laura amlung - teaching portfolio

Teaching Portfolio

Laura L. Amlung, M.Ed. 132 Wood Lake Drive #336

Athens, GA 30606

Phone: (812) 360-7594

Email: [email protected]

Table of Contents

(Click Section Title to Jump)

Resume and Teaching Certification Section 1

Colonial America Integrated Unit Section 2

Hawaiian Vacation Integrated Unit Section 3

Life Cycles Integrated Unit Section 4

Sample Lessons Section 5

Sample Assessments Session 6

Professional References Section 7

Miscellaneous Teaching Photos Section 8

Disclaimer

All samples of student work and photographs of classroom activities contained in this portfolio are

reproduced with written permission of the parents or guardians of the students involved.

Laura L. Amlung, M.Ed. 132 Wood Lake Drive #336

Athens, Georgia 30606

[email protected]

(812) 360-7594

Education and Qualifications

Masters of Education (M.Ed.) 2010

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Early Childhood Education

English to Speakers of Other Languages Endorsement

4.0 GPA

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) 2007

Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Speech and Hearing Science

Minor in Psychology

3.7 GPA

Certifications:

Missouri Teacher Certification B-3 and 1-6 Expires January 2017

Georgia Teacher Certification P-5 Expires June 2015

Professional Experience

Classroom Teacher – Fourth Grade July 2011 – present

Kennedy Elementary School, Winder, Georgia

Student Teacher Mentor January 2012 – April 2012

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Title I Support Teacher – Second through Fifth Grade July 2010 – July 2011

Statham Elementary School, Statham, Georgia

Student Teacher – Second Grade January 2010 – March 2010

Statham Elementary School, Statham, Georgia

Advanced Training and Professional Development

Daily Five Reading Structure Professional Development

Designed and implemented a school-wide professional learning seminar on the Daily Five

reading structure for the 2012-2013 school year

Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) English Language Arts Training

Grade level representative for training on the CCGPS ELA standards rollout for the 2012-2013

school year

Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) Training

School-wide representative for training on the SLDS system for the 2012-2013 school year

Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) Committee

Involved with school-wide training of PBIS for the 2012-2013 school year

Media and Technology Committee

Grade-level representative for the Media and Technology Committee for the 2012-2013 school

year

Ron Clark Academy

Attended one-day teacher training at Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia

Differentiated Instruction Training

Attended several trainings throughout the 2011-2012 school year on differentiated instruction

strategies to use in the classroom

Feedback and Assessment

Attended several trainings throughout the 2011-2012 school year on giving timely and effective

feedback, both formative and summative

Skills and Proficiencies

Infinite Campus System

Trained to use the Infinite Campus System for recording grades, attendance, and report cards

Georgia Online Assessment System (OAS) and Study Island

Skilled in creating student assessments using OAS and Study Island websites

Smart Boards and Promethean Boards

Proficient in the use of multiple technologies in the classroom such as Smart Board and

Promethean board equipment

References

Mr. Ryan Butcher

Principal

Murray O. Kennedy Elementary School

Winder, Georgia


Phone: 770-867-3182

Dr. Gale Jordan

Assistant Principal


Winder, Georgia


Phone: 770-867-3182

Mrs. Dana Ballard

Grade Level Head – Fourth Grade


Winder, Georgia


Phone: 770-601-1996

Mrs. Cynthia Ellington

SCOPE (gifted) Teacher – All Grades


Winder, Georgia


Phone: 770-867-3182

Mrs. Bonnie Orr

Special Education Teacher – All Grades


Winder, Georgia


Phone: 770-867-3182

Mrs. Anne Kemper

Third Grade Teacher

Statham Elementary School

Statham, Georgia


Phone: 678-231-9522

Colonial America Unit

Standards

Social Studies

SS4H3 The student will explain the factors that shaped British colonial America.

a. Compare and contrast life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies.

b. Describe colonial life in America as experienced by various people, including large landowners,

farmers, artisans, women, indentured servants, slaves, and Native Americans.

SS4G2 The student will describe how physical systems affect human systems. c. Explain how the physical geography of the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies helped

determine economic activities practiced therein.

SS4E1 The student will use the basic economic concepts of trade, opportunity cost, specialization,

voluntary exchange, productivity, and price incentives to illustrate historical events.

b. Explain how price incentives affect people’s behavior and choices (such as colonial decisions about

what crops to grow and products to produce).

c. Describe how specialization improves standards of living (such as the differences in the economies in

the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies).

d. Explain how voluntary exchange helps both buyers and sellers (such as prehistoric and colonial trade

in North America).

e. Describe how trade promotes economic activity (such as how trade between the colonies and England

affected their economies).

SS4G1 The student will be able to locate important physical and man-made features in the United

States.

b. Locate major man-made features; include New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; and the

Erie Canal.

Language Arts

ELACC4SL4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner,

using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at

an understandable pace.

ELACC4W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include

formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and

examples related to the topic.

c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases. (e.g., another, for

example, also, because).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

ELACC4W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization

are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are

defined in Standards 1–3 above.)

ELACC4W5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing

as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate

command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 4.)

ELACC4W6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the

Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;

demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a

single sitting.

ELACC4W7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of

different aspects of a topic.

ELACC4W8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from

print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

ELACC4W9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,

and research.

Essential Questions

How can I compare and contrast life in the southern, middle, and New England colonies?

How can I describe life as experienced by different people living in the colonies?

How did the physical geography affect life in the colonies?

How did price incentives affect people’s behavior and choices during colonial times?

How does specialization improve the standards of living?

How does voluntary exchange help both buyers and sellers?

How does trade promote economic activity?

How can I locate Boston, MA, New York, NY, and Philadelphia, PA on a map?

How can I report on a topic in an organized manner using appropriate facts and details?

How can I apply the steps of the writing process to write an informational piece of writing?

How can I use technology to conduct a research project?

How can I recall relevant information in order to take notes and gather information?

Unit Overview In order to provide a more meaningful educational experience, students will be applying their

knowledge of the colonies to create their own small business. Each group will be responsible for

coming up with their product, creating it, setting a price, and selling the item. In addition, they will be

responsible for creating their actual business with colonial-appropriate signage. We will then have a

“market day” where students from other classrooms will come in and purchase items from the sellers.

Students may choose to accept money or they may trade items. After “market day”, students will have

an opportunity to reflect on their business.

At the same time, students will also be conducting research projects on their given colony area

(New England or Middle) and will be writing five paragraph informational papers about that given area,

in order to gain more knowledge for their business venture. To go along with their research, students

will also be learning about major cities in their colony area. To create a more vibrant market scene, the

class will be responsible for creating famous man-made structures that belong in their particular city to

display around the room on “market day”.

Schedule of Events

November 5-16

General overview of colonial life

Learn about trade and other economic ideas

November 26-30

Begin research for informational writing on colonial region

Begin working with groups on business venture

December 3-7

Continue informational writing on colonial region

Continue work on business venture

December 10-12

Finalize writing pieces

Finalize business project

December 13-14

December 13: Mrs. Amlung’s class goes to Mrs. Ballard’s class for “market day”

December 13: Mrs. Ham’s class goes to Mrs. Curtis’ class for “market day”

December 14: Mrs. Ballard’s class goes to Mrs. Amlung’s class for “market day”

December 14: Mrs. Curtis’ class goes to Mrs. Ham’s class for “market day”

December 17

Reflection on business venture

Summarize learning

Details

Mrs. Ballard: Middle Colonies (City focus: Philadelphia)

Mrs. Amlung: New England Colonies (City focus: Boston)

Mrs. Curtis: Middle Colonies (City focus: Philadelphia)

Mrs. Ham: New England Colonies (City focus: Boston)

Names: ______________________________________________

Colonial America Market Day

Imagine you are a young man or woman living in the early colonies. You don’t have much money and everything you need to survive depends on what you can do with the

land of your area. You will choose a group of two or three to create your own Colonial America business. You will need to think about your region and decide what product to sell based on that. On Thursday, December 13 and Friday, December 14

we will be having a Market Day where you will have the opportunity to sell your product.

Step 1: With your partner(s), brainstorm what good or service your business is going to provide. Think of where you live and what resources are naturally available to you in

the New England colonies. Also, think about what people will want to buy. What good or service would sell better than others?

Step 2: Decide how you will create your product for Market Day. All group members

must be responsible for a portion of the good or service.

Step 3: Predict what the demand will be for your product. How many items will you sell on Market Day? Why do you think you will sell that many? Once you know your demand, you will know how much to supply, or create. Also, you will need to decide how much you will charge for your product. Remember, some people may decide to

barter with you. It is up to you whether you accept their offer or not.

Step 4: Decide on a business sign. You will need to create a business sign to display on Market Day. Business signs in Colonial America had no words. Instead, they used

simple pictures to show what their shop sold.

Step 5: Begin creating your good or service with your partner. Make sure you have enough by Wednesday, December 12.

Name: ________________________________________

Business Plan Outline

Step 1: Our good or service is: _______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Step 2: How we are going to create our good or service: ______________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Step 3: Demand Prediction: _________________________________________________________ Supply Prediction: ___________________________________________________________ Step 4: Cost of good or service: __________________________ Will you be willing to barter? _________________ Step 5: Rough sketch of business logo/sign

Name: ____________________________

Post Business Self-Evaluation 1. How much money did you make on your goods or services? If you didn’t make any money, then how much money did you lose? 2. Give one reason why your business was successful? 3. Give one reason why your business was unsuccessful? 4. Overall, do you think your business did well? Why or why not? 5. If you were to create a business again, what would you do differently and why?

Group Members: ____________________________________________________________ Product: Name: _________________________________

Colonial America Business Project Rubric

4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point 0 points

Goods or Services

Goods or services

perfectly in line with

colonial region and well-created

Goods or services in line with colonial region and adequately

created

Goods or services not quite in line with colonial region, but adequately

created

Goods or services not in

line with colonial region

and sloppily created

Goods or services not in

line with colonial region

and not created

Organization

All 5 steps written up in an organized format and easy to read

and understand

Only 4 out of the 5 steps

written up in an organized

way



way



way

No steps written up or

turned in

Creativity

Products clearly show a great amount of thought, time, and creativity

Products show some

thought and creativity.

Products show thought and creativity

Products show little thought or creativity

Products show no

thought or creativity

Cooperation

All group members

contributed and worked

well together

Most group members


well together

Some group members


well together

Hardly any group

members contributed and worked

well together

No group members


together

Completion Turned in on time

Turned in 1 day late

Turned in 2 days late


Turned in 4 days late or

more

Total Points

Comments: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Come to America! Brochure

Directions: 1. Choose one of the 13 colonies for your brochure and complete the questions below to help you get ready for your final informational brochure. New England Middle Colonies Southern Colonies 2. Answer as many of the following questions as possible. At least 5 should be easy to find from information in text.

*What were some of the important landforms and bodies of water in the colony and region?

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*What is the climate in the colony and region?

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*What are the natural resources found in the colony and region?

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*What are the settlers in the colony or region and where were they from?

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*What is the system of government in the colony and region?

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*What are some of the products in my colony and region?

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*What are some interesting aspects of daily life as a colonist?

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3. Draw pictures. Create bold, strong images that will make settlers want to come to your colony or region. Create pictures for the questions above and put them in the brochure. 4. Create a Map. Use an outline map to create a map of your colony. You may look at your study guide to get a good idea of what your colony looked like.

Students Engaged in Colonial America Unit Activities

Hawaiian Vacation Unit

I. Introduction

Right after the CRCT and spring break is always a difficult time for students to stay motivated

about school. As a class, we decided that we wanted our year-end party to be a Hawaiian Luau. As a

result, I planned our curriculum accordingly to incorporate exciting activities while learning valuable

skills and concepts.

II. Skills and Concepts

Social Studies

Students will create a personal budget and save/spend “money” accordingly

Students will learn about the culture of Hawaii (language, clothing, food, music)

Reading

Students will read and respond to poetry

Students will read and respond to different forms of non-fiction reading

Writing

Students will create their own poems to create a poetry book

Students will write responses to literature

Students will conduct small research projects on different areas of Hawaii and create travel

brochures

Science

Students will learn about different geographical features of Hawaii

Students will research and learn about the different ecosystems of Hawaii

Students will read about different adaptations of native animals to Hawaii

Math

Students will weigh their “suitcases” and practice converting from pounds to ounces and

kilograms to grams.

Students will create and analyze a personal budget using rounding, adding, and subtracting

decimals.

Students will apply their knowledge of multiplying decimals to figure out sales tax on certain

items related to travel.

III. Standards

Social Studies

SS4E2 The student will identify the elements of a personal budget and explain why personal

spending and saving decisions are important.

SS4E1 The student will use the basic economic concepts of trade, opportunity cost,

specialization, voluntary exchange, productivity, and price incentives to illustrate historical

events.

Reading

ELA4R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and

responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.

ELA4R4 The student reads aloud, accurately (in the range of 95%), familiar material in a variety

of genres, in a way that makes meaning clear to listeners.

Writing

ELA4W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.

ELA4W3 The student uses research and technology to support writing.

Science

S4L1 Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.

S4L2 Students will identify factors that affect the survival or extinction of organisms such as

adaptation, variation of behaviors (hibernation), and external features (camouflage and

protection).

Math

M4N5 Students will further develop their understanding of the meaning of decimals and use

them in computations.

M4N7 Students will explain and use properties of the four arithmetic operations to solve and

check problems.

