Marbelous Rolls

There's nothing better than a science activity that involves marbles and ramps. To my students that is equal to Christmas morning! Okay, maybe Santa is more exciting but they do love it when science involves fun learning tools. For this activity the students are investigating how friction can change an object's motion. Within this same lesson other force concepts like kinetic/potential energy, force, motion, and Sir Issac Newton's Laws of Motion are also supported. I was even able to incorporate several math concepts with measurement, mean, median, mode and range. Talk about JACKPOT! This lesson was filled to the brim with learning and the students just loved it.

Cast and Crew: 5 textbooks, Marbelous Job Tokens, mini post-its, measuring tape, marble, ruler ramp.

Students are grouped into sets of 5 (if possible). There are 5 trials and 5 job tokens. The jobs are rotated with each trial providing each student the opportunity to participate in each job.

The Ruler Ramp is made by placing to rulers side by side. On the front use clear tape to tape them together. Then flip the rulers over and fold to form a right angle. Then use masking tape to hold in place.

Ta da---Ruler Ramps!

The students begin Trial 1 on a non-carpeted area. They set up a ramp using 1 textbook and the ruler ramp. The Marble Roller then rolls the marble down the ramp.

The Marble Marker places the post-it note where the marble lands. The Marble Catcher catches the marble and holds it tight until the next trial.

The Marble Measurer uses the measuring tape to measure from the end of the ruler ramp to the post-it note. The Record Keeper records this data on their record sheet. This process continues for 5 trials. With each trial one more textbook is added to the ramp and the jobs rotate.

After the first non-friction trials the students work together to find the mean, median, mode, and range of the data collected. (Have I mentioned that I LOVE, LOVE when I can "double dip"!!)

Round 2: The Friction Trials can be done on the same day or on a follow up day.

We are lucky to have a library with carpet so our investigations took place in there.

The process is exactly the same with the exception that, of course, the results are quite different.

I liked how they investigated with the non-friction surface first as they instantly noticed the drastic difference in the speed and distance of the rolls.

This is one "Marbleous" force and motion activity I will certainly be using again.

Marbleous Rolls MarbleousJobTokens

Just found a great site!

I just found this great site-sparklebox.com. It is loaded with unbelievable free downloadable resources. I discovered it when looking for resources to teach Mean, Median, Mode and Range. (This is one area that I fear I will not cover prior to TCAP). This site has some great vocabulary cards that caught my attention. Once I began to explore the site it I was lost in sparklebox for an hour! Enter at your own risk of losing track of time!!

 

sparklebox

M & M Meteorologists

Weather is what you get!

Climate is what you expect!

I'm always looking for ways to incorporate a little something sweet into the learning experience.A simple mini bag of m&m's was the perfect sweet treat to help my students understand weather and climate.  Determining the difference between weather and climate can be a tricky concept for 4th graders. This tasty learning activity really helps them understand the differences between the two while also enjoying a yummy treat.

First we assign weather elements to our m&m symbols.

Then we color code them on the m&m code chart and weather table.

Next, students are given a mini bag of m&ms. This bag represents their m&m region.

The students open their individual bag of m&ms and tally the colors of the m&ms found in their region.

The students then use their information to determine which weather elements occur the most in their m&m region and list the type of climate that would be found there.

Finally, the students glue their m&m region to their Weather/Climate Page.

When the activity is complete, don't make the students "angry"-- let them enjoy their region m&ms.

MMClimateWeather

**Extension:
Have students with similar climates create a weather report to coincide with their climates.
Students could create travel brochures suggesting what to pack and what sites might me seen in  their particular region.

With TCAP only 21 days away...I will not be able to do any of the extensions!! Boo Hoo!

WARNING! There's a Blizzard of Polygons!

The forcasters may not have called for any snowstorms in our area, but a blizzard of polygons fell in my classroom last week. The students had just completed Envisions Topic 9 with an assessment. They worked diligently throughout this unit to understand geometric shapes and attributes. We needed a way to celebrate our learning...Geo-Snow!

1) The students were each given polygons to use to create a snowflake.

2) They traced their polygons onto white paper.. (I used the old paper turned dingy that someone has been giving a way in the copy room-thank you!)

3) I witnessed two techniques:

A) Some students  actually created their snowflakes on the white (dingy) paper.
They then wanted to cut out their snowflake along the perimeter and not in seperate pieces (aka area).   
  Not my vision but really smart!

B) Other students randomly traced their pieces on the white(dingy) paper and created their snowflakes
in individualized pieces.
( When I was in 4th grade I would have chosen option B. However, as an  adult who must plan out every detail of everything..I would go for option A)

4) After the polygons were glued into place the students had to complete a polygon record sheet.
Snowflake Polygon

I loved the plethora (I love that word), of math skills within this one geometric lesson. All the learning, mixed with laughter, was a wonderful sight to see and made my teacher heart so happy! This will definitely be an activity I will repeat in the future.

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The timing of the lesson was also perfect as we are in desperate need of some type of white "stuff" in our lives! This time last year we had a total of 12.5 inches of snow. This year...0.2 inches! We had one mini-snow day in December but that is it so far. This week's forcast is rain and 60's so it looks like I may have to work in some more snow themed learning

Favorite Finds to Free your Frazzles

When the pressures of state testing, No Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top, become overwhelming and cause me to question continuing in this profession-it only takes finding a little spark of something fresh and new to rejuvenate the teacher in me! Here are a few of my latest discoveries that calmed my frazzles...

Clapboards

Talk about student motivation! During an inservice with Kim Sutton, from Creative Mathematics, I was introduced to using chalkboard contact paper. What a magical discovery! I quickly ordered my chalkboard contact paper from Amazon and began my preparations.

