Over the past school year I was consumed with everything intermediate. From familiarizing myself with the standards to researching classroom management strategies for older kids, I was "All In" when it came to my adventure wth a 4/5 combination class. It pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I had so much fun with my students! From teaching complex math concepts, to experimenting with STEAM, we had quite an exciting year. Although I had an amazing year with a new grade level and new school, I am soooooo excited to be coming back down to "primaryland", where I will be teaching second grade!
With a background in teaching reading and working with primary students, I can't wait to dive right in... although before I do I want to post some pictures of what life was like in intermediate. If you have any questions about any of these projects, just leave a comment!
Cheetah Pastel Portraits
Earth Day Watercolor Paintings
We loved coding with our Ozobots, which were fully funded by Donor's Choose!
We had a blast making robot hands and rollercoasters thanks to Mystery Science!
Of course I can't forget the favorite project of the year... Clay Dragons! A blog post will be up soon with details on this project!
Can't wait to share my second grade journey with you all soon!
This year in my 4th/5th grade combination class we have been having a blast with science. We have spent quite a bit of time perfecting our simple circuits. After learning about current electricity and circuits we dove right into the experiment portion of our investigation. We created a number of simple circuits using a variety of materials.
Index Card Circuit
The first circuit was a very simple circuit using a minimum of supplies purchased from Amazon.
1 Index Card
2 pieces of Copper Tape (one piece needs to be slightly longer than the other)
1 LED
1 3-Volt Coin Cell Battery
I introduced current electricity with a Bill Nye video (the kids LOVED it). I then modeled how to make the simple circuit and then turned the kids loose! The foil took a little getting used to and the kids were able to manipulate it with a little practice. I taught them how to use both hands while taking off the white paper, and a partner also came in handy for this step.
Step 1: Label one side of the index card with a + and one side with a -.
Step 2: Peel off the white paper for the short copper tape. Open the LED lead wires slightly and place the cooper tape over the lead wire and run it down the index card.
Step 3: Peel off the white paper for the long piece of copper tape and attach to the long LED. Run the rest of the tape down the index card but fold the tape over on itself at the bottom to create a switch. The long LED lead and long tape side will be the positive side and the short side will be the negative side.
Step 4: Place the negative side of the battery on the negative side of the circuit on the copper tape. Place the switch on the positive side of the battery to turn on the circuit.
Troubleshooting: If the circuit does not turn on, make sure the copper tape is adhering to the LED leads. Use a fingernail to smooth it out. Also check that your switch is not tearing, causing a break in the circuit.
My students then created a diagram of their simple circuit. To grab the diagram click here!
We began with this circuit because it was fairly basic. We tried a more complex circuit next!
Aluminum Wire Circuit
This circuit was definitely more difficult than the index card circuit. We talked a lot about growth mindset before we began so students remembered that this circuit would take some adjusting, trouble shooting, and lots of persistence!
I created a tutorial for my students and you can check it out below!
Once we completed the creation of the circuits, I had my students create videos describing how their circuit works. This was a great assessment and really helped me see which students had a in depth understanding of current electricity. You can check out my example video below.
The used these circuits to test the conductivity of materials in the classroom. We recorded the data on a conductors and insulators page. You can grab the page here.
Circuit Landscapes
The last circuit project was an arts integration activity. The students were to research a landscape that would be created out of oil pastels on cardboard. They then would be creating a circuit on the back with a switch to light up their art with up to 4 LED. The students got really creative and created space scenes, night scenes, the Eiffel Tower, and nature scenes. Take a peek at some of the creations below!
Flexible seating has been a huge component of my classroom for many years. My first grade students had great success with the seating and they thrived within our flexible seating classroom. When I moved to Southern California, I found out that I would be teaching a fourth and fifth grade combination class. I had a lot to consider when it came to fourth/fifth grade students and flexible seating...
Would they need their own supplies instead of shared supplies?
Would they need a space to call their own?
Would fourth/fifth graders require as much movement as first graders?
What about all the yoga balls and wobble stools I had for first graders? Would these items work?
What classroom furniture would I have to work with?
What would flexible seating look like with a class of 34 intermediate students vs. 24 first graders?
Checking out the classroom was the first stage in the planning process. When I saw my classroom I realized that I would need to change my vision for my classroom layout. I LOVE teaching with tables in my classroom. Being a new teacher at the school I had to make the classroom furniture in the room work with my classroom set-up. My classroom was a storage space before I moved in so there was a mishmash of desks and chairs to work with. So... for now the two-seater desks would have to work.
I decided to arrange my students into groups to start the year. I would assess their needs and go from there. I brought in my stability cushions, lap desks, and wobble stools (even though they were first grade-sized). I began the year providing each child with a "home base" seat. This was their desk to hold their items since we didn't have tables. I brought in a standing desk, bean bag chairs, pillows (emoji pillows came from Amazon), and lowered a table. Ikea is local for me so I was fortunate enough to obtain some flexible seating options at a great price. We started on day one with flexible seating expectations that I used with my first graders and the students took our flexible seating responsibilities very seriously.
Throughout the day we would integrate flexible seating for various projects and assignments, then meet at their "home base" seat or the carpet area for direct instruction. I quickly learned, like my first grade students, fourth graders need to move while they are learning! Scholastic bonus points came in very handy to purchase some wobble stools that were better suited for my fourth graders. I decided to forgo the yoga balls due to the lack of space in my new room, but wanted to get additional wobble stools for my classroom. I purchased some wobble stools through Amazon and I set up a Donor's Choose project for additional wobble stools that would fit my students. While I await the possibility of funding for the stools, we are using the first grade stools and my students love them and don't mind that they are not as tall. If you would like to donate to the funding of our wobble stools, click here!
I am very pleased with the modified version of the flexible seating in my classroom that we have currently set up and I have a vision to make the classroom even more flexible! I have my eye on white board tables that flip up and roll. I would love these tables because it would allow for collaboration and the students could use the white board surface for writing and note taking. The tables could then be flipped up to present to the class. The rolling option could enable our class to become a wide open space for projects. I also found hexagonal dry-erase top tables that I love. These looked great for collaboration. I am currently in search of grants to help fund these items and I am hopeful that I can make the vision work!
I am excited to see where flexible seating in our fourth and fifth grade takes us. I will be sure to update the blog about all on the challenges and successes throughout the year. I would love to hear how flexible seating has gone for you!
There have been many changes in my world recently and I couldn't be happier about the excitement the last few months has had in store for me. This summer I relocated from Northern California to sunny Southern California. I am absolutely LOVING life down here by the beach.
Along with a new city comes a new school! I was extremely fortunate to be hired by an innovative district in full support of their teachers and classroom creativity. I was hired at a STEAM school and I have been having so much fun implementing science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics as much as possible.
While I have had lots of experience teaching the little ones I am currently experiencing life teaching intermediate students as a fourth and fifth grade combination teacher!
I can't wait to share some of the amazing projects the students have been working on.
First, take a peek into my classroom... Working with older kids has allowed me to embrace topics of their interest level. I decided to use emojis and hashtags as a component of my classroom. Check out the pics below!
I am a lover of flexible seating and with my fourth and fifth graders is looks a little different than it did for my first graders... A post on flexible seating with older kids will be coming soon!
Below I have some of our bulletin boards... more information about each project will be coming soon!
I am very pleased with the modified version of the flexible seating in my classroom that we have currently set up and I have a vision to make the classroom even more flexible! I have my eye on 