M4M1 Students will understand the concept of weight and how to measure weight

M4D1 Students will gather, organize, and display data according to the situation and compare

related features.

M4N2. Students will understand and apply the concept of rounding numbers.

IV. Essential Questions

Math

How do I apply my knowledge of decimals to develop a budget for vacation?

How do I apply my knowledge of rounding whole numbers to develop a budget for vacation?

How do I apply my knowledge of adding and subtracting decimals to create an exact budget?

How do I apply my knowledge of multiplying decimals to add tax to an item?

Writing

How do I organize interesting facts about Hawaii?

What is poetry and how do I create poems that are engaging?

What is a Haiku and how do I create one that is engaging?

What is an acrostic poem and how do I create one that is engaging?

Reading

How can I interpret information gained from informational texts?

What is the relationship between myths/legends and the real world?

How do I organize and create informational brochures?

Social Studies

What is economics and how does it relate to real-life situations?

How do different economic concepts interact?

How does economics relate to our real-life economy?

How do I apply my knowledge of economic concepts to design and create a tourist business for

Hawaii?

Science

How can I determine the different parts of a rainforest ecosystem?

What are common producers, consumers, and decomposers in a rainforest ecosystem?

What are different adaptations of the state bird of Hawaii?

What is a food chain and what are common food chains in Hawaii?

V. Language

Math

Decimal

Tax

Line Graph

Line Plot

Bar Graph

Writing

Haiku

Acrostic Poem

Diamante

Simile

Metaphor

Hyperbole

Idiom

Cinquain Poem

Sonnet

Sensory Images

Repetition

Rhyme

Rhythm

Reading

Poetry

Rhyme

Rhythm

Fluency

Social Studies

Economics

Opportunity Cost

Supply

Demand

Product

Good

Service

Price Incentive

Specialization

Trade

Voluntary Exchange

Science

Ecosystem

Animal Adaptations

Producer

Consumer

Decomposer

Living vs. Non-living things

Food Chain

Food Web

Mimicry

Camouflage

Hibernation

Migration

VI. Lesson Plans

April 23

Math

We will introduce the Hawaii Unit to the kids, brainstorming ideas of what they could do in

Hawaii for fun. Then, we will discuss the importance of having a budget when you go on

vacation. I will share with them my own personal budget for an upcoming vacation. With

partners, students will create a list of important things to budget for when going on vacation. We

will then create a master list for the entire class.

Writing

Today, we will take a “tour” of Hawaii where we will look at pictures of Hawaii and make note

of interesting things. We will look at both pictures from the internet and from books. Students

will make a chart of interesting facts (capital, population, state flower, etc).

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today, I will introduce the idea of creating a travel brochure. First, we will discuss what

brochures are (I will show examples of a few). Then, students will work in small groups. In

small groups, they will look through different brochures, making a list of important things to

include in a brochure. We will then come together as a class to make a master list of things to

include in a brochure.

12:30-1:20

First, we will read aloud Froggy Goes to Hawaii. Then, in small groups, students will read

through the history of Hawaii and will create a timeline of important events.

Science/Social Studies

Today, we will begin our discussion of economic. First, we will discuss what economics is and

why it’s important. As a class, we will come up with some real-life examples. We will then

watch a brain pop video about supply, demand, and scarcity. Then, we will look at graphs

showing supply and demand and talk about how this relates to how much something will cost

(use real-life example of fruit) In addition, we will make a list of different goods and services to

see the difference between them.

April 24

Math

Today we will review our budget ideas from yesterday. Then, we will show them how to apply

their knowledge of rounding and multiplication to get a general idea of how much things will

cost. Students will decide important things about their vacation (hotel, food, flight, activities)

and will begin their budget by estimating the cost of things using the budget spreadsheet.

Writing

Introduction to Poetry – read aloud some poems from Love that Dog. Discuss what they notice

about poems. Today, students will practice writing their own rhyming poems about Hawaii

(maybe their excitement over the upcoming “trip”)

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today, I will show them an example of what their brochures will look like (sections divided). I

will share with them the rubric that will be used to grade their brochures. I will answer any

questions at this time. Lesson on how to organize their research (four-square method)

12:30-1:20

First, we will read aloud A is for Aloha. Then, students will work in small groups to rotate

through four stations, learning about four significant Hawaiians from history. For each center,

they will need to write two facts about each person.


Today, we will review what we talked about yesterday and will discuss more economic terms

(opportunity cost). We will do a quick opportunity cost activity where students will decide what

they would do with $5. Then they will list all the other ways they could use that $5. We will

discuss as a group our different ideas. Play lemonade stand online to discuss other different

economic concepts.

April 25

Math

Students will continue to work on estimations from yesterday. If finished, they will now go

through their budget to figure out the exact cost of items without tax.

Writing

Today, we will review similes. Then, we will learn about Haikus. I will read aloud a few

Haikus and we will write the rules for haikus on the board. I will model how to write a Haiku.

Then, students will work on their own Haikus about Hawaii. If finished early, they may write

another Haiku about anything they want.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Students will continue to create mock copy of their brochure. I will send some students to work

on iPads in the media center. Other students will use encyclopedias, computers in our room, and

books from the library.

12:30-1:20

First, we will read aloud Pig Kahuna. Then, students will work in small groups to rotate through

four stations, learning about four significant Hawaiians from history. For each center, they will

need to write two facts about each person.


Today, students will learn more about our current economy. First, as a class we will brainstorm

words that they have heard lately that are associated with the economy. Then, students will break

off into small groups. Each group will choose one word to look up. Then, each group will report

back with the definition. Distribute Economy Ups and downs worksheet. Students will cut and

paste the different items, deciding where they go. As a class, go through the answers.

April 26

Math

Students will continue to work on their budget. If students are ready, they will work in small

groups to discuss how to add in tax (multiplying decimals). Students will then figure out how

much money they will spend and how much they will have left. If they do not have enough

money, they will need to re-work their budget.

Writing

Today, we will review similes again. Students must make sure that at least one of their Haikus

uses a simile. Students will continue creating Haikus, but they must have at least one finished

today.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30



books from the library.

12:30-1:20

First, we will read aloud Pig Boy: A Trickster Tale from Hawaii. Then as a class, we will look at

some of the legends from the website: http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00056/ After we view a

few, students will choose one of the Hawaiian gods and will illustrate what they think they look

like and will write a short description.


Today, I will introduce the project that they will be working on for the next several weeks. We

will read and discuss the instructions and will go through the rubric so they know what is

expected of them. As a class, we will look at different tourist businesses in Hawaii.

April 27

Math

Students will work in small groups to finish up their budgets. When finished, they may answer

evaluation questions.

Writing

Today, we will learn about sensory images. Students will work with a partner. They will read a

poem together. Then, individually, they will draw a picture that captures what they saw from

reading the poem. The partners will meet back up and discuss the differences and similarities

between their pictures.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30



books from the library (go to media center today)

12:30-1:20

As a class, we will read the readers theatre play Maui Tames the Sun. Students will then answer

questions and make connections with our lessons from science (solar system).


Students will meet with groups and complete step 1 of their business plan. Brainstorm what

good or service your business is going to provide. Remember, you want to have a specialization

and it must be fulfill a demand. In addition, you will need to be able to produce your good or

service, so it must be something you could do easily. Once you decide on something, remember

to think of the opportunity cost. What options are you giving up in order to make this good or

service?

April 30

Math

We will review graphs and data today. First, we will review important graph features (x-axis, y-

axis, title). Then, each student will have the opportunity to work with two different graphs about

Hawaii climate and population.

Writing

Flight Day! Today, we will be traveling to Hawaii, but before we can travel, we must get

through the airport. Students will be going through various travel centers associated with

traveling. Each center will be related to a GPS standard. The centers are as follows:

Check-In – Station 1: You’ve arrived at the airport and now must check-in to your flight.

Go to station one to create an Identification Card. Fill out the information and draw a

picture of yourself in the box on your ID card. Show your ID card to the airline attendant

and receive your boarding pass. You will need these cards for the rest of the stations to

prove who you are.

Baggage Check – Station 2: After you’ve made your ID card, see an airline employee to

weigh your baggage. You will need to get your backpack and fill it with important things

for your trip. Then weigh it using the scale. The scale will give you the weight in

pounds. You will need to convert it to ounces. Give the weight (in ounces) to the airline

employee and then you may move on to the next station.

Security – Station 3: Please show your ID card to the airline employee. You will then

need to remove your shoes and any metal (jewelry, glasses, belts, etc) before going

through the X-ray machine. Once you have made it through security, you may go on to

station 4.

Gate Check – Station 4: Please head over to your gate and have a seat on the floor. You

may read quietly on the floor as you wait for your flight.

Board Plane – Station 5: The flight attendants will call your seat numbers. Please board

the plane when you hear your seat number. You will need to show both your ID card and

your boarding pass to get on the plane. Once on the plane, you may purchase snacks with

Dragon Dollars. There will be an in-flight movie during the remainder of the flight.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Flight Day: Finish travel centers from earlier

12:30-1:20

Students will rotate through Hawaii centers (based on what they budgeted for). Centers are as

follows:

Helicopter Tour: Students will take a helicopter tour to the Hawaii Volcanoes National

Park. There, we will read about volcanoes and learn about different cause and effect

situations involved with them. Then, students will create their own diagram of a volcano

using the books provided (National Geographic Kids and Volcanoes and Earthquakes) –

show black sand from actual volcano in Hawaii

Snorkeling: Students will don snorkeling gear as they read about snorkeling in Extreme

Sports Dive! pages 12-13 and Coral Reefs pages 6-7. Students will then complete a

Triggerfish comprehension sheet by locating facts about the state fish. Afterwards, they

will be able to color their triggerfish

Whale Watching: Students will read through Humpback Whale (state mammal) book.

Then they will watch youtube video using humpback whale sounds and create an

echolocation chart by using graphic features.

Surfing: Students will read through Extreme Sports Surf! pages 14-15 and the Ed Helper

reading comprehension page. Then, they will design their own surf boards using clay

Zipline: Students will read through the many books provided about the rainforest. Then,

they will create their own ecosystem drawing of the rainforest.

Hiking Tour: Students will read about the Nene (the state bird) and complete the Nene

food chain. Then, they will color an official Nene.

Swimming with Dolphins: Students will read about dolphins. Then, after coloring their

own dolphin picture, will write three facts and three opinions on their dolphin

USS Arizona: Students will read through an Ed Helper piece about the USS Arizona and

Pearl Harbor. Then, they will create their own memorial for the lives lost on December

2, 1941


Groups will complete Step 2 of their business plan. Decide how you are going to produce your

good or service. Your business must have good productivity in order to produce enough supply.

Are you going to have multiple (more than one) people working on the product or will one

person be in charge?

May 1

Math

Today, students we will learn about popular Hawaiian exports (pineapple, coconut, coffee,

macadamia nuts). Students will then take a poll around the classroom of the students’ favorite

Hawaiian exports. Each student will be responsible for creating their own graph (bar or picto-

graph).

Writing

Today, students will have the remaining time to finish their acrostic poems from Friday or begin

new ones.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Students will continue to work on their travel brochures. They must be finished today, otherwise

its homework.

12:30-1:20

Students will rotate through Hawaii centers (based on what they budgeted for) as listed above.


Groups will complete Step 3 of their business plan. Predict what the demand will be on business

day. How many people do you think will want to buy your item? How much of a supply will

you need to prepare to support the demand? Remember, you don’t want to run out of your good

or service, but you also don’t want to have a lot left over.

May 2

Math

Today, we will review median, range, mode.Then students will work on any graphs or

assignments from the past two days. They must finish them today. If students are already

finished with previous assignments, I will work with them on finding the median, range, and

mode for the graph they created yesterday.

Writing

We will begin today by reading aloud a Cinquain poem. We will then write the “rules” for

Cinquain poems on the board (with a focus on the vocabulary word repetition). Students will

then work on their own version of a Cinquain poem.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

The students who wish to will present their travel brochures to the class today.

12:30-1:20



Groups will complete Step 4 of their business plan. Decide how much your good or service is

going to cost for people to buy. Are you going to provide any price incentives (buy one, get one

half off, etc)?

May 3

Math

Today, students will work on graphs associated with travel to Hawaii. They will work in small

groups with Mrs. Amlung, Mrs. Marsee, or independently.

Writing

Review the rules for a cinquain poem. Then, students will have the remaining time to finish their

cinquain poems or begin new ones.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today we will have a culture day where we will learn about traditional dress of Hawaii including

leis, grass skirts

12:30-1:20



Groups will complete Steps 5 and 6 of their business plan. Decide on your business name. You

want your business name to be simple and easy to remember, but it must also stand out in a

crowd. Create a business logo. Just like the name of your business, you want your sign to be

simple and easy to recognize. You also want your logo to give your customers an idea of what

you’ll be selling.

May 4

Math

Today, the entire fourth grade will be doing Cinco de Mayo centers.

Amlung: game (Five Strings)

Prickett: language (Spanish)

Ballard: dance (Mexican Hat Dance)

Paramore: food (Enchiladas)

Writing

Today, the entire fourth grade will be doing Cinco de Mayo centers.

Amlung: game (5 Strings)

Prickett: language (Spanish)

Ballard: dance (Mexican Hat Dance)

Paramore: food (Enchiladas)

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today we will create leis in celebration of our culture day yesterday

12:30-1:20



Groups will complete Step 7 of their business plan. Begin creating your good or service until you

have reached the supply you decided upon in step 3.

