November: Thanksgiving book

I am LOVING these books!  Last month our thinking map book focused on Thanksgiving.  Every year, the kinder team continues the tradition of a big feast for our students and their families.  We buy all the food (with donations), cook all the food, and serve it to our 130 kinders and their families.  My job was potatoes.   Three hours, 2 gallons of milk, 14 sticks of butter, and two large boxes of instant mashed potatoes from Costco later....and I had enough for 400+.  We also served turkey, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and apple juice.  It it always so much work but SO worth it when you see the kiddos with their families.  Many of our kids haven't ever had a traditional Thanksgiving (predominantly Hispanic population) so it's a wonderful first experience.

Before the feast, we had a unit on Thanksgiving to learn all about the holiday and history.  We started with a circle map to show our prior knowledge.  I introduced the topic, let them pair/share, and set them to work.

 

 Next, we used a bubble map to describe turkeys.  Adjectives are tough for the kids to understand, but this sentence frame helped a lot.  The bubble map was perfect for us to write a simple sentence.

Then we made a brace map to show the parts of a turkey.  I took this opportunity to teach some higher-level vocabulary.  We drew the turkey step-by-step and found the vocabulary word to match.

We used a tree map to sort the different food groups we could have for Thanksgiving dinner.  

We used a simple flow map to show the story of the first Thanksgiving.

The double bubble was perfect to compare and contrast the pilgrims and Native Americans.  We used a book (One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by G. Hennessy)

The multi-flow map was a great pre-feast way to finish up the maps.  We talked about what we had to do before our feast, and what would happen after it started.  It was a nice way to let them know what to expect and what work went into making it happen.

Last but not least, we wrote a sentence to show what we learned.  I love the kinder spelling!

October Science

I realize that I am far too behind on this post but this year has been one of those "keep your head above water" years.  Going from early bird/late bird to AM/PM has been a big adjustment and I feel so behind all the time!  Anyway, here is the fun we've been having in our room in the past month.

Pumpkins

Our school is all about Thinking Maps this year in an effort to begin the preparations for CCSS.  I decided that in addition to the daily maps that we use, I wanted to pick a topic and go deep with it using every map.  Since it was October, pumpkins were an easy choice.  After all 8 maps, writing, and a table of contents, our pumpkin books were born!

 

We used a sponge to paint the cover and give it a composition book feel.

 We completed the table of contents last, by cutting and gluing.

 

 Our circle map organized our prior knowledge.  The kids did this independently as a starter to the unit.  This friend knew that pumpkins could have faces, seeds, and lines; and could be yellow or orange.

Next, we worked in small groups to make the bubble map.  I cut open a pumpkin and gave them a chance to explore and talk abut what they noticed.

Later, we compared and contrasted a small orange pumpkin and a large white pumpkin.

Then we used some cut-outs to organize information about pumpkins.

We read a book about the life cycle of pumpkins and then drew the sequence.

We cut open another large pumpkin in half, from top to bottom to look inside.  We talked about the different parts.

We thought about what makes pumpkins grow (seeds, soil, water, sun) and what happens after it grows (it can be a jack-o-lantern, pie, or toasted seeds).

 

We took what we knew about pumpkins and related it to other things.  A pumpkin is the color orange as an apple is the color red, as a strawberry is the color red, and as grapes are the color purple.  The kids chose fruits and veggies to use.

 Finally, we wrote.  The students started with a picture, labeled it, and wrote one or two sentences.

We are currently in the process of a similar book for Thanksgiving...stay tuned!

Bats and Spiders

We started with bats after we finished up with the pumpkins.  Our short unit included watching videos from United Streaming, looking at pictures online, reading books, and group discussion.  We mapped out our thinking as we went along, and finished with some group writing.

 

We regularly use a circle map in place of a KWL.  The red is what we already knew and the blue is what we learned along the way.  We recorded our questions on another chart.  What I love about thinking maps is that not only does this capture what we know, it also has the frame of reference: how we know what we know.  When my kids offered answers and suggestions, I asked them where they got the information.  They said TV, computers, the zoo, books, and seeing things.  I love that "I just know" is no longer an acceptable answer!

Next, we wanted to classify the information we found to further organize it and make sense of it all.  We used a tree map to do so.

