100th Day of School-Survivor Style!

I know celebrating the 100th day of school is a really big deal  in kindergarten and 1st grade.  However, the older students out there can also benefit from a little 100th day celebration! 
Instead of the usual, "What would you do with $100?" or "How will you look when you're 100 years old?" that is usually done in the younger grades, I focus on an "I Survived 100 Days of School" theme that combines cooperative learning, team building, and "Survivor" type challenges to mark the big day. 

First, a parent letter is sent home encouraging students to dress in camouflage - some students go all out!!!!  I also have black face paint available so students can rub some "dirt" on their face!  They LOVE it!  I buy some greenery from the Dollar Tree and hang it from the ceiling and in the hallway:

        

 Check out how Mrs. Flickinger decorated her classroom!
She used REAL Tiki Torches with tissue paper flames---how cool is that?!?!

And, take a look at her hallway decorations...

it definitely looks like a jungle in there!!  Her lucky students must have gone crazy when they walked in that morning!

 You could also make "flames" out of construction paper to represent each tribe and play the Survivor theme song before starting the challenges.  Click here for a link for the theme song on You Tube.

First, the students are broken up into tribes and each child gets a colored bandana to wear (bought at Hobby Lobby for approximately 60 cents each):

Then, before we started the challenges, I played the song Eye of the Tiger (by Survivor--how fitting!!).  I thought this would be a good song to pump them up.  Instead, it cracked me up!!  They started doing 1-armed push ups, jumping jacks, and muscle flexes...you'd think they were in bootcamp!  Even with their face paint and camo gear they looked so sweet and innocent!!

Then the groups decide on a tribe name and create a poster for their tribal area:

Next, they work in cooperative groups to complete challenges such as USA Rocks:  social studies/mapping

Chain Reaction: cooperative working, critical thinking

Super Sundae:  cooperative working, math

and Marshmallow Madness:  math, cooperative working

 (100 marshmallows are hidden around the room and students have to "walk" on their knees, can only find one marshmallow at a time, and place it on a 100s chart)

Here are some pictures of Mrs. Flickinger's Super Second Grade Survivors doing some of their challenges.  Thanks for sharing the pictures with us!  We loved seeing your students work together!

 

Go to our TpT store to check out this unique twist on celebrating the 100th day of school.  This 10 page file includes 4 challenges, parent note, reflection sheet, photos, and detailed directions.

Here's a reflection sheet to go with the file or to use with your students to celebrate surviving 100 days of school!

Mostly about the Moon...and a Little Valentine's, Too!

We have been learning about the moon and the solar system and have some cute ideas to share with you!

Phases of the Moon
Make an interactive moon using a foam ball (purchased at Walmart for $3), some masking tape, and acrylic paint.  Tape a line going around the circumference of the ball; paint half of it black and the other half white (let it dry before putting on the 2nd color).  Then, it's ready to be used as a whole group and then individually!!  Hold the ball in front of you and rotate it every so slightly-have your students tell you which phase is shown.  Here's a look at the different phases using the painted ball-

First Quarter:

Waxing Crescent:

New Moon:

  Waning Crescent:

 Third Quarter:

Waning Gibbous:

Full Moon:

Waxing Gibbous: 

Back to First Quarter:

 Here's a link to a song and video my students LOVED!  It really helped them learn the phases in the correct order:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXK63GpwUqs

Still looking for more ways to have your students get an understanding of the phases of the moon in a hands-on way?  Then gather some pie tins and sugar.  Sprinkle the sugar so it covers the entire bottom of the pie tin. 

Have the students gently shake the tin so the sugar resembles one of the phases of the moon. 

The students also used the sugar tins to make crators on their "moon".

 Lastly, before the last of the pie tins and sugar were cleaned up and put away, we did a quick review of our word wall words using our fingers to write words on the moon!! 

To infinity...and...beyond!!

We also have another idea for you! With February coming up and Valentine's day just a few weeks away, I wanted to put a "holiday" twist on this moon bulletin board.


I asked our talented art teacher to make this moon for me- or else I would have been at it for hours!!

