Biography Bags

Biography bags are a favorite activity of mine! The kids love them too! You can put as much effort and time into these as you have available! They are so worth it! They're very fun to show off to parents at a museum day or invite another class over to see them! This PBL project is interdisciplinary.

Components

Writing: After researching their historical figure, students write a grade appropriate biography about their historical figure.

Math: Students create a timeline of his/her important life events. We used an app called Timeline. Students created a booklet ahead of time with dates & illustrations to add to their app creations.

Social Studies:  Students identify character traits that made his/her historical figure a good leader. We focused on Jackie Robinson's patience and Martin Luther King Jr's determination. But we branched out to other figures not in our second grade standards.

Other: Students learn research and note-taking skills, students artistically transform a paper bag into their historical figure, students learn cooperation as they complete this with partners or small groups, & students can complete self assessments at the end.

Artifacts: Students might include 2-3 representative artifacts inside the bag. These can be items brought from home or made in class. For example, a trophy to represent Jackie Robinson's induction into the Hall of Fame or a kite to represent Ben Franklin's discovery.

Maker Space Must-Dos

These maker space must-dos are projects I've done with my second graders. However, they could be adapted to work with other grades or other content. Trust me, the person who runs your maker space with be glad if your students arrive with a plan in mind! Plus, it helps students use their time wisely and narrow down the supplies they'll need.

FUSE BEADS

In Georgia, second graders study the Creek and Cherokee Native Americans. Students created a Native American artifact from fuse beads and later wrote a "museum plaque" giving information about the importance of the person or item to Native American life or culture. My students worked in partners & we spent about 1 hour in the maker space. 

I created a museum display outside my classroom using sheet protectors. They worked great for displaying these projects! Coworkers were immediately asking for the planning sheet & book their maker space times! My principal love this project so much, he featured us on the morning announcements! If you're an arts integration school or a STEAM school, this project is for you!

Monuments

After studying Martin Luther King Jr. & Jackie Robinson's impact on the civil rights movement, students were tasked with creating a monument that represents their contribution and their character. This took us two visits to the maker space, but the kids came up with some great stuff!

Again, students created a plan before heading to the maker space.. Additionally, students wrote down the main character traits of the historical figure they chose. After completing the project, the partnerships did a self-assessment on their project and their cooperation.

Have fun trying out these maker space must-dos! 

Comment below with any of your favorite projects for the maker space!

Back to School: Classroom Tour

 Love my classroom library! It's such a cozy spot with reading buddies/ stuffed animals, pillows, and camping chairs! I have two shelves of leveled books & one shelf with miscellaneous books. Along the tops of two of the shelves I also have books my genre/author- biographies, non-fiction animal books, Franklin the Turtle books, social/emotional books, math books, etc. 

My students love their book baggies! They hold their readers workshop folders, lots of books, post-its, etc. They've all got name tags and a specific hook to return them to! I love this little tidbit of organization!

 

My kiddos may be second graders, but we all still love the listening center! I think it's a nice alternative to independent reading for them. It's great for them to hear fluent readers & be exposed to new vocab. Not to mention, they love hanging out under our tree & using stability cushions. Also, recently painted three crates to use for storage. I'm still debating what to use them for.... ideas?

 

My classroom's filled with flexible seating! On the left, we've got some new (refurbished) black stools at our raised computer table. I've never had a specific classroom theme... just colorful, I guess. So at our math table in the back I've got these rainbow stools from Amazon. There are similar stools for cheaper. I got mine about 4 years ago and they're still going strong! Also, inherited a new book shelf where I finally organized, sorted, and labeled all my math games & manipulatives.

I got myself a little back to school treat- a new planner from SHPplanners on Etsy. Be sure to add extra grade book pages if you order one! Every student got a little BTS treat too on the first day of school! :)

I don't know about y'all but this is how I survived the first week of school! HAHA

Best wishes to all for a wonderful school year!

Sneak-a-Peek at my Open House Routines

Open house is a such an exciting time for all! Teachers are meeting their sweet kids for the first time, kids are seeing the room that will be their "home away from home" for the next year, and parents are meeting the person who they'll trust this child with for 8 hours a day. Here are some things I love to have set up and ready to go to make everyone feel welcome & to ensure things flow smoothly.

1) Treat- I also love to have a little gift for kiddos when they come in. Last year I did popcorn with cute tags that said, "Welcome! Thanks for popping in!"

