Rockin' The Rock Cycle

Hey everyone!

This week we started our rocks and minerals unit. The first few days were just observing and writing down properties of the rocks. Friday we spent talking about the rock cycle. The book that I follow was, well, I'll be blunt. Boring. Blah.  I knew I needed to spice it up.

First I wrote a few songs about the rock cycle. It was a hit last time with rounding, that I know I am going to have to do it for every unit!


I started off my lesson having the kids draw the rock life cycle with me and I used my Rocks and Minerals Nonfiction pack to help too, with pictures.

Then I told my kids I was going to give a live demonstration of the rock cycle. They looked around, puzzled. One even raised his hand and said, "But Ms. T, you don't have a volcano in here to do igneous rocks!"

I turned on my doc cam and pulled out three different colored Starburst. Well then they were all asking if they get to eat candy lol.

I took the three "rocks" and cut them into sediment pieces. I stacked them on top of each other as best I could and smushed them. I asked the kids what just happened. They responded that the sediment had pressure and they were layered, making it sedimentary rock.

Here is a piece of sediment.

Moving on, I picked up the sedimentary rock and rolled it in my hands, giving it heat. Then I stuck it in a ziploc bag and then dropped a dictionary on it and pushed. The class gasped and giggled. I told them I gave it heat by rubbing it and then pressure with the dictionary. "Metamorphic rock!", they yelled out.

Knowing igneous rock was left, they were excited. I pulled out my candle warmer had on during their specials, which is right before science, and I had put a piece of foil with a previously made metamorphic starburst rock. It was now liquidy.  I told them that once it cools, it'll be a rock. "Igneous rock!" they yelled.

It was just starting to harden here. The kids liked the cracks in the "rock".

To finish off my lesson, I pulled out my white sunglasses (used in the rounding rap) and they started cheering. Quite honestly, I felt like a rockstar at that moment, performing for an audience of 27 lol. #teacherbydayrockstarbynight

I busted out rapping my rock cycle rap. With cheers of encore, I rapped again, with the assistance of my class. They even came up with some hand motions too! Little do they know, I have two more rock songs coming their way next week!

If you guys are interested this rap, don't you love  KG Fonts by the way?, well I edited it to show 1-5th grades in this pdf. Sorry kindergarten, you're probably not learning this anyway and it wouldn't rhyme!  

Here you go! 

"You're famous Ms. T and a little dorky," one student said, with a grin on his face. If being dorky helps at least one kiddo get the concept, I've done my job. #prouddork

0

Classroom Reveal 2014!

Hey everyone!

It feels like a long time coming to say this, but here is my classroom reveal!!!!!!

I am most likely the last person on Earth to be doing this, but when you get your class just a few weeks ago and it was already the third week of school, and you had 1 afternoon to get the room ready to teach (and not be pretty), I just didn't want to show you!  Parts of my walls are still bare, but I'm ok with it. Word wall will get up eventually.

So without further ado, here is my room. MY ROOM!!!

My name is in Braille under the room number for one of my students.

The view as you enter my room.

As you enter my room, my IB wall is to your left in a little alcove. 

I am in love with my ruffle math bulletin board!

My desks. Yes, the teacher left two, but I am barely there anyway.

I had this itty bulletin board next to my sink, I decided it would be fun to put wow work there.  The text to self connection is from my Reading Activities For Bigger Kids pack.

Supplies are organized. The labels didn't print in color and I didn't care at that point haha. From my supply label pack.

My library that is a work in progress. I need more books!  Tubs with handles are from Wal-Mart and labels are from my library label pack.

This is my reading/writing wall.  I try to switch things out as we learn it.

Topic/sequence posters from Rachel.  Hook your readers in are from my writing leads pack and the writing process posters are 1 of 3 choices in my writing process pack.

 I just had to show my border better. I also made the banners and attached with some ribbon I have.

My social studies wall, which will soon become my science wall! Government is coming to and this week.

Citizenship poster from Dollar Tree and American Symbols from Robin Sellers.

And the last picture of the post!

The front of the room so pretty!  The left board is basically my I can statements and posters of what we are working on and my voice chart. The blue paper has important events of the week.

The right side is where I write. I write student helper of the day in the little box and my schedule is on the other side of the washi tape on the far right. I don't use that screen above the alphabet, I project on one of walls.

Alphabet from Gladys and reading posters from Rachel. 

I lucked out on the borders on my bulletin boards, they were on sale at Target for $2 and I bought 3, but ran out of one side, so went back and they were $0.88!

I tried to stick with black and pops of color, but chevron also made a major appearance. I love it so much!

I hope you guys enjoyed my  tour and I can't wait to show you more!

4

Round It!

Hey everyone!

I've settled in to my class nicely. Love my kiddos! I am not enjoying the 4-5 meetings I have every week, but I know it comes with the territory.

Last week I introduced rounding to my kids. It's not in our math text book, but it is part of the CCSS, so we had to incorporate it.

My kids like movement and songs (I've known them since they were in kinder) and I knew I had to introduce some rounding songs.

First was the simple phrase: "Five or more, add one more. Four or less, give it a rest."  Then I wrote examples on the board ( we started rounding with 10s) and they used that phrase to help them.

Then I moved on to the Rounding Rap. Add a pair of sunglasses and I became a rap artist and they thought I was the coolest thing ever. I had a few encores and every time was a round of applause (pun not intended!) I may have looked crazy, but if helped one kid, then I have done my job. They did a worksheet right after and blew me away with how they nailed it!!!

Next I did " We Will Round You".  I had a teacher ask what we were singing as it sounded so fun. You see, I have a lot of pressure as these teachers all know I do TpT and they expect my room to be "pinteresty". But with only having moved in such a short time, I was more focused on curriculum than "Pinteresty".

Then my buddy Megan told me about Blair's rounding product. It was very helpful for the hundreds with my kids.

Rounding was only a few days, but I think they've got it!  I also used this resource from Ashleigh and the kids did really well. It was a great way for them to practice and for me to see who needed more help.

1