I then began the lesson by reading the classic Guess How Much I Love You to my students. I loved how so many of my third graders remembered this story and how their mom or dad read it to them when they were younger! It made this lesson that much more meaningful for them!

After I read the story, I asked the students to close their eyes and visualize a person that they love SOO much. Not a silly little "crush" on Justin Beiber love....but a love between a child and parent, sister and brother, pet and owner :)

This little girl wrote, "Who I am going to talk about is a very special person that I love. That is my Gramma. I love her so much because she takes care of me and my sister. She is important to me because she makes us food and everything we need."


This was was so sweet, too!
"The person that I love to the moon and back is my mom. She is the best mom you could ever have. I love my mom because she teaches me to have good character. She is always there for me and can make me laugh. Sometimes she is mad at me but now I know that she just wants the best for me. I love my mom. She is the best! The one thing I like is that I have her smile!"

Is that does not have Valentine's Day written all over it, then I don't know what does!!!!


Another idea is to put a picture of that special person on the scrapbook paper heart. That would add an awesome touch!!

If you are brave, you can also have your students make the moon! I wanted my moon to look like a moon though :) Thank you Trisha! :)

If you are interested in using this file for Valentine's Day or for science, you can download the posters by clicking on the file name from Google Docs.

Click on the file below to download the pages on Google Docs:
I Love You to the Moon and Back
Or, click here to download the file for free on our TpT store!

Winner Announced!

WOW! 

We had such a wonderful time reading everyone's comments!  They were so positive and made us smile from ear to ear.  Keep letting those positive traits shine through!!

The winner of the giveaway is...

Thanks to all who posted a comment!  Amber, we'll be in touch this weekend!  

Aaron Reynolds Giveaway!

Aaron Reynolds is known for his funny children's books such as Chicks and Salsa and Buffalo Wings.  However, his book, Back of the Bus, takes a more serious side. 

It's great for kids because it is written from the perspective of a child who was on the bus when Rosa Parks disobeyed the bus driver and refused to give up her seat on that historical December day.  This book, or any other books you might use to teach about Martin Luther King's or Rosa Park's message of equal rights, is a great time to teach your students that good readers visualize when they are reading.  Read the story and have them quietly draw what they picture in their mind as you are reading.  Click here to download the file below:

Then, open up a discussion about the things they drew.  Did anyone make a text to self connection?  Did any of them have schema about Rosa Parks?  If so, they may have visualized the bus boycott. 

If you work with older students, you can look at different books that talk about that historical day on the bus.  Look at the point of view those books are written from and compare them to the boy's perspective in Back of the Bus.  Have your students write a paragraph about what they would see if they were a passenger on the bus with Rosa Parks (imagine the word choice they could use!!).

We are celebrating Rosa Park's pride and determination by giving away an autographed copy of Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds.  Simply leave a comment about which of your character traits you are most proud of.  Are you generous to your family and friends?  Do you go above and beyond to lend a helping hand?  Whatever it is...tell us!  Be proud of that trait!! 

A winner will be announced on Saturday, January 14th.  

Please leave your email address after your comment!     

What Will Santa Do Now?

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, get your students back into school mode with this creative writing activity! 

Start by having them work in partners and brainstorm things Santa might do now that Christmas is over and write them on their web. 

Will he take a vacation?  Buy a motorcycle?  Will he shave his beard so the kids won't recognize him?  The possibilities are endless!! 

Gather the students in a whole group and have them share the ideas they came up with.  If they hear an idea they like, have them add it to their sheet.  Then, have them circle the main idea they would like to focus on for their writing piece.

Next, have them write their story using the graphic organizer, then peer edit, conference with you, and write their final copy.

Finally, your kids will love making this ADORABLE Santa! 

Be sure to attach their writing piece to his hand and put them on display! 

Click here to download the file from Google Docs:

Click here for the Santa tracers:

**Please note:  if you purchased our Crazy for Christmas unit on TpT, these tracers can also be used for the Santa Character Traits and Santa Simile files.  Similar tracers are included with that unit; the only difference is that the ones above include measurements for some extra details**

Print everything off, make the tracers, and you've got your writing planned for your first week back...yeah!!!!