May 7

Math

First we will take our daily timed test. Then, we will begin a new project using geometric

figures and angles. Each student will be making their own version of a Hawaiian Resort Map.

Their maps must meet each criteria listed on the rubric. I will show them the rubric and then we

will look at samples of real resort maps. Then, each group will create a circle map of things you

might find on a resort map. We will come together as a whole group to create a master circle

map. Then, if we have time, students will begin their maps. If students have not finished their

budget evaluation sheet, they will need to finish that first.

Writing

Today, students will learn about diamante poems. I will model for them how to write one and

then each student will work on one of their own. They must finish and turn in one for a grade.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today, we will learn about different forms of Hawaiian music. Students will listen to Hawaiian

songs and write a response to each one (what do they think the song is about, how does it make

them feel)

12:30-1:20

Responding to Poetry Centers

Listening Center: Poems are meant to be read aloud. In this center, you will listen to

poets read their poems aloud.

Keep a Poem in your Pocket: Browse through the poetry books and find a poem that

speaks to you. Copy the poem on a bookmark. Illustrate it and don’t forget to include the

title and the name of the poet.

Art Center: Read through the poetry books. Label any poems that put a clear image in

your mind. Write the line or lines where the image is clear to you on an index card. Put

the name of the poet and the title on the card. Choose a piece of paper and using

watercolors, illustrate your image.

Poem Cloze Center: Sometimes it’s easy to guess what a poet might say next. In this

center, choose one of the poems in the center and see if you can fill in the blanks with the

correct words. Have a friend check your answers.


Students will work on step 7(or any unfinished work) today. They will need to finish up their

work today or tomorrow to prepare for business day! Begin creating your good or service until

you have reached the supply you decided upon in step 3.

May 8

Math

Today, after taking our timed test, students will begin their resort maps. They will be working

on large pieces of construction paper. They must first complete it in pencil and then go back

over in marker for the finished product.

Writing

Students will continue writing their diamante poems today. They must finish and turn in one for

a grade. If they finish early, they may work on any poems for their poetry book.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today, we will read a short piece about the history of the hula. Then, we will watch several

videos of a hula competition in Honolulu, HI

12:30-1:20

Today we will tye-dye t-shirts for field day.


Students will work on step 7(or any unfinished work) today. They will need to finish up their

work today to prepare for business day! Begin creating your good or service until you have

reached the supply you decided upon in step 3.

May 9

Math

Today, after taking our timed test, students will continue their resort maps.

Writing

Today, students will take a short poetry assessment. When finished, they may work on poems

for the poetry book.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

We will learn about the letters of the Hawaiian alphabet. We will watch a PowerPoint of some

common Hawaiian words. The students will complete a matching game to learn the words.

12:30-1:20

Today is our Business Day for Social Studies. We will be using this time to set-up and begin

their business in the media center


Today is business day! We will be setting up businesses in the media center and students will

sell/buy goods.

May 10

Math

Today, after taking our timed test, students will continue their resort maps.

Writing

Today we will spend the entire day working on poems for poetry books. Each student must have

at least six poems completed today.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Today, students will use the words they learned yesterday to write a poem. They must use at

least 5 of the words they learned yesterday. They may write any type of poem they wish.

12:30-1:20















Today, students will have the opportunity to answer a few questions about their business in a

post-business write-up.

May 11

Field Day – All Day!

May 14

Math

Math and Reading Summative Benchmark Testing

Writing

Math and Reading Summative Assessment. When they finish, students may work on any

unfinished poetry and their poetry books.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Turn in textbooks.

12:30-1:20















Students will complete a short reading activity about Hawaiian Tiki Masks. Then each student

will use paper mache to create their own Tiki masks.

May 15

Math

Students will learn about diamante poems and will create one of their own

Writing

SCOPE PRESENTATIONS – Score with rubric

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Turn in supplies (white boards, markers, scissors, dry erase markers, etc)

12:30-1:20















Students will continue making their tiki masks today.

May 16

Math

Students will continue writing their diamante poems today. They must finish and turn in one for

a grade. If they finish early, they may work on any poems for their poetry book.

Writing

Students will use today to finish up any unfinished poems. They will work on their poetry

books.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Empty book boxes and organize classroom library

12:30-1:20
















May 17

Math

Students will take a poetry assessment today. They will work on any unfinished poems when

finished. They must finish their books today

Writing

Students will use today to finish up any unfinished poems. They will work on their poetry

books.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

We will watch the food PowerPoint presentation and go to recess early.

12:30-1:20
















May 18

Math

Today, students will finish up their books and practice/set-up for the poetry café.

Writing

POETRY CAFÉ – Students will have the opportunity to read some of their poetry for their

classmates.

Reading

11:00 – 11:30

Extra Recess Day

12:30-1:20















Clean Up room – Students will finish cleaning out their desks and will recycle all materials. We

will not need anything next week. We will wipe off all desks and chairs and clean around the

room. I will have students file back books and papers and clean the white board and chalk board.

Names: ______________________________________________

Hawaii Tourism Project Congratulations! You have inherited money and have decided to start your own

business in the great state of Hawaii. For this project, you will be designing a business that provides a good or service to tourists that may come to Hawaii. Using the

economic terms we have discussed in Social Studies class, organize and create your own business!

Step 1: Brainstorm what good or service your business is going to provide. Remember,

you want to have a specialization and it must fulfill a demand. In addition, you will need to be able to produce your good or service, so it must be something you could make easily. Once you decide on something, remember to think of the opportunity

cost. What options are you giving up in order to make this good or service?

Step 2: Decide how you are going to produce your good or service. Your business must have good productivity in order to produce enough supply. Are you going to

have multiple (more than one) people working on the product or will one person be in charge?

Step 3: Predict what the demand will be on business day. How many people do you think will want to buy your item? How much of a supply will you need to prepare to support the demand? Remember, you don’t want to run out of your good or service,

but you also don’t want to have a lot left over.

Step 4: Decide how much your good or service is going to cost for people to buy. Are you going to provide any price incentives (buy one, get one half off, etc)?

Step 5: Decide on your business name. You want your business name to be simple and

easy to remember, but it must also stand out in a crowd.

Step 6: Create a business logo. Just like the name of your business, you want your sign to be simple and easy to recognize. You also want your logo to give your customers an

idea of what you’ll be selling.

Step 7: Begin creating your good or service until you have reached the supply you decided upon in step 3.

Step 8: Sell your goods or services on business day and see how well your business does!

Name: ____________________

Budget Evaluation

1. Explain the importance of creating a budget for vacation.

2. How much money do you have leftover? Is this what you expected? Why or why

not?

3. Elaborate on why you chose your hotel, flight, food, etc. What thoughts went

through your head as you designed your budget?

Name: _____________________________ Hawaiian Resort Map Rubric


Shapes

Your map has at least one of each

shape (square, rectangle, rhombus,

trapezoid, and parallelogram)

Your map has four out of the

five shapes (square,

rectangle, rhombus,


Your map has three out of the


rectangle, rhombus,


Your map has two out of the


rectangle, rhombus,


Your map has one or less out

of the five shapes (square,

rectangle, rhombus,


Angles

Your map has two acute angles and two obtuse angles that are clearly labeled

Your map has two acute angles and two obtuse angles, but they are not clearly

labeled

Your map has one acute and

one obtuse angle OR two acute (no obtuse) OR two obtuse (no acute) that are clearly labeled

Your map has one acute and

one obtuse angle OR two acute (no obtuse) OR two obtuse (no acute) that are

not clearly labeled

Your map has no acute or obtuse angles to be seen

Lines

Your map has two sets of

parallel lines and two sets of

perpendicular lines that are clearly labeled

Your map has two sets of

parallel lines and two sets of

perpendicular lines that are not

clearly labeled

Your map has one set of

parallel lines and one set of

perpendicular lines OR two sets

of parallel (no perpendicular) OR two sets of perpendicular

(no parallel) that are clearly

labeled

Your map has one set of

parallel lines and one set of

perpendicular lines OR two sets

of parallel (no perpendicular) OR two sets of perpendicular

(no parallel) that are not clearly

labeled

Your map has no sets of parallel

or perpendicular lines to be seen

Neatness

Writing and drawing is neat

and easy to read in all areas of

the map

Most of the writing and

drawing is neat and easy to read

Some of the writing and


Very little of the writing and


No writing or drawing is neat

and easy to read

Creativity Map is

interesting, engaging, and

original

Most of the map is interesting, engaging, and

original

Some of the map is interesting, engaging, and

original

Very little of the map is

interesting, engaging, and

original

None of the map is interesting, engaging, and

original

Total Points

Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Travel Day Centers

Check-In – Station 1 You’ve arrived at the airport and now must check-in to your flight. Go to station

one to create an Identification Card. Fill out the information and draw a picture of

yourself in the box on your ID card. Show your ID card to the airline attendant

and receive your boarding pass. You will need these cards for the rest of the

stations to prove who you are.

Baggage Check – Station 2 After you’ve made your ID card, see an airline employee to weigh your baggage.

You will need to get your backpack and fill it with important things for your trip.

Then weigh it using the scale. The scale will give you the weight in pounds. You will

need to convert it to ounces. Give the weight (in ounces) to the airline employee

and then you may move on to the next station.

Security – Station 3 Please show your ID card to the airline employee. You will then need to remove

your shoes and any metal (jewelry, glasses, belts, etc) before going through the X-

ray machine. Once you have made it through security, you may go on to station 4.

Gate Check – Station 4 Please head over to your gate and have a seat on the floor. You may read quietly on

the floor as you wait for your flight.

Board Plane – Station 5 The flight attendants will call your seat numbers. Please board the plane when you

hear your seat number. You will need to show both your ID card and your boarding

pass to get on the plane. Once on the plane, you may purchase snacks with Dragon

Dollars. There will be an in-flight movie during the remainder of the flight.

Name: _____________________

Hiking Through Hawaii Using the information in the paragraphs below, draw a food chain involving the

nene, the state bird of Hawaii.

As you hike through the many trails in Hawaii, you discover a small bird

called a nene. The nene became Hawaii’s state bird in 1957. Nene may a “nay nay”

sound when they eat. Nene are found only in Hawaii. Some people call the nene

Hawaiian geese.

Nene have long, cream-colored necks with black stripes. The birds have

black heads and gray-brown bodies. Adult nene weigh about 5 pounds. Nene build

their nests on the slopes of volcanoes. Their claws help them walk on the rocky

lava. They like to eat grass, seeds, flowers, leaves, and fruit.

Today, life is difficult for the nene. Dogs, rats, and mongeese prey on the

nene. These animals are not native to Hawaii. People brought them from other

parts of the world. Now the nene must compete with these animals to survive.

By 1950, only 30 nene were left in Hawaii. Since then, Hawaiians have

worked to protect this bird. More than 2,000 nene now live on the islands.

Draw your food chain here!

Name: ________________________________

Hawaiian Vacation Budget Congratulations! You are about to embark on a trip of a lifetime. You have been

saving up money for years and finally you have enough to enjoy a vacation to the

magical islands of Hawaii. You have $4,500 to spend on your trip, but use it wisely.

You may stay in Hawaii for as long as you would like and you may do whatever you

choose, as long as you have enough money. Using the dollar amounts below, decide

on the important things: how you’re going to get there, where you’re going to stay,

what you’re going to eat, and what you’re going to do. On the back of this paper,

you will keep track of your different items with their prices.

Flights

Delta - $866 + tax

US Airways - $814 + tax

American Airlines - $817 + tax

United - $794 + tax

Food

Cheap - $20 per day

Moderate - $40 per day

Expensive - $60 per day

Hotel

Seaside Hotel - $94 per night + tax

Maui Coast Hotel - $189 per night + tax

Makena Surf Hotel - $295 per night + tax

The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui - $523 per night + tax

Four Seasons - $752 per night + tax

Activities

Snorkel and Kayak - $64 + tax

Island Breeze Luau - $75.65 + tax

Blue Hawaiian Volcano Helicopter Tour - $178.20 + tax

Big Island Zipline - $159 + tax

Maui Hiking Tour - $80 + tax

Big Hawaii Lifeguard Surfing - $98 + tax

Sea Life Park Hawaii Swim with Dolphins - $110 + tax

Whale Watching - $230 + tax

Name: _____________________________

Travel Brochure Rubric


Information

All information is

correct

Most of the information is

correct

Some of the information is

correct

Very little of the

information is correct

No information is

correct

Neatness

Writing is neat and easy to read in all sections

Most of the writing is neat

and easy to read

Some of the writing is neat

and easy to read

Very little of the writing is neat and easy

to read

No writing is neat and easy

to read

Creativity

Brochure is interesting,

engaging, and original

Most of the brochure is interesting,


Some of the brochure is interesting,


Very little of the brochure is interesting, engaging, and

original

None of the brochure is interesting,


Colorful

Brochure is eye-catching

and uses complementar

y colors

Most of the brochure is eye-catching


y colors

Some of the brochure is eye-catching


y colors

Very little of the brochure

is eye-catching and

uses complementar

y colors

None of the brochure is eye-catching


y colors

Completion Turned in on time

Turned in 1 day late



Turned in 4 or more days late

Total Points

Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Helping the Children of Haiti Writing and Providing Informational Books on

the Life Cycles of Living Organisms

2nd Grade Thematic Unit

Laura Amlung

Spring 2010

Table of Contents

Introduction ………………………………….……..……. Page 3

Content Outline ………………………………………..… Page 5

Goals and GPS Standards …………………….………… Page 6

Pre-Assessment …………………………..………………. Page 9

Detailed Lesson Plans ……………………………..…… Page 11

Summative Assessment ……………………..………….. Page 39

Special Activities …………………………………...…… Page 40

Resources …………………………………………...…… Page 41

I. Introduction

School and Classroom Description

This unit took place in Mrs. Florence’s second grade classroom at Statham Elementary

School in Statham, Georgia. According to Wikipedia, Statham is a small town in Barrow County

comprised of about 2,040 people. The city itself is comprised of only 3.6 square miles of land.

