Curriculum Fave #1: Something I've created
Sadly I haven't gotten into the market of TPT yet, so these products aren't for sale, but my favorite are my Science notes & labs I created last year. I designed one lab per week, on Thursdays, and always aligned it with my topics! I had so many parents tell me that most days were torture getting their kids out of bed or to school, but they couldn't wait to come on Thursday for experiment day!
This year I won't be teaching Science due to the way we're departmentalizing :( However, I am still going to do at least one experiment per month, and tie it more into Reading and Writing. Each month I will blog about our experiments, but here is a sneak peek at some pictures last year from two of my favorite experiments!
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| Balloon Challenge: Students must work together to suspend a helium balloon in mid-air with their given materials. |
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| Marshmallow challenge: Build the tallest tower that can hold a marshmallow without crumbling. |
Curriculum Fave #2: Product I use every Year
I am in love with "Paragraph of the Week" by Teaching in Room 6. This will be my third year using this product, and I can't tell you how helpful it is for my students! They thrive on the routine of the writing each week, it doesn't take too long to complete daily, and the prompts are extremely engaging. I have always been great (sorry how conceited that sounds) at Math and Science, but Writing has never been as "fun" for me, therefore it's harder to teach. This product helps take the guesswork out of Writing, and provides both the students and I a high-quality base to then climb even further!
I don't know about you, but sometimes TPT products can be hit-or-miss on the quality of the product and resources. Therefore, once I find a teacher-author I like, I try to stay loyal to his/her store. So, a couple of years ago I found Kristine Nannini's products, and I LOVE her!!!
My newest obsession and wish list item is Color-by-Number for Big Kids, 4th Grade Common Core Math. I'll admit, I'm still a big kid myself and love to color and doodle during my free time! I have this item in my cart ready for the TPT's Back to School sale starting tomorrow, woohoo!!!
That's all for today folks, join me next week for the Student Engagement issue of Back to School in a Flash!
I love to teach writing, but I'm not as confident about teaching science! We have new standards this year, so I'll be getting some fresh inspiration. Your science labs look like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteJan
Laughter and Consistency
Thanks, I'd love to have you on my team, we'd be perfect for each other :) The two labs I showed don't relate directly to the contentstandards, but are great for the engineering design process, inquiry, and a bit of the scientific method. Also, a great team-building tool!
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