2019 in review

I made it to December 31st!  It has been a busy year personally and professionally.

Here are few updated pictures of my family!

My kids on Christmas Day

My children and Aunt Kim

My family plus Aunt Kim

Every year a new year means a time to reflect and prepare to start new.  This is an amazing opportunity!

I do not do "New Year Resolutions", but started several years ago do a "word of the year!"
You can read about this in some of my previous posts:
2018 post
2017 post
One Word Explained

My words have been Focused, Trust, Patience, and Creativity over the past few years!

So how did "Creativity" go in 2019...overall good!  I need a visual way to remind myself of my word.  I think that I was more creative at work than at home.  I poured a lot of time and energy into the STEAM program.  Two big grants in 1 year time has meant that my focus is work.
The STEAM room underwent a transformation to meet ADA guidelines.  This has pushed me out of my comfort zone in creating lesson and meaningful educational activities.



So one of my goals was to start using an app called "One Second Everyday".  I tried three at the same time.  I think that 1 or 2 is plenty.  I tried a book a day and made it to February 11.
Personally, I made it to April and I have continued with my montage of my classroom!
The 2020 version of the app is so much easier to "catch up" with, but offers only 1 montage at a time.

Book a Day Montage

 My personal montage

1st quarter of the school year (I have another for spring 2019 as well!)

Drum roll please...

My 2020 word is ENGAGED.  I want to be more engaged with my family and students.

The definition of the word as a verb is " participate or become involved in.   "

Well - I hope that you either try the "1 Second" app  or pick a "WORD" for 2020!

Plus there is a random "Word of the Year" generator - Word of the Year.

Winter Holidays - STEAM style

Christmas Tree Tessellations:

Students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade colored small Christmas type trees.  I cut each one out and created a 'tree of trees' tessellation style.  I hung the first one for the Polar Express event.  The second will get hung up on Monday.  Students loved seeing this come together. 

I did find a video to show students about this topic this week.  I plan to just show the first few minutes.  Tessellations

Where did I get my resource?
Frugal Fun

Kindergarten is learning to make paper snowflakes.  We are recycling old dust jackets.  I will post pictures later today!

Hour of Code and Code.org
In December, I focus on computer coding.  Students love to sit around the STEAM room solving puzzles, trying to figure out how to get the character through the maze, and next week I am adding instrumental holiday music. 

It is a time for quieter in the busy world. 

Here are some holiday coding links:
Santa Tracker by Google
Grinch Coding
Snoopy Snow Brawl

Finally, last year, my holiday shopping post was a hit!
Check it out for ideas :)
Wish List 2018

To add to this - here is what you need to make a paper circuit:
Copper tape, battery 2032 (cheapest at Bed, Bath and Beyond OR amazon), and LED lights

Catching up...maybe

It has been a busy 2 months in STEAM.  Here are some of our lessons and activities:

Fire Safety - grade 1 and 2 learned to create a fire escape plan by building a house out of LEGOS.  Then they had to create a minimum of two exits for each area/room (doors or windows).  Plus students got to explore the website called "Sparky".  You can check it out at the following website - Sparky  Students took home a paper to create a family fire escape plan as well.  Fire Escape plan

Simple Machines - 3rd grade used Pebble Go to discover the six simple machines and discover common examples of each.  Then students used Flip Grid to share their knowledge in short video clips.  I do not have permission to share all of them, so I cannot post them! 
Finally, we played a simple machine sorting activity.  I am on a search for the link to this activity!

Serious research!

Creating a simple machine 

Watching FlipGrid videos

Shape fun with Kindergarten!  We have read three shape based stories including "Color Zoo", "The Perfect Square" and "The Greedy Triangle".  Students have learned how to use Pattern blocks to make various fall pictures including spiders and bats to turkeys and pumpkins.  There are many sites to find this printables.  This Reading Mama Blog




Finally, we went to tanagrams.  We use this video to create 5 different tanagrams together.  This week, I tried a tanagram center but the printables were light and the pieces do not line up well.