About 10.4% of families and 12.7% of the population are below the poverty line. The motto for

Statham Elementary School is Child Friendly, Child Focused, Child First. This is a perfect

motto for a school whose main purpose is to create an inviting environment for all children rather

than an intense focus on standards. The school has a comfortable and flexible atmosphere. The

teachers are aware of the goals for each school year, but it is up to them how they want to reach

those goals. Mrs. Florence’s classroom is no exception.

Mrs. Florence’s classroom is comprised of nineteen students, aged seven to nine. There

are twelve boys and seven girls. Out of the nineteen students, we have two students who are

hearing impaired, one ESOL student, and one student who was held back in first grade. Overall,

the students are an excellent group. They seem to work really well together and have a great

rapport with Mrs. Florence. In terms of academics, most students are on or above grade level in

mathematics. However, they are slightly lower in the areas of reading and writing. For instance,

there are about five students who are scoring below grade-level at this point. The hardest part for

these students is reading comprehension. The children are very active, but are respectful of their

peers and their teachers. They really are a great class to work with on a daily basis.

Overview of the Unit

The unit began as an idea. I had a picture in my mind of what I would like this unit to

look like throughout the three weeks. However, until I asked my students what we should do for

the unit, I had no idea just how powerful it would become. One afternoon when the students and

I were discussing how we would like to learn about the life cycles of plants, one student

mentioned that we should write a book for the children in Haiti. Haiti had just experienced an

earthquake and was left with many people hurt and homeless. The children had been very

receptive of this and seemed to ask about it daily. So, when this one student made that comment,

the entire class lit up! I knew in my heart that this was the way the unit was supposed to go, so I

was extremely excited to get started.

The unit was three weeks in duration. The first week consisted of a great deal of pre-

planning. For instance, during this week students began learning more about Haiti and its

inhabitants and began working on their informational writing piece. First, we made a few

decisions as a class. Each morning we had a “book meeting” to discuss different things relating

to our book. How should we write this book? What do we need to decide first? How would we

like to learn about our topic? Is there anyone we can invite to our class to help us learn? I am

pleased to say that when I posed these questions to the class, they came up with some great ideas.

The students really seemed to look forward to our meetings each day because they knew they

had a voice in the planning of this unit.

Throughout this unit, students were not only writing informational pieces on the life cycle

of living organisms, but they were also growing their own plants while measuring them on a

daily basis. In addition, they were also investigating the life cycle of a butterfly by observing an

actually butterfly go through its life cycle in our classroom. They also spent time working with

an interactive bulletin board dealing with the life cycle of different living organisms. They also

completed two web quests on the life cycles of a frog and a butterfly. In the end, the students

learned about the life cycles of different living organisms while simultaneously providing

interesting and informative books to the children in Haiti who lost a great deal in the recent

earthquake. At the end of the unit, the students chose to have a “publishing party” for our book.

We invited our parents and loved ones to celebrate our hard work and dedication in creating this

informational book. We had a full house present at our party, and the students were very excited

to share their work with their families and the world. We presented one copy of our book to the

school media center specialist and the other copy was sent off to an orphanage in Haiti.

Rationale for Teaching the Unit

My rationale for teaching this unit began with a look at the second grade science

standards. In Georgia, second grade students must learn about the life cycle of a mammal, bird,

amphibian, insect, and a plant. They must also understand how a tree changes throughout a

school year (four seasons). In addition to the science standards, I also took a look at the

mathematics and English Language Arts standards. The students in this particular class had yet

to write an informational piece, so I thought that was a perfect fit with the life cycles unit. In

addition, the next unit in mathematics was measurement. Measurement is perfect for this unit

simply because it lends itself well to the topics and concepts already being taught.

In addition to the Georgia standards, I also wanted to focus on the Foxfire core practices.

I’ve learned a great deal about these practices in several of my courses and have been eager to

actually use them in the classroom. One of the main focuses of the Foxfire practices is allowing

the students to have a meaningful voice in the planning of the classroom focus, so after taking a

look at the standards I set off to ask my students what they would like to learn about and how

they would like to learn about it. That was when the students chose to write informational books

to send to Haiti. While the initial idea was what I wanted to do, I maintain that I did not even

mention that idea to my students. They came up with this unit all on their own. I think this unit

surpassed what I initially set out to do. Not only did the students learn the standards previously

described, but they also learned about an event that was so catastrophic that most everyone has

heard about it. This unit was so much more than just learning about the life cycles of different

living organisms. It’s about understanding that there is an audience outside our classroom and a

bigger picture to what we do inside of it.

II. Content Outline

Important Skills and Concepts

For this unit, I want my students to develop the following:

An understanding of how to conduct research on a topic

An understanding of how to write an informational writing piece that captures interest

and sustains a topic

An understanding of earthquakes and how they can be devastating to a country already in

need like Haiti

An understanding of how to investigate life cycles through observation

An understanding of how to keep a scientific journal on a topic

An understanding of how to correctly take measurements and the importance of

measuring things more than once

An understanding of how to estimate lengths of things, such as a caterpillar, a frog, a tree,

a flower, etc

An understanding of how what we do in the classroom can have an impact on an

audience outside of our classroom

An understanding of the concept of life cycles, specifically referring to the life cycle of a

mammal, insect, amphibian, and a bird

An understanding of how temperature/sunlight relates to the changes of trees throughout

a school year

Ideas in Language

By the end of this unit, I expect students to understand and use the following language:

Life cycles of animals: amphibian, insect, chrysalis, egg, tadpole, metamorphosis

Life cycles of plants: seed, bud, sprout

Earthquakes: Haiti, Haitians, Richter scale

Informational: non-fiction vs. fiction, fact vs. opinion, captions, labeling, diagram

Research: Internet, encyclopedia, thesaurus

Measurement terms: inch, foot, centimeter, meter, yard, estimate, ruler

Temperature: Fahrenheit, Celsius, thermometer

Scientific discovery: investigate, observation

III. Goals and GPS Standards

Goals

Science

Students will identify the stages of the life cycle of an insect, such as a butterfly.

Students will identify the stages of the life cycle of an amphibian, such as a frog.

Students will identify the stages of the life cycle of a mammal, such as a dog.

Students will identify the stages of the life cycle of a bird, such as a chicken.

Students will relate seasonal changes to observations of how a tree changes throughout a

school year.

Students will investigate the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by

recording changes over a period of time.

Mathematics

Students will measure the length of the plants we grow in the classroom.

Students will estimate the lengths of the different types of animals we discuss in class and

then will compare and contrast the different lengths.

Students will relate the seasonal changes of trees to the changes in weather/temperature

throughout the year.

English Language Arts

Students will write an informational piece on the animal of their choice (from four

categories of amphibian, bird, mammal, or insect).

Students will write an informational piece that captures a reader’s interest, begins to

sustain a focused topic, and adds facts and details.

Students will use a variety of resources (encyclopedia, internet, books) to research and

share information on a topic.

Students will include graphic features (charts, tables, graphs) in their informational

writing.

Students will publish as a class an informational book comprised of all the animals

chosen by each student. The book will be sent to a school or orphanage in Haiti to help

the children after the earthquake.

Social Studies

Students will learn about the people of Haiti

Students will learn about the devastating effects of the earthquake on the people of Haiti.

Students will learn about the geography of Haiti.

GPS Standards

S2L1 Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.

o Determine the sequence of the life cycle of common animals in your area: a

mammal, a bird, an amphibian, and an insect.

o Relate seasonal changes to observations of how a tree changes throughout a

school year.

o Investigate the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by

recording changes over a period of time.

o Identify fungi (mushrooms) as living organisms.

M2M1 Students will know the standard units of inch, foot, yard, and metric units of

centimeter and meter and measure length to the nearest inch or centimeter.

o Compare the relationship of one unit to another by measuring objects twice using

different units each time.

o Estimate lengths, and then measure to determine if estimations were reasonable.

o Determine an appropriate tool and unit for measuring

M2M3 Students will explore temperature.

o Determine a reasonable temperature for a given situation.

o Read a thermometer.

ELA2W2 Students will write in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational,

persuasive, and response to literature.

o The student produces informational writing that:

Captures a reader’s interest

Begins to sustain a focused topic

Includes the appropriate purpose, expectations, and length for the audience

and genre

Adds facts and details

Uses organizational structures for conveying information (chronological

order, similarities and differences, questions and answers)

Uses graphic features (charts, tables, graphs)

Uses a variety of resources (Internet, encyclopedia, books)

Develops a sense of closure

May include pre-writing

May include a draft that is revised and edited

May be published

Foxfire Core Practices

1. Work teachers and learners do together is infused from the beginning with learner choice,

design, and revision.

o Students will have a voice in the planning of this unit from the beginning on. They

will have ample opportunities throughout the unit to voice their opinions and ideas so

that the entire class hears and discusses. This unit will be their idea from beginning.

2. The role of the teacher is that of facilitator and collaborator.

o As the teacher, I will come to our “book meetings” with an overall idea of what we

needed to discuss, but I will let the students guide the discussion and make the final

decisions. I will simple help make their ideas come to life in a way that is conducive

to their age and learning capabilities.

3. The academic integrity of the work teachers and learners do together is clear.

o Although the unit will be designed by the students, as the teacher I will facilitate and

make sure the proper GPS standards are being addressed within the unit. As seen

above, there are many standards infused in this unit.

4. The work is characterized by active learning.

o Throughout the unit there will be active observation and investigation of the life

cycles of different living organisms, especially of our butterflies and our flowers.

5. Peer teaching, small group work, and teamwork are all consistent features of classroom

activities.

o Daily “book meetings” will involve every student in the classroom in the planning

process of our book. In addition, students will work in pairs to complete the web

quests. They will also work in small groups during our learning centers.

6. Connections between the classroom work, the surrounding communities, and the world

beyond the community are clear.

o Students will create an informational book not only for their school library, but also

for the children in Haiti after they suffered an earthquake.

7. There is an audience beyond the teacher for learner work.

o The students are not creating the informational book for me, but rather for the

children in Haiti, the people in their school, and to share with their parents and

families at our publisher’s party.

8. Imagination and creativity are encouraged in the completion of learning activities.

o Students will create their own draft pages for the final book and

9. The work teachers and learners do together include rigorous, ongoing assessment and

evaluation.

o A KWL chart was created to activate background knowledge on the topic of life

cycles. Throughout the entire unit there will be various forms of formative

assessment (observation, drawings, writing, CPS clickers, etc). At the end of the unit

there will be summative assessment in the form of a paper test which will be used to

determine what the students learned.

IV. Pre-Assessment

For this unit, I chose to use a KWL chart as the pre-assessment. I made a chart which I displayed on

the Smart Board and took some time with the students to decide what we already knew about the life

cycles of living organisms. This is what the students came up with:

-Tadpoles become frogs

-Fish lay eggs

-Caterpillars change into butterflies

-Some animals are wild

-A baby bear is called a cub

-Chimps are similar to humans

-Animals have different life cycles

Not all the comments pertained to life cycles specifically, but I chose to include them anyway. The

next step was to see what students were actually interested in with regards to life cycles of living

organisms. Here is what the students said:

-Why can’t tadpoles come out of water?

-What do tadpoles eat?

-Why/How do trees change color?

-How are cubs born?

-How long does it take for a baby bird to hatch?

-Why are animals important?

-Why do alligators put babies in their mouths?

-How do babies fit into their eggs?

-Do dolphins lay eggs?

-What is the life cycle of a ladybug?

I was so happy with the response of the students. As you can see above, many of the students had

interesting questions. After hearing what the students were interested in with regards to life cycles

of living organisms, I asked the students how we can use what we learn to inform others. At first,

the students were silent, and I was afraid they wouldn’t have any ideas. However, as I was getting

ready to nudge them a little, one student spoke up and said we could make a website. As soon as a

website was mentioned, several other students started brainstorming different ideas. Then all was

silent again and one student spoke up and said “Why don’t we write a book and send it to the

children in Haiti”. I was so proud of that student at that moment. If I had been planning this unit by

myself, I would have never thought of that! That comment sent the students into a swirl of ideas.

We finally narrowed our ideas down to four:

-Make a website to put on the internet

-Make a poster for our school

-Write an informational book (send to Haiti children)

-Create a magazine (send to Haiti children)

Once we narrowed down our ideas, we voted using Classroom Performance System (CPS) clickers.

This system allows students to choose answers without knowing who chose what. Only the

instructor knows what each student chose. After we voted, the choice was made. We would be

making informational books and will be sending them to a school or orphanage in Haiti.

V. Detailed Lesson Plans

Week One

Day One

2/16/2010

GPS Standards:

-ELA2W2 Students will write in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational,


-S2L1 Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.

Materials

KWL on life cycles

Informational book on earthquakes

Writing Workshop

Essential Question: What is a specialist and how can we become a specialist on a topic?

