The More Important Book

On the first day of school, read to students a popular favorite -- The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. It's a wonderful, repetitive book that tells the "important thing" about a variety of things, such as a spoon, an apple, the wind, etc. After we read the book and discover its repetitive form, we write our own More Important Book. Each child tells about himself or herself, following the format of The Important Book." The children end, as the book does, by repeating the first line, "But, the most important thing about (child's name) is that he or she _____." Each child is responsible for a "most important thing" page, which becomes part of the class book. This is a wonderful and fun way to get to know one another, and the book is read throughout the year.
Susan Wallace, St. Agatha Academy; Winchester, Kentucky

Getting to Know You Venn Diagram

Put students together in pairs. Give each pair a blank Venn Diagram form. The students work together to complete the activity.

"One student writes his or her name at the top of one of the circles, and the other student writes his or her name at the top of the other one," explained Fernandez. "In the overlapping portion of the circles, the partners must list five things that they have in common. In the parts of the circles with their names, the students must each list five things that are unique about themselves."

Time Capsule

During the first week of school, create a time capsule.
Some ideas of what to include:

• a hand tracing
• a piece of yarn cut to the student's height
• a writing piece
• answers to questions, such as what is your favorite TV show?
• Digital photo
  

Syllables

Ideas for teaching syllables:

• name sort
• sound hunt

Pollution Catchers

Create pollution catchers to observe and compare the air in different locations.
To make the pollution catchers:
Take 4 index cards and create a hanging loop out of string and tape for each one. Smear the unlined side of each index card with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Hang 3 of the cards in various locations. Put the 4th inside a plastic zip-top bag as a control. After 2 days, put each index card into a zip-top bag and compare what is on them using a magnifying glass.

Water Habitats Unit

Fall 2008
Duration: 8 weeks

Concepts:

• How do we define living things? They move, breathe, grow, eat, excrete waste, and show sensitivity (to temp, light, etc.).
• Classify items as living or non-living.
• Classify living items as plant or animal.
• Classify animals as vertebrates or invertebrates
• Classify vertebrates as mammals, reptiles, snakes, amphibians, fish, or birds

• Understand that all living things have a habitat
• Describe elements of a habitat (food, water, shelter)
• Classify water habitats as wetlands (swamps, marshes, bogs), ponds/lakes, bay/ocean
• Classify animals as mammals, reptiles, etc.
• Explain why different habitats contain different forms of plant life

• Identify plants and animals in each of these habitats
  

*Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons
*Dolphins and Sharks: Magic Treehouse Research Guide

• Observe, record, and explain observations about a simple water habitat

• Understand the concept of a food chain
• Explain and record a food chain in a water habitat

Soggy Popcorn

Q: How does the amount of moisture affect the size and volume of popcorn?

Procedure:
1. Put 2 cup of yellow popcorn kernels into each of 2 glass jars with lids. Label one "A" and one "B".
2. Close the lid tightly on "A".
3. Add 1/8 cup of water to "B" and close the lid tightly.
4. Put 1 cup of popcorn on a paper towel and spread them around in an even layer. This is sample "C".
5. Leave all the samples in a cool, dry place for 7 days. Turn the glass jars once a day and record any visible changes.
6. Pop all samples 1/2 cup at a time. With each batch, measure the total volume. Measure 10 popped kernels and calculate the average size. Rate the batch as small- less than 1/2 inch, medium-1/2-3/4 inch, or large-more than 3/4 inch.
Compare.

Other ideas: compare different types of popcorn, or popcorn stored in other locations such as the refrigerator or freezer.

Flower Power

Q: How do different additives affect the freshness of flowers?

Control: a flower in plain water.
Experimental conditions (2 liters each):

• Commercial preservative
• 1/2 teaspoon bleach, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and 4 teaspoons vinegar
• half a liter of lemon-lime soda and 1/2 teaspoon bleach, add 1/4 teaspoon bleach every 4 days
• 1/4 cup mouthwash
• a penny and one aspirin tablet

Hot Cocoa, Anyone?

