www.littlemindsbigideas.blogspot.com: March 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Leprechaun Fun!

We had some unexpected visits from the "Leprechaun." He messed up our room! He threw green crayons and markers everywhere, he moved all of our backpacks, he threw the chairs on the floor, pee-peed in the toilet, and even wrote a note sending Mrs. Alvarado to the principal's office. Later, he snuck back in and wrote an apology note on the board to all of the students. It was a crazy, fun, weird, and unique day! I hope that all of my little leprechauns know just how special they are!

Leprechaun Traps and Fun on St. Patrick's Day

Each student did a great job creating their very own Leprechaun trap. Students explained to the class how they made their trap and how it works. We also played Shamrock Bingo with our fifth grade buddies and enjoyed some green Jell-O!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Leap Day!

What do you do to celebrate a unique day that only appears on the calendar once every four years? You do lots of things that aren't part of your ordinary daily routine. Students were invited to come to school dressed in their favorite outfit, their Halloween costume, two different shoes and socks, or any other way they wanted to dress. We began our morning by reading the book, YES DAY, which is about a special day that a little boy is allowed to do whatever he asks. After reading this book, we continued our FUN day with a dance party and then had ice-cream for breakfast. The kids LOVED that! They were allowed to sit wherever they wanted to. We went out to recess before lunch and played on the BIGGER side of the playground (which may not seem like a big deal to us, but to them it was AWESOME!). We blew bubbles on the playground and students chased them all over. We played red light, green light but instead of walking and running, the students leap-frogged to the finish! We had a pizza party and ate in the classroom. We mixed four different flavors/colors of Kool-aid together. They watched a movie and wrote about what they would do if they could do ANYTHING in one special day! And of course we reviewed our calendar and talked about the significance of February 29th. I definitely think that students will remember this day as being unique, special, and different. The only bad part is that they have to wait a long time until the next Leap Day comes around!
Happy Leap Day! on PhotoPeach

Science Buddies and Baby Chicks!

The students were VERY EXCITED to learn that the fifth grade science buddies were incubating baby chicks. They got to see the eggs and learn all about the process of turning the eggs and "candling" them and watched a video of chicks hatching from last year. So...when we learned that the chicks were starting to hatch, it wasn't long before we went to visit them and see them. Here are a few precious pictures of the kids embracing these sweet little chicks.
Baby Chicks have arrived!! on PhotoPeach

"How To" or "Step-by-step" Writing

We have been working on "How to" writing for Writer's Workshop for the past few weeks. We have done many hands-on recipes in our class to show students the different steps involved. These visuals have helped students remember each of the steps and what order they went in. We have made root beer floats, Kool-aid, chocolate pudding, air popper popcorn, and homemade ice cream in a baggie!

What is a Math Journal?

Students work on a variety of math skills in their Math Journal. A Math Journal is a notebook that each student works in several days each week. Students divide their paper into four boxes. I write four simple review math problems on the board. Students have to complete each math problem in their notebook. This exercise is meant to be a quick review of skills and allows me to see whether students are able to apply these math skills. Below is an example of one of our recent math journals and a student's completed math journal.