2) Welcome Paperwork- I always put these into a folder. One side contains the "complete now" paperwork and the other side is reading material for parents to take home. It's a handy place for them to keep everything and refer back to when needed.

 

I also make these cute stickers to go inside the folder so parents can easily see what needs to be done now vs. later. These are made on 1.5 x 1.5 inch Avery sticker labels. I used the Bitmoji Chrome extension to save the images I wanted. These are also fun to make & apply to student work throughout the year. 

*purchase the labels here*

If you need to grab some folders for your back to school paperwork, Target is having a SALE for TEACHERS! Sign up for your coupon here.

3) Wish List- Parents spend lots of money in the beginning of the school year to buy supplies. I try to be considerate of everyone's financial situations. I often say these are the 3 most important items for your child & these are 3 items we don't need as much because we have a lot left over. However, some families are able to give a little extra so I always set out a wish list. Parents can choose an apple to take home with them and send in the item when it's convenient or affordable for them. 

Grab this FREEBIE from TeachCreateMotivate!

Best of luck with open house, sneak a peek, or meet the teacher!
You've got this!

Edible Opinion Writing- Yum to the Last Crumb!

When it's time to teach opinion writing, my favorite way to do it is with COOKIES! I teach my kids all about the OREO method to opinion writing. 

O- STATE YOUR OPINION

R- GIVE REASONS

E- PROVIDE EXAMPLES

O- RESTATE YOUR  OPINION

GRAB THIS AS A FREEBIE HERE!

Many thanks to FIRSTGRADEWOW for creating and sharing this!

This packet is amazing for teaching the OREO opinion writing method. It provides examples, anchor charts, several types of writing paper, and blue ribbons for the cookie & the writer that tops the rest!

Once we've learned the OREO method, we sample three types of cookies and give reasons to support our opinion on the best cookie ever. I chose to include Nilla Waffers, Oreos, and Teddy Grahams because I had students with nut and food dye allergies. Here's how I prepped the activity... cupcake liners are my go to for having everything sorted, counted, and awaiting excited kiddos.

 

My students thought this was the most fun writing activity of the year and the opinion writing they produced was REALLY wonderful. I was so proud of them. I helped facilitate it in a couple ways.

 We went through the steps of OREO together one and a time. After students wrote their first sentence stating their opinion, they exchanged papers with a classmate. Their classmate helped spell check and ensure that they had followed directions. This was a teaching opportunity too because we practiced complimenting our classmates and making polite suggestions. We did this for each reason, example, and the conclusion. It made such a difference with the quality of their writing.

 I also showed my students the anchor charts with suggested wording and sentence starts for each section as we completed them. This helped them turn their opinions and reasons into complete sentences. Be sure to go grab this excellent product from FIRSTGRADEWOW! If you try this with your kids, let me know how it goes. We thought it was "Yum to the Last Crumb" just as Nancy Vandenburge called it!

School Gardens

Gardening with my students is one of my all time favorite things to do! Its an academic experience, but it's also good for our souls! Here's why I think school gardens are so beneficial.

1) It requires following directions & teamwork.

2) Gardening teaches us patience and diligence. 

3) We learn about life cycles and plant needs.

4) It gets us outdoors when we might feel a little stir crazy.

5)) It's fun to eat fresh food from our garden & teaches sustainability.

6) We can share our excess veggies & herbs with others!

Simple seeds aren't too pricey but when you start thinking about soil, watering cans, shoves/spades, gloves, and pots or beds, the costs can add up. Here are some ways I've made gardening possible with the help of others:

1) Write a Donors Choose project!

In my school garden project, I requested an adult shovel, adult rake, seeds for salsa fixings, class set of kid gloves, kid shovels, hose and nozzle, pruning sheers, and a set of knives and cutting boards for harvesting and sampling! I know there are some schools that don't allow teachers to use Donors Choose. In that situation, I would suggest you write a school garden grant. There are several big businesses that offer them- including Walmart.

2) Hit up the Dollar Tree!

I know I've mentioned this before, but Dollar Tree is such an affordable way of making experiences possible for your kiddos. This past spring they were selling little plastic pots that were three for $1. They also sell watering cans and seeds! What more could you need to make your school garden project come to life?

3) Ask for donations! 

The parents in my room have been generous enough to send in seeds & soil.  But, if you work at a school with families who may not be able to afford that, check with Home Depot, Lowes, or Pikes Nursery. Home Depot donated 6 bags of potting soil to me and all I had to do was ASK!