Perfect square creation - bridge/sun

Perfect Square - made a square pumpkin like Spookily

Pattern block - Mayflower

Pattern Block turkey

Pattern blocks - making a cat

Another attempt at pattern blocks

Tanagram center

BATS and BACK SCRATCHERS!
Students in 2nd grade learned about bats and made "fact" bats for the outside of the library using Pebble Go.  The template that we used was from Teacherific in 2nd grade - Bat.
I do not have any bat pictures. 

Then we went on to Back Scratchers in 1st and 2nd grade.  I started with a video from Sci Show Kids then we actually made them!
We used plastic forks, paper towel tubes, playdough, tape, rulers, and a pencil.  This was a huge success to thinking like an engineer!

Back Scratcher building

Team work

Amazing creations

Sharing our work

Every engineer must test it out

Creative ideas

BONE BRIDGES:
Finally, fourth grade re-visited Bone Bridges.  I tried to this opposite of computer work.  It was a design challenge for them!  The students struggled with the materials, time constraint, objective, etc...
A few came out amazing!  10 popsicle sticks, 10 straws, 30 q-tips, a plate, glue, 3 pipe cleaners, and newspaper.

Look for a few more shorter posts.  Sorry for the delay in posting!

PA SMART GRANT

Last fall, I was a part of team who wrote the PA SMART grant.  It is a for computer/technology training as well as new STEAM materials for the district.  The district was awarded $35,000.  For more information - see this link

PA SMART GRANT

In May 2019, two other elementary teachers and myself went to a training in Pittsburgh.  Our cohort of teachers will meet in October 2019, February 2020, and May 2020.  We are learning the importance of computer literacy and digital citizenship as well as writing new computer curriculum for our districts. 

In addition, all participants have required work to complete between each training session.  I chose to do one online activity and one "unplugged" activity.  It pushed me outside my comfort zone with mixed results.  However, growth happens when we challenge ourselves as educators and people.

First, I purchased additional MicroBits with some of the grant money.  These are mini computers that can be coding to light up, play music, and more.  It gives students a tangible product for computer coding.   You can find out more on their website - MicroBit and see the coding process at MAKE CODE.  I like the small size and the reasonable price tag of less than $20.

I do not have any "WOW" pictures from this activity yet.  I hope to take some on Monday or Tuesday.  

Pros: Cost, ease of use
Cons: How to play sound, some unknown more advanced features, and some students not being familiar with coding

I plan to give a concrete task next time not just exploration.  Overall, 90% of the students were excited to try them out in grades 3 and 4.
______________________________________________________________________________

My second activity that I did for my upcoming class was an "unplugged" activity.  This is an activity that works on a technology concept but OFFLINE.

I completed a pixel coloring activity.  I thought that it would be like a color by number and be a cool display in STEAM.  Students in my first class didnt really get the idea of pixels.  I found a student video which explains them a bit on you tube.  Here is link to video that I used:

The students were supposed to color the entire box like a pixel.  Some colored just the number.  Some scribbled.  Others did not understand the goal.  I plan to hang them up in the current condition (partially colored boxes) then let them see what happened.  Then re-print the pages and try them again.  I think that it is an important lesson.

The link is CS Unplugged

Here are a few students in action as well!

Kindergarten and STEAM

I struggled with these little 5 and 6 year olds.  As a teacher, you are looking at a spectrum of backgrounds (preschool, home day care, Sunday school only, no school experience, etc...).  Some students are academically ready for kindergarten (letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc...) and others no very little school ready skills.

How do you keep everyone engaged?  That is a great question and challenge.  I only have to work with them 50 minutes 1 time per week.  I am not cut out to be a Kindergarten teacher.

I have finally developed a few options that work well...centers!  MOVEMENT is the key.

This year, I got brave and tried some new lessons in new places.  Taking 15-20 kindergarteners outside TERRIFIED me.  I can barely keep track of my crew of 6 in public places like parks, stores, etc...  Taking an entire class outside was scary.

