it was a good investment - I've had the same ones for the past 4 years and they are still going strong.  

One of my favorite journal entries

Finally the actual simulation begins - it takes place over five days and the book walks you through the different episodes.  In the beginning students need to make decisions regarding which charter they care going to accept - Spain or Portugal.  Both have pros and cons depending on what they decide to do. At the end of each episode, the students are required to write a journal entry describing the adventure they experienced.  (This is where the students take turns writing with the quills and ink - they only get to do it once, not for all five).  Students must write their entry in character which makes them always enjoyable to read.  Some of my class really get into it!

Throughout the simulation a lot happens.  There are decisions to be made, hardships to overcome, sickness and disease, mutiny of the crew, discovery of new lands and people and some of the group even lose their lives (which the kids always get a kick out of - some even write about pretend funerals that they end up having for their lost crew).  Depending on the choices the group makes and a game of chance will determine whether or not they are successful.

Rubric

There are a lot of copies that need to be made for this simulation which is one of the reasons this year, I scanned the pages instead and uploaded them to Dropbox.  The students then accessed the pages from there and using PDF notes opened the pages up and modified them on their iPads using their stylus.  This way, the only printed out papers, were their journals.  They used the Pages app to write their journal apps and uploaded them to me in Edmodo.  (With the exception of their one journal entry which was done with the quill pens.)

Overall, this is a fabulous cumulative project to do.  I love how the book has everything I need to successfully roll it out (including a rubric to grade them on) and yet allows me to add in little fun elements of my choosing.   I always hear positive comments from my students about it and they always want to know when we are going to do another one.  Enter Easy Simulations: American Revolution......  ;-)




Do you do simulations in your class?  Which ones?

Periodic Table - Element Wanted Posters

In science class my students just finished learning the basics on atoms and the periodic table.  They are well apt at figuring out how many neutrons, protons, and electrons each element possesses.  Towards the end of our unit, one of my students brought in a book that he thought I might be interested in seeing called The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe.  And what a fabulous book it was!


The book itself gives information on each element in the periodic table and provides one of the most colorful experiences I've ever witnessed on the this topic.  I'll admit it was so intriging to look at all the pictures and to discover new things about the elements which I never knew.  So.....it got me thinking.  If I was this interested in the topic by looking at the book, would my students be too?

After doing a bit of research online, I came across a great cumulative project for our unit in which each student would pick an element that interest them and create a "Wanted Poster" for that element. More importantly, I wanted them to be able to use our iPad to create their project as well.  After tweaking it a bit for my needs, I assigned the project. Click here to see  the assignment details. 

Sample Project from student

After each student chose an element they wanted to learn more about, I copied from the book, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe, for them to utilize in their research.  In addition, students used the app called PeriodicTable.  While it only has a 3 out of 5 star rating, the app for the most part provided more than enough information for my 5th graders for what they needed. 

 

After students finished doing the research on their project and had filled out their rough draft, they worked in the Pages app to complete their final poster.  I printed all their posters and students presented their work to the class. It was a lot of fun and very informative to learn about all the elements they picked. 

 

 

What projects have you done with your students that involved the Periodic Table and elements?  Share below - I'd love to hear about them.

A Pinterest Back to School Project

I know it has been a few weeks since I last posted but I was really trying to enjoy summer as much as I could - especially with my baby girl, who just turned ONE! However, I can no longer put off the inevitable......Back to School is upon us.  And for some of you, you have already started back!  So I thought it was appropriate that I participated in Mrs. Stanford's Magical Product Swap for my first Back to School post.

I had the privilege of being paired up with Liliris over at Fourth Grade Garden blog.  After looking over all of her fabulous ideas at her Teachers Pay Teachers store, I chose her Pinterest Back to School - All About Me Craftivity.  It's a perfect project to get to know your new class a little bit better. 

The templates (& my daughter in the background)

When you download the product, it comes complete with instructions, three templates to suit your needs, as well as a picture of a final product.  What I liked most about it, were the three templates.  You could have students design a project with their favorites, theirs goals, or there is a blank one for you to decided.  When completing my own, I decided to use the blank one and list goals.  In 5th grade, we talk a lot about what we want to accomplish during the school year and since I already do a Student Survey (which you can see here), I wanted them to focus more on what they wanted from 5th grade. So in the first three boxes, I listed three goals I wanted to accomplish professionally at work which were to:

1.  Implement a successful 1:1 iPad program this year.
2.  Make sure by the end of the year, all my students feel confident in math.
3.  Continue to improve upon our video making unit for the year.

Then I did one goal for my home life which was to:

1.  Save money for our first home.

I think with my students, I would have them do three goals for school and one for their personal life. 

***Just a quick note - I did mine in crayon and had to start over to do the writing in marker so it was easier to read.  So when your students ask, "Can we use markers?" my recommendation is say YES. So much neater!!  haha

Additionally, instead of using the file folders, I opted for two pieces of cardstock which I taped together on the backside as seen in the picture. 



