Tried It Tuesday: Human Body Lapbook

 Oh my gosh!  It has been soooo long but I finally feel like I'm back to my old blogging self again!  Do you ever get in those "funks" where you feel like you're not so sure about your choices in life?  For a better portion of this year I kept asking myself, "Is this really what teaching is all about now?"  I didn't like the route we were taking in our county.  Luckily I have great admin who are very supportive of their teachers but it's still hard sometimes when the powers that be want you to do something else.  Thankfully we have scaled back a little and are letting teachers do what they do best.  TEACH.   I'm happy to blog all about our new adventures now ;o)

 

I'm linking up with my girl Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday!  Again it has been a long time since I've done this (SORRY HOLLY!) but I have found something worth blogging for that I tried and wanted to let you in on it. 

 

 

My friend Nick over at Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason helped me out in a pinch when our unit on the Human Body came up.  Now let me tell you, teaching the human body to class of ten years olds that is dominated by the male gender is a scary undertaking, lol.  It wasn't really as bad as I thought it would be and my kiddos were GREAT!  So mature and full of thoughtful questions.  If you know me you know I can't ONLY use the textbook... It would make me twitch.  Nick sent over his Human Body Lapbook and my kids loved it!  It was a new twist on their interactive notebooks and they have already requested another one.

 

 

I'm going to start off by saying that there is way more in the pack than what I used!  Based on my state standards, I did not have to cover everything that Nick included but it was nice to have as extras or bonus in case my standards ever change again.  We started off by creating a KLEW chart and gluing it to the back of the file folder.  The students filled in what they already knew about the human body and as we went along in our unit, they filled this out more and more.

 

 

We used a variety of resources to find our information!  Our textbook was a big resource but we supplemented it with our leveled readers, Science Weekly, BrainPop and StudyJam videos, our interactive lessons and of course... Steve.

 

 

 

There is plenty of space inside each flap for your students to write all the information they collect.  Which was nice because I didn't get a thousand, "How much do we have to write?"  When they saw they still had a lot of room left to write, they researched more!

 

 

 

 

The lapbook contains flaps for the eleven human body systems, cells, and homeostasis.  It also has a table included that tells the students everything inside that organ system along with everything you need on how to assemble the lapbook!

 

For a limited time you can find the Human Body Lapbook along with eight other intermediate science activities included in this Science Bundle from Educents for only $10.99!

Check out these other amazing products included in the bundle!  

I promise you won't regret this purchase!  I have everything in this bundle and LOVE/USE it all!

 

Hop on over to Holly's blog to see what everyone else tried today!  Happy Tuesday y'all!

 

SUPER SCIENCE! Just in time for the BIG test too!

Everyone knows that science is what you make it (as is teaching all the subjects really).  You can either let those kids read that textbook and call it a day, which is not bad - just not me, or if you are a multi-media kind of gal/guy like me, then you like to incorporate everything possible and watch their eyes light up with excitement!  I am BIG on our interactive notebook and we get our information for those from anywhere and everywhere we can.  Here are a few of my go to sources that I would highly recommend to any science teacher.

 

BrainPop and StudyJams are where it is at!  If you have not checked out these videos you are missing out.  BrainPop has knowledge-packed videos along with activities and quizzes that really help the students get a better understanding or background knowledge on a topic.  Thankfully, they also have videos for all the other subjects as well.  The bummer part is they do cost money, but in my humble opinion (as my teammate would say), it is TOTALLY worth it.

 

 

StudyJams is very similar in that it has knowledge-packed videos that are a few minutes long but they also have an interactive "Test Yourself" feature that my kids love.  The beauty of StudyJams is that it's free!  They only have videos for Math and Science though, but what a wealth of videos!

 

If you teach science in upper elementary or middle school or high school and have not checked out Mr. Parr, you are missing out!?  He is a definite go to when trying to differentiate for your learners in your classroom.  He writes songs about the different topics and units of study based on popular music that your kids can relate to.  He has over a 100 songs to choose from so go check him out!  This one on the Rock Cycle is one of my favorites!

 

  
Lakeshore sells these Science Activity Tubs for the different units and inside each tub is eight different labs with everything included to set up and get started!  We only have the Properties of Earth on in our class but it filled with wonderfulness!  If you have a chance to snag one, or DonorsChoose it, it is so worth the money!  A perfect way for kids to learn through experimenting of even just review.

 Science is just so fun to teach... I hope you share the love!  There are so many amazing resources out there, you just have to look for them!  Luckily, I have brought them to you :o)  Remember how I told you I was BIG into out interactive Science Notebook?  Well a few of my BBB's have totally come through for me when I needed material for them and we have teamed up with Educents for an amazing bundle of instant downloads for you!

There are two of my products included that will surely be loved by your students (mine did)!  

