Weather Science Stations!

So last week I was adventurous.  Not only did I make 5 stations for my ELA block, but I also tried my hand at some of them in Science, too.  One station was listening to a HowStuffWorks.com podcast and taking GAP notes "The Test" prep.  Another station was exploring Weather.com and looking at different weather maps, patterns, predictions across the globe.  Another station was a review activity for vocabulary we have been working on...again, some hidden practice for "The Test."


This was another station:

 Students used 5 blank US maps and the back pages of the newspapers over the past 5 days to practice drawing in the fronts moving West to East across the country!


The final station was a favorite.  I had these cute face stickers and students made 4 Square illustrations of how to keep yourself safe in case of hazardous weather (Tornado, Hurricane, Thunderstorm, Snow Storm).  They came out so stinkin' cute!

*Freebie* Electricity Web Quest

Hi All!

   Here is a *freebie* from my TpT store (very early in the whole process).  Anyway, follow this link and download a quick electricity webquest, ideal for grades 4-6.

Web Quest with Bolt!

Happy Planning!

My Kiddos are COOL {{fronts}}

The other day we presented on the "front" that the students chose (Cold, Warm, Stationary, Occluded).  A lot of my kids did posters, scripts, or brochures.  Some did a Go Animate! or PowerPoint.  But ONE creative little munchkin did this:

How can my heart just not MELT?!?

Water Cycle Stories

Greetings!
    This is actually an old topic that I forgot to post about until I just found the pictures stored on my computer!  Anyway, when we studied the water cycle we played this great game I found online where you roll the die and you travel to different places in the water cycle.  I wish I still had the link, but I found this one and it is kind of similar:
Arctic Climate Modeling

Anyway, after we were finished I had the students compose first person water droplet stories where students wrote about their journey with the die game (from the day before) from the point of view as if they were the water droplet.  Then they made a little adorable water droplet to go along with their final copies:

We put them on display in the hallway: I think they looked great!

Clutter Free Classroom Challenge: I Accept!

So I have joined up with Clutter Free Classroom's "Classroom Challenge" to conquer organization.

Here is my post for the challenge on my "Superlative Six" blog.  Check It Out!  All the science teachers out there---how do you keep lab materials organized?  I feel like it is overwhelming, especially at the secondary level when you see 75+kids a day!

Blog Award, Sugar Cookies, and Hilarious Cloud Drawings

First, I'd like to start off by saying that I am so so so glad to be blogging regularly.  It's becoming quite the stress relief.  Anyway, I'd like to say a BIG "Thank You" to Jena over at Caught in the Middle for the Versatile Blogger Award.  I am honored, especially since it is my first blog award!  So, I have also read that you have to follow the rules of receiving the award too, so I will do that!

The rules of this award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you with a link back to them.  
2. Tell 7 things about yourself  
3. Pass this on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know they've received an award!  

So now that I did 1 already, I'm on to two: (drum roll)

7 Things About Me

1.) I am a second year teacher.  Last year I taught 7th grade Social Studies, so teaching 6th grade Science and ELA this year is out of my element (well, the Science part at least!) 

2.) I just applied for my 5th New York State teaching certification over the holiday break.  

3.) I love pizza.

4.) I miss taking college courses.  I'd take more right now but they are so darn expensive! 

5.) I used to run all the time and ran in a 5k twice.  I've been out of this for the past two years and really want (and need) to start up again.

6.) I've contemplated moving South to find a permanent teaching job.  My job is at risk again this year due to budget cuts.

7.) My pet fish just had babies.  They are so cute!!!

Step 3: I am passing this award on to as many blogs I follow/found at the Secondary Solutions Linky Party.  It;s not 15 and I am sorry! :(  I feel like my kids when I specifically say, "Explain with 3 details" and then they say, "Is one enough?"  So in advance, I apologize for acting like my 11 year olds.  Maybe they've just rubbed off on me.  On to the awards:

1.) One Reading Idea At A Time

2.) Science Gal

3.) Speech Room News

4.) Your Smarticles

Congrats!! :)

  So, on to the topics of sugar cookies and cloud drawings.

First, the sugar cookies.  I was out shopping at the store the day after Christmas and these bad boys were already marked down to only 75 cents!  Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind are my cute kiddos that would love these treats:

So I meant to bake them Monday for Tuesday's class.  But, remembering this panicked post I completely forgot.  Oops.  So I decided to make them for today.  So I was giving some short notes on Air Masses before we continue to break up into our fronts projects and the rest of the weather unit.  I figured I'd give these out as a little treat in the middle of the 15 minute notes session to break things up.  I was telling my students how air masses are the same throughout and so it's not like a chocolate chip cookie where there's chunks or pockets and how it's the same.  As I go to tell my students what their surprise is, one of my tweens calls out, "Regular cookies that are the same throughout like air masses!!!"  All I could do after quickly wiping the shock off of my face was say, "Yes!  Exactly!  That's why your surprise is a sugar cookie!"  Thank you, my crazy little 11 year old for clarifying the purpose of my lesson.  Perfect moment, I'd say.

My last item I will leave you with is this picture of one of my kid's cloud flip book in his lab journal.  I think the clouds are so stinkin' cute!

Getting Into Groups!

Awesome day.  This is how we spent our science period.  We just started sitting in groups today.  After discussing our break, organizing our lab notebooks and then brainstorming what we like, I had them, as a group, brainstorm team names.  They then created a poster that goes along with it (Hint SBBLARY stands for the first letters in four of the kids' names S,B,B,L, and the -ARY stands for part of the 5th student's name).  Structuring it in this way (think of what you like before brainstorming as a group) really alleviates some of the major headaches.  Since I teach 3 sections, each table has 3 posters hanging from the ceiling, one for every group that sits there.  The kids had a BLAST.  Apparently kids these days have a big obsession with waffles, money and socks.  Literally, 6 groups or more used those same key terms.  Anyway, as long as they enjoyed themselves.  It's cute, plus I like things hanging from the ceiling.  Between the groups and the signs, it feels much less institutional.  :)