 The tree map is a great tool for writing because it transitions smoothly to simple sentence structures.  From this, my kiddos were able to easily compose sentences that would have otherwise been too difficult to write by themselves.

I wrote some of the key words on sentence strips and asked kids to come up, pick the words they needed, and write the detail to complete the sentence.  They wrote them as the tree map was posted on the SMARTboard.  One friend even came up with his own sentence, which he added.

After we explored bats for a few days, we moved on to spiders.  We made a new circle map and used it in the same way.

My favorite comment from this one was, "We step on them!"  Yes, many people do step on them- but more importantly, I was getting real-life examples of their background knowledge.  They were making connections to their lives and building their schema.
 

Now that we had information from several sources about both topics, we were ready to compare and contrast.  For this, we used a double bubble map.  We pair/shared things we remembered talking about.  When someone offered a piece of information, I asked them where it should go.  Understanding the placement of information here is key.  It shows me that they understand (or don't) that some information only pertains to one of the creatures while other information related to both.  We also added the verbs so that writing would be a breeze later.

We composed this paragraph over the next couple days.  I put key words on the bottom and called on kids to come up and drag them to the top to create sentences.  We read through it over and over, and I added pictures to help.  As a text, this is WAY above my students' reading levels and would normally not be considered a grade-level-appropriate text.  However, because we spent so much time with the information and composed it from what we found, the kids could absolutely read it when we finished. 

I love color coding so we also went back and colored the capitals green (because that is where the sentence starts to go!)  The next step would be revising to improve the flow and structure.  I'll wait a little longer before introducing that though :)

I have now done a few units in this fashion at both the beginning of the year and the end.  They are great for teaching informative writing.  My newest discovery though is that they also (miraculously) align quite closely to the structure of a performance task on the CCSS tests!  I am on a committee for my district and I'm also participating in Writing Project 2 at UCI, so I have been talking about the Common Core a lot!  I have looked at some of the sample performance tasks and they have a very similar format to these units.  First a video or article is given to the students and they can take notes.  Then there is a class discussion about the topic and student are encouraged to use a graphic organizer for the information.  Then students may be given one more genre on the topic.  Finally, they are asked to take that information and write about it.  I am thrilled that my kinders (the first guinea pigs to be tested in 3rd grade and all the way through) will already have experience doing this type of activity!

Anchor Charts and Circle Maps

Surprise again!  Friday afternoon (before the long weekend, just before school started), my principal pulled me out of a meeting and told me that I was changing rooms and grade level.  I had spent the entire summer excitedly planning for a combo- a challenge I was eager to take on, and preparing my new room, and all was for not.  That afternoon, I took down the bulletin boards with tears running down my face, and packed up my stuff to put into a room that was already occupied.  I am now sharing the room with a teaching partner, teaching twice as many kids in a day, a day without a real break, and it's been a whirlwind.

I basically powered through that three-day weekend, staying busy to not only get everything ready, but also to avoid sitting still long enough to really feel upset.  I kept repeating to myself, "It is what it is," and soon enough, the room was ready and so was I.

The first two weeks of school have been exciting, exhausting, and exhilarating.  My new partner has been wonderful, and we're making quite the team.  My big focus this year is Writers' Workshop, and our school's focus is Thinking Maps.  Both have been amazing!  Here are some samples of each...

Writers' Workshop

We started on day 1 for this one.  I am using Jennifer Jacobson's model and loving it so far.
No More, "I'm Done!": Fostering Independent Writers in the Primary Grades

We start with a mini-lesson, model, write, and conference.  One part that I love is the "Quiet Ten" time which is ten uninterrupted minutes of writing- for the students and me.  We've made two anchor charts so far, and I think I'll aim for one a week.

 

This is one that I copied from Laura at http://laura-armstrong-martinez.blogspot.com/.  I wrote the title beforehand, but brainstormed with the kids before writing the "rules."  Since making and posting the chart, this has become my students' mantra...and they are absolutely coloring better than any other first-week-class I've had!

This is our second anchor chart.  We talked about thinking of ideas, drawing a picture, and using labels to tell about your picture.  I asked students to look at my picture and think about what they noticed.  Then we stretched out the words to hear the sounds.  I chose a few students who I knew would be able to write letters, and others who I knew needed help.  My partner helped those who needed it.  The post-it notes worked really well because I could take them off and let my partner use the chart for her kids.  Later we posted it with all the labels.