Experiment with temperature of liquids using cocoa.
Try making cocoa in different cups and see how it affects the cooling rate.
Try mixing half boiling water and half cold water and see how it affects the temperature.

Fall Colors

Compare the fall colors of leaves from various trees.
Use a field guide to identify the leaves.
Practice observation skills by describing the differences between the leaves and describing the coloring in detail.

Popcorn Fever

Q: How does the temperature at which you store microwavable popcorn affect how well it pops?

Materials:
10 bags microwave popcorn

Label 3 bags "refrigerator", 3 bags "counter", and 3 bags "freezer". Leave one bag unlabeled. Put the bags in their spots (leave the unlabeled bag on the counter). Wait 24 hours.
Microwave 1 cup of water for 1 minute to preheat the microwave.
Put the unmarked bag in the microwave and pop it until the rate slows to 2-3 seconds between pops. Stop the microwave and note how long the popcorn was in there.
Take 1 bag out of the freezer and microwave it for the time noted above. Take the bag out of the microwave, measure the popcorn and record the volume. Pour the popcorn onto a cookie sheet and count the number of unpopped kernels. Repeat these steps for the rest of the popcorn.
Average the results for each group and compare.

Notes: Popcorn pops because of the starch and moisture inside the kernel, and the hard shell surrounding the kernel. When the moisture inside expands, the popcorn pops.
When heated, the starch expands, forming thin, jelly-like bubbles. The starch bubbles fuse together with the ones around them, creating popcorn.

From: Prize-Winning Science Fair Projects for Curious Kids by Rhatigan & Newcomb

The Way the Ball Bounces

Q: How does the height from which you drop a ball affect how high it bounces?

Attach 2 yardsticks to a wall and drop a ball from varying heights to see how high it will bounce.
Graph to compare. Also try the experiment with different balls or different flooring materials.

Notes:
Discuss the difference between potential and kinetic energy.

Transition Activities

Same and Different
Point out 2 objects in the environment. Ask children to think of one thing they have in common and one thing that is different.
Crazy Questions
Ask a question with divergent answers, such as "What would happen if T. Rex was alive again?"
Answer the Question
Ask a question anyone can answer, such as "What is your middle name?" to practice raising hands and taking turns speaking.
Math or Spelling
Call on a child and say "Math or Spelling?" and give them a problem in the category they choose.
I Spy
Say "I spy with my little eye..." and have students guess what you spy.
How Many Ways Can You?
Ask questions such as "How many ways can you use a banana? plate? feather?..."
20 Questions
Magic Story Bag
Have a bag with a collection of props. Pull a prop out and begin a story. Then have students take turns pulling a prop out of the bag and continuing the story.
Pass the Quiet Stone
A silent activity to calm children.
Tense and Release
Have children lie on the floor and guide them in tensing and releasing parts of their bodies.

First Day of School Lesson

Read The Teacher from the Black Lagoon. Have students write letters to their favorite teacher. As one of their journal entries, they describe a good teacher. The next day, they describe a bad teacher. This helps deal with their expectations and what to avoid.

Back to School Books

Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester
The Teacher from the Black Lagoon
Never Spit on Your Shoes
How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague
Mary Wore Her Red Dress and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers

Habits of Strong Readers

from Growing Readers by Kathy Collins

Essential Reading Habits:
• Strong readers read everyday.
• Strong readers talk and thing about books with other people.
• Strong readers read everything in sight
• Strong readers take care of books and protect their reading time.

