Cloudy Days and Moon Filled Nights

This week, in science, in first grade, we are learning about changes in the sky. So we're learning about the different types of clouds, the phases of the moon, and that sort of thing.

My district is VERY BIG on foldable books, something I usually avoid because I'm artistic, but when it comes to things like folding and cutting, I'm pretty much a special case, but I decided I'd give it a try this week since my students are all very creative and love to do things involving crayons, markers, and scissors.

The first one we're doing is on Phases of the Moon

They're nothing special. Just card-stock, folded in half and then I attempted to cut four equal sections, which I labeled with the different phases of the moon. I know there are MORE than four, I took astronomy in college [and did very well in it, I must add], but the curriculum only requires them to know these four, and really they're the same as the other phases, you just insert phrases such as waxing and waning, which I will do, just orally [plus cutting a paper into like eight sections would look really bad if I did it]. Inside, I have some simple facts about each phase, and I just drew a picture of that phase and re-labeled it. My students are doing that one tomorrow.

The second foldable book, which will be done on Thursday, when I'm away, at my LAST GT training [although I am sad I am missed the Valentine's Day Party with my students, I might just throw one that Friday] is on the different types of clouds.

First, on Wednesday, I'll probably make an anchor chart on the different types of clouds with the students just so they have the information to put in their foldable books, and hang it somewhere in my classroom.

The the book will look something like this:

The same thing basically... Paper folded in half, and then cut into four sections. On the outside are the type of clouds [notice my typo with cumulonimbus that I had white-out, I put an o, at first], and then on the inside, another picture, and some basic facts about the clouds.

Last week, they made books on the four seasons. I'm not sure how they turned out. I was at a training and then sick with strep throat [love the elementary school germs], I shall see them tomorrow. I'm sure my little darlings will be insane since they've been without me for two days, and then the weekend, hopefully I can drag them back into shape without going insane myself.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long week.

Differentiation Graphing Fun in First Grade

My boyfriend is a high school math teacher, who teaches Algebra II and Math Models [which I think is a Texas thing, it's basically remedial Algebra I and Geometry combined] did a project with his high schoolers last week using skittles to find probability, and since I'm sort of teaching the same thing, just the First Grade version of it, I decided to make a simple graphing project out of it since we're studying different types of graphs in math this week.

First, I differeniated it. I decided that my higher on-level students and my above level students can make pictographs because they're a bit more challenging, and my lower on-level students and below level students can make bar-graphs.

To differentiate my students without letting them know, I wrote either Bar Graph or Pictograph on an index card:

I put the Bar Graphs on the top of the pile and picture graphs on the bottom of the pile, so I can easily distribute them to my students without them noticing how I'm doing it since my students sit in heterogeneous groups, as it is.

Each student will get a fun-size bag of skittles.

Cheaply purchased at Target, my favorite store in the entire world.

The students will divide the candy by color. Then they will graph the candy. The lower students will make a bar graph, and the higher students will make a pictograph, and then the students will either write the word Greatest or Least on the appropriate column, or they will write a sentence depicting that same information.

So, it's something pretty simple, but something I think my students will have a lot of fun doing, plus they get to eat the candy when they are finished, so I don't think they'll complain much :) Nothing like using real-world skills to make graphs :) especially when it involves candy.