The first week, I did tin foil boats as "engineers".  I have made them for a first STEAM lesson most years.  The first year was in a pool in the STEAM room on carpet and/or courtyard.  Year 2 and 3, I used a bucket in the STEAM room which wasn't big enough.  This year, I borrowed the life skill teacher's small kiddie pool.  However, we moved to the butterfly garden by the school garden.  It is close to the hose connection, has great teaching benches, and no one hears the joyful noise made.

It was a total success.  I use the pre-cut sheets of aluminum foil from GFS (Gordon Food Service).  The box is industrial size.  I think the pieces are bit thin and flimsy, but they are ALL the same size with no extra work!

I did not lose any children, they learned how to try something new, and we got to enjoy the school garden. 

NOW I was hooked on outdoor teaching...but week 2 is usually read "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" then do STEAM centers in the STEAM room.  So I went with the normal since I was not pre-planned for another outdoor lesson.  Some of our centers week 1 were the Lake Shore Learning "Goldilocks and 3 Bears" kit (from my Donor's Choose grant), gear toy, Keva Planks, writing names on dry erase boards, and big floor puzzles. 

Links to products:
Lake Shore Learning Kit



Gears



Keva Planks


Week 3 was time for a new and fun outside lesson.  We did BUBBLE WANDS out of pipe cleaners while talking about shapes!  Make a circle bubble wand - get a circle (sphere shaped bubble).  What happens when we make a triangle, square, heart shaped wands?  You have to try it to find out.   

A few classes planted/weeded the garden.  We planted lettuce, radishes, and spinach.  They desperately need more water but rain is limited.  The lettuce appears to be growing so far and maybe 1 radish plant?!?!?

Since then we did more stations with some groups.  We are started a shape/pattern block study...look for more information soon!

Farm to table

What do you do with 4 HUGE Hubbard squash in the school garden?  What do you do with two mystery pumpkins or Kabocha squashes?

This is one we picked and started with!

You take a big risk and teach outside the box.

Here is how it went down:

Over the summer, one of our substitute teachers who is avid gardener suggested making squash or pumpkin gnocchi with the students.  I actually prayed that the squash would spontaneously disappear or not be harvestable.  True story...those beasts SCARED this amateur gardener.  I really did not think that even the new food service department wanted them.

So on Monday, I put on my "Big Girl Pants" and we (Bethany and I) picked two of the squash.  One of each type.  Bethany (the physical education teacher) took home the mystery item which we are calling Kabocha Squash to roast on Monday night, but her oven broke so we roasted at school on Tuesday.  Tuesday night, I roasted a big Hubbard squash.   She pureed hers after roasting while I just lumped my in a bowl.

Our mystery item

Cut open Kabocha squash

Before roasting the Hubbard squash

All cooked up and smells divine

You are supposed to tell it is roasted when the back droops

On Wednesday, Bethany and I co-taught a lesson on FARM to TABLE.  Students were able to help mix squash and flour together to make edible "playdough".  My recipe was off because the kobocha squash turned out like applesauce and the other was more like fork soft baked potatoes.  Two very different consistencies.  A parent helper, Annette, and I mixed the dough.  It took extra flour,  but came together. Students rolled out dough "logs".  Next, they cut those in pieces.
Then Mrs. May assisted in cooking.  Finally, the students tasted the gnocchi.  At this point, Mrs. Pinzok and I switched classes.  My first group went off for some exercise and hand washing with Mrs. Pinzok while Annette and I made the recipe with the second group of students.

The best part was that 90% of the students tried and LOVED the pasta!  The Kabocha squash that we used was a lighter yellow so it looked like regular noodles in the end NOT squash noodles.

On Friday, we wrapped up our squash gnocchi unit with a follow up from our local news station!

Here is the video clip - Farm to Table News

Now we are figure out how to spread our success and 16 cups of left over Hubbard squash to 2nd and 3rd grade next week!

The question is more gnocchi or a new recipe???  Time will tell!

Here was our inspiration recipe - gnocchi link - search Spoon University Pumpkin Gnocchi

Kabocha squash information