Units of Study in a Reading Workshop

from Growing Readers by Kathy Collins
September: Readers Build Good Habits

• Management and procedural expectations
• Reading identities
• Taking care of books
• How to stay focused on reading
• How to work and talk with reading partners

Late Sept - Oct: Readers Use Strategies to Figure Out Words

• Getting our minds ready to read
• Acquisition of print strategies
• Flexibility with print strategies
• Reading with fluency
• Choosing just-right books

Nov - Dec: Readers Think and Talk About Books to Grow Ideas

• Book talks with partners
• Retelling
• Envisioning, predicting, connections
• Strategies for monitoring comprehension and fix-up strategies

Jan: Readers Use Word Power to Read and Understand their Books
Feb - May: Readers Pursue Their Interests in Books and Other Texts

• Genre, author, character studies
• Procedure for working in reading centers
• Reading projects
• Determining importance, synthesizing text, inferring

June: Readers Make Plans for their Reading Lives

• Reflecting on growth as readers
• Making reading plans for summer and life
• Setting goals as readers
• Determining our new reading identities

Structure of the Reading Workshop

from Growing Readers by Kathy Collins
1. Mini-lesson
2. Independent work time

• Teacher provides instruction during individual conferences and small group work

3. Mid-workshop teaching
4 .Children are engaged in partner reading

• Teacher provides instruction during individual conferences and small group work

5. Teaching share time

Guiding Principles of the Reading Workshop

From: Growing Readers by Kathy Collins

• Readers have time to read just-right books independently every day.
• Readers select their own appropriate books.
• Readers take care of books.
• Readers respect each other's reading time and reading lives.
• Readers have daily opportunities to talk about their books in genuine ways.
• Readers don't just read the words but also understand the story.
• Readers' work in reading workshop is replicable outside the classroom.
  

Finish the Poem

Finish the Poem Below by circling the correct answers.

Winter Surprise
On a cold winter's day,
Three months before (April, May, June)
A groundhog wants to play.
"It's spring," she thinks,
She looks up and (blinks, says, hints)
Then she climbs out and winks.
She looks to the ground
It's her shadow she's (done, seen, found)!
For a six-week nap she's bound.

From Cracking the Second Grade Reading and Math by the Princeton Review

Contraction Concentration

Write contractions and their spelled-out counterparts on individual index cards. Play "Concentration" by trying to find pairs that go together.

Compound Word Concentration

Write words that can be made into compound words on individual index cards. Lay them face down and play "Concentration". Try to find pairs of words that go together to form compound words.

Poetry Notebooks

Lots of teachers have poetry folders for their students. I did. I gave all my students a folder with brads one year. That was a mess! The next year, I bought 70 count notebooks and lots of glue sticks. This worked so much better. I gave my students shrunken down copies that fit on their sized paper. The words were big enough to big, and small enough to fit on their paper without sticking out all over the place. The students glued their poem in before lunch. They went to lunch and recess. We came back from lunch, read the chart paper, then the students decorated their own poem in their own notebook. It worked really well.

On other days, the kids then read their poetry book all week for 5-8 minutes at the start of Self Selected Reading block. It worked for me.

Bean Race

Which beans grow the fastest- butter beans, kidney beans, aduki beans, soy beans or cannelloni beans? The children in your summer or after-school program can do this fun, easy science experiment over the course of just a few days to observe which bean sprouts the fastest and grows the tallest.

Select a variety of dried beans and soak them in water overnight. The beans should be covered while left to soak.

Fill a glass with a damp paper towel wrapped around the interior of the glass (the edge of the towel should touch the bottom of the glass). Place the beans approximately halfway up spaced around the inside of the glass so that the children can observe the beans as they sprout. Place the glass in a sunny location and have children monitor the beans over the next several days as they sprout. The towel should be kept damp but not soggy.

The bean that sprouts the fastest and grows the tallest is the winner! Read more about sprouting beans and growing other plants indoors at the Bizarre Labs website.

Juicy Watermelon Snacks

You will need a watermelon, cookie cutters, plastic knives, low-fat yogurt and toppings. First, a staff member should cut the whole watermelon into slices that are approximately ½ inch thick, making a large round disk with the rind on the outer edge. Place the slices on a flat cutting surface and have the children cut the watermelon into shapes with cookie cutters. Children can use plastic knives to frost the watermelon cut-outs with yogurt and then top with a sprinkle of coconut, nuts (be sensitive to nut allergies) or crunchy low-fat cereal. Delicious, refreshing and fun!