Next week we will talk about what writers write.  I plan to bring in a number of things for examples and label them on our new anchor chart.  I will post it soon :)

Circle Maps

Our school's big focus this year is Thinking Maps.  I use a flow map every day for our schedule and each student has a personal one for rotations.  They are MAGIC!  Our implementation plan is to introduce one map a week, but we can also use the other maps during that time.  The goal is that by the end of the week, the kids know the specific map of the week, how to use it, and how to draw it.  We used circle maps all week.  Our first was about Pete the Cat, then Froggy, then me, and we ended the week by making one about ourselves.  Here are some samples (unfortunately in black and white).

All the kids had "Bobcat" because that is our school mascot.  I love how this student not only drew the paw print like me, he also added claws!

 This friend has some definite fine motor issues, but also a lot of clear ideas.  He told me about his car and how it was broken in a crash.  He drew as he told me and although it isn't the happiest memory, it is something important to him and shows that he understands what the assignment was.

 

This was done by one o my higher friends, and as you can see, there is more detail in the pictures.  I love that the kids included all parts of their lives...breakfast, family, accessories...so wonderful!

Next week we move on to bubble maps.  I'm a little worried since not all of my kiddos can draw a circle let alone several, but I'm sure it be great.  This past week and a half has well-exceeded my expectations so I'm excited for more!

Super Snake Mini-Unit

It's the last week of school and we are wrapping up all those loose ends.  I am so excited that this summer I will be participating as a Fellow in the UCI writing project.  I've already gone to one meeting (orientation) and left spinning with inspiration and ideas.  As a part of the project, each teacher presents a lesson to the other Fellows.  My area of specialty in the classroom is technology (or so I like to think), so I took this week and last to run through my lesson and collect work samples to present this summer.  It was the perfect time to do a lesson because everything I've been throwing at my kids all year is finally coming together.  This lesson was so much fun and I know my kids loved it too.

First, we had to access our prior knowledge.  I gave each student a half sheet of paper.  I asked them to write/draw anything they knew about snakes.  Most kids drew pictures, some wrote words, and one even drew a bubble map!  The creative juices were flowing so much, I had to reset the timer several times to extend their writing/drawing time.  I expected 5 minutes, but we spent more like 15-20!

After the drawings, we came together on the carpet and used a circle map as 2/3 of a KWL (on the SMART board of course).  I used a different color for before and after.

We also wrote any questions we had as we went.  (They came up with some good ones!)

Next, we went to tag galaxy (very cool website that complies pictures based on tags and creates a 3D moving universe to see them!), watched a video I found, and looked at a PowerPoint presentation another Kinder teacher made.  After each exposure, we pair/shared about what we learned and added to our circle map.  We also revisited the questions we wrote to answer any we could.

 

Then we filled out our a tree map together, while the students wrote on their own.  Theirs had less lines in each column, which I asked them to fill with their favorite facts.

The next day we reviewed the circle map, questions, and tree map.  We looked at the unanswered questions and talked about how we could find the answers.  We decided to use Google (which we have some experience with already).  Once we found the answers, we added information to our maps and were ready to write.

We used a simple formula along with the tree map to create sentences together.  I modeled the first two, then asked for volunteers to write more.  After a few, I sent the kiddos to their seats with a blank sheet of paper.  I told them they could use any kind of thinking map that wanted to, to organize their favorite facts about snakes.  Once they had some ideas down, they could get a lined paper and start writing.

The next step was publishing online.  Students who finished their work (quality work including an illustration), they could go online and create a voki that would narrate their sentences.  They LOVED it.  I later posted the voki avatars on our class website.

(Press Play)

The final step was a quiz with 10 questions about snakes.  The questions were based on vocabulary that we learned throughout the unit.  We used responders to take the quiz (another fun gadget they love) and everyone did very well.  With the instant feedback I get from the program, I was able to address any vocabulary that needed review.

So many things for just a few days!  I love coming up with a lesson from a last minute inspiration, throwing together a bunch of new ideas, and seeing instant results!