Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Potato Heads (Cross-Curricular Instruction)
What comes from potatoes? Some of my favorite foods... French fries, potato salad, sweet potato pie, and the list goes on. Here is a potato flavor of Cross-Curricular Instruction:
During Guided Reading, I read the stories Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato and The Enormous Potato to my students. Then they were given the opportunity to explore and investigate a real potato. Their findings were recorded on a potato book reproducible(Mailbox).
Add a tablespoon of Science: The students were each given a knee-high nylon. They placed their hands in the stockings and stretched them out to form a potato shape. Then three pinches of grass seed were added. Top it off with a small coffee cup of dirt. Tie the end of the nylon. Place it in a small, styrofoam bowl. With a Sharpie marker, each student will write his/her name on the rim. Add a little water and sunlight...Whoa-La!...A Potato Head! Once the grass seed grows, add two Google eyes, a pom pom nose, and use a red marker for the mouth.
Add a teaspoon of Writing: The students created a story about their potato. Each potato went on a different adventure. They did an excellent job with the use of descriptive words! The stories were taken to the publishing stage. Three folded pages of white paper with lines and three staples on the binding.
My students enjoyed these activities! They thought the Potato Heads looked like Chia Pets! They couldn't wait to take them home to give them a haircut!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Word Work
Spring is officially here! Are your students missing the fluffy white stuff associated with boots and shovels? If so, this activity is definitely for them! Create a "Snowball Fight" in your classroom. Give each student two pieces of white paper. Ask him/her to write a Word Wall word that is three letters or more on each piece of paper. Then crumble the papers to form snowballs. Yell "Snowball Fight"! Students begin throwing snowballs continuously. Say "Blizzard!" (which means to "stop").
Explain: A blizzard is a severe storm with strong winds. They need to sit down at their desk to get out of the storm. Select one student to pick-up a snowball from the ground. Ask him/her to read the word. Each student writes it on the "Snowball Fight" Recording Sheet located below. Dispose of the snowball (place it on the teacher's desk...to be used for a snow fort). The purpose of this activity is the reinforcement of word recognition. Therefore, you may use any words...do not limit yourself to Word Wall words. When the activity is completed, ask the students to take out their shovels (their hands) and plow the snow to clean up the remaining snowballs from the floor. Tape the snowballs together for the students see how big they made their fort.
Share: The more words you know...the bigger the fort will grow!
Can you "visualize" a snowball fight
in your classroom?
in your classroom?
Let it Snow!
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