Teaching Kiddos

A  Circle Map  is one of the first Thinking Maps we learn. It is probably one of the easiest for young children to grasp and comprehend because basically they are taking a single (one) idea and defining it in its context. Circle Map=a thinking map used to define information Today we did a " close read" with Nights of the Pufflings. By the second read we became experts on Pufflings by using circle maps. The main idea ( Pufflings ) was written in the center circle. We then proceeded to write 5-7 details about this animal that really stood out as we read/listened to the story. After using the Thinking Map tool ( circle map) we now have a better understanding of the book and its main character , the Puffling!

Last week we used toilet paper to learn about science! How fun is that? To better understand how far from the sun each planet is we made a model. Sadly Mrs. Ramsey nor Mrs. Ballesteros are not Ms. Frizzle and can't turn our school bus in to a rocket ship and take you to the moon, therefore we have to make a model. The solar system is way to big to "see" so we have to model it! Toilet paper came in handy today for our solar system model! The students were provided with a chart telling them how many sheets of toilet paper each planet is away from the sun. Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, was 3 sheets of toilet paper from the sun. Neptune, the farthest planet from the sun, was 224 sheets of toilet paper from the sun. The kids did quite a bit of counting today! I was very proud of the teamwork efforts. The students seem to take every assignment seriously in Science! Even if it does involve toilet paper!