 Cooking with Science: Physical and Chemical Changes is just a down right fun way to apply science to the real-world.  Through an interactive read-aloud and a delicious lab where students make homemade butter and pancakes, your kiddos will be able to detect physical and chemical changes not only on their test but in their own kitchens as well!  Check out my blog post for more behind the scene pictures and details.

 

Both labs have a homemade recipe, directions, and lab sheet that integrates reading, math, science, and critical thinking skills!  Even today when I ask the kids what they love most about 5th grade so far...  Pancakes is always on top!

 

In conjunction with the labs,  I also have SCOOT! Physical and Chemical Changes in the bundle!  The cards range from easy to what I call "thinkers."  I don't like telling kids something is difficult because then a lot of them give up without ever trying.  These require the students to stop and THINK.  This is a perfect way to reinforce the skills and apply them all while moving around the room.

 

 

For a limited time it is $10.99 from Educents which is about 65% off!  It also includes these other great products so there is sure to be things you love!  

You can also take peek at some of the other products included in the bundle at any of the links below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have fun teaching everyone!

Texts Sets for Introducing Novel Studies (Among the Hidden)

We are starting our new novel, Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (one of my favorites!), and I wanted a unique pre-reading activity to introduce the book.  If you haven't read this book, it is a must read!  It's about a boy, Luke, who lives in a society which enforces a population law that only allows two children per home.  Luke is a third child, one of the Shadow Children.  One day when Luke is gazing longingly out the window, because he can't go outside for fear of being discovered, he finds another "third child" in one of his neighbor's home.  His new friend would love nothing more than to leave the house and let the world know who she is...  But does Luke dare to do the same?  From there it is a very suspenseful tale and I'm not going to give any more away!  As you can tell for such a good book, I had to have a good hook!

Cue my most recent professional development!  One of our county's reading gurus came to our school to tell us all about "text sets" and how to implement them in our classroom.  Now I know the term "text sets" has been around for a while and I have always heard a few different meanings for the phrase but this PD showed me text sets in a whole new light.  Maybe it's a Common Core thing, but Florida is just starting to semi-embrace CC (we're just calling it something else) so forgive me if you already know this!

The purpose of this text set is to attempt to not just introduce a topic, but issues within the topic, and have students form opinions based on their evidence from many different sources/forms of media.  For our pre-reading activity I used video clips, articles, and maps.  One of the things that the presenter kept mentioning was that we DO NOT teach during this lesson.  This is all about the students teaching and thinking for themselves.  Using this graphic organizer (go ahead and grab it, it's FREE!) they fill out each square after each new piece of evidence and write down all their thoughts, then finally form their opinion.  I cannot take credit for this organizer.  The presenter showed us her version but I created my own and swapped the order of some of the boxes.

Step One: Introduce the Topic and Purpose Question
My topic was about population policy.  I started off by just asking some general family questions of the kids.  Who was the second child in their family?  Who was the third?  Who had more than three siblings?  Were their parents a third child?  Then the "hard hitting" questions came out.  What if I said every family could only have two children?  Who would still be here?

It was very interesting to watch the faces of the third children.  I asked them if there was any way that could ever be a rule, only being allowed to have two children, and they were very adamant that it could not!  Then I introduced my Purpose Question: "Is it ever okay for the government to "manage" your family and tell you how many children you can have?"  Unanimous "no" ladies and gentlemen.

I introduced the graphic organizer (which I printed on gray card stock and laminated so they would last me longer) and the purpose behind it and told them to only fill out the box I told them to when I tell them to.  You can actually go in any order you want but I started from the top and went left to right.

Step Two: This Makes Me Feel/Think
Our first source was a three minute video clip about what exactly is China's One-Child Policy.  It was very informative and gave the background as to how it got started and looked into one "invisible child's" life not being able to fully exist.  It was very moving.  After watching the clip I told them to read the directions and fill out the first box.

Step Three: Stop and Jot
For the last three boxes the students would be using articles that I prepared for them on a key ring.  Each pair of students grabbed one article and read it together.  I only had two articles, one that showed the benefits of China's population policy and one that was against it.  After they read their article and discussed their thoughts and opinions with their partner, they had to read the directions and fill out the Stop and Jot square based on what they just read (not the video).

Step Four: R.E.S.P.O.N.D.
You can have the students swap articles if you would like, but I had mine tell each other what they read about.  They did know this ahead of time to help them prepare key points and the main idea.  They were also allowed to reference back to the article.  After teaching each other about the other side of the issue, students chose one way to respond to what they just learned: R - rephrase, E - explain, S - summarize, P - pose a question, O - opinion, N - note your thoughts, or D - describe.  Again, this section is only writing down their thoughts and feelings based on what their partners just taught them.  They never read the other article, just learned about it from their table mates.

Step Five: Citing Textual Evidence
This is where it all comes together.  Now that students have seen the video, read the articles, made connections, etc. they write down their final answer to the Purpose Question in the last box using text evidence to support their opinion.  It was interesting to see some of their unanimous "No's" go to "well maybe..."