Favorite Book Election

Have a "Favorite Book" election. Invite children to present campaign speeches and create posters, buttons and bumper stickers for their favorite book candidates.

Quotes

"What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald
“The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.”
-Eleanor Holmes Norton
"It's a dream until you write it down, and then its a goal." -Anonymous
"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." -William James
"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway.. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!" -Anne Frank

What Time Mr. Wolf?

Learning and playing a new outdoor group game can be a lot of fun, and you can enhance the learning opportunities by teaching children games played by children in other countries. The children in your program may enjoy learning the fun game below which is known as “What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?” in Australia and “Lupo Della Ore” by children in Italy. The game is adapted from the International games section of the Games Kids Play website.

One player is selected to be the wolf. He or she will stand with his or her back turned to the other players, about 15 feet from the others who stand at a marked starting line. The group calls out, "What’s the time Mr. Wolf?" The wolf turns to face the group and calls out a time, such as “10 o'clock!” The group members must take 10 steps towards the wolf. The group members must always take the same amount of steps towards the wolf as the amount of hours in the time called out by the wolf. (2 o'clock = 2 steps, 6 o'clock = 6 steps etc.) The wolf will then turn his or her back to the group again for them to yell "What’s the time Mr. Wolf?" (The wolf looks at the group only when he or she calls the time. When the group gets close to the wolf, the next time the group yells "What’s the time Mr. Wolf?" the wolf will call “DINNER TIME!" and run after the group. The group runs back to the start line. The wolf tries to tag one of the group members before he or she reaches the marked starting line. The tagged group member becomes the wolf for the next game.

Swinging Cereal

Try this simple experiment from HomeRoomTeacher.com ( http://www.homeroomteacher.com/infoeasyscienceexp eriments.html) to explore static electricity. This experiment works best on a day when the weather is dry.

You will need a rubber or plastic comb, thread, and small dry pieces of O-shaped cereal. Tie a piece of cereal to one end of a 12-inch piece of thread. Attach the other end of the cereal to the end of something so that the cereal does not hang close to anything else (a table edge is a good place for this).

Use a brand-new comb or, if using a "pre-owned" comb, wash it first to remove any oils and dry it well. After it has dried, charge it by running it through long, dry hair several times or vigorously rub it against a wool sweater. Slowly bring the comb near the cereal. It will swing to touch the comb and then jump away by itself. Try to touch the comb to the cereal again- the cereal will jump away as the comb approaches!

What happened: combing the hair (or rubbing the comb against a wool sweater) moved electrons from the hair/sweater to the comb. The comb had a negative charge. The neutral cereal was attracted to it. When they touched, electrons slowly moved from the comb to the cereal. Now both objects had the same negative charge, and the cereal was repelled.

Tutti Frutti Watercolors

You will need a variety of .13 to .23 ounce powdered unsweetened drink mix packets (such as Kool-Aid, Wyler’s, etc.), small cups, paintbrushes, paper and warm water.

For each color, combine one drink mix packet and two teaspoons of water in a small cup, stirring until the mix is dissolved. Refrigerate any leftover paints in airtight containers for up to three days.

Tie-Dye Shoelaces

This activity, adapted from the Family Fun website, can be done in less than one hour and requires only white shoelaces, bowls or plastic yogurt containers, warm water, fabric paint, paintbrushes, and plastic bags. Hair elastics are optional.

Have children tie knots in the shoelaces about one inch apart or cinch one-inch loops with the hair elastics. Prepare each color of dye in its own bowl by mixing equal parts water and fabric paint (start with a tablespoon of each). If needed, add a few drops of paint to deepen the color or water to lighten the color. Mix with the paintbrush.

Have children dip each knot or loop of their shoelace into a different color. Remove the lace from the dye after a few seconds unless a very dark color is desired. (Colors will bleed slightly). Dry the laces flat on plastic bags. Do NOT undo the knots until the laces are dry.

Recognizing Birthdays

Have birthdays posted in the room.
Have a birthday bag that child can take home and write and draw about their birthday.

Saving Our Way to 100

Add a penny every day to count up to 100.
Have large laminated coins on the bulletin board.
Fill a jar with pennies.

