The Journey: Stories of Migration

This week's book, The Journey: Stories of Migration, compares migration of locusts and whales. While the excerpt in our book doesn't cover butterflies, we learn about them in science class. I am about to send away for our larvae so that we can begin to study their life cycle after spring break! We will be using the Journey North website.

If you are looking for companion books, check out The Story of Three Whales. It's a story we used to read when I used Open Court for second grade.

 It is about three whales who, in an unusually warm winter, missed the signs that winter was coming (probably due to global warming) and it was necessary to migrate south to a warmer climate. They got trapped in ice, and by some miracle, two whales survived after some human intervention and help from an ice breaking ship.

We watched this whale echolocation video to learn more about how whales communicate and find a sense of direction on their long journey.

We also learned about locust plagues. BBC created this great video about The Plagues of Locusts in Africa.

Magic Tree House Giveaway!

I am so excited to be partnering with Mary Pope Osbourne and The Magic Tree House to host a giveaway to promote their Classroom Adventures program that provides free books for Title I teachers! As a former Title I teacher, I know how hard it can be to get adequate supplies without having to reach really deep into your own pockets, so this program is a lifesaver - literally - for some kids. It will give them access to reading materials they might not have had otherwise...so cheers to Mary!

Listen to Mary explain the program:

Read the Press Release:

AUTHOR MARY POPE OSBORNE PRESENTS FREE, CROSS CURRICULUM PROGRAM FOR EDUCATORS BASED ON THE BESTSELLING

“MAGIC TREE HOUSE” SERIES

With “Classroom Adventures,” Osborne Gives Educators the Tools Needed to Instill Excitement for Reading and Learning in Children

New York, NY – March 8, 2012 – Mary Pope Osborne, author of the bestselling book series Magic Tree House, announced today the launch of the Classroom Adventures Program, a free, comprehensive set of educational resources for teachers.  The lesson plans and curriculum guides provided on the website fully incorporate every book in the series, enabling teachers to build upon students’ interest in Jack and Annie’s adventures while simultaneously meeting core curriculum standards across a multitude of subjects. Launching during Magic Tree House’s 20^th Anniversary year, the Classroom Adventures Program is Mary Pope Osborne’s way of giving back to teachers who have inspired her with their dedication and creative use of Magic Tree House in the classroom.

“For twenty years I have been encouraged and motivated by extraordinary teachers to continue writing,” said Mary Pope Osborne. “The Classroom Adventures Program is designed to help teachers who are looking for creative ways to engage their students and still meet the curriculum standards. I like to describe the initiative as a ‘Gift of Time.’”

Based on information and feedback derived from educators who have effectively used the Magic Tree House books in the classroom, and developed in conjunction with educators, including past Magic Tree House Educator of the Year recipients, the Classroom Adventures Program includes:

·         A complete “curriculum key” that classifies every Magic Tree House book and non-fiction Fact Tracker with regard to subjects and core curriculum standards

·         A reading level guide for all books in the series

·         Individual lesson plans for each book and its non-fiction companion Fact Tracker

Classroom Adventures Program goes hand-in-hand with Osborne’s “Gift of Books” program, which provides free Magic Tree House books to children in Title 1 and other underserved schools across the country. Educators can find more information and submit an application on www.MTHClassroomAdventures.org. 

Mary Pope Osborne has written over 100 books for children, including her award-winning and bestselling Magic Tree House series which has sold over 100 million copies and is currently celebrating its 20^th anniversary. The series has been translated into 32 different languages in 100 countries, and is widely regarded among children, teachers, and parents alike for its power to instill a passion for reading.

Teachers and kids can experience more of the Magic Tree House fun at :www.magictreehouse.com.

It's okay if you aren't eligible to participate in this program, because Mary is giving away two Magic Tree House books to one lucky winner!

Dogs in the Dead of Night

and

Abe Lincoln At Last

Here's what you need to do: (must do both!)

• Like Magic Tree House on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did so. ( 1 entry)
• Leave a comment on the Facebook page with the title of your favorite MTH book and leave a comment here that you did so. (1 entry)

To earn an extra entries:

• Promote the Gift of Books Program by pinning the logo at the top of this page to Pinterest. (1 entry)
• Promote this giveaway by blogging about it. ( 2 entries)

Good luck! Please leave an email address on at least one comment. A winner will be selected randomly at midnight EST on April 8.

Writing Leads

In my class, we tend to compare writing to food. For my vegetarians, we compare it to an ice cream cone. A story with a missing beginning or ending might be just a cone. A story with a nice beginning and okay middle might be a one scoop vanilla cone. A story with a great beginning, middle, and end might be a vanilla cone with sprinkles. A story with all of that plus great figurative language, dialogue, and paragraphing might be a triple scoop strawberry cone with sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry on top! Click the picture to download from Mrs. Guillo's TPT!

