I have not updated everything in a month on here! Fall is full of fun at home and school.
Pumpkin farms, Halloween, Fire Safety...and more...
It was a crazy month in our house...I find that it is nice to sit down and reflect on my lessons, record the ideas in one place, and show off the amazing things going on in education even in the middle of an on-going pandemic.
September was set to survival...October was a slow return to normal...November is book fair and traveling mural fun :)
I am secretly really looking forward to DE"STEM"BER 2021! Bigger and better than before...paper circuit ornament, gingerbread design challenge, marble run design challenge, santa sleigh designs, santa tracker, and so much more!
But let me go backwards to October.
LEAVES...PUMPKIN JACK...CORN MOSAICS. PLUS MORE FARM TO TABLE FUN!
I am working on progressive lessons...one grade building on the previous year.
For example, K and 1 both read Leaf Man together. I chose to have a read aloud on the screen to make it bigger for everyone.
Grade K - did a leaf tracer then decorated their leaf man. This was used to teach the students how to use a tracer and follow directions. Mrs. Long shared adorable googly eyes for this fun project.
Grade 1 - used leaves, glue, and googly eyes to create a leaf creation...it could be a person, an animal, or more. Then we practiced taking photos in Seesaw.
This one is a T REX!!!
Grade 2 made 3 dimensional leaves. I talked about it last year as well. 3D leaf post
Grade 3 has been working on learning about simple machines. We are slowing it down...we have done 4 out of 6. The students are watching a video, discussing a real life example, then writing down a definition and examples in our simple machine packet. In November, we will finish the last two (wedge and screw). In DeSTEMber, we will make a marble run using 1 or more simple machine in the design! We also might do BINARY holiday ornaments. I found a packet years ago online and just keep using it.
Grade 4 did a fun farm to table unit on PIZZA and HERBS. Students got to explore our outdoor classroom and pizza garden. They got to taste, feel, draw, and experience herbs. The students in most classes would taste DILL WEED and say that it tasted like pickles and then we would talk about how this is how dill pickles are flavored.
In the meantime, a basic cauliflower crust pizza was cooking. Then we went back to STEAM to taste it! YUM.
MORE COOL PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES!!
TRAVELING MURAL
I joined a group of 9 other librarians and STEAM teachers across the country to work on a TRAVELING MURAL PROJECT. Grade 3 and 4 are working on the final design next week. It was launched by another blogger...The Library Voice
Here is her post launching the Traveling Mural project...Traveling Mural
First students created listened to the "Hey, Wall"
Then we talked about possible topics and I created a WORDLE of all of our topics. Here is what was decided.
Then we made individual samples/ideas for the mural. These were displayed in the hallway. Then the art teacher worked on taking a few of the best ideas into 1 final mural...TO BE CONTINUED!!
What other schools are we working with?
So we are going to make a 10 foot by 3 foot mural. Then cutting it into 10 pieces. Our school keeps one section...the other 9 will be shipped to California, Texas, Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut. and we should get 9 pieces back.
Then we will make a mishmash TRAVELING MURAL and learn about other school and places in our project through out December!
I am curious to connect with my college roommate since she lives in the same small NY town as where one of our pieces of mural is going! How cool is that? I might actually know one of the artists hundreds of miles away in NY!!!
Look for more pictures and updates soon!
CORN MOSAIC
Okay so reluctantly, I took my children to the Erie Children's Museum since we bought a membership during a deal in August! This inspired a fun Halloween activity for 4 out of 5 days. The students LOVED it!!! I would premake larger batch of corn or politely request parent support next time.
I colored 15 lbs of corn in 4 days. The process is similar to Easter Eggs and is not a last minute option.
I used this blog as my initial recipe. I used a lot less of the food coloring as we went along.
The decision was suddenly made 2 weeks ago to return me to my special of STEAM by administration.
Okay - so on a Friday - I had to figure out how to regroup and teach my class. Oh wait - I was going to be teaching a double class of STEAM and library with an extra adult to help (aides and/or principals!).
