5 for Friday!

It's Five for Friday time! Here's a peek at what's been going on in my classroom this week...

Area & Perimeter

We have been hard at work this week on area and perimeter. We used the floor tiles to create shapes and find the area and perimeter of each one. Then, we used what we had learned to create a formula for finding the area and perimeter of a quadrilateral. My smarties even figured out how to use variables and the distributive property in their formulas!

BigIQKids

We just started using this website to practice vocabulary words, and my class is LOVING it! It's free, but there is a paid version as well that I haven't tried. As a busy teacher, I love that all I have to do is type our words in, and BigIQKids provides the definitions, sentences, etc. for me. Once my words are in, the games are automatically created and ready to go. There are spelling and vocabulary games, and as the teacher, I can select which games are part of our program. The site itself could use some design help, but it functions well, and my kids are asking me if they're "allowed" to play these games at home. (Umm... YES!)

GoNoodle! 

It has been SO cold here lately, and my class is definitely suffering from need-to-go-outside-itis! Fortunately, GoNoodle's Indoor Recess MegaMixes are a great fix for their fidgets! If you haven't checked them out yet, you need to! They are on the GoNoodle tab at the very bottom and there are SEVEN(!)different mixes to choose from.

Cardboard Challenge

Today we are starting the Cardboard Challenge! My students will be using the Engineering Design Process to create a Valentine's card box. The project is based on a kid who built a cardboard arcade in his father's auto parts store. My students will be challenged to build a cardboard Valentine's box out of whatever they can find in our classroom or at home. I have a pretty high group this year, so to up the ante a little bit, I am requiring their box to have some kind of a game element like Caine's arcade has. They are so excited, and I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Standardized Testing

Ok, this isn't happening THIS week, but it is coming up very soon! We test the last week of February, and I am starting to plan review activities, test prep lessons, and some motivation & encouragement for my smarties. What are your favorite Test Prep activities or Test Week lessons/activities? I need some fresh ideas!

I can't wait to see what's been happening in everyone else's classroom this week! Head over to Doodle Bugs to check it out!

Wordless Wednesday

What fun Holiday STEM projects are you doing this year?

My kids really enjoyed {THIS} activity that challenged them to help Rusty the elf light a path showing Santa's reindeer where to land!

Head on over to Miss DeCarbo at Sugar & Spice for more Wordless Wednesday posts!

3 Little Pigs Project-Based Learning: Tried it!

I am linking up with Fourth Grade Flipper today for Tried it Tuesday! This happens on the second "Twosday" of each month!

Ever had a good idea that just kind of sparked your imagination?

That's what happened here! My friend and fellow 3rd grade teacher, Lora, and I were planning a simple STEM activity to go with a story in our reading series about a house. Lora suggested we do the 3 Little Pigs- houses blown down and all that jazz.  This "little" idea turned into a humongous project that included Project-Based learning, Problem-Based Learning, STEM, literacy comprehension activities, and persuasive writing! All rolled into one! Covering tons of our standards! Not to mention loads of learning fun!

The Launch: Reading The 3 Little Pigs to the students.  We read a slew of different versions!

The Problem: How do you build a house the Big Bad Wolf cannot blow down?  Engineering Design Process to the rescue!

The Solutions: Wow, our kiddos came up with some inventive houses!  Give kids some tape and paper and you are good to go! Obviously a few more materials were provided...

The test: Turning our hairdryers into the Big Bad Wolf!  Can your house withstand 1 wolf or how about 2 wolves (hairdryer on high)?

Not done yet! Students then had to persuade other "pigs" to buy their house with persuasive ads and posters!

They had to answer questions such as: Why would a pig buy my house over another one?  What would it cost to build my house?  What words and images can I use to entice buyers?  Can you all say rubrics?!

We continued the project by reading different versions of The 3 Little Pigs. We discussed sequencing, main idea and theme, cause and effect, fact and opinion, and characterization to name a few!

Tons of fun- oh, and learning- was had by all...well, maybe all except the Big Bad Wolf!

Check out the products I developed for this project! I divided the activities into a Literacy and Project Based products, and of course, a discounted BUNDLE!

          

Have you done anything exciting in your classrooms lately? We love to hear what you all are doing!