4) Check with your Science or STEM lab teacher!

These adorable watering cans came from our science lab supplies. I was able to use a few during the spring and then return them when I was done! The science lab was also able to give me pebbles for the bottom of our pots so we didn't lose all of our soil when we watered our plants. If you can't swing a garden on your own, reach out to your garden club, science lab teacher, or PTA and inquire about how to make a school garden as a group!  

Check out all the fun & success we've had. I should also say I DO NOT HAVE A GREEN THUMB! I'm notorious for killing my own house plants. However, if I can produce enough to make gardening a fun, memorable, and educational experience for my students... you can too! Can't wait to see your school gardening projects coming to life!

We planted our marigolds inside and left them on a couple lap desks by the window. It worked great. Sometimes I'd put them outside over the weekend to get them some extra sunshine and rain!

 

Ice Cream Stack-Its

Ice Cream Stacks-Its are one of my favorite activities to include in my math and reading centers. They take a little prep time on the teacher's part: print, laminate, and cut. However, they're so worth it because the kids love them and they're pretty self explanatory! These games can be printed in color or black and white on colored paper!

When my students have a bucket of games to choose from, stack-its are always their go to choice. They're great for partners or small groups to work on too. They encourage cooperation and teamwork. You can also print the PDF pages in black and white to make a self-checking key.

KINDER- FIRST

These ice cream match-ups come in a variety of subjects, difficulties, and grade levels. In Kindergarten I liked to use the beginning sounds match during our work word time! Students have to match 4 pictures and the lower case letter to the capital letter cone. In math centers, we love to use the number sense stack-its! These help students recognize numbers to 20 in multiple forms: dice, base ten blocks, word form, ten frames, and fingers.

FIRST- SECOND

My second graders love the place value stack-its! They vary in difficulty. You could start the kids off with numbers to 20 and then challenge them with numbers to 100. Students match the expanded form, word form, and base ten form to the standard form ice cream cone. They love to show off their work for photos. I like to put these types of photos on Class Dojo to give parents a glimpse into our learning.

Another great set for second graders is the 3D shapes stack-its! These are fun and allow students to match the typical 3D shapes they see at school to 3D shapes in the real world.

Back to School Hacks

Hard to believe 'back to school' is just around the corner from now. Let's be honest, we all wish setting up our room was as simple as asking Alexa to make it happen... but, alas, it's not. Here are a few hacks to make the transition a little bit smoother.

1)  I love to give my new kiddos some back to school treats. These could be given out at meet the teacher, on the first day of school, or as a "congrats you survived the first week" reward. Really we both deserve something for that last one! I love these simple pencils tags and these free bookmarks! Cheap & yet fun to receive!

2) Last year I spruced up my student cubbies with two different colors of contact paper from Dollar Tree. Such a cheap DIY project to revive some old and boring cubbies. If you measure and cut them all at once you'll get the hang of the accurate peel & stick quickly! Look what a difference it made!

3) Beside my beautiful cubbies is where I house our book baggies for Reader's Workshop! These hooks were a life saver this year! They kept bags organized, off the floor, and anyone could put a classmates bag away in the correct place. These hooks were originally not being used. There were rows and rows of them in our copy room. I put in a work order and voila- here they are! I snagged these bags on Amazon and stamped each kid's name on theirs! They were cheap and lasted all year. They were also great for sending home lots of miscellaneous things the last week of school. Just another thing I gift my students with!

4) Have you ever made a class directory? It's a game changer! I include a release form with my back to school paper work. All families are given the chance to opt in to the class directory with mailing address and/or email address. It's so helpful for referencing when you need to contact parents. You can share it with any other teachers that work with your students- SPED, EIP, ESOL, OT, etc. I know I am always being asked "Do you have an up to date phone number for so and so?" The best part is, parents can mail out birthday invites directly and they don't get passed out at school! haha Obviously, run it by your administration to make sure it's allowed at your school. My directory is pictured in the bottom left corner of the pin below.

 5) Freshen up your supply baskets with a magic eraser and some new labels! I have found these to be so helpful! The kids can easily keep their baskets organized throughout the year. For a teacher who is a bit of a neat freak, this is a god send! Within this product there are lots of options and pairing. You're bound to find something you need!

 Best of luck with the start of the school year! You're going to nail this year! If you have hacks I need to know about, please drop them in the comments below.