Activating Strategy: Review KWL chart-what did students want to learn about?

Teaching Strategy: Pose question to students: how can we begin to write an informational

book? What must we do first? Who can we invite to our classroom? What sort of hands-on

activities can we do?

Summarizing Strategy: Students brainstorm topics to include in our life cycles book. Students

choose their living organism and begin to write what they know about them.

Social Studies/Science

Essential Question: Who are the Haitians? Where is Haiti?

Activating Strategy: What do we already know about Haiti from the past few weeks?

Teaching Strategy: Use Google Earth to find distance between Statham and Haiti. Show

Earthquake slide on Google Earth.

Summarizing Strategy: Students pose questions about Haiti and use Google Earth themselves.

Read Aloud

Informational book on earthquakes

Introduce earthquakes and relate to what happened in Haiti

Day One Reflection

Today’s lesson plans went off without a hitch. In fact, we accomplished more than I initially

anticipated. During writing workshop, I had hoped that students would just take the time to

choose a living organism and then we would move on, but they were so interested in their topics

that we just dove right in. One potential issue was that there were a few students who still

couldn’t choose a topic that they really enjoyed. Therefore, it took some time to get them

thinking about what they would enjoy to read and write about. To choose an animal or plant, the

students and I brainstormed ideas and wrote them on the Smart Board. However, in the future, I

would probably allow students to look through the many informational books on plants and

animals we already had in the classroom first. Then, we could come together as a class and tell

about the animals or plants we found, so that the students would have a better idea as to what

animals and plants are out there in the world. In addition, I wish I would have connected this

topic-choosing activity to the children or people in Haiti. I would pose questions such as “what

sort of animals live in Haiti” or “what do you think children in Haiti would want to learn about?”

We would have needed to learn more about Haiti before these questions could be answered, but I

think it would have given the students more help on choosing an appropriate topic related to life

cycles of living organisms.

Day Two

2/17/2010

GPS Standards:



- S2L1 Students will investigate the life cycles of different living organisms.

-Students produce informational writing that uses a variety of resources (Internet, encyclopedia,

books)

Materials

Book on earthquakes

Fact vs. Opinion Smart Board notebook

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Topic list from yesterday

Seeds

Potting Soil

Cups

Water with measuring cup

Encyclopedias (in person and online)

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Fact vs. Opinion, Introduce the idea of research.

Teaching Strategy: Collecting “Dash Facts” on a topic. How to conduct research.

Summarizing Strategy: Students choose books for their topic and start collecting “Dash Facts”

on their topic.

Begin using “author’s chair” to talk about our research


Essential Question: What is the life cycle of a plant?

Activating Strategy: Read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Teaching Strategy: Students will plant their seeds in individual pots and place them in the

window for sunlight.

Summarizing Strategy: Students will write predictions about their plants. How big will it get?

When will it sprout? What will it look like?

Read Aloud

Informational book on earthquakes-relate to what happened in Haiti.


Essential Question: How do we use encyclopedias to learn new information?

Activating Strategy: What is an encyclopedia? What information is in an encyclopedia?

Teaching Strategy: Model how to use an encyclopedia.

Summarizing Strategy: Students use encyclopedia’s to find different topics.

Day Two Reflection

Today was a crazy day! I felt like I was rushed and had to “fit in” so much stuff!

However, I felt like we had a good day of discussion and learning. Today, we actually had the

opportunity to go to the media center to learn about how to use an encyclopedia. Not only is this

a second grade standard, but I also feel it’s important to learn in order to do research on a topic

like we’re doing in the classroom. While we were at the media center learning about

encyclopedias, I realized how silly it was that I didn’t have the students bring their notebooks

and a pencil to start their research. I want them to get more practice with using encyclopedias, so

I went to get some animal-specific encyclopedias from the public library today that they can use

in the classroom. I was pleased that writing workshop went well today. I did a mini-lesson on

dash facts, where students just jot down quick facts about their topic, rather than writing

complete sentences. I wish I would have done more modeling on how to take dash facts because

I think a few students were confused. When this happens, I have the urge to call the students

back to the carpet to talk more about it, but then I see so many students focused on their research,

that I don’t want to bother them. Sometimes I feel as if I’m not explaining things well, but then I

wonder if it’s just that some students aren’t listening like they should.

Also, during writing workshop, I had in my plans to begin using the author’s chair to

discuss our research. We didn’t get around to this because, frankly, I just forgot. This upsets me

because I was really excited about doing this with the students. They are so excited to tell their

classmates about what they’re learning that I think it’s essential to further their ownership in the

unit. I hope to remember to do it tomorrow. Today, we also planted our seeds for our flowers,

which was a really fun activity. Once again, though, I didn’t really have a conclusion to the

lesson. We just planted them, watered them, and placed them in the window and were done.

The lesson began with reading The Tiny Seed, which they really enjoyed, but the lack of a

follow-up after the planting put a damper on the lesson, in my opinion. I feel as if I need to work

on this throughout all of my lessons: better conclusions.

Day Three

2/18/2010

GPS Standards:





books)

Materials


Informational book on Haiti

Appropriate Internet websites

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review fact vs. opinion

Teaching Strategy: Taking notes from an illustration (page 25)

Summarizing Strategy: Students continue their research, collecting dash facts and taking notes

from illustrations.

Use “author’s chair” to talk about research (page 26)


Essential Question: Who are the Haitians? Where is Haiti?

Activating Strategy: What do we already know about Haiti from the past few weeks?

Teaching Strategy: Use Google Earth to look at images from the earthquake in Haiti.

Summarizing Strategy: Students ask questions they still have about Haiti-we will come back to

these questions on Friday.

Read Aloud



Essential Question: How do we use the internet to learn new information?

Activating Strategy: What is the internet? What do we use the internet for?

Teaching Strategy: We can also use the internet to find specific information about a topic.

Summarizing Strategy: Browse the internet on Smart Board to find websites relating to our life

cycles book.

Day Three Reflection

I forgot to use the author’s chair again today! We just go so wrapped up in our research

that by the time I realized we had forgotten to do it, it was time to pack up and leave school. I

am consciously reminding myself to not forget it tomorrow! Sometimes I wish we would do

writing in the morning, but then I’m afraid we wouldn’t get anything done. We would just write

all day (which I guess isn’t a bad thing!). I didn’t do the lesson on using the internet because I

realized a better way to get the students involved in that is by letting them get on the computers

themselves. Most, if not all, of the students know how to use computers and the internet. So, I

set up a schedule for students to use the computer for their research. Today, we had five students

use the computers. Tomorrow there will be three to four more students using the computers. I

want everyone to get a chance to use the internet to do research (but I am keeping a close watch

on them and will only allow them to go on websites that I have already saved to the Favorites

List).

As students were doing their research, I realized that we can possibly connect all of the

animals we chose to start our discussion on ecosystems, but I’m wondering how I can do this

without directly teaching them about it. I think these connections could be made if I remember

to do author’s chair with them. Maybe I will try this tomorrow! Today we also had the chance to

learn more about Haiti and the earthquake. Much like Tuesday, we used Google Earth to see

some images. I realized today that the students really enjoy Google Earth, so I want to see if I

can integrate it throughout the unit. Maybe we can show on the map where our animals live, etc.

Tomorrow, I hope to make more connections between what we’re doing in writing and our cause

for Haiti. I feel as if I need to come up with a better way to get the students more excited.

Maybe we’ll have a class meeting to discuss next week sometime tomorrow!

Day Four

2/19/2010

GPS Standards:





books)

Materials


Post-its

Writing Workshop



Teaching Strategy: Beginning with the setting (page 42)

Summarizing Strategy: All students will have begun their writing by the end of today. Have

students work on a good start to their writing piece.

Use “author’s chair” to talk about research (page 26)


Today we will be going to the media center during science/social studies to learn how to use an

encyclopedia and practice using them to research our topics.

Read Aloud


Day Four Reflection

Today was not at all what I had planned. The lesson plan from above may as well be

completely void because today looked completely different. Even so, we got so much

done today, and I can really feel that my students are really engaged in their

informational writing pieces. Today during writing workshop, we still conducted

research. I knew there were a few kids that still needed to do quite a bit of work, so I just

had everyone research. I was so glad I did! Every student (and I mean EVERY student)

was completely engaged in their research today. They were all so excited to learn more

about their animals. However, I did notice that I tend to help the same students over and

over and that there are some students who I haven’t really spoken to about their research.

I need to make a point to work with these “forgotten” students next week.

Today, we FINALLY discussed our research after our writing workshop time. The

students that shared told the class a few interesting things they learned about their animal

or plant and the class, in turn, asked questions or made suggestions. They had so many

great things to say! I wrote down the suggestions on post-it notes to add to that student’s

research notes so that they can look that information up next week. I only wish that I had

started the children talking about their research sooner because now it’s time to start

writing.

We also did not go to the media center. I was confused on the days. We actually

went this past Wednesday. So, during our usual science/social studies time, we played

with Google Earth. We had used this program a few times in the past week, and the kids

were just dying to play with it themselves. I thought this would be a good opportunity

since it was the very end of the day on Friday. Plus, I wanted them to become savvier

with it before we use it next, so maybe the students can control it and not me. Overall,

today was a great day and I can really feel our unit on life cycles taking off. I can’t wait

until next week!

Week Two

Day Five

2/22/2010

GPS Standards:




-M2M3 Students will explore temperature

Materials

The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

Cause and Effect Smart Board notebook

Materials for interactive bulletin board (pictures of life cycles of different living organisms,

Velcro, borders, decorations, etc)

Cut out thermometer for students to color

Blank white paper, divided into fourths

Writing Workshop



Teaching Strategy: Beginning with the setting

Summarizing Strategy: All students will have begun their writing by the end of today. Have

students work on a good start to their writing piece.

Reading Workshop

Essential Question: What is cause and effect?

Activating Strategy: What is cause and effect (Smart Board notebook)

Teaching Strategy: Give situations to students and determine the cause and effect of those

situations (relate to earthquake in Haiti)

Summarizing Strategy: During reading, students will find a cause and effect relationship in

their readings (if applicable)


Essential Question: What are the life cycles of different living organisms (plants, mammals,

amphibians, insects, and birds?)

Activating Strategy: What is an interactive bulletin board? Why do we need one?

Teaching Strategy: Model for students how to use the interactive bulletin board.

Summarizing Strategy: Students alternate between using the interactive bulletin board and

taking measurements/predictions of their plants

Mathematics

Essential Question: How does a tree change throughout the year?

Activating Strategy: Read The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

Teaching Strategy: Discuss with students the length of days in the summer vs. the winter and

relate to temperature.

Summarizing Strategy: Students will create pictures depicting the seasonal changes of trees

complete with thermometers depicting appropriate temperatures.

Day Five Reflection

Today was a crazy day just in terms of planning. I was even supposed to do an

observation during specials, but I had so much other stuff to do that I didn’t even think

about it! Most importantly, today I made my first ever interactive bulletin board. I am

quite proud of it, too! Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to introduce it to the students yet,

so I plan to do that tomorrow. Instead, during science when we were supposed to talk

about the bulletin board, we went ahead and started our observation journals for our

plants. I wanted them to get as much practice as possible in using these journals, so the

sooner the better. Science went rather well, but my math lesson was pitiful! I felt

scattered and wasn’t sure what I was even saying. I couldn’t get the words to come out

of my mouth right. I only really talked about how the temperature changes and trees get

less sunlight and that’s why they change, but we didn’t even talk about how they change.

As I walked around the room to see what the students were doing, I realized that many

students didn’t know what a tree looked like in the fall or the spring. We will have to go

back to this later in the next few weeks.

Today we didn’t talk about fact vs. opinion. Instead, the students got started on their

writing and finished their research. However, I felt I poorly introduced the idea of

writing about a topic, so I’m going to try something different tomorrow. I’m going to ask

the students how they think we should begin our writing pieces. Should we start it with

an interesting fact? A question we might later answer for our readers? How can we

make it interesting? I want them to become more involved. I also want them to start

thinking about our readers again. What will grab the attention of the children in Haiti?

As we go through this unit more, I realize that I probably should have exposed the

students to different forms of informational writing in read-aloud. I think they need more

background knowledge on what most writers do to start their informational writing

pieces. That’s why I decided to ask them tomorrow. I want to see what they already

know about informational writing. What makes it interesting for them?

Day Six

2/23/2010

GPS Standards:




--M2M1 Students will know the standard units of inch, foot, yard, and metric units of centimeter

and meter and measure length to the nearest inch or centimeter.

Materials

Cause and Effect Smart Book notebook

From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer and Holly Keller

Plant Growth Worksheet

Plant Growth Journals

Rulers

Thesaurus

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review facts vs. opinion

Teaching Strategy: Using Details (general versus specific page 28 craft lessons)

Summarizing Strategy: Students continue writing, focusing on writing specific rather than

general details.

Reading Workshop







Read Aloud

From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer and Holly Keller


Essential Question: How can we predict or measure our plants progress?

Activating Strategy: How can we make appropriate predictions?

Teaching Strategy: Model how to use Plant Growth Worksheet. Explain that we will take

measurements and will write predictions every day.

Summarizing Strategy: Students will make predictions and take measurements of their plants

(including height, temperature, amount of water put on plant, conditions outside, etc)

Language Arts

Essential Question: What is a thesaurus and how do we use one?

