Just Another Monday Made It

 

More projects to check off the list and share the Monday Made It Linky Party.  
PROJECT 1:  Measurement Dice
I am adding an element to calendar each day.  "Monday Measurement", "Tuesday Time & Tally", etc)  For measurement, I made three dice.  I found some blocks in a tub buried in the back of my math cupboard.  One block for each of the measurement categories (volume, distance, mass).  Then I typed words that matched the category and modge-podged them onto the six sides of the block.

The plan, running through my head, is to roll each dice during calendar.  Whatever the dice says is what we will measure.  So if we roll "cups" then we will use a container and see how many cups will fill it.  In our journals, we will also record other materials cups would be an appropriate tool to use.  We will do this for each of the dice, so we experience each of the types of measurement.  Because I have 2nd and 3rd next year, this should allow both grades to learn the measurement piece of common core.  If you are able to use the measurement labels, click here.

PROJECT 2:  Clip Chart
The clip chart I have used in my room for years.  It was rainbow colored and worked perfectly fine....but it didn't have polka dots and it didn't match the classroom....time for a makeover
I printed out the phrases "flipped" style and glued them onto a background color.  The green polka dots are plates.  Then I tied all the plates together with green ribbon and hot glued the whole thing to a yard stick. 

Using the same style letters and a larger plate, I made up a title, and can't wait to take it back to school!

What have you been making?  Linky up!
Happy Monday,
 

And the Science Fun Continues

One more day, til Friday. Today we did science.  Love it when kids are into what we are doing!  Today we were trying to discover how blowing through different lengths of straws would affect how far a cotton ball would travel.
First we recorded data:

Then we performed our experiment

 We measured, using unifix cubes.

 

 Finally we graphed and recorded our results and conclusions.

Here is the data form we used.
Happy Thursday,
Laurie

Lady Liberty

We have been living in Lady Liberty world this week.  Each day we read a little bit, from the book Lady Liberty.  Amazing illustrations and the pages switch between each of the people who had a part in dreaming, creating, financing, and building the famous statue.

We have also been viewing live Liberty cams.  This website is so fun.  Live cams from famous places all around the earth.  We have been viewing the ones from the Statue of Liberty. 

There are so many great units out there in the blogosphere!  U is for U.S.A. from www.oopseydaisyblog.com, America Math and Literacy Fun,  American Centers and More are three of the units we have been using for tons of fun.  As well as our GLAD units.

Here are the step by step directions, I had students follow:

Steps 1, 2, and 3

Steps 4,5, and 6.  Sorry about the orientation!

We used oil pastels and drew some step by step drawings of a close up view of Lady Liberty.  Thank you We Heart Art for the drawing help.  My kiddos said they looked like the Starbucks girl:-)

We also wanted to find out how the Statue of Liberty turned green, so we put pennies in vinegar and salt and left them to soak overnight.  LOVE the trays.  They are from IKEA and good for everything....painting, putting out group supplies...love love!

Unfortunately, the vinegar smell has taken over the classroom.

 Finally we measured the length of the Statue of Liberty's foot.  (25 feet!)  Then we predicted if our class, standing shoulder to shoulder, would be equal to, less than, or greater than the length of the foot.

Standing right next to it, to see how much space he was using.

All lined up, testing our predictions!

And recording our data and results.

And we learned Portlandia is the second largest free standing copper statue!  (Liberty the first, of course)  And to view it, it is just a 20 minute drive into Portland.

Happy Thursday,
Laurie