The Science Fair

Our reading story for this week is called The Science Fair.  It's about a student who is very negative about his group's project, especially because his parnter seems to be able to explain things better than he can. It's great to teach scientific terms, but the lesson that the child learns is even better.

We created this anchor chart to show how the main character's feelings changed over time and to summarize the story.

Since my class hasn't taken a turn at displaying our work in the display case, I decided it would be a perfect time to have students complete their own science fair projects! Here are the project requirements (adapted from another source I can't find again!) Click to download the 5 page document.

Here's a header I used for my "Journeys into the Scientific Method" bulletin board...and the Scientific Method rap song!

 

If your students can't quite understand the scientific method or define what science is about, check out this book:

Check out my Create a Graph post to help you out with graphing data collected during the project.

I'll be posting some of my students' projects here, so check back and see them!

January Book Picks

I'm linking up with Learning with Mrs. Parker's January Books Linky Party and the Snowy Day Linky Party! I didn't want to repeat, so here are just some of the books I love:

The Family Under the Bridge

Snowball Fight by Jimmy Fallon...I just loooved him on Saturday Night Live!

This Next New Year

Tiki Tiki Tembo...I loved this in kindergarten and I still have not forgotten the words!

Magic School Bus Arctic Adventure, Lost in the Snow, and Sleeps for the Winter. I <3 Magic School Bus!

Just because it's perfect for making connections and I loved Horrible Harry as a kid...and who can't relate to the relief that January brings from all of the holidays?!

I also loved Little Critter, especially how he always looks stuffed into his clothing!

It's the little things...

I was just looking at my blog stats today. I don't look at them to make me feel validated, or to boost my ego. I honestly love seeing where my visitors come from (the countries and their links)...and what they type in to get to my site or when they pin something to Pinterest. It especially makes me happy when people spell my name right and leave comments. It makes me even happier that my new coworkers ALL say it right too. I love how excited my students were when they said my name after seeing it on my name tag, as if they figured out the super secret no student is supposed to know...because we aren't real people after all! I catch some of them whispering both at once at random times. Alysia Battista...Aleeeeeeshuh Buhtteeeeesta! As a teacher, it's so weird to hear your first name during the school year, probably just as weird to us as knowing it is for our students.

Link up with A Teacher's Treasure New Years Linky Party here!

So for my New Years Resolution, I am resolving to read Loving What Is and to be super positive and grateful all year by trying to see the good in every situation and every person.

Here's my student-based what I love list:

• I just love how my students say thank you when a worksheet or manipulative is passed to them....I honestly don't know what planet these kids came from, but I'd like to keep them!  
• I love how they just have to yell, "Bye Miss Battista!" at the top of their lungs when they walk out the door to go home. 
• I love how excited they get when they see a great grade and a sticker on their paper.
• I love how amazed they are when they get to free draw, read WHATEVER THEY WANT, or play a game at indoor recess. (More on teacher guilt in another post.)

• I love how excited they are to apply what they have learned, and when I realize that I was the one who taught them something for the first time.
• I love how cute it is when they are mortified after realizing they just called me, "Mom." 
• I love how my walkers and kids who go to the after school program literally have to be pushed out of the door to get them to leave. 
• I love how excited they get when they get to add the "cha cha cha" to Happy Birthday when someone brings in cupcakes for their birthday. And I especially love eating the cupcakes! :)
• I love how proud they feel when they get to turn the Promethean Projector on, have a discussion without raising hands, or - GASP - go to the bathroom WITHOUT ASKING!

• I love how they are fascinated with pencil top erasers, pencil grips, dry erase markers, staplers, tape, and white out...but then again, aren't most of us teachers? 
• I love how much our classroom feels like home and how I enjoy getting up before the sun rises to go to work. 
• I love how responsible and self-sufficient my students have become. Some days I forget that they are just 8 and 9 year olds.

• I love how I get to teach them about Ghost Busters and Ninja Turtles, Full House and Uncle Jesse's "Have mercy," Babysitter's Club and The Boxcar Children, audio and VHS tapes, life before computers, cds, email, and cell phones, how to do the Cabbage Patch and Tootsie Roll dances, and what life was like in the "2000s" aka the "olden times." 

I'm not trying to jinx myself here, and I'm not saying my students are perfect. Some days they can drive me down right NUTS... but a second later we're all laughing again. And after all, it's my New Years resolution not to waste another second of my energy or time not being happy. Cheers to the New Year!

New Years Resolutions

I have one main New Years Resolution, to be less wasteful of time, money, energy, and resources. I will stay positive no matter what happens because I know all things are possible when you surround yourself with amazing people! Every year I say this year will be my best ever...and despite crazy setbacks, it always is. I always end up right where I'm meant to be :) Here's what I'm going to do:

• See close family members at least every 6 months, or more often if they are nearby. Skype with those who aren't at least once a month and talk on the phone or through text at least once a week.
• Open all mail and paperwork as soon as I get it. Recycle what I don't need, then write out checks or make automatic payments right away. File away important paperwork immediately. No more clutter!

• Put away shoes and hang up clothes after wearing or deciding not to wear them.
• Go through my closet and dresser once a month to donate clothes I don't wear.
• Clip coupons and actually use them before they expire.

• Use coupon and discount codes before hitting "buy" online.
• Leave all items in my online "cart" for at least 24 hours before buying.
• Only buy what I can eat within 2 weeks of purchase.
• Keep my purse and car extremely organized. 

• Load dirty dishes into the dishwasher as soon as they are done being used and empty it as soon as they are clean.
• Sew any holes or missing buttons back on as soon as I notice it. Otherwise I'll wait months!
• Watch what I say and how I say it before I say it. 

Crazy about Coordinates!

To learn about ordered pairs, we created coordinate grid pictures. It's hard to see here because my points are yellow and on the Promethean board, but you should be able to tell I created a house.

My students were given two templates, one for creating their own picture and another to list the coordinates on for their partner to use.  The difference between that and their model was I used a map-like grid (with letters and numbers instead of just numbers) for this activity to cut down on confusion about the order of the points. My smarties noticed that this grid didn't start with 0 like the ones we usually use in math!

Then they had to switch papers with their partner and see if they drew the same picture!

Use this free worksheet maker to create your own and differentiate for your students!

I especially love how you can make hidden messages! 

free graphing paper

free 4 quadrant graphing paper