Activating Strategy: Review how to use dictionary guide words

Teaching Strategy: Model for students how to use a thesaurus

Summarizing Strategy: Students work with a thesaurus to find alternate meanings of words (to

help with their informational writing pieces)

Day Six Reflection

Today was a great day! I am pleased to say that everything seems to be running

smoothly. From previous conversations with students, I decided to hold a “class

meeting” to discuss our book. We sat in a circle on the carpet and talked about various

things. I facilitated the conversation by posing questions, but I would really like to get

the students talking with each other rather to me. So, tomorrow I think I might have

whoever is talking hold some sort of “microphone” and when someone else has

something to say to them, they will pass the microphone to that person. I will still sit in

the circle with the group to help with the questions and the progress (and to take notes),

but I want the students to do most of the talking and wondering. In our meeting today,

we specifically discussed how we wanted to organize our book. We came up with ideas,

but I would really like to narrow it down tomorrow to make sure everyone is on the same

page. Right now we’re looking to organize according to species: mammals, reptiles,

amphibians, etc.

Today for read aloud, we actually read From Caterpillar to Butterfly. This was the

first time we had really discussed what a life cycle was, and looking back I wish I had

started this earlier rather than later. I think the students have a much better understanding

of what a life cycle is which will help inform their writing. Speaking of writing, all

students have now progressed to writing their informational pieces. Some students are

still looking at books to refresh their memory, but I think that’s pretty normal. I’ve

actually switched around writing and math during the day because I feel the students do

better with writing when it’s in the morning rather than the afternoon. So far it’s worked

out pretty well. Today we also finally had the chance to work with the interactive

bulletin board and do some more work with our observation journals for our plants. I

really hope they start to grow soon because I want the students to be able to measure

something. This may go longer than just three weeks! All in all, today was a fabulous

day. Tomorrow, I hope to really work out some details during our book meeting and I

want all students to be further into their writing pieces. In addition, I need to start

weaving in the idea of writing these books for the children in Haiti because some students

had forgotten that we were even sending these books to them. I wonder what I could do

to make that stick a little better.

Day Seven

2/24/2010

GPS Standards:




-M2M1 Students will know the standard units of inch, foot, yard, and metric units of centimeter


Materials

Cause and Effect Smart Board Notebook

From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman

Smart notebook on Ecosystems

Thesaurus


Writing Workshop

Essential Question: What are the steps of the writing process?

Activating Strategy: Review steps of the writing process.

Teaching Strategy: Using comparisons.

Summarizing Strategy: Students continue writing, focusing on using comparisons in their

writing.

Reading Workshop







Read Aloud

From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman


Essential Question: How are the animals and plants we’ve been talking about interconnected?

Activating Strategy: Pose essential question to students. What do birds need? Insects? Plants?

Humans?

Teaching Strategy: Smart Board notebook on ecosystems. It’s the circle of life.

Summarizing Strategy: Students draw ecosystem chart of how the animals are all

interconnected.





Summarizing Strategy: Students work with a thesaurus to find alternate meanings of words

Day Seven Reflection

Today was not at all what I had planned. In fact, looking at the lesson plans I had

originally created, we didn’t do a single thing like I had planned a few weeks ago. But I

was so happy for the changes. For one, we didn’t talk about the writing process. I want

to save this for the end of our unit, so we can reflect on how we went from an idea to a

published book. Then I will pose questions to the students such as “what steps did we

have to go through to get to this point?” My hope is that they will be able to identify the

steps of the writing process without having the exact language. Once we have discussed

it, then I will show how what we did is considered the writing process and will give them

the correct terms like edit and publish.

In addition, instead of talking about how our animals are interconnected, we had

another class meeting about our book where we discussed what we wanted to be on the

cover and what we wanted the title to be. I hadn’t planned on discussing these things, but

I opened the floor for any questions or comments and that’s what the students wanted to

talk about. We later voted using CPS clickers. As a result, as a class we decided that our

cover would be a scene with the ocean, land, and trees with all of our animals in their

respective places. The title of our book will be The Best Book of Life Cycles. I think the

students really value our class meetings, so I will definitely continue to do this every day

from here to the end of our unit.

During Science, we started our centers. There were four groups working on the web

quest: two on laptops and two on the classroom computers. I think the students really

enjoyed these activities. The other groups were working on the bulletin board and a

smart board notebook that involved matching babies to their parents and writing about it.

I wanted the students to continue to write in their plant observation journals. However,

our plants have not started to grow yet. I have a feeling they won’t sprout until after my

unit is over, but I will have the students to continue to observe their plants and check to

see if they need more water. I chose to have the students plant flowers because I wanted

them to have something pretty and something that actually does have a flower, rather

than just leaves. However, in the future, I will stick to herbs because I know grow

quickly from a previous classroom experience.

Day Eight

2/25/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

Where Do Chicks Come From by Amy E. Sklansky and Pam Paparone

Steps of the writing process Smart Board notebook

Interactive Bulletin Board

Web Quests

Match baby to the mama Smart Board notebook

Rulers

Thesaurus

Cause and Effect Smart Board notebook


Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review steps of writing process. What step are we in currently?

Teaching Strategy: Writing a good conclusion.

Summarizing Strategy: Students work on writing their conclusions.

Read Aloud

Where do Chicks Come From by Amy E. Sklansky and Pam Paparone



Activating Strategy: Introduce Science Centers

Teaching Strategy: Model how to use Science Centers

Summarizing Strategy: Centers are web quest on frogs and/or butterflies, interactive bulletin

board, match the baby to the mama on the Smart Board, and measuring and recording plants.





Summarizing Strategy: Students work with a thesaurus to find alternate meanings of words

Reading Workshop







Day Eight Reflection

Today went well, but not as well as yesterday. I had another group work with the

web quests today. However, it did not go as well as yesterday. I think the students that

were working with these web quests needed a little more assistance than the previous

group. This made me wonder about how I paired the students. I used the guided reading

groups that Rachel had already made because it was easy. Within each group I paired the

students. However, now that I look back on that decision, I realize that maybe it was the

wrong decision. I think these web quests would have been more beneficial for the lower-

reading students if they could have worked with the higher-reading students as their

partner. The higher students would have been good mentors I think, and the lower

students would have gotten more out of it. In the future, I think I will try this. I might

even try it for when we do the frog web quest early next week to see if it works.

Today, most of the students finished their writing (much quicker than I had

anticipated). We started dictation because the students said they wanted to have their

book typed like a real book. Speaking of student decisions, during our meeting this

morning, we decided we would have a publishing party next Friday where we will invite

our friends and families. I think during writing next week we will draft a letter as a class

to send to Mr. Almond to invite him to our publishing party. We might even create

invitations for our families. The students were getting really excited, which made me get

excited as well.

Since we are moving along quite quickly in writing, I’m definitely going to have to

switch around some things for next week. Tomorrow we will probably start learning how

to draw good informational pictures. I have a few students who have already done this

that I plan to show as examples for the rest of the class. Overall, today was a good day. I

can’t believe I only have a week left in my unit!! I wish I wasn’t leaving for spring break

right afterwards. Once I get back from spring break, I would like to work with the

students in writing a friendly letter to go along with our book that we’re sending to Haiti.

In addition, our plants will probably start to grow by then (I hope). Our caterpillars will

also soon build their cocoons and might even become butterflies while I’m gone. So

really, my unit is quite over when I leave for spring break. I will have to talk to Rachel

about what I’m teaching when I get back. Luckily I’m still doing science, so we can

continue with our plants and butterflies. I am really enjoying this unit!

Day Nine

2/26/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

From Puppy to Dog by Suzanne Slade and Jeff Yesh

Steps of the writing process Smart Board notebook

Cause and effect Smart Board Notebook

Science Center materials


Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review steps of the writing process. What step are we in currently?

Teaching Strategy: How to edit, proofread our writing.

Summarizing Strategy: Students will finish their writing and will edit/proofread with a partner.

Reading Workshop







Read Aloud

From Puppy to Dog by Suzanne Slade and Jeff Yesh



Activating Strategy: Re-introduce Science Centers




Day Nine Reflection

Today was another great day! I was talking to Rachel about how I’m not really following

my lesson plans at this point. What I wrote two weeks ago is completely different from what

we’re really doing right now. But as Rachel pointed out, there’s only so much you can plan in

advance. True teaching happens when you’re in the moment and you follow what you feel is

important to that particular day’s goals.

Again, today I had planned on talking with the children about the steps of the writing

process, but I feel it would be better to do this after we are finished with our book, so the

students can use their background knowledge of what they just accomplished to apply our

discussion. In addition, we finished up the web quests yesterday and I didn’t want to start on the

web quest on frogs until Monday, so during science we looked at our plants. We actually had

about four plants sprout overnight! It was so exciting to see the children see the sprouts and

realize that it was actually working (and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief because I really

wanted it to work and I was a little nervous it wouldn’t). Hopefully by Monday more plants will

have sprouted, and the students can start to write in their plant journals more often. I had

planned to do that a lot more this past week, but since the flowers hadn’t sprouted, I decided to

put it off until they did.

Our writing workshop today was just okay. Our meeting we had at the beginning wasn’t

very fruitful. So, I just moved on to the mini-lesson on how to label pictures. I think next week

(on Monday) I’m going to go over this in more detail. What does it mean to label pictures?

Why would we even label pictures to begin with? I think it might be good to show them

different examples of labeled pictures in an assortment of informational books. Several students

understood the concept and started doing it right away while others need a little more assistance.

Rachel and I also worked with students individually to type up their writing pieces. I would have

really liked to have devoted more time to editing and revising, but in three weeks it’s really hard

to do, especially when the students had to research their topic to begin with. In the future when I

try this sort of project again with my class, we will devote more time to it. It’s just not going to

work this semester since I am leaving for spring break in a week.

Overall, today was a great day and this week was fabulous. I couldn’t have asked for a

better implementation of my unit, and I still have one week left! Things are going pretty

smoothly and I’m excited to see what next week brings.

Week Three

Day Ten

3/1/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

How to Write a Friendly Letter Smart Board Notebook

Informational Book-student choice


Specials

Essential Question: What are the features of informational writing?

Activating Strategy: Review how we write a friendly letter.

Teaching Strategy: Model how to write a friendly letter.

Summarizing Strategy: Write friendly letter to veterinarian, botanist, etc. for visit on

Wednesday.



Activating Strategy: Re-introduce Science Centers




Writing Workshop

Essential Question: How can we show changes by drawing pictures?

Activating Strategy: Review features of informational writing. What are we missing in our

books?

Teaching Strategy: Drawing pictures to show change

Summarizing Strategy: Students will create pictures that go along with the life cycles of their

chosen living organism.

Read Aloud

Informational Book-Student Choice

Day Ten Reflection

Today was another great day simply because the students were on their best

behavior! I don’t know what it was, but they were just into whatever I was saying all day

long, which is a great feeling. I felt like every lesson today was worth both my time and

the students’ time. During science, we completed another set of web quests (one group).

The other half of the students will do their web quests tomorrow and Wednesday.

Something I noticed today, though, was that a few students did not get to do the web

quest on the butterflies. These students are the three students that are constantly in other

classrooms for various things like speech or ESOL instruction. I realized that I have a

hard time keeping them straight and giving them time to complete things that the students

do while they are out of the classroom. This is really difficult because there is only so

much time during the day, and I would rather them be working on reading, writing, and

mathematics when they are with us because those subjects encompass other areas such as

social studies and science. If they don’t have those subjects down, these other areas will

be affected. However, I know they really want to work on the computers, so I am going

to find time for them to do this later in the week.

Our writing time went rather well today, in addition to our science time. Instead of

our class meeting today, we wrote a letter to Mr. Almond inviting him to our party on

Friday. I had planned to do this tomorrow, but I figured the earlier he received the letter,

the better. In addition, when I was talking with the students I came up with a great idea.

I was having trouble thinking of how I would organize the layout of the book. The

students want to create a big book, so something on 11x17 paper. I’ve decided to have

the students create draft pages for their book that I can then take to Kinko’s to make

copies of and to get them bound later. I think this will give the students a chance to use

their creativity in designing the layout of their pages. I hope it all goes well when I try

this tomorrow! I guess we’ll just have to see. Needless to say, I’m really excited for the

rest of the week to come!

Day Eleven

3/2/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

Informational book-student choice

Rulers


Mathematics

Essential Question: How can we measure using standard units?

Activating Strategy: What tools have you used to measure and what kinds of things have you

measured?

Teaching Strategy: Measuring workshop

Summarizing Strategy: Pages 33-35, Students also take measurements of their plants using

rulers.

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review what we did yesterday

Teaching Strategy: How to edit a piece of writing.

Summarizing Strategy: Students continue making their changes to their writing.

Read Aloud



Essential Question: How can we effectively label a picture?

Activating Strategy: What can we add to our informational writing pieces to make it more

interesting?

Teaching Strategy: Labeling a picture

Summarizing Strategy: Students work on more pictures and work on labeling them.