1) Cut a file folder in half horizontally.

2) I created a "Clapboard" cover to match our Hollywood Theme and laminated them to the file folder.

3) Cut the chalkboard contact paper to fit the inside (you will have to trim about 1/2 inch off the end).

4) Peel, Stick, and Personalize! The technique I liked the best was to keep the backing on the contact paper and remove it as it stuck slowly. This gave the smoothest results. Finally, I added the student's number, rather than name(in hopes of re-using next year), to the front of each clapboard.

5) I gave each student a clapboard, tissue and neon chalk. The tissue acts as the eraser, as well as, a protective place to store the chalk when not in use.

My students just love their clapboards. I like the way they have a bit of privacy while working and can close their boards to hid their answers. Some days we use our dry erase boards and other days we use our clapboards. It really keeps us feeling like things are fresh and new and not the same old routine day after day.

The Magic Hat

 

The Magic Hat

It takes great thought and strategic planning when putting students in groups or with a partner. At times I need them to be grouped heterogeneously and other times homogeneously. Then there are times when they can simply be with any partner.My students also learn early in the year that we are a family and should be happy to be in a group or partner with any of our family members. Yet, there are those times when you get the "eye-roll" or "groan" when students are not put with the family members they would have preferred. Well, The Magic Hat is a perfect solution for random groupings or even just calling on students randomly in class discussions.

“The Hat” is a free app by Harmony Hollow Software that you can use to pick random names one by one from a list. You can enter your own names manually or import them from a text file. To pick a name, press the “Shuffle” button and “Stop” to randomize the list. To pick out a name from the hat, click on the “Pick Individual Names” menu option. The app can be used on an ipad, ipod, or in my case just a laptop. My students' moans and groans are replaced with excitement and anticipation when I use The Magic Hat.

Division Delight

My students have been working so hard to learn long division. I decided I wanted to do something to make dividing a bit more "delightful"! Let me first clarify that this year when I taught the steps to division I took out the "divide" step. Yes, I know it is called division because you divide but I have found that this step actually confused my students year after year. They see step one as multiplying..."what number can I multiply with my divisor to get close without going over the dividend"...
So, this year my steps were 1) multiply 2) subtract 3) bring down. My instincts were right and they really caught on perfectly to the steps. Using these steps the students were each given 3 post-it notes. They wrote a multiplication sign on one, subtraction on the second, and an arrow on their last post-it. I then passed out the "delight"...
M & Ms for multiply
Skittles for subtract
Jelly Beans for bring down.
Each time the students worked a division problem they enjoyed a sweet treat to help them remember the steps. This is definitely a delightful division lesson I will use again. Below are some pictures of our learning.

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A New Year with Math Munchies

A new year is underway and so are new Math Munchies stations. The students have currently rotated through 3 of their stations and a great amount of learning is occurring! I am so thrilled with how excited my students are about Math Munchies. They work very hard in the stations and enjoy the activities and learning that is taking place. As an incentive for on task behaviors each Math Munchies candy group earns a trip to the M&M machine on Fridays. The group gets about a handful of M&Ms from the machine and then divides it equally amongst the members. I love how they are using math even during their treat! Below is an outline of this round of Math Munchies and a slideshow with more photos and details. If you would like more information on Math Munchies check the previous posting from November.

1) Guest Star: Students are practicing area and perimeter. I outlined 5 squares and rectangles with tape on the floor. Students use colored tiles to fill in the shapes to determine the area. They then use their ruler to measure the outline of the shapes to determine the perimeter. Students record the information on the record page. Our Guest Star Senior, Morgan, assist students in understanding that area measures the entire space of the shape while the perimeter is only the outline of the shape.

2) Noodle #'s: Students are practicing their long division. Students roll 2 dice to create a division problem. I used the place white dice and used circle stickers to write numbers on all sides. The divisor dice has one digit on each side while the dividend dice have 2 digit dividends. The students roll their "snowballs" to create their division problems and complete on the Snowball Record Sheet. To extend the activity, students roll their dividend dice 2 times to create 4 digit dividends.

Rolling Snowballs

3) Word of Math: Students are learning about the different parts of a circle by creating Circumference Snowmen. I used a paper plate to label the parts of a circle and wrote an explanation for each part on the back of the plate. Students use this information to label their 3 circles that will be used to create a snowman. On students second trip to this station they will be measuring the parts of their circle snowmen.

4) Team Time: This centimeter race game is a fun way for students to practice using a centimeter ruler. The students choose a different colored marker and try and be the first to the finish line. Students roll the dice and use the code box to determine how many centimeters they can go. Students trace their rule on their side of the race track and try to be the first to the finish line. With each turn they add the number of centimeters to their previous line. Their partner is makes sure they are measuring correctly to ensure the race is accurate and fair.

CM Race

5) Dyna-Math: This is a monthly magazine I ordered last year from Scholastics. It was a bit pricey so I laminated a few copies to preserve for future use. The students really enjoy these magazines as they are full of current events and pop culture meshed with math! Students even get to use calculators to help solve the problems within the magazine. I did find it useful to create a record page that matches the magazine to help students know what questions to complete.

Station 6 & 7: These are both computer based stations. At the Orchard station students log on to the Orchard Gold program which has tailored activities to meet each students individual math needs. This is a program provided by our county. The Study Island Station has students log on to their Study Island account. This program is purchased by our school. I am able to go in to the program and create individual learning activities for each individual students. Our Title 1 program has few laptops that we are able to check out. The students just love using the laptops and which is a great motivator for them while they complete their Study Island Skills.

Check out more photos of these Math Munchies Stations below.

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