A Cake That Lasts and Lasts

Create reusable cakes to help celebrate youngsters' birthdays all year long. Decorate a sturdy box with a lid to look like a birthday cake. Insert candleholders in the top of the lid. When it's time to celebrate a child's birthday, place the appropriate number of candles in the holders, add tissue paper flames, and strike up a chorus of "Happy Birthday." Place small items, such as pencils or stickers, inside the box cake, and invite the birthday child to reach in and choose one.

Tips for Students with ADD & ADHD

Many "busy" kids need something to touch while you teach to keep their focus. I put a piece of sticky velcro (the soft side) on the underside of their desk. They can rub this velcro while you teach and it helps with their impulse to move about.

Give the child important jobs to do, especially ones in which he has to do something physical. "Joe, could you bring this to the office for me?" It is crucial that a kid with this disorder feels a part of things. Also, when confused, a lot of ADHD kids will get angry or violent. A pre-arranged signal between you and him could remind him that he is "floating out", and if necessary, signal that he needs to take a short walk to the bathroom or water fountain to cool down.

I have a student who is diagnosed ADHD. He crawls around, is often found on the floor in a daze, or just walking around. I found that since I put a fish tank in the front of the room he is calmed by this, and I use it as a reward when he does his work.

Get the whole class up and moving now and then. I like to have a two minute stretch in the middle of every period. Or, you can use games such as Around the World to practice math facts and get the kids moving at the same time.

Quick Fiction

Pick three random words and make up a story using them. "The silliest set of words that we ever used was earthworm, sausage, and fairy," says Mio Debnam.

Pass Notes

Get in the habit of leaving notes under each other's pillows. You can also leave notes around the house with clues telling your child where to find the next note.

Visualize This

Describe letters visually and see whether your child can guess the letter. You might say, "It looks like two mountains pushed together," or "It's round like a doughnut."

Personalized Plates

Have your child think of words starting with the letters on a license plate. For example, 7-year-old Kevin Iwai, of Mountain View, California, says that the "EHH" on his mom's license plate stands for "Elephants Hug Hippos."

Silly Speak

Use goofy rhymes and alliteration throughout the day, suggests Sheila Clonan, Ph.D., assistant professor of educational studies at Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York. You might describe your child's sandwich as "Lunch, lunch, lovely little lunch" or make a straight-faced request like, "Please put on your moos -- I mean your boos -- no, your shoes!"

People Patterns

Have students be the patterns. For example, stand/sit/stand/sit.

Pay and Play

Put prices on cans of soup and on empty boxes of cereal, pasta, and crackers. Give your kids some change or Monopoly money, and let them shop. If they're old enough, they can be the cashier and ring you up.

Good Measure

Make an outline of your child's foot on a piece of cardboard. Cut it out, and let her measure things. How many "feet" long is her dresser? Or give her a tape measure and ask her to find two things in the house that are the same length, or to figure out which is longer, the couch or her bed. Extension: why do we need a standard unit of measurement?

Tall Total

How many stories high is your family? Add everyone's height (younger kids can use feet without inches), including grandparents and cousins if you want. Then calculate how tall your "family building" would be (figure ten feet for each floor).

License Plate Math

Have children add all the numbers in a license plate and "win" by finding the plate with the highest sum.

Pattern Block Puzzles

Use pattern block puzzles on file to work with pattern blocks.

First Day/Week Procedures & Activities

• Unpacking in the morning
• Using the bathroom
• Washing Hands
• Turning in Homework
• Packing up in the Afternoon
• "Freeze" signal
• Behavior Plan
• Cooperative Games/Getting to Know You Activities
• Snack Time
• Lunch Procedures
• Park Procedures
• Taking Care of Materials
• All About Me Activities
  

Rocket Launch

This is a politically-correct variation on hangman. Draw a rocket with 5-10 squares up the middle. Have students guess letters just as in hangman, but for every incorrect letter fill in a square. They need to try and guess the word before the rocket is "launched."