Day Eleven Reflection

What a crazy day! It started to snow this morning almost as soon as the children

arrived to school, so the rest of the day they were just really excited (which I guess is

pretty normal seeing as how these children don’t see snow very often). They even

dismissed school early today, so I didn’t get to all of my planned lessons. In addition,

today was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, so we had green eggs and ham, read some Dr. Seuss

books, and watched a few videos including one of Sneetches on Beaches (I dressed up as

a Sneetch today, too!). The only thing related to my unit that we did today was writing

workshop in the morning. Since we’re having our party on Friday, I realized that I

should probably have the students finish their book by the end of tomorrow. Therefore,

today the students made “mock pages” of their book. I had 11x17 pieces of paper where

each student got two and was allowed to place their pictures and writing wherever they

wanted. I have to say that given the circumstances of today, they worked rather well. I

was expecting this to take much longer (not just the mock pages, but the entire writing

process). The only students left to finish are those who weren’t here today. In addition

we need to finish drawing our cover. I know the students are just as excited as me to see

their finished book!

Tomorrow I plan on continuing with the plans I made today. We will finish our web

quests and do science centers again. During writing we will finish our mock pages and

for those already finished, it will be a free-write day. They’ve been asking for one of

those days in a while, so I think they will enjoy that. Sometimes it’s just nice to sit and

write about whatever you want. I’m just glad that they actually enjoy writing. It’s very

refreshing. In addition, tomorrow we will also take a look at our plants. They are

continuing to grow at an alarming rate! I hope that Rachel is okay with caring for the

plants and the caterpillars while I am away on spring break. Sometimes I wish I could

just skip spring break and stay at the school next week, but I’ve already planned a trip to

visit my brother. Oh well! Overall, this week is going well, and I must honestly say that

I am completely looking forward to the rest of this week!

Just a few notes: as I am beginning to think of my entire unit, I am realizing that I

wish I had paid more attention to vocabulary. I think I didn’t give these students enough

credit. Instead of using the term chrysalis, I used the word cocoon to describe one of the

stages of a butterfly, but I think they are ready to use a word like chrysalis. I think I sold

them short on that, so in the future I will pay more attention to the vocabulary I use and to

have higher expectations for all of the students in using these words. In addition, I wish I

had focused more on the writing process. I feel like we barely touched on the idea of

editing and revising. This is not technically a second grade standard, but its something

that I think these students could handle, and it’s never wrong to start them early on

something they will use for the rest of their lives. I think the reason why I didn’t focus on

the steps of the writing process is because we just didn’t have enough time. If the unit

had been longer than just 3 weeks, we would have worked on it more.

Day Twelve

3/3/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials


Rulers


Mathematics


Activating Strategy: What tools have you used to measure and what kinds of things have you

measured?

Teaching Strategy: Measuring workshop continued

Summarizing Strategy: Pages 33-35, Students also take measurements of their plants using

rulers.

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: Review what we did yesterday

Teaching Strategy: Writing a good conclusion (again)

Summarizing Strategy: Students continue making changes and FINISH their writing today!

Read Aloud



Today we will have a Botanist/Veterinarian come talk to us about life cycles.

Day Twelve Reflection

Today was a very fulfilling day. I can’t help but feel like I am actually inspiring

these children and that they are learning something! During science we did centers (web

quests, observation journals, etc) since we didn’t get to do that yesterday. We won’t get

to have a visitor to come speak with us, but I feel they are getting a lot out of the unit

without having a visitor. I think one of the best things about today came at the end of the

day. I had heard about webcams from various zoos, so I looked them up online. As it

turns out, there are panda cams at both the San Diego Zoo and Zoo Atlanta. I pulled

them up on the Smart Board and the children were really interested in them. In addition,

our caterpillars are almost ready to turn into their chrysalises and so the students are

extremely excited about that as well. I’m also very glad that our plants are continuing to

grow and seem to be growing at an alarming rate each day! Today every student had a

chance to measure their plants. They really seem to enjoy being able to use rulers to

measure different things, which is great for our mathematics unit right now. I think it’s

great to have all these different activities that students can get excited about. It definitely

makes the experience more memorable and I really hope they do remember it for many

years to come.

In addition, we completed our books today! The students are so excited to see their

finished book. In order to finish these books, we wrote our table of contents and a

dedication for our book today. I was really proud of my students when I asked what we

should write our dedication about. Without any prompting, several students spoke up and

said we should dedicate to the children in Haiti. I was so incredibly proud and almost felt

like crying when I heard them say this. I really feel like I’ve created a unit with my

students where they feel like they have a say and are contributing to the greater good in

the world. Tomorrow we will be taking our assessments, and I am very sad that the last

day of our unit is on Friday.

Overall, today was a fabulous day, and I left the school with a smile on my face.

I’m really looking forward to the next few days. We are having our publishing party on

Friday. Not only do I hope it goes well for the children, but I hope it leaves a lasting

impression on the friends and family (and principal) who come and join us. How

exciting!

Day Thirteen

3/4/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

Rulers


Review game of Life Cycles-CPS clickers

Life Cycles Assessment


Mathematics


Activating Strategy: Review story of the king’s foot. What was wrong? Introduce the metric

system.

Teaching Strategy: Creating Metric Tools and Metric Scavenger Hunt

Summarizing Strategy: Pages 43-46, Students take measurements of their plants using both

inches and centimeters.

Read Aloud

Informational Book-student choice

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: How to get a book published

Teaching Strategy: Writing a table of contents (page 29)

Summarizing Strategy: Students will share their informational pieces with the class


Essential Question: What are the life cycles of different living organisms?

Activating Strategy: Play review game

Teaching Strategy: Play review game

Summarizing Strategy: Students take assessment on life cycles of different living organisms

Day Thirteen Reflection

I can’t believe today was my second to last day of my two-week unit. I wish I had

more time! I’ve already added one week and now I think I may continue on with my unit

after I get back from spring break (I’m still teaching science at that point). We will still

have our plants to measure and record, and I know they like doing those things. I think

that will also give us a chance to gather our thoughts of the unit and finish our KWL chart

after all the craziness of the publishing party has subsided.

Today we took our life cycles assessment. I’m pleased to say that most everyone

passed wit flying colors. I was a little nervous because I think I could have done better

with this unit. I also wasn’t sure whether or not to include math related questions dealing

with measurement of plants. I eventually decided that I was just going to focus on life

cycles for the assessment because we have other ways of assessing for the math unit. It

was just a typically paper summative assessment, but we did a little review beforehand. I

was planning on doing the review yesterday and then the assessment today, but with the

early release because of snow I had to push everything back. I wonder how much of the

good grades were because we had just reviewed before the test.

I also brought in their finished book today and we practiced how we were going to

present our book to our friends and families tomorrow. As they read through their books

I could tell they were very proud, and it made me feel really proud of them all. Even the

students who are as strong of writers as the rest still had smiles on their faces after their

work was presented. I can’t wait until our party tomorrow so we can share our book with

the world. I know Rachel was really pleased. She took the book to show it off to other

teachers. It makes me feel as if I have really done something in this classroom and for

this school and for the world. My next step is to figure out how to get our book to Haiti.

I don’t even know where to begin, but I’m sure I will find a way! How wonderful would

it be if the children in Haiti wrote us back after receiving the book? I think my students

would be so surprised and excited! Overall, today was another great day and I can’t wait

for tomorrow (again)!

Day Fourteen

3/5/2010

GPS Standards:






Materials

Goodies for Publisher’s Party

Finished informational pieces from all students (including pictures)

Rulers


Mathematics


Activating Strategy: Comparing tools-inches and centimeters, meters and feet, etc

Teaching Strategy: Measuring with inches and centimeters.

Summarizing Strategy: Page 47, students also measure their plant in inches and centimeters.


PUBLISHERS PARTY!

Students will write in their plant journals any observations they noticed throughout the course of

three weeks. How did it change? Were your predictions close? What did you learn from

growing your plant?

Writing Workshop


Activating Strategy: How to get a book published

Teaching Strategy: PUBLISHER’S PARTY!

Summarizing Strategy: Students will share their informational pieces with the class

Day Fourteen Reflection

Wow…the end of my unit. I have so many thoughts running through my head. I

don’t even know where to start. First and foremost, our publisher’s party was an absolute

success. So many of the parents came! I was so incredibly happy and proud to be

involved in something so wonderful. I just know the students had a fabulous time today.

During the party we presented our stories and had refreshments. I think everyone was

proud and impressed with what these children have accomplished over a three-week

period.

Looking back, I know there are several things I would have done differently.

Firstly, I would have planted our flowers sooner so we could have had more time tending

to them and measuring/recording their growth. I know we will continue to do this after I

get back from spring break, but it’s going to be removed from the initial unit, so I hope

they still get something out of it. Secondly, I would have focused more on the writing

process. If I had four weeks instead of three, I think this could have been accomplished.

I wanted them to experience editing and revising, but there just wasn’t enough time.

Thirdly, I would have prepared better mini lessons during writing workshop. I feel this is

one area that I could definitely work on and improve upon. Many times I felt like the

students were lost or weren’t sure what to do. I had to do a lot of guiding the students

individually. In the end, though, I was impressed with the writing they came up with. It

was truly fantastic. Lastly, I would have talked more about Haiti and how our book will

help them. I think the students were excited to learn more about the people that live there

and about earthquakes in general. However, I didn’t do much talking about this in the

second week and especially the third week. But when it came time to write the

dedication, the students knew right away who we should dedicate our book to, and it was

such a wonderful thing to hear them talk about what happened in Haiti. Overall, I thin

they ended up learning quite a bit about Haiti and its people.

All in all, today (and this week…and the entire unit) was a success. There was so

much learning going on throughout these three weeks and there is still so much more to

come. The week after I return from spring break, I would still like to have them work

with their plants (writing in their journals) and would also like to have them write letters

to the Haitian children to go with their book. I almost wish I would have had them make

individual books, but I liked the idea of a class project. Maybe in the future (or with

older grades) we could have committees that are responsible for different areas of the

writing process: research, writing, editing, revising, pictures, publishing, etc. Oh

well…there’s always next time!

VI. Summative Assessment

The summative assessment took place on the second to last day of our unit. The final day

was used for our publisher’s party and to celebrate the end of a very successful unit on life cycles

of living organisms. On the assessment, there were a total of ten questions, but several of the

questions had different parts so there was a chance for half credit. For instance, questions eight

through ten asked the students to write the missing stages for the life cycle of a butterfly, plant,

and frog life cycle, respectively. For each of these questions there were two missing stages, so

the students may have gotten one correct, but missed the other resulting in a score of .5 rather

than 1. However, this did not occur in this class. The assessment tested the students on their

knowledge of the life cycles of a dog, butterfly, chicken, frog, and sunflower. In addition, the

students also had to identify trees from different seasons of the year.

I was very pleased with the results of the assessment. Most every student received a

perfect score. Two students missed two questions, and two other students missed three. The

questions that these students missed I was not surprised about. The two students who missed

three were out of the classroom a lot either for speech, ESOL instruction, or for sickness.

Therefore, they missed a lot of important instruction needed to score well on the assessment.

The questions they missed were number eight through ten, where they needed to actually write

out the name of the different stages. Even though they missed these questions, when I had a

conference with them later they were able to identify the stages when I had the labels written out

for them. Looking back, I think I should have created an additional assessment for these students

because not only did they miss a lot of instruction, but they are also some of the lower students in

the classroom and receive special services throughout the school day. I think they could have

benefited from an alternate assessment.

Although I was pleased with the results of the assessment, I feel I could have created a

better overall assessment of what the students learned. I’m not a huge fan of paper assessments,

but I couldn’t think of a better way to test what they learned throughout the unit. I wish I would

have incorporated the knowledge they learned about their specific topic for the informational

book by maybe asking them to list their favorite thing they learned about their chosen plant or

animal. In the future, I would also like to ask the students for their feedback on different aspects

of the unit. For example, I would like to have asked them their opinion on the web quests or the

interactive bulletin board. In addition, I would want to ask them how they felt about the final

product of our unit: the informational book. Overall, I think they thought it was pretty cool, but I

would like to have had their opinions in writing for future use.

All in all, the unit was a complete success. It was more than I could have asked for. I

was so proud of my students when they were presenting their informational book to their friends

and families. It truly brought tears to my eyes (and several of the parents, too!). It was a great

end to a fantastic three weeks. I feel they took so much more away from this unit than I could

have expected. It was so much more than just learning about the life cycles of different living

organism. They learned that what they do in the classroom has importance outside of it. I hope

that several years from now they think back to this school year and remember the work they did

for their informational book and have only but fond memories of it. I know I definitely will!

VII. Special Activities

Interactive Bulletin Board

Students had the opportunity to manipulate an interactive bulletin board throughout the entire

unit. The interactive bulletin board dealt with the life cycles of mammals, plants, amphibians,

birds, and insects. There were pictures of the different stages of the life cycle of each type of

living organism. The pictures were attached to the board with Velcro and the students were able

to manipulate the different picture by putting them in the correct order. There was an envelope

for each living organism attached to the board that provided the correct order for each life cycle.

These were provided so the students were able to see where they made their mistakes and were

able to fix them immediately (and hopefully learned from their mistakes accordingly).

Web Quests

Students had the opportunity to participate in two separate web quests. The first web quest

involved searching through websites to gain information on the life cycle of a frog. The second

web quest involved searching through websites to gain information on the life cycle of a

butterfly. At the end of both web quests, students created a picture depicting the life cycle of the

animal which was displayed in the classroom. The picture of the butterfly life cycle involved

using various objects such as a bean for the egg, a pipe cleaner for the caterpillar, a cotton ball

for the cocoon, and a plastic butterfly for the butterfly. The frog picture involved the students

actually drawing each stage of the frog life cycle and correctly labeling them. I used these

pictures, along with a quiz (which was involved with the web quests) to assess their learning on

the subject. For both web quests students worked in groups of two.