My kids absolutely LOVED this pre-reading activity.  They couldn't wait until we started the novel after they found out that this is what it would be about.  As I stated in the beginning, I did very little teaching during this time.  A couple kids had questions about what words meant and what not and we did end up having a whole group discussion on the two articles at the end but by that point they already knew everything.  I wasn't teaching them anything new.  It was very satisfying to watch my fifth graders be such independent learners and thinkers!

You could use text sets and the graphic organizer for SO MANY subjects!  The Reading and Writing Project has tons of digital non-fiction text sets already set up for you by subject to get you started.  It is an amazing way to cover citing evidence, differentiating reading levels, text features, social skills/communication, in-depth knowledge on any subject, and so much more!  I keep thinking of different topics I would love to use this with!  What are your thoughts and suggestions?  I would love to hear any ideas you have in the comments sections :0)

Happy Friday y'all!

Cooking with Science

As you know, this is my first year teaching science and I am really starting to like it!  I know, it's February and I'm JUST NOW starting to like it???  Well actually, I'm now more comfortable with it which makes it more fun, lol.  One of my favorite activities we did (and my student's favorite as well) is cooking to show how physical and chemical changes occur in our everyday lives.

Before we even began the cooking, we had to reinforce our knowledge of the differences between physical and chemical changes with a little SCOOT!  My kids love this game because it's fast paced and they get to move around.

Once we went over the answers and confirmed that we knew the difference between a physical and a chemical change, it was time to put on our chef's hat!  I broke the class up into four different groups and gave each of the groups a recipe/directions sheet, all the materials and ingredients and let them go to town!  This lab was very hands-on and exploratory for the students.  The only real direction or warning I gave was to hold the jar with TWO HANDS while you were shaking.  VERY IMPORTANT unless you want to be cleaning up cream and glass shards.  I mean, look how fast he's shaking this jar?!

It was really interesting to see all the different techniques and processes that the groups came up with to complete their lab.  It was also hysterical to watch the kids shake their little hearts out to make butter out of cream.  You don't want to laugh in their faces but you just can help but giggle!  Here are these little scrunch faces trying as hard as they can and their team is cheering them on and laughing and you can't help but smile :o)

Once our butter was finished (and taste tested of course) it was on to the pancakes!  Again, I gave each group a directions/recipe sheet along with the ingredients and lab report and let them create!  This lab required more observation and recording data/evidence throughout the whole process, so it was perfect for them to bounce ideas off each other!  I left them in the same groups as the butter lab because they already created a foundation of how to work well together. 

While all the students followed the directions, the recipe maybe not so much.  To be fair though, we haven't taught measurement yet, haha!  Thus their pancakes DID NOT turn out all the same.  The first group was a little rough, but the other three were spot on!  It didn't matter if they were ruined though.  These kids thought this was the best thing they had ever done and loved every single bite!  They were so proud of themselves, as they should be!

Now all that was needed was to finalize their lab sheets and eat their creations!  They smeared on their butter and drizzled some syrup and voila!  A feast for their hard work!

All in all the lab went above my expectations but also did exactly what I had hoped it would do.  It had these kids discussing every day occurrences in scientific terminology.  It had them seeing the world as physical and chemical changes and they began categorizing things as we went throughout the day.  It had them applying what we were learning in class to something other than a textbook and it had them enjoying science.  That's really all a teacher can ask for :o)

If you would like more information on Physical and Chemical Changes SCOOT or other activities including the Cooking with Science Labs, please click on their pictures above or visit my store!

Sweets for the Sweet!

I am collaborating with my girls over at A Class-y Collaboration for a wonderful Valentine's Day Freebie Link Up: Sweets for the Sweet!

 



Today I will be linking up one of my all time favorite activities to do on Valentine's Day with my big kids.  It's such a hard time with them because most of them are "too cool" for valentines yet others want to do it, so it's this fine line of what is appropriate for them and if they will even like it or find it too cheesy.

Now, the item in the pictures will be different than what you receive because my flash drive met an untimely demise earlier this school year and I lost A LOT of stuff.  This item being one of them.  Note to everyone reading this... GO COPY YOUR FLASH DRIVE NOW!!! 

This activity is called Famous Couples!  The student's wear name badges that have one name of a person or thing from a famous couple.  I make the badges into necklaces but you can also just tape them to their shirts.

Make sure the badge is on their back though!  They cannot know who they are!



The whole point of the game is to figure out who their person is by asking "yes" or "no" questions to everyone else in the room.  Using the clues they find out, they will try and guess who they are!



Once they have figured out who they are, they have to go find their famous pair.



There are a lot of different activities you could do with this after everyone has found their partner!  I usually have them write a creative story about how the famous couple met and how they became synonymous with each other.  It's hysterical what some of them come up with!



Don't forget to check out A Class-y Collaboration for more fabulous Valentine's Day freebies and feel free to link up your own as well!