Overall, I loved this project.  It was quick, easy and you can learn a lot from your kiddos which is very important the first few weeks of school.  Head on over to Liliris' TpT store and download your own copy today!  And be sure to check out her blog for even more fabulous ideas.  :-)


Also, be sure to check out Mrs. Stanford's page for even more product swap reviews!

Enjoy!

Post Father's Day Gift

Okay - I am well aware the Father's Day is over and done with. However, I never shared my project that I did with my students. So despite the holiday being almost a full year away, I present you my project.

 Let me start by saying in my head when I first planned this project, it was SUPER cool! Seriously. Super. Cool. Then we actually started the project and I thought maybe not so super cool after all. However, my students loved it and in the end, I was back to thinking super cool. So all is well. Okay, now I really will present the project.

My original idea was to have students imprint their feet into the stepping stone. Which is why I bought the 12x12 stepping stone molds. In the end, I went with just hands. The molds worked perfectly. I was a bit scared that the cement would dry and the mold wouldn't come off but my husband (who was a big contributor to this project) just had my students grease the molds with olive oil. No problem. The molds came off. Since I had only 16 students, I bought 8 molds and completed this project over two days. Half the class one day and the other half the next day.

 

My husband came and mixed together quick cement in a bucket and filled the greased molds to the brim. He smoothed it off and we had them set for about 25 minutes. After they set for a little, the students stuck their hand prints into the cement. They had to press down fairly hard. This is also when they would have used the letter stamps but I decided not to do that. I had the molds stay outside for 2 hours before having the students carefully carry them up the stairs to dry on the back table. The next day, the stones were completely dry.

My amazing husband, who facilitated this project.

 Now that the stones were dry, I let the students use acrylic paints to color their hand print. This was a last minute idea.....originally we weren't going to paint them at all, but I felt they needed something.

Pre-paint

The painting was a big hit - the kids loved it and even added messages, initials and dates to their stones. Once that acrylic paint dried, I used a clear coat and covered the stone a few times to give it a shiny appearance. I'm really glad I stuck with the project. I heard positive reviews from not only the kids (which I expected - they love to get dirty) but also from the parents. I even had one student who went out and purchased a mold and is going to make more for his family's garden. So this is not only a great Father's Day project but also an anytime project!

What type of Father's Day projects did you do?

Fifty State Studies

Western States

After diligently working all year in our Social Studies book, I like to end the school year with our State Study Unit.  During this time, students learn the location of all 50 states, their abbreviation and capital (including proper spelling).  This is also when I find many of my past students (we are a PreK-8 school) walking extremely slowly by my classroom.  Not because they are trying to get out of whatever is going on in their own classroom but because they hear a familiar tune.  Many will even stop outside my door to sing the song with my class......what song?  The Animaniacs Capital Song!!!!  I kick the unit off every year by giving my students a copy of the lyrics to this extremely catchy song to help aid my kids in memorizing the capitals.  If you have not heard this one yet, you need to listen to it!!!!  My kids absolutely LOVE this song and many times during their tests on the capitals I can hear them humming the tune.  It works!

 

I break the total unit into five weeks, with the aid of maps from Eduplace.com.  This website has divided the country into four regions: Northeastern, Midwest, Southern and Western.  I print out a copy of each map for my students and together we properly label the map for them to use as a study guide.  Each week we work on a new region.  Here is my breakdown:

Week 1:  Northeastern States

Week 2: Quiz on NE States and begin Southern States

Week 3: Quiz on the Southern States and begin the Midwest States

Week 4: Quiz on the Midwest States and begin the Western States

Week 5: Quiz on the Western States and final tests on the capitals, abbreviations and location of all 50 states

Final state location test

I created weekly quizzes for the students to complete for each region.  One quiz is for the abbreviations, another for capitals and yet another for location.  While it seems like a lot, my students have actually said they like it because they usually are successful on one or another (if not all three!)  During this time, I also print out some review sheets from Edhelper to create a packet that the students need to have completed by the end of the unit.  Superteachersworksheets.com also has great packets and sheets.  

NE Quiz

I also assign the State Project which is broken into two parts.  One part is a report that the students complete using Google Presentation, where they research an assigned state.  In addition to the report, students create a state float (think of a parade) which represents symbols and other things that state is known for.  These are SO MUCH fun to see and listen to the students present.  They get really creative.  

See an example report here:  Georgia

This is one unit the students really enjoy!  We play State Capital Bingo, a flashcard game and so much more.  Even my students who typically struggle in Social Studies, typically find success with this unit and enjoy all the hands on activities and games we play.

In addition, I have my students use my QR Code Task Cards to practice identifying the states based on outlines and the state capitals.  See them here in my TpT store.

What do you do for your State Study Unit?