I was ready but not ready for this experience. My class of students that I had been with for 7 days was now divided among the 4 other classrooms at that grade level.
So I pulled out my Dot Day lesson plan with modifications like NO technology.
Originally...students read the book called "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds
Then - we watched the illustrator/author create Dot inspired art work:
Then it was time for students to CREATE images...the last part was to practice uploading to either TEAMS assignments or SeeSaw.
Here are a few pictures:
FARM TO TABLE
Starting on September 8, I started doing a Farm to Table lesson about Zucchini Bread. My last group got bread on October 1. It took 3 weeks to teach a lesson to every student. I ended up making 30+ loaves of zucchini bread. I think it was 12-15 batches of zucchini bread. I have left over eggs and need to use them up ASAP. However, most of the frozen zucchini has been used at school!
Students watched a cooking demonstration, discussed what is zucchini, tasted the bread, and more!
It was a busy time with the oven in a completely different wing of the school...but we made it work.
I would say that 95% of the students tried it and over 90% LOVED the recipe. I do not have many pictures because it is hard to demonstrate and take pictures.
PUMPKIN RUN
In addition, the librarian and I made sure to share the story of the "Pumpkin Runner with almost all 500 students in STEAM and/or library. This even meant a co-teaching day!
The event at the track was AWESOME!
As you can see, it has been a crazy first 22 days of school. I have been out of my room about 9-10 days.
I did hang my first week of school projects too! Those were all about initials and names. I called it a creativity design challenge!
Thursday it was decided that I would return to STEAM on Friday. One week in 4th grade was eye opening, challenging, and rewarding.
My favorite moment was when we were discussing visionaries during Greek and Latin...students had so many awesome ideas. One boy said Martin Luther King was a visionary and quoted his I have a dream quote.
WOW!
So yesterday I taught a double STEAM library class with help. It turned out awesome. I left exhausted but invigorated. I even got a good walk through!
NEXT WEEK...
I have two awesome lessons that I will be finishing this week in STEAM - Dot Day and Zucchini Bread.
Monday is doing Dot Day lesson.
Tuesday and Friday is wrap of Zucchini bread.
Wednesday has done both...so time to get creative.
Thursday is Pumpkin Run.
Some would suggest starting a whole new lesson plan but I have dozens of eggs and frozen zucchini that needs consumed.
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This morning brings a new book. Our district is reading The Learning Challenge as an optional book club.
Your child boards a bus masked sitting with a sibling or cousin. If they share a seat, there is a chart denoting who was a close contact to whom.
Your child enters school to sit at a desk as close to 3 feet apart from every child in their room and 6 feet from the adults.
Your child has lunch at a table of 4 soon to be a table of 2...
Your child can have a mostly normal unmasked recess.
But your child is in school and not virtual...this is really the ultimate goals to keep students in schools and learning as much as possible. It can be a scary time for everyone. Everything feels so routine but still so unknown.
This year brings a new twist...teachers with LONG periods of quarantine to take care of themselves or their children/husbands. How do you replace a teacher for 10-30 days with nearly zero subs and limited staff to substitute in a building?
GET CREATIVE!!!
Currently, I am subbing in a classroom for another 8 days and so is the librarian. Other teachers are covering specials including the guidance counselor, the emotional support teacher, the principals, teachers from other buildings after their day is over, and MORE! There is a rotation of learning support and title teachers and special area teachers teaching in classrooms. Some days are almost normal...others are a puzzle that has to be completed by 8:50! God Bless the front office staff and admin that have to figure this out!
I have run the gamut of emotions on not teaching my class. However, I feel like I need to focus on the STUDENTS. I am able to create a level of normalcy for this classroom. They know that I will be there each day to guide them and learn with them. The students know me and I know them. It is what is best to continue to educate these young people. To teach the curriculum. To provide them some level of stability even if us adults are spinning out of control (mentally and emotionally).