Learning Centers

Students had the opportunity to take part in four separate learning centers at the end of the

second week and for the entire third week of the unit. The first center involved students using

the Smart Board. There was a document open where students were to match the baby with the

parent by sliding pictures and placing them next to each other. The second center was either the

frog or butterfly web quest. We had two student computers plus two laptops, so we had four

groups a day working on the web quests. The third learning center was the interactive bulletin

board as described above. The fourth and final learning center was where students had a chance

to measure their plants and write about them in their observation journals. In their journals, they

wrote the date, height, predictions, and observations of their plant. They also took this time to

water their flowers.

VIII. Resources

Websites

A to Z teacher stuff. Retrieved from http://atozteacherstuff.com.

Georgia department of education: Georgia standards. Retrieved from https://www.

georgiastandards.org .

Newingham, B. (2009). Troy school district: Beth newingham’s third grade. Retrieved from

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/index.htm.

Statham elementary: Child friendly, child focused, child first. Retrieved from http://

www.barrow.k12.ga.us/ses/index.html.

Thinkfinity: Verizon foundation. Retrieved from http://www.thinkfinity.org/home.

aspx?ShowIndex=Yes.

Zunal webquest maker. Retrieved from http://zunal.com/.

Books

Cowhey, M. (2006). Black ants and buddhists: Thinking critically and teaching differently in

the primary grades. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. Portland, Maine:

Stenhouse Publishers.

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. Portsmouth,

New Hampshire: Heinemann.

Kaye, C. B. (2004). The complete guide to service learning: Proven, practical ways to

engage students in civic responsibility, academic curriculum, & social action.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Free Spirit Publishing, Inc.

Portalupi, J. & Fletcher, R. (2001). Non fiction craft lessons: Teaching information writing K-8.

Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Silver, H. F., Strong, R. W., & Perini, M. J. (2007). The strategic teacher: Selecting the right

research-based strategy for every lesson. Ho Ho Kus, New Jersey: Thoughtful Education

Press.

Professionals

Rachel Florence

Mentor Teacher, Statham Elementary School

Laura Roberts

Fellow student teacher, University of Georgia

Dr. Betty Bisplinghoff

Associate Professor, University of Georgia

SAMPLE LESSONS

4th / 5th Grade

Name: _______________________________________

Thanksgiving Feast

You are planning a wonderful Thanksgiving feast for your family, but you only

have a limited amount of money for your food. You have $200 to buy enough

food for 10 people to eat. Using a grocery store ad, write down what items

you will be buying. You must round at least five items to the nearest ten and

five items to the nearest dollar (or hundred).

Item Quantity Exact Price Estimated Price

Dinner Rolls 2 bags $2.29 per bag 2.30 + 2.30 =

$4.60

1. About how much money did you spend on your entire Thanksgiving feast?

2. How much money do you have leftover?

3. What will you do with your leftover money?

3rd / 4th Grade

Using Rounding and Estimation for Christmas Shopping

There’s less than two months until Christmas, and you need to start buying gifts

for everyone on your list. Over the past year, you have saved up $5,000 to spend

on gifts. You have ten people to buy gifts for. Using rounding and estimation,

figure out how much you are going to spend on each person and how much you will

spend total. Round each item to the nearest thousand, hundred, or ten, depending

on the cost. For example, if the gift costs $2,587, round to the nearest thousand.

If the gift costs $251, round to the near hundred. If the gift costs $62, round to

the nearest ten.

Item Cost Flat Screen TV 2,587

Guitar 1,396

iPad 1,834

Used Car 3,212

Trip to Disney World 2,303

Piano 4,191

Couch/Sofa 1,053

iPhone 251

Playstation 3 376

Power Tools 732

Clothing 151

Wii Fit 163

Puppy 107

Video game 62

Book 35

Jewelry 47

DVD 25

Candles 51

Lotions 17

Gift Card 20

3rd / 4th Grade

Planning Sheet Use the space below to plan your spending for each person. You may also use the

space below the chart to add up your estimated numbers.

Family Member Item Estimated Cost

Mom

Dad

Grandmother

Grandfather

Sister

Brother

Aunt

Uncle

Cousin

Mrs. Amlung

1. Total Estimated Amount Spent:

2. About how much money do you have left over to spend

on yourself?

3rd / 4th Grade

Place Value Dice Game

1. Roll the dice 2. Put the digit on the dice in any place (ones through millions) 3. The next player rolls the dice and does the same. 4. Continue rolling the dice until all spaces have been filled (ones through millions). 5. Determine which player has the higher number. The person with the higher number wins. 6. Play again.

Player 1 ______ , ______ ______ ______ , ______ ______ ______

Player 2 ______ , ______ ______ ______ , ______ ______ ______

2nd Grade

4th Grade

Designer Producers and Consumers

Scenario 1

This climate is hot and dry.

During the day,

temperatures can get as

high as 100 degrees

Fahrenheit. There is very

little rain and water is very

scarce. The only plants in

the area are dry, like cactus,

and offer little protection

from the heat.

Scenario 2

The climate of this area is

very wet and humid.

Everywhere you look there

is green: green trees, green

plants, green grass. This

area gets more rain than any

place else. Plus, it stays

mild or warm all year.

Scenario 3

This area is very flat with

very little trees. It gets

more rain than scenario 1

and less rain than scenario

2. The summers are very

hot and the winters are very

cold.

Scenario 4

The climate of this area is

very cold year round. The

temperatures can reach

below zero during the day.

The ground is almost always

covered with snow. There

are no trees, but small

bushes cover the ground.

You will be designing your own producer or consumer that lives

in one of the four scenarios listed above. Your producer or

consumer must have certain adaptations that help it live in

that area. As you plan for your producer or consumer, be sure

to keep in mind the conditions of the area and how that would

affect your living thing. You will need to draw your animal and

label the different adaptations that your living thing has. You

may also come up with a name for your producer or consumer.

4th Grade

4th Grade

Name: _________________ Greek God/Goddess/Titan: _________________

Special Characteristics

Family

Important Stories

Other Interesting

Information

3rd / 4th / 5th Grade

2nd / 3rd Grade

4th / 5th Grade

Context Clue Riddles

I ran outside and grabbed the lep. I ran over to the court and threw the lep into the air. My friend caught it and rolled the lep back to me. What is a lep? What clues did you use to help you figure out the word? What part of speech is the word? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Before I went out to play I put on my zerplat. I zipped up my zerplat and went outside. When I came inside I hung my zerplat in my locker. What is a zerplat? What clues did you use to help you figure out the word? What part of speech is the word? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I walked into the room and saw the most striffle painting in the entire world! It was so striffle that I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The colors were especially striffle. What does striffle mean? What clues did you use to help you figure out the word? What part of speech is the word? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sally and Francis plitted through the mud causing their shoes and pants to get extra dirty. Then they plitted through a puddle, which cleaned the mud off their shoes and pants. Next, they plitted through a large field. After all that plitting, they were tired! What does plit mean? What clues did you use to help you figure out the word? What part of speech is the word? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Anna zuprisly walked into her brother’s bedroom while he was sleeping. She tiptoed over to his piggy bank where all of his money was. In order to not wake him, she zuprisly picked up the piggy bank and tiptoed back out of the room. What does zuprisly mean? What clues did you use to help you figure out the word? What part of speech is the word? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

All Grades Pre-writing Circle Map

Writing Prompt

Think about a special place you have been or would like to go. It could be near your

home or in a different part of the world. Write a story about one day you spend in this special place

All Grades Pre-writing Tree Map

Writing Prompt

Think about a special place you have been or would like to go. It could be near your

home or in a different part of the world. Write a story about one day you spend in this special place

3rd / 4th / 5th Grades

4th Grade

SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS

4th Grade Name: __________________________

Multiplication with Arrays

Write an equation for the following arrays and label the dimensions:

1.

Equation: __________________________________

2.

Equation: ____________________________________

3.

Equation: ___________________________________

4.

Equation: ___________________________________

Draw an array for the following equations:

1. 5 x 6

2. 7 x 3

Fill in the chart with the missing factors and products:

Factor Times Factor Equals Product

7 x 5 =

3 x = 15

x 2 = 12

6 x 3 =

Write a definition for the following vocabulary words:

Factor:_____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Array:______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Product:_____________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4th Grade

Name: _____________________________

Multiplying Fractions

Solve the following equations. If your answer is in the form of an improper fraction, convert it to a mixed number. 1) 5 x ½ = m 2) 4 x 2/3 = y 3) 7 x 2/4 = w 4) 3 x 5/6 = t 5) 2 x 11/12 = r Solve the following word problems. Show all of your work. If your answer is in the form of an improper fraction, convert it to a mixed number. 1) If each person at a party will eat 3/8 of a pound of roast beef, and there will be five people at the party, how many pounds of roast beef will be needed? Between what two whole numbers does your answer lie? 2) A young lady is making 5 mini apple pies. If each pie needs ¾ of a pound of apples, how many pounds of apples will the lady need to buy? Between what two whole numbers does your answer lie?

3) A recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon of salt. If you make 5 such recipes, how much salt will you use? 4) Mrs. Amlung is knitting a scarf. She can knit 2/6 of the scarf in 1 hour. How much of the scarf can she knit in 2 hours? How many hours will she need to knit in order to finish the scarf completely? 5) Sally has a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper. She gives 4 of her friends 1/5 of the pack. What fraction of the 12-pack did Sally give away? What fraction does she have left?

2nd Grade

2nd / 3rd Grade

4th Grade

4th Grade Modified

Weather and Climate Quiz WORD BANK

Rain Gauge Barometer

Anemometer Thermometer

1. What weather measurement tools do we use to measure each of the

following weather conditions?

Precipitation: _________________

Air Pressure: _________________

Temperature: _________________

Wind: _______________________

2. Weather is:

A. The condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place

B. The place where two air masses meet

3. A cold front is when:

A. A cold air mass pushes a warm air mass up. The weather turns

cool or cold.

B. A cold air mass moves up and over a warm air mass. The weather

turns warm or hot.

4. A cold front brings what type of weather?

A. Cool and thunderstorms/blizzards

B. Warm and thunderstorms/blizzards

5. What are the four types of precipitation?

A. Air pressure, temperature, wind, precipitation

B. Snow, rain, sleet, hail

6. Wind is caused by air that is moving:

A. From areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

B. From dry areas to wet areas

7. Write a definition for the word meteorologist.

A meteorologist is a scientist who studies _______________.

8. Match the climate with its weather description:

A. Temperature Climate Very cold temperature year-round.

B. Polar Climate Hot and rainy

C. Tropical Climate Warm, dry summers/cold, wet winters

9. The usual weather conditions in an area over a long period of time is:

A. Climate

B. Season

10. True or False – A front always brings some sort of precipitation to

the area that is passes over.

11. Which one of the following is NOT a form of severe weather?

A. Hurricane

B. Rain

C. Tornado

D. Blizzard

4th Grade

Weather and Climate Quiz 1. What weather measurement tools do we use to measure each of the

following weather conditions?

Precipitation: _________________

Air Pressure: _________________

Temperature: _________________

Wind: _______________________

2. Weather is:

C. The condition of the atmosphere at a certain time and place

D. A large body of air that has about the same temperature, air

pressure, and moisture

E. The place where two air masses meet

F. The usual weather conditions in an area over time

3. A cold front is when:

C. Cold air rushes in from the water. The weather turns cool or

cold.

D. A cold air mass pushes a warm air mass up. The weather turns

cool or cold.

E. A cold air mass moves up and over a warm air mass. The weather

turns warm or hot.

F. Cold air rushes in from Canada. The weather turns warm or hot.

4. A cold front brings what type of weather?

C. Warm and rainy/snowy

D. Cool and thunderstorms/blizzards

E. Warm and thunderstorms/blizzards

F. Cool and rainy/snowy

5. What are the four types of precipitation?

C. Air pressure, temperature, wind, precipitation

D. Rain gauge, thermometer, barometer, anemometer

E. Snow, rain, sleet, hail

F. Cumulus, cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus

6. Wind is caused by air that is moving:

C. From areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

D. From areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure

E. From dry areas to wet areas

F. From warm areas to cool areas

7. Write a definition for the word meteorologist.

8. Match the climate with its weather description:

D. Temperature Climate Very cold temperature year-round.

E. Polar Climate Hot and rainy

F. Tropical Climate Warm, dry summers/cold, wet winters

9. The usual weather conditions in an area over a long period of time is:

C. Climate

D. Weather

E. Greenhouse effect

F. Season

10. True or False – A front always brings some sort of precipitation to

the area that is passes over.

11. The current weather in Winder, Georgia is 76 degrees Fahrenheit,

slight wind, sunny skies, and no precipitation. A warm front is moving in to

the area. Predict the weather for tomorrow.

A. Precipitation?

B. Temperature?

C. Clouds?

D. Wind?

2nd Grade

3rd / 4th Grade

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES

MISCELLANEOUS TEACHING PHOTOS

Using Technology

Conducting Research

Web Quests

Interactive Activities

SMART Board Activities

Interactive Bulletin Boards

Literacy

Rigby Reading Assessment

Writing Conferences

Writing Conferences

Student-Created Projects

Solar System

Student-Created Projects

Native Americans

American Revolution Wax Museum

Writing: Revision Centers

Daily Five

Read to Self Listen to Reading

Read with Someone

Daily Five

Word Work

Writing

laura amlung - teaching portfolio

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