For my non-vegetarians, we also use the cheeseburger analogy - is it missing the beginning and / or end? If so then, it doesn't have a bun. If it's missing the middle, it might be just the bun and no meat. If it's spectactular, it has cheese, pickles, onions, and ketchup! Otherwise, the writing might leave us "hungry" and wanting more. Get the idea? (This example only goes to a 4. Our report cards and reading series use a 4, but our state uses a 5...looks like everyone needs to get on the same page with common core!)

Scholastic's Leads and Endings

 My favorite mentor texts for leads include the I Survived Pack from Scholastic.

Click each picture to read excerpts.

The three books in this pack include:

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005,

"Barry! Barry!"

Dad was pounding down the stairs. He splashed through the water, grabbed Barry by the arm, lifting him up, and pulled him toward the staircase. Furniture and other objects floated around them like bath toys - the new couch Mom had saved for a year to buy, the little square lamp table where Gramps used to play chess, framed pictures of Barry and Cleo from school. The water was rising fast! It was up to Barry's waist by the time they reached the stairs - and it kept getting higher. It was like their house was a bucket being filled by the biggest hose in the world. 

I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916,

Elm Hills, New Jersey in the Matawan Creek

A feeling of terror came over ten-year-old Chet Roscow, a chill deep down in his bones. He had been swimming in the Matawan Creek by himself. But he had an idea that someone - or something - was watching him.

and I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic,1912.

Unsinkable.

     Unsinkable.

     George whispered those words like a prayer, over and over in his mind. He thought of Mr. Andrews, of how sure he was of this ship.
      But he no longer stared at that water, that foaming green water, rising higher every second, the more certain he became: The Titanic was in trouble.

There is also other single books that haven't made their way into the pack yet -

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941  

and I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906.

What are your favorite writing resources?

Two Bad Ants

This week's reading story is Two Bad Ants by Chris VanAllsburg. He also wrote and illustrated (The Polar Express and Jumanji.) It's perfect because it's almost picnic time! It's a neat story because it's written from the perspective of the ants and it requires students to use picture clues and descriptions in the text to make inferences about what is happening to the ants. For example, they mention being on some round, brown thing (a bagel) and suddenly being put into something with a red, glowing heat (toaster). The kids really got a kick out of it!

The ants in this story aren't fire ants, but I pinned the most adorable idea from the Pinterest Board of Hope King (at Shenanigans in Second). I can't wait to do my April bulletin board now! If I could find the original post, I'd share it. For now, click the picture to go to the pin.

My kids told me they made a connection to the movies Antz,  The Ant Bully, and A Bug's Life. I wouldn't know because I've never any of them!

 

Here are the trailers:

Antz

A Bug's Life

The Ant Bully

It kind of makes me think of Honey I Shrunk the Kids! Remember the scene where the kids ride the fire ants? You can actually watch the whole movie for free here!



Field Trip Fun

We went to Liberty Science Center last week. It was foggy, so the kids didn't get to see the view of the Statue of Liberty. (That was always the most exciting part for me as a kid!) My group spent most of its time around the animals. It was neat because we spent the beginning of the year learning about animal classification and adaptation as well as plants. They also got to do a couple of investigations that made them feel like real scientists.

Do you see animals hiding? We do!

These fish were bigger than our heads! Their slim bodies allow them to move with agility. They have eyes on the sides of their heads to see predators more easily. There were also two dogfish sharks that were hard to get a picture of.

We watched how water can affect sand, particularly with erosion. This stream table allowed students to use cranes and suction to move the sand.

A mock sand dune tank complete with fake herons, fish, and turtles was a big hit.

Can you see how the turtle blends in with the rock? Do you see the slim fish right under it and in the top right corner of the picture?

See the spotted flounder? Neither did we at first! Its spots help it blend in with the rocky bottom.

These puffer fish warn predators to stay away by filling themselves with air. They also have very sharp teeth and can be poisonous!

We took a break from the fish to do an investigation with fresh water and salt water.

We found that when mixed, our red salt water sank underneath the blue fresh water because it was more dense.

Eventually it mixed into purple brackish.

Students learned about wind power as they used a sort of reverse vacuum to power a moving fan. We watched the meter as the fan blades moved faster and faster.

We watched how atoms moved within different states of mater using balls on springs.

Students learned about how oil is drilled in the ocean. It's pretty destructive to the ocean...

and can be very dangerous and costly if there's a spill!

And then after lunch...it was back to the animals! Do you see the snake? Here's a hint: the blade of grass points right to it!

The turtles blend right in with the wood chips.

The kids looked at scorpions and other icky creatures.

We saw gila monsters...

that blended right in with the ground and logs.

We saw poison dart frogs, whose colors warn predators to stay away!

 We saw humungous cockroaches blending in with the wood.

We also watched moving walking sticks. They were really good at mimicking the sticks they were on!

Before we left, some of the kids just haaaaad to go into the Tornado Tunnel. You can see the wind speed increase in the background. A category 1 tornado reaches at least 74 miles per hour. They crammed so many kids in there that the door popped open! 

It was a fun day, but we didn't get through even half of the exhibits. I was really happy that no one got hurt or sick! ;)