I will go in tomorrow morning ready to SERVE my students...to follow my directives...to teach these darlings. I will get to finish my farm to table lesson soon enough (hope the eggs do not spoil in the meantime).
Everyone is really getting a chance to see how things work in another room...to see the other side of education through this experience. Maybe I will learn how to support a teacher more. Touch a student's life. Allow the principal/administration to keep the building open for in person education for 1 more day!
Find the silver lining...step up to the plate...think of the stakeholders...think of these little people...take it one day at a time.
My mental pep talk is - I CAN DO THIS!!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!
When people ask me how the first two weeks of teaching in 2021...I think of two memes that I have recently seen. The students are mostly oblivious to the stress of teaching in 2021. However, I did have two workers ask me after day 1 if I was okay or stressed. Maybe I need to improve my acting skills for 2021.
Here are the memes:
Well, I have to admit that I am stressed. I have already subbed twice out of eight school days. Just like every business, education is running on a basic crew with not much extra support. I wonder am I keeping the students safe from this virus (masks, 3 feet apart, minimal sharing of materials, etc...), am I covering the correct material to prepare them for the learning and school year ahead, and more! Remember, I usually assist with logging in 500 students in a variety of ways (different devices, different user names/passwords, getting new students accounts, etc...) in 45 minutes while keeping them engaged while they wait is not easy! I feel this step is necessary incase a child has to do any virtual schooling.
Plus my lesson is a heavy topic...DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP and INTERNET SAFETY. I watch my own children fall into watching weird YouTube videos, chat with people on Roblox, and have ready access to media 24-7. Keeping them safe online is HUGE! Am I doing enough...I hope so...
I have to cover this with 4 more classes on Monday that I have not even met yet!!!
I use the Digital Citizenship curriculum from Common Sense Media. It has a great set of lessons...
Kindergarten and Life Skills made tin foil boats then went to the butterfly garden to watch if they sink or float. Then they add passengers (pennies and acorns). Plus a tour of the garden. This is a lot lighter topic and more fun. Typically, I skip the deep internet safety discussion with Kindergarten.
I only got a few pictures of boats and the 3rd and 4th grade project to create their name creatively. However, I need to add more pictures.
This is what I need to focus on...students and their learning!!!
Folding fun
Trying to figure it out
Another boat
Tin foil boat
Name design challenge
Name design challenge
Look for a fun zucchini bread post soon :) Plus more pictures!!!
The fun just keeps on coming as well as the surprises! We are having fun with a scavenger hunt/adventure created by "the Goblin in the Notch" - see these two links for the back story: Goblin in the Notch Goblin in the Notch - part 2
My kids are loving running up to check the mailbox...it has been a super busy few weeks so the time for hiking is limited...but they have squeezed in a few treks to the follow the latest Goblin in the Notch letter.
The walking sticks and tooth/claw necklace were the highlights!
My children talk about this as a highlight of the summer. It has added a huge layer of fun, surprise, and wholesome fun to our summer.
SENECA LIBRARY
Erin and I flipped the high media center in 7 days! This was a HUGE project...but I will share more after the September board meeting (I am hoping to share with the school board). Here are the before and after pictures. It is NOT done!!!
BEFORE PICTURES!
HERE IS THE AFTER PICTURES
This is a panoramic of the new library space. The boxes are leaving!
GARDEN
Last Monday, my husband and I picked carrots, peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, 10 cucumbers, zucchini, and more! These were given to the school cafeteria for lunches. Some were served cold and fresh...others were added to create mixed veggies!
I brought cute little bowls - broccoli, peppers, cherry tomatoes
CUCUMBERS!!
Carrots abound...plus peas and beans
Internet Safety!!
This is always my first lesson in STEAM. It is the law...so this is the new video that I shared with students in my bitmoji classroom. This was shared in homeroom...and then we go into depth in STEAM using Common Sense Media.
Here is the video:
Look for more updates and pictures next week!! I need to take more pictures plus my first week lessons are not finished so I